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Goge Vandire

2019-09-19T20:24:35Z

2600:1006:B156:3ED1:88E0:A070:1621:297C:

[[Image:Goge Vandire.jpg|400px|right|thumb|If Stalin became the Pope.]]
{{topquote|'''Oderint, dum metuant!''' (Let them hate me, so long as they fear me!)|Caligula}}

That's right, his name is Goge Vandire. [[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device|'''G-O-G-E''' Vandire.]] How much eviler can a name get?

'''Goge Vandire''' is a jackass who took control of the Imperium during the [[Age of Apostasy]], holding the positions of [[Ecclesiarchy|Ecclesiarch]] and [[High Lords of Terra|Head of the Administratum]] at the same time, starting the '''Reign of Blood'''. If the Imperium is space Rome, this is spehss Caligula, Nero, and Commodus all in one nutty package. He was paranoid even by Imperial standards, and his reign saw the murder of many, many civilians. Surveillance servo-skulls on every street corner, random purges for imagined slights, this guy makes Joseph Stalin look friendly and fair-minded. Took a shitload of spes muhreens to take on the dipshit, and even then he only died because his [[Sisters of Battle|female bodyguards]] (who may or may not have been his sex slaves as well; some evil dictators in real-life have done that) finally realized he was an asshole and cut off his head, possibly by order of [[The Emperor]] himself. At least he left behind some epic last words of '''''"I don't have time to die; I'm too busy"''''' which probably was adapted into some nice comedy movies for the Imperial citizenry. A good example of how no matter how bad the Imperium gets, it could always be worse. What a cunt.

Speaking of cunts, the Captain-General has the Emperor’s level of authority when the Emperor is incapacitated or at least does not contradict him. Interesting how he didn’t do shit about this horrorfest until the very end.

==Reign of Blood==
Even before taking power (well, even more power), Vandire got his way to becoming '''Master of the Administratum''' by back-stabbing, bribery and assassination.

When the current Ecclesiarch died, he managed to wrangle his own choice of Ecclesiarch into the grimdark Vatican, who ended up being the weakest guy to ever serve in the role. Thus when confidence in the church started to plummet he actually had a case for storming the palace, where ''apparently'' the space-pope was involved in some sort of debauchery that would put even the [[Slaanesh|Borgias]] to shame. So he pronounced the Ecclesiarch guilty and took the job himself - what a hero! What isn't explained is how he could become Ecclesiarch if he isn't a member of the Ministorum in the first place. Like usual GW just sort of brushes off the impossible details no one else in the Imperial Senate or the Ecclesiarchy would tolerate.

===Ruler of the Imperium===
Absolute power corrupts absolutely, especially when the guy claiming the power was corrupt already.

Vandire went insane with power, and started claiming that he spoke with the voice of the [[Emperor]] himself, basically a "whatever I say, goes" and started getting clerks to write down whatever he said at all times.

He got himself a holographic map of the galaxy and started pointing at it and issuing crazy edicts:
*[[Derp|Purging all gingers from some worlds populations (no, we're not kidding).]]
*[[What|People from some worlds were forbidden from looking at the sky.]]
*[[Exterminatus|Virus Bombing some planets with gene-viruses to eliminate imagined mutations.]]
*[[Slaanesh|Enslaving all female children below 12 years old.]]
*[[1984|Setting up Servo-Skulls everywhere to record citizens movements and conversations.]]
*[[Fail|Deciding that some worlds need their ice caps melted.]]
*[[That guy|Building effigies of himself hundreds of metres tall.]] [[heresy|Some of which were bigger than the statues of the Emperor next to them.]]

===Daughters of the Emperor===
When he found the world of '''San Leor''' he found a convent of holy sisters called the '''"Daughters of the Emperor"'''. On his arrival his retainers said to the population that they had to throw him the biggest party EVAR on pain of death. So when he paraded down the streets he was met by the flower petals, incense and crowds singing praises to him (at gunpoint) all caught on pictcast for the rest of the galaxy to see.

When he got to the gate of the convent, they said something along the lines of ''"No Man May Enter Here"'' and half the Imperium expected another dead world, but Vandire stayed calm, and convinced the ladies to let him over the threshold where he would "prove" himself blessed by the Emperor; mostly by brandishing his [[Rosarius]] and saying "shoot me" since very few people on that backwater planet will have ever seen a [[Rosarius]] before.

Then he got himself a fanatical army of sexy bolter babes and named them the '''"Brides of the Emperor"'''

He also used the Brides of the Emperor for "singing, dancing, and other more '''''exotic''''' skills". So in addition to dictator and space-pope, his job description becomes all the more venerable with the addition <s>"Pimp of the Imperium."</s>{{BLAM}} {{BLAM|The Emprah is the only pimp of the Imperium!}}

===The End===
He ruled for 70 years, up until [[Sebastian Thor]] showed up, the rest is [[Age of Apostasy|very much history]]. His last words were said to be: "I don't have time to die! I'm too busy!"

He was a [[that guy|huge dick]] [[Rocks fall, everyone dies|and got what he had coming]]. The end. Fuck him.

{{Sororitas-Characters}}

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]
[[Category:Imperial]]
[[Category:Heresy]]

Sisters of Battle

2019-09-19T20:21:56Z

2600:1006:B156:3ED1:88E0:A070:1621:297C: /* Overview */

[[File:AdSor 2.jpg|300px|right|thumb|We'd like to [[Flamer|talk]] [[Bolter|to]] [[Meltagun|you]] for a moment about your [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Lord and Savior]]]]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smqK5cHSxMA|'''PLASTIC SISTERS CONFIRMED, FOR REAL THIS TIME''']

{{Topquote|Bunch together a group of people deliberately chosen for strong religious feelings, and you have a practical guarantee of dark morbidities expressed in crime, perversion, and insanity.|H.P. Lovecraft}}

''[[Guidelines of the Space Marines|Space Marine Guideline]] 1: Thou shalt not refer to the Adepta Sororitas as "[[Bolter]] [[Bitches]]," nor shalt thou go anywhere near our sisters during the time of their "Red Rage," lest thou wish to be the first human to enter orbit without the aid of a shuttle.

'''Sisters of Battle''' are essentially [[Warhammer 40k]]'s female equivalent of [[Space Marines]], warriors devoted to the [[God-Emperor_of_Mankind|Emperor]]. Although they lack the genetic modification of their beefier brethren, they also wear [[power armour]] and are armed mainly with the ubiquitous [[Bolter]] and [[Chainsword]]. The Sisters of Battle are also known as the "Daughters of the Emperor", and officially as the "Adepta Sororitas", though the Adepta Sororitas refers to their entire organization, while the term Sisters of Battle refers only to their militant branch. They are more colloquially known by players as "bolter bitches/babes" or "nuns with guns", almost always resulting in an awkward boner. They are ''not'' to be confused with [[Female Space Marines]].

==Overview==
[[File:Lusty Marine.png|300px|thumb|left]]
The Sisters of Battle are part of the [[Ecclesiarchy]], the religious arm of Imperial government, and sometimes work with the [[Inquisition]]'s [[Witch Hunters]]. In the 36th millennium, the Ecclesiarchy's pope, a guy called [[Goge Vandire]], attained the dual position of Ecclesiarch and Master of the Administratum, effectively giving him control over everyone in the Imperium, including nearly all of it's armed forces. With the exception of the Space Marines and Adeptus Mechanicus, pretty much everyone had to do what he said or face a slow and agonizing death. Unfortunately for everyone who wasn't lucky enough to be a Space Marine or Tech-Priest, he was also completely insane, and his rule was so devastating that it came to be known as the Reign of Blood, leading to untold billions of deaths across the Imperium, which in turn led to violent warp storms the likes of which wouldn't be seen again until the formation of the [[Great Rift]] 5,000 years later. During this period, Vandire discovered a force of warrior-nuns living on the feudal world of San Leor known as the Daughters of the Emperor. Although they initially didn't want anything to do with him, he convinced them that he was the Emperor's chosen by having his bodyguard shoot him while he was protected by the force field of a rosarius. Because the relatively primitive Daughters of the Emperor had never seen a force field before, they assumed that this meant Vandire was protected by the Emperor, and happily joined him. Rechristened as the Brides of the Emperor, they served as Vandire's personal bodyguards, shock troops, servants, and concubines. With a force of hyper-loyal Battle Sisters at his command, Vandire became effectively untouchable, proven when he had the Sisters execute all of the [[High Lords of Terra]], which he quickly replaced with his cronies. Suffice to say, things looked pretty bleak.

Of course, this state of affairs couldn't last forever. Late in his reign, a preacher known as [[Sebastian Thor]] rose to prominence in the Imperium, leading a massive crusade to Terra to take down Vandire once and for all. Agreeing that they too were sick of the High Lord, the Space Marines and Adeptus Mechanicus joined forces and launched an assault on Terra, matching themselves against Frateris Templars, Sisters of Battle, and those [[Imperial Guard]] and [[Imperial Navy|Navy]] forces that hadn't joined the insurrection. Unfortunately for them, the Sisters numbered around 10,000 women by this point, and they were battle-hardened, motivated, and armed to the teeth. The siege dragged on interminably, with no end in sight. Getting desperate, the Space Marines contacted the Adeptus Custodes, who had remained neutral for most of the siege, but agreed to help the insurrectionists out. Using secret passages to avoid the fighting, the Captain-General of the Custodes presented himself to Alicia Dominica, the leader of the Brides of the Emperor. After debating with her for some time, the Captain-General realized that she wasn't going to budge, and resorted to an extreme course of action; he took her and her five closest compatriots to the Imperial Palace and into the throneroom of the Emperor himself. No one knows what happened in there, but when the six women re-emerged, they went straight to Vandire, declared him a heretic of the highest degree, and beheaded him.

In the aftermath of this conflict, the Imperium underwent a substantial political restructuring known as the Reformation, designed to prevent another Reign of Blood from ever occurring. As part of this restructuring, the High Lords decreed that the Ecclesiarchy was no longer allowed to maintain "men under arms." Of course, while this meant the Ecclesiarchy had to disband their fleet and standing armies of Frateris Templars, the Sisters of Battle were technically allowed to remain, being women under arms and not men. While many point to this as an example of the idiocy of the High Lords of Terra, this easily-circumventable wording was likely intentional, as unlike the other Ministorum forces, the Sisters of Battle had proven that their loyalty was to the Emperor first and the Ecclesiarchy second, meaning that they could be relied upon to police the Ministorum as well as protect it. Well, it’s still heretical and illegal, though, since “men under arms” outright means “soldier” or “warrior” and the word “men” has a definition beyond “male”: human. So, the only way for the Sisters of Battle to be legal is for them to not be militant (they are) and not be human (they are...unless...). That they are accepted anyway would mean they are, by definition of “men”, not human. Perhaps it is so the rest of the High Lords can laugh at them behind their back.

In combat, Sisters of Battle have something of an obsession with the purifying effects of flame, and generally choose equipment that allows them to cover heretics with as much holy promethium and thermal lances as possible. This philosophy is most obviously exemplified by the Immolator tank, essentially a rolling [[METAL BOXES|steel crate]] with giant flamethrowers or multi-meltas stuck on it. They also have the [[Exorcist]], a mobile pipe organ that shoots missiles. Less accurate than the Whirlwind Missile Launcher or any Imperial Guard artillery, but who cares, the thought of [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flmoGRFZ7jc|pipe organs launching missiles while playing epic mass complete with Latin] is fucking awesome, dammit.

[[File:Ordersmilitant.jpg|200px|thumb|right|An overview of the six main Orders. Sadly brief, but characterful.]]
There are six main Orders. All minor Orders are descended from one of these.

* '''Argent Shroud:''' The Lawful Goods. Are a rarity among Imperial factions, in that they are described as being famous for selfless heroism, as well as altruism. For this reason, /tg/ likes to fluff them as noble space Paladins and she-bros to the [[Salamanders]]. They wear Silver.
* '''Bloody Rose:''' Aggressive as fuck. Aim to kill off their enemies as quickly as possible, as they see no reason to let the heretic live any longer than necessary. They wear Red.
* '''Ebon Chalice:''' The vanilla Order. These Sisters haven't changed a whole lot since they were first created, preferring to stick to their tried and tested methods. They wear Black.
* '''Our Martyred Lady:''' The postergirl Order, depicted in most mainstream portrayals of the Sisters. This has led to many people thinking that all Sisters have white hair, when it is in fact seemingly only this Order that does it. The Order itself is reputed as being determined even for SoBs, which is saying something. Will not stop until their enemies are utterly destroyed. They wear Black and Red.
* '''Sacred Rose:''' Cool, calm and collected. The most tactical Sisters. Enjoy gunning their foes down in a more disciplined manner. If they were to get their own rules, their Rets would have slow and purposeful. They wear White.
* '''Valorous Heart:''' Repent! These Sisters feel the guiltiest about that whole [[Age of Apostasy]] thing, and as a result have an excess of [[Sisters Repentia|Repentias]]. Likely on constant lookout for the slightest sign of weakness in themselves or any allies serving alongside them. They wear the most black.

==Sororitas Orders Non-Militant==
As mentioned in the opening, not all of the Adepta Sororitas are actually Sisters of Battle. A number of Orders exist which officially serve non-combat-related roles in Imperial Society, although they tend to receive even less attention than their combat-fighting sisters. The largest source of info on these Sororitas thus-far is the ''Blood of Martyrs'' sourcebook for [[Dark Heresy]], which specifies the three most important Orders and mentions the existence of others, even lesser in nature. ''Blood of Martyrs'' even includes character classes for members of the three major Orders Non-Militant.

* '''Orders Dialogous:''' These Sororitas are dedicated to the studying of language, with tasks ranging from interpreting long-lost texts to accompanying Imperial diplomats on contact missions with intelligent xenos species. Thanks to their training, even the most average Sororitas knows several hundred everyday human dialects and dozens of secret cants, ciphers, even xenos tongues. Sororitas of these Orders are some of the few individuals judged worthy (and capable) of actually understanding the [[Eldar]] tongue.
* '''[[Orders Famulous]]:''' Figuratively the [[Dune|Bene Gesserit]], without the kung fu skills from perfect body control. These Sororitas serve intimately with the upper echelons of Imperial society, acting as chamberlains, counselors, and consuls to the nobility. Their focus is on the spiritual and genetic purity of the human race, so they concern themselves with not only seeing to the education of nobles, but also secretly arranging alliances and marriages, in the hope of preventing corruption and inbreeding from taking root. They are particularly involved in tracking the manifestations of saints, which makes them a popular ally for Thorian Inquisitors.
* '''[[Sister Hospitaler|Orders Hospitaller]]:''' Healers and medics, these Sororitas are amongst the most skilled and compassionate surgeons in the Imperium, meaning they are commonly found attached to the [[Imperial Guard]]. Given their mission, they are one of the more beloved orders by the common citizenry of the Imperium. Of course, this being the Imperium, they're also expert torturers often called upon for that purpose by the Ecclesiarchy and the Inquisition, though Inquisitors are cautioned against using Hospitallers to keep important heretics alive; they have a bad tendency to forget about the future gains and instead "take the Emperor's justice into their own hands".
* Others: Scores, perhaps even hundreds, of minor non-militant Orders exist within the Adepta Sororitas. ''Blood of Martyrs'' mentions the '''Orders Sabine''' (who infiltrate newly rediscovered worlds and prepare them for the Missionarius Galaxia) and '''Orders Pronatus''' (guardians of sacred relics) as examples of more wide-spread Orders Non-Militant, and three "local" Orders in the forms of the '''Madriga''' (temple choirs), '''Planxilium''' (leading processionals on holy days) and '''Vespila''' (sanctifying the dead and forensic specialists).

==Sisters Snuff==
Back in [[Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader|1st Edition]], they were present fluff only as an order that was essentially the [[Just As Planned|Inquisition for everyone including the Inquisition]] (like an Inquisition Internal Affairs branch; a "who watches the watchmen?" deal) and [[Derp|Space Marines]]. This would change in later editions, when they eventually get their own codex.

In 1997, when the [[Necron|Necrons]] were launched, [[Games Workshop]] had them face the Sisters in a Battle report, which the Sisters lost. The results of this battle report then became the [[Sanctuary 101]] fluff. Games Workshop liked the result so much that they decided the Sisters of Battle should get slaughtered all the time. Unless they are falling to Chaos, obviously. Some fans blame popular GW whipping boy [[Matthew Ward|Matt "Spiritual Liege" Ward]] for this tendency, but it was there long before he got here [[FATAL|and it continues to exist after he left]].

Please note that while [[Heresy|fa/tg/uys]] [[/d/|masturbate furiously]] to fanfics of Sisters engaging in bdsm fetish sex with the likes of other Lesbian sisters, servitors, children, Schola Progenium cadets, Eldar, Dark Eldar, [[WhipsOil&Lofn|Half-Eldar]] or [[Sister of Nurgle|even the likes of Nurgle]], all of the below actually, '''canonically''' ''fucking happened''. (It should also be worth noting that they're getting stomped '''by their own fucking allies''' in most of these.)

[[File:Warhammer_40k_sisters_of_battle_adeptas_sororitas_battling_Dark_Eldar.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Heroic Lesbian Space Nuns + Evil BDSM Space Elves = Shut up and take my money! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fU5ZHQLsGo FAP !FAP! FAP!] ]]
Some highlights include:
* Some of a Dialogus Order and some Battle Sisters turned to Chaos by a [[Slaanesh|Slaaneshi]] Keeper of Secrets.
* A whole Order Mind Controlled by one Chaos [[Psyker]]. Fucking [[C.S.Goto|Goto]] (This happened again in the Ciaphas Cain books, although it was only a tiny convent with a couple of squads of sisters, not a entire Order and said pskyer was also a direct lieutenant of the [[Failbaddon|Despoiler]] himself and could control [[powergamer|entire planets]]).
* An Order is present in another Ciaphas Cain book, wherein they're tricked into exterminating the workers of a mining outpost and sheltering a rogue Inquisitor. In an unrelated matter, they nearly cost the Imperial Guard a crucial battle against the Tyranids because they couldn't keep their bloodlust in check (Only Ciaphas Cain calling them out for leaving countless civilians to be slaughtered in their temples as they pushed forward made them reconsider). That said, it's one of the kinder portrayals in this list, because the Sisters in that battle do manage to make it back to the defense lines, and the entire Order dies in a later battle covering the Commissar's exit in repentance.
* A strike force of [[Celestians]] and an [[Inquisitor]] being killed, cannibalized, and sacrificed by the Sons of Malice Astartes chapter for disturbing their victory rites and falsely accusing the chapter of heresy. (To be fair, a small force of sisters against an entire Chapter? Still doesn't excuse the cannibalism, though.)
* A whole shrine-world of Sisters killed by a <s>[[Chaos Dreadnought#Helbrute|Helbrute]]</s> [[Daemon Engine]] powered by [[rage]]. It shrugs off meltas, meltabombs and multiple [[Exorcist]] volleys, and the efforts of a number of [[Salamanders]] in Terminator armour. A [[Living Saint]] even gives up her divinity (not to be confused with virginity) to stop it by speaking the bound Daemon's true name (her order had a vow of silence, probably so the audio recording team didn't need to hire women to do any of the speaking rolls for the audio drama), therefore weakening it after her aura of peace causes it to calm down and shrink down to the size of a man instead of a massive daemon walker. The daemon is then destroyed when its shell is broken after a Space Marine decides to throw a [[Power weapon|Thunder Hammer]] at it. ''We are not making this shit up''.
* A detachment of Sisters killed by [[Grey Knights]], [[Khornate Knights|their bodies sliced open and their blood applied to the Grey Knights' armor, so the Grey Knights can be immune to the Bloodtide's effects (though some of the Sisters were immune with faith alone, make of that what you will).]] The Bloodtide was retconned in the most recent Grey Knights Codex to instead go down holding the line long enough for their Grey Knight allies to finish off the Daemons. Still losing, but at least this time they die with dignity.
* In another instance of Grey Knight-on-Sororita violence, during the climax of the first novel of the Grey Knight series, a detachment of Sisters led by Cannoness Ludmilla is tricked by a Chaos-turned Inquisitor into thinking that the Grey Knights pursuing it are Chaos Space Marines. Later (as in a few pages later), said detachment gets nearly kamikaze'd by said Grey Knight Strike Cruiser, which itself was shot down by Imperial Navy ships fooled into thinking that it was Chaos - starting to see a pattern here? Surprisingly, the only dudes that die from the crash are Imperial Guard and PDF - the Sisters survive but only to get the ever-Emprah-lovin' shit beaten out of them by the surviving Grey Knights. The sisters pull no punches, however, and do manage to take out a few of Alaric's squadmates, so power to them. BUT WAIT. Seeing as this was written by a much more competent author, unlike the ambiguous piece of shite-fluff written by a certain [[Matthew Ward|spiritual liege]], both sides figure out that this was part of an elaborate case of [[JUST AS PLANNED]], they stop fighting,and even more shockingly, the person who ends it is Cannoness Ludmilla, after noticing the FUCKHUEG books bolted on the GK's mighty pauldrons, and team up to take down the Big Baddy.

* Apart from the codex stuff, they were also stomped in the video game ''[[Dawn Of War|Dawn of War: Soulstorm]]''. It all started when [[Selena Agna]] of the Sacred Rose falsely accused Governer General [[Vance Motherfucking Stubbs]] for the Warp Storm that appeared in Kaurava system. The sisters then had a zealots hard on which resulted in them thinking that everyone, even their imperial brethren ([[Space Marines|Space Marines]] and [[Imperial Guard|Imperial Guards]]) should be purged. Stubbs, like a true gentleman, not only dismissed the claim, but was also planning to destroy the sisters without [[Khornate Knights|the worries of committing a heretical action]] because "fuck you, no way me and my men gonna die for from some crazy bitch's accusation." They were presumably killed sacrificing themselves in an attempt to destroy the enemy, though we don't know who it was that wiped them out (however considering that Gorgutz is the canonical winner, it was likely him). Also, funny story, but that bit about accusing the Imperial Guard of starting the Warp Storm? ''They were right.'' The Chaos ending reveals that the storm was triggered by an Imperial Guardsman who turned out to be a latent psyker. Oops.

==The Sudden Yet Inevitable Betrayal==
{{MattWard}}

[[File:Sister_Hmph.jpg|200px|thumb|left|The reaction of Sisters and SoB players everywhere to the codex update.]] On August 1, 2011 [[Games Workshop]] finally decided to attempt to "revamp" the Sisters of Battle with a [[White Dwarf]] codex, much to the aggravation of about two thirds of the [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Witch Hunters|Witch Hunters']] remaining playerbase. It was by no means a horrible update; initial worries on [[/tg/]] suggested it to be akin to a biblical plague in terms of disaster-level, when in truth it was simply sub-average. The update had its fluff written by [[Matt Ward|your SPIRITUAL LIEGE]]. In spite of this, it was squarely in-level with another [[Tyranids|bad codex update]], because the rules were clearly written by committee.

Gone were the various inquisitorial units that got gobbled up by the [[Grey Knights]] codex update. This meant that many of the classics, like [[Witch Hunters#Notable Members of the Ordos Hereticus|Lord Inquisitor Krazypantzoff]] and [[Officio Assassinorum|Temple Assassins]], were gone, though they were replaced with Ecclesiarchy characters like [[Uriah Jacobus]] and [[Arch-Confessor Kyrinov]]. The Sisters did get some of Grey Knight units, namely [[Death Cult Assassin|Death Cult Assassins]], [[Arco-flagellant|Arco-Flagellants]], and [[Crusaders|Crusaders]], though their usefulness was questionable at best. [[Immolator|Immolators]] took a nasty nerf-bat to the face, being unable to fire on the move and losing all fire-points, which basically made them more-cost-effective [[Razorback Transport]]s). Who would have thought that Games Workshop would update an army by [[Carnifex|nerfing the one model every player had a couple of so that they all have to go out and buy new models]]?

Faith was functionally changed to a game of roulette, with randomized dice rolls deciding how much (if anything at all) you get. Units were given very specific faith powers on a squad-by-squad basis now, and whilst several were powerful, others were meh at best. [[Image:Repressor.jpg|right|thumb|Heavy armor in an update? We fucking ''wish''.]] Whereas before you had a nice general army that could use faith points to adapt to different situations, in the [[White Dwarf|Dwarf-dex]] system you had mostly weaker powers that were unreliable. Powers that most other units for similar points get permanently.

[[Sisters Repentia]] were originally purportedly nerfed, but in the end they were ''vastly'' better, boasting a 6++ invulnerable save, Fleet, and double their original number of attacks with a faith act to do more on death - meaning they stood a good chance of fucking up a lot of units they wouldn't pre-update... So ''now'' instead of paying ridiculous prices for a sick joke, you're just paying ridiculous prices for a suicide squad. At least they'll rape shit while they're there now. ''Progress''!

Sadly, things were muddled by a spree of fake releases as part of an [[Troll|April Fool's Prank]]. Original reports of genuinely useful units to offset the loss of the [[Stormtrooper|Stormtroopers]] and inducted forces thus turned out to be false. There was also talk of a new heavy transport/assault vehicle called the [[Repressor]], but it turned out to be part of the same fucking April Fool's Prank and is still Forgeworld-only (which sucks because it would be an improvement). Of the new characters, Kyrinov was semi-useful, and Jacobus was near-mandatory if you wanted to do anything with Acts of Faith. So in summary, about a third of the Sisters' armory is now gone without being replaced by anything. (The [[Bretonnia|knights]] feel your pain now.)

The biggest kick in the cunt for the Sisters, aside from the obvious loss of utility units, was the loss of ally rules and inducted unit rules. One of the biggest advantages the Sisters had was the ability to, courtesy of the Ordo Hereticus, requisition allied forces. A time-honored method of getting around the relatively weak Sisters of Battle vehicular lineup was to take some Inducted Guardsmen for a Leman Russ or two, or Space Marines for a Predator. The loss of Inquisitors also came with the loss of [[Land Raider|Land Raiders]] as dedicated transports, which was another stab at their vehicular capabilities.

===The Eternal Vigil===
[[Image:Homelesssister.jpg|right|thumb|<s>Come on guys, she's got sisters to feed.</s> Hang in there a little more, sis. You're coming back home at last.]]
While many members of [[/tg/]] are violently, gleefully convinced the sisters are on their way to be [[Squat|squatted]], a tiny contingent of the faithful keeps a candle burning, waiting for the day that their beloved bolter bitches will rise again ([[Finecast|tiny bubbles]] and all). [[Awesome|As for this notice, the prayers has been answered IN PLASTIC!]]

*'''0172008.M3:''' The Sisters are released as a playable faction in [[Dawn of War|Dawn of War: Soulstorm]]. While it is poorly designed and built, it still drums up some enthusiasm for the Sisters. Many conflicted feels are had.
*'''0583011.M3:''' [[Matt Ward|The Destroyer]] and [[Robin Cruddace|The Cruddace]] release a playable [[White Dwarf]] codex for the sisters, hinting at a similar treatment to the [[Blood Angels|Blood <s>Angels]] </s> <s> heretics </s> fuck you.
*'''0608012.M3:''' The sisters are retained for the 6E allies system and given a new flyer via [[Forge World]]. An unconfirmed leak shows a line up of new Sisters characters in development.
*'''0569013.M3:''' Faithful pilgrims supplicate themselves before the great and powerful [[Jervis Johnson]] asking for news on the Sisters. They are told that all armies are being worked on and there are no plans to discontinue support for the sisters. [[Phil Kelly|The Kelly]] adds that modeling issues prevented their release previously.
*'''05611013.M3:''' Rumors begin swirling about an [[Warhammer 40,000/6th Edition Tactics/Adepta Sororitas|official digital codex]] release for the Sisters. A leaked and subsequently confirmed White Dwarf advert later confirms this, and promises an updated version of the 5e codex. A later interview with [[Robin Cruddace|The Cruddace]] indicates that the codex will include tweaks to Faith and points cost, and that if it sells well enough it may get a physical release. The release date for the digital codex was set for October 19th. Later comments on the GW Digital Editions facebook page confirms a Warlord Traits Chart, Ecclesiarchy Relics and an Altar of War, in addition to some updates, new fluff and artwork and changes to faith and points costs. It appears that the Sisters prayers have been at least partially answered. A physical release however is still very much dependent on the sale of this eBook however. Also during all this GW changes the name from Sisters of Battle to Adepta Sororitas most likely because it sounds cooler and is [[ChapterHouse Studios|easier to maintain copyright on]]. The reactions are mixed when the Codex is released, with such changes like making all Acts of Faith usable only once, maximum twice, per battle and many buffs and nerfs around the board, leaving many arguing whatever the Sisters got better or majorly screwed. However, this mixed reception '''is''' better than the universally negative reception of the [[White Dwarf]] codex.
*'''09999015.M3:''' Escalation is released, alongside Stronghold Assault. While Stronghold Assault slips by unnoticed, the Sisters of Battle receive no Lords of War choices in an otherwise controversial and poorly thought out expansion. It then falls to Forge World to release a downloadable sheet a few days later saying that Sisters armies can take Warhound & Reaver titans, as well as Marauder Bombers & Destroyers as Lords of War. The Sisters have yet to comment on how overkill these choices might be if they can ever deploy them. The Reaver is at least far too expensive for normal games.
*'''0914016.M3:''' The Adepta Sororitas digital codex finally gets a physical release as part of [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Imperial Agents|Codex: Imperial Agents]]. Like the digital codex, the new one has a mixed reception, as it removes Saint Celestine from the army (leaving the Sisters with a single named character) and comes with a formation that called the Vestal Task Force that isn't great. However, it also allows for Ministorum Priests to be taken independently, and separates the component units of the Ecclesiarchy Battle Conclave, though these units are not given any buffs to make them useful on their own. Not much, but it was something.
[[Image:Celestine Fall of Cadia.jpg|left|thumb|Guess who's back, bitches?]]
*'''0999016.M3:''' The Warhammer TV team, after the initial hint in the video which saw Magnus announced, releases a compilation of 2016 launches. At the end of said video can be seen clearly several launches of January, including no other than a new plastic kit of the '''Living Saint Celestine''', supposedly tied to the release of The Gathering Storm: Fall of Cadia. The internet, and specially /tg/ and the SoB players go nuts shortly after that, which only gets worse after the confirmation in a Twitch live few hours later.
*'''0019017.M3:''' Fall of Cadia releases and Sisters are starting to return to the limelight. Not only do the Nuns With Guns play a substantial role in the 13th Black Crusade, but Saint Celestine is one of the key characters of the story, bringing reinforcements, rallying the beleaguered Imperial Forces, and facing off with [[Abaddon]] himself. She also gets updated rules which turn her into a powerhouse, capable of calling orbital strikes, chopping tanks in half, buffing nearby Imperial units, and becoming nearly impossible to kill. The book also comes with additional Ecclesiarchy Relics, causing much rejoicing among SoB fans.
*'''0233018.M3:''' In the Adepticon XVI of 018.M3, the team disclosed a plethora of information of future releases: [[Imperial Knight#Castellan_Knight_Patterns|Knights Castellan]], photos of the [[Idoneth Deepkin]] for AoS, a TCG of AoS and more. One of these announcements is the confirmation that '''THE RENOVATION IN PLASTIC OF THE SISTERS OF BATTLE IS HAPPENING'''. This is due to the overwhelming support of the fanbase during the Great Survey, which convinced the high-ups to give them what is due. The release date is unconfirmed, but temporally is "Emperor's willing, 019.M3" and in the meantime the whole process of designing, creating and bringing them back will be made public. The Long Vigil is coming to an end. PRAISE THE EMPRAH!!
*'''0999018.M3:''' GW releases beta Adepta Sororitas rules in Chapter Approved 2018. Despite an insane amount of hype, the rules end up being rather lackluster, and are met with a [[Skub|mixed reaction]] from the community. Although the beta rules help Sisters in some ways, such as buffing Exorcists and making Uriah Jacobus worth his point cost, they also include a series of inexplicable nerfs which drastically reduce their overall utility as an army, such as removing eviscerators from Canonesses, splitting up Celestine and the Geminae Superia, and completely removing wargear options from Ministorum Priests. Worst of all, they reworked Acts of Faith into a points-based system which was both more confusing and less useful than the Index Acts of Faith rules, effectively giving Sisters an army-wide nerf. Fortunately, this was just a beta codex, and [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/03/04/battle-sister-bulletin-part-2-beta-rules-feedback/ GW is listening to the community's response.]
*'''0659019.M3:''' During the Nova open a new box set for the sisters was revealed, with new models for the Penitent engine and the Mistress of Repentance as well as confirming November to be the release month for the Sisters new range. The end of the Eternal Vigil is in sight.

===Getting Started With The Nuns===

Wait for the 2019 official release.

Or...

Look to [[Anvil Industry]], because the Sisters of the Burning Rose are on the way, and are awesome enough as is to kick the shit out of the current official Sisters models. GW's gonna have to really up their game if they don't want to be outdone by a 3rd Party manufacturer. Another good option is the Sisters of Faith from [[Shieldwolf Miniatures]]; so good, in fact, that [https://spikeybits.com/2017/10/hard-plastic-sisters-wolves-kickstarter-canceled.html Games Workshop sent the Kickstarter for them a dubious C&D because they were afraid of the competition.]

==THE RETURN!==

[[File:WHFest2019-Sororitas1.jpg|250px|thumb|right|A fully painted sneak peak of things to come. Amazingly, GW has taken the time to learn how to sculpt female models [[Commorragh Slaves|that don't look hideous]], though they still haven't learned that [[THIN YOUR PAINTS|using CAD to sculpt in zillions of fiddly details makes life hell for novice painters.]] And she finally has a name! Sister Superior Amalia Novena.]]

'''THIS IS NOT A DRILL, REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THE NUNS WITH GUNS ARE RETURNING AND SHALL BE IN PLASTIC NO LESS!!'''

On the 21st of March in the year of our [[Emperor|Lord]] 2018, Warhammer Community uploaded [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smqK5cHSxMA a short video] stating that ([[Emperor]] willing) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFX8S9aAgvw&feature=youtu.be&t=31s Sisters will be getting some kind of an update in 2019]. In addition, on the warhammer community page [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2018/03/22/breaking-news-major-revealsgw-homepage-post-1/] after all the Age of Sigmar stuff, they added that Sisters of Battle will be released in [[Awesome|plastic form]], with the starter set slated for release in November 2019.

The Sisters will not be going the way of [[Squats|Bretonnia, the space Dwarves, Kislev and Nehekhara]] after all. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usfiAsWR4qU Praise be!]

'''GLORIA GLORIA, HALLELUJAH AMEN! PRAISE THE GOD-EMPEROR'''

==The James Swallow books: SoBs can win too!==
[[File:Hammer-and-anvil.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Sister Miriya from Hammer & Anvil; yes, [[Black Library]] artists can draw pretty sisters too.]]
Among [[Black Library]], there are two books, specifically starring the Sisters, that are widely considered to be some the finest portrayals of SoBs in all of [[40K]] fluff. Both were authored by [[James Swallow]], who decided that Sisters needed some attention and got to work. The first, [http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/Faith-and-Fire.html Faith and Fire], has the Sisters battling with what are basically terrorist psykers on a shrine world while trying to uncover the reasons behind the attacks. Then there's the sequel, [http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/Hammer-and-Anvil.html Hammer and Anvil]. Remember reading about Sanctuary 101 up there? This book has them going back there and trying to figure out what happened. While saying too much would be spoiling it, it can be said that shit hits the fan hard and that the final battle is very epic stuff. Also, if you're feeling extra faithful, Swallow wrote an SoB audiobook called [http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/red-and-black-mp3.html Red and Black]. A prequel to Faith and Fire, it has the Sisters being sent to a recently rediscovered planet as representatives of the Imperium, and ultimately to judge it. Needless to say, things get complicated. Also features a Scottish SoB. So, you can help the Sisters by getting the above books so that [[Games Workshop]] and Black Library may decide to change their minds and give some love to these girls. Or at least give them some additional badass portrayals.

==Tactics==
The Sisters of Battle employ a costly yet simple tactic whenever they're called out for battle:

 1. Bring thousands of sexually deprived Sisters of Battle into the field.
 2.Arm them all with Melta and flame-based weapons. Small squads of Storm Bolters also encouraged.
 3.<s>Tell them they can shlick to the image of the Emperor if they triumph over the foul enemies of the Imperium.</s> {{BLAM|'''HERESY. *BLAM*'''}}
 4.Set them loose, hope you are not fighting slaaneshi cult, hope you're fighting Dark Eldar wyches (although they do seem to be doing that just fine in one of the artworks on this page).
 5.If they do win, all remaining Imperial troops, save for the SoBs, are ordered off the field.
 6.No other accounts can be heard of, as remembrancers and all other Imperial journalists are sworn to an oath of silence on whatever events transpired (one theory is it would look like a mix of "Soldier of Fortune" and "Girls Gone Wild")
 7.????
 8.Profit.

''(Yes we do have a real tactica, its [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Adeptus_Ministorum(8E)|here]].)''

==Notable Sororitas Characters==
{|align=center border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0""
|-
|align=center|'''Name'''
|align=center|'''Order'''
|align=center|'''Description/Current Status'''
|align=center|'''Image'''
|align=center|'''Model'''
|-
|align=center|'''[[Canoness Veridyan]]'''
|align=center|[[Sisters of Battle#Overview|Order of Our Martyred Lady]]
|align=center|The canoness from the cover of the 2nd Edition codex. A steadfast, calculating woman who operates with a high degree of precision.
|align=center|[[Image:Veridyan Portrait.jpg|150px|]]
|align=center|[[Image:Veridyan Model.jpg|150px|]]
|-
|align=center|'''[[Ephrael Stern]]'''
|align=center|[[Sisters of Battle#Overview|Order of Our Martyred Lady]]
|align=center|Also known as the Thrice-Born and the Daemonifuge. A living weapon against Chaos, currently heading to the Black Library with a harlequin.
|align=center|[[Image:Ephrael Stern Portrait.jpg|150px|]]
|align=center|[[Image:SternMini.JPG|150px|]]
|-
|align=center|'''[[Miriael Sabathiel]]'''
|align=center|[[Sisters of Battle#Overview|Order of Our Martyred Lady]] (formerly)
|align=center|Former Sister Superior of the Order of Our Martyred Lady and one of the very few Sisters who fell to Chaos (specifically, Slaanesh worship).
|align=center|[[Image:Miriael Sabathiel Portrait.jpg|150px|]]
|align=center|None
|-
|align=center|'''[[Miriya]]'''
|align=center|[[Sisters of Battle#Overview|Order of Our Martyred Lady]]
|align=center|Celestian Superior of the Order of Our Martyred Lady and protagonist of Swallow's Sister of Battle books. Best known for her independent, headstrong attitude as well as her creative interpretation of orders. While this frequently gets her into trouble with her superiors, it also makes her uniquely qualified for handling situations that require quick action and outside-the-box thinking.
|align=center|[[Image:Mirya Portrait.jpg|150px|]]
|align=center|None
|-
|align=center|'''[[Saint Celestine]]'''
|align=center|[[Sisters of Battle#Overview|Order of Our Martyred Lady]] (formerly)
|align=center|A sister who became one of the most famous [[Living Saint|Living Saints]] in the Imperium. Best known for her angelic presence, relentless optimism, and resurrection
powers, the latter of which makes her nearly impossible to kill. She's also heavily implied to be the Imperial equivalent of a [[daemon prince]].
|align=center|[[Image:Celestine Portrait.jpg|150px|]]
|align=center|[[Image:Celestine 7e.jpg|150px|]]
|-
|align=center|'''[[Canoness-Errant Setheno]]'''
|align=center|Order of Piercing Thorn (Minoris)
|align=center|After destroying her own order on suspicion of corruption, she became Canoness-Errant, a vaguely defined position that involves a lot of asskicking.
Allied with the [[Black Dragons]] and [[Commissar Yarrick]]. Inquisitors wish they were as scary as her.
|align=center|None
|align=center|None
|}

==See Also==
*[[Codex - Adeptus Ministorum /tg/ Edition]] - An [[Warhammer 40,000 8th edition|8th edition]] [[homebrew]] codex for everyone's favorite Nuns With Guns. Includes new characters, frateris milita, flyers, customizable Living Saints, and much more!
*[[Sisters of Cleaning]] - a [[/tg/]] created order.
*[[Sister Hospitaler]] - a non-militant Sister.
*[[The Times and Trials of Klightus]]; a love story about a shy [[Imperial Guard | Guardsman]] and a Sister of Battle.
*[[The Steadfast Pewter Sororitas]] - a sad story about what happens to those metal Sisters that don't get bought.
*[[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Adeptus Ministorum(8E)]] - tactica on how to play them.
*[[Sisters of Battle Order Creation Tables]] - Create your very own Order of pyromaniac nuns.
*[[Sisters of Sigmar]] - The Warhammer Fantasy equivalent
*[[Psychic Sisters]] - A small house rule for 7th edition if you want your sisters a bit more witch hunting, but don't want to go full /tg/ edition.
*[[Sister of Nurgle]] - An article riddled with the blessings of Nurgle and PROMOTIONS.
*[[Codex - Sisters of Battle: /tg/ edition]] - in which the glory of the Witch Hunters, fueled by the possibilities of the 6th edition rulebook come together to cleanse the battlefield in a holy trinity of prometheum, bolter shells and melta rays. As of [[Warhammer 40,000 8th edition|8th edition]], these rules are no longer usable.
*[[Codex - Adepta Sororitas: /tg/ 7th Edition]] - the result of an anon challenging /tg/ to update the mediocre 6th edition digital codex; a true update that makes full use of 7th edition rules. Includes formations, flyers, decurions, customizable Living Saints, and much more. As of [[Warhammer 40,000 8th edition|8th edition]], these rules are no longer usable.

==External Links==
*[http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/1426730/ suptg archive about Sisters of Battle and pedophilia].
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHuNbWMBAeA FOR THE IMPERIUM! ''Hey, there's no rule saying that warrior space nuns can't be badass.'']
*[https://www.sendspace.com/file/8zykal Rules & Summary for Codex: Adepta Sororitas, for those who do not like the clusterfuck 7e digital codex.]
*[https://youtu.be/__GHpmdmJu0/ They can also sing!].

==Gallery==

===General===
<center>
<gallery>
AdSor.jpg|Scourge and Purge!
16 bit Battle Sisters SteelJoe.gif|The Action-Girls of 40k (Animated!)
Nun n' Gun.jpg|What? U MAD [[Space Marines|SPESS MAHREEN?]]
Sister of D'awwwww.jpg|They aren't actually this cute. -But they should be.-
But That's Heresy.jpg|But whatever it is, it's probably worth it. Maybe.
Sororit as planned.jpg| The rape face you know you love.
Pedo Sisters.jpg
NoiseMarine SoB.jpg | [[Rape|We all know how this is going to end.]]
MujuLolcron.jpg|Love Can Bl-- wait.
Sororitas.png
Ephrael_stern_page29.jpg|There was a sister in the [[Lost Worlds]] battlebook series.
1290509755821.jpg|Can't read my, Can't read my, No he cannot read my Purging Face (She's got no one to spare)
Sistersnslaanesh.jpg| Incompetent Inquisitor is incompetent (Hey, we know he did that on purpose).
1269678816033.jpg|dum dum dum... dummmm
1228253984074.jpg|OMNOMNOMNOM
1230052783344.png|Post whenever you need to make a fa/tg/uy rage that he doesn't understand the role and jurisdiction of Commissars.
Peachsororitas.jpg|Sorry Mario, but your Heresy is in another castle
Games Workshop Hates France.jpeg|This is rain.
1232217288173.jpg
LolimoNsis.png
B0018254_4897156440df9.jpg|Grimdark meets [[Hot Chicks]].
1227858843066.jpg|Sisters love delicious xeno shota.
Sororita_change_poster.png|Yes We Can
Nagasister_of_battle.jpg|Are we this desperate for recruits?
Haters.png|Just you wait until 2019! Fuck yeah plastic sisters! THE EMPHRAH HAS AWNSERED OUR PRAYERS!
Sistersuperior.jpg
1335738154693.jpg
SisterShy.jpg|You don't want to see her tsun side.
Notsureheresy.jpg
Heretic%3F_Colored.jpg|Better purge them anyway...
SisterCheer.jpg|<s>NO THATS STUPID NO NO NO.</s> Let's face it, being a bunch of glorified cheerleaders isn't that far off the mark nowadays...
Sisterweeaboo.jpg
Pyschosister.jpg|[[Awesome|Problems heretics?]]
ChaosCookies.png|Just as planned.
BurnHereticsBurn.jpg|Heretics gunna get burned.
SororitaInquisitorIsntHome.jpg|When the Inquisitor's away, the Sisters will play...
Sisters of repentia sisters of battle Adepta Sororitas rule 34 montage can't believe how hard fetish rule 34 Warhammer 40k myoc redux.jpg|As hilarious as it is to picture a bunch of semi-nude nuns bull rushing a carnifex or a baneblade through a hail of gunfire, it's also weirdly sexy. Behold, the [[Sisters Repentia]].
Sororitastakeabreak.png|What the Sisters have been reduced to as of late.
Remember.jpg|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smqK5cHSxMA Remember]
</gallery>
</center>
===Cosplay===
<center>
<gallery>
Sororita cosplay7.jpg
SororitaAsianCosplay.jpg|Sister Shoju
Sororita_cosplay4.jpg
Repentia_+_bolter_bitches.jpg|The [[China|Chinese]] are beating us to the punch.
Sis.jpg
Celestine Cosplay.jpg|Sweet Emprah!
SoB Cosplay.jpg
SoB Cosplay 2.jpg|Scarred sisters are best sisters
SoB Cosplay 3.jpg
Shenzi sob warhammer 77 by cynshenzi-dalqqbb.jpg
1518145539057.png
1468433605143314511.jpg
1514910964169599531.jpg
SoB Cosplay 4.jpg
SoB Cosplay 5.jpg
1522066264701.jpg
</gallery>
</center>

===New Models===
<center>
<gallery>
File:Sororita-plastic.jpg|The first full model revealed.
File:WHFest2019-Sororitas3.jpg|The same model, now fully painted!
File:SoBBulletinSquad-Painted1.jpg|A new painted model.
File:SoBBulletinSquad-Canoness.jpg|"Back in my day, we beat heretics to death with our fucking fists!"
File:BSBHospitalier.jpg|Finally, the new Hospitalier model.
File:BSBHospitalier2.jpg|"No one cared who I was until I put on the mask."
LVOStudioPreview-Banner.jpg
File:SoBBulletinSquad-SisterSuperior6.jpg|"WE WILL BE MARTYRS!"
File:SoBBulletinSquad-Sister2.jpg
File:SoBBulletinSquad-StormBolter4.jpg
File:SoBBulletinSquad-Flamer5.jpg
BattleSisterBulletinSeraphim-Render.jpg
BattleSisterBulletin-Retributors-1.jpg
BattleSisterBulletin-Retributors-2.jpg
File:SoBBulletinRepentia-Repentia1.jpg|The new Repentias. One of the most [[skub]] causing models previewed.
File:SoBBulletinRepentia-RepentiaMasked.jpg|So Sisters apparently have the same plugs as [[Space Marines]] to help them interface with their armour.
File:SoBBulletinRepentia-Repentia3.jpg
File:SoBBulletinRepentia-Repentia4.jpg
WHFestLiveBlog-Sisters-Swords.jpg
WHFestLiveBlog-Sisters-Bolters.jpg|What would the Bolter Bitches be without their...Urm Bolters
WHFestLiveBlog-Sisters-HBolter.jpg
WHFestLiveBlog-Sisters-CondemnorSide.jpg
WHFestLiveBlog-Sisters-CondemnorTop.jpg
WHFestLiveBlog-Sisters-Flamers.jpg|FIRE! (nya nya nya)
NovaReveals-Sisters-Heads.jpg|So that's how their helmets work.
BattleSisterBulletinCharacter--ChainswordPowerpack.jpg
BattleSisterBulletinCharacter-Speaker.jpg
</gallery>
</center>

===Emblems===
<center>
<gallery>
OrderOfOurMartyredLadyEmblem.jpg|Our Martyred Lady
OrderOfTheArgentShroudEmblem.jpg|Argent Shroud
OrderOfTheBloodyRoseEmblem.jpg|Bloody Rose
OrderOfTheEbonChaliceEmblem.jpg|Ebon Chalice
OrderOfTheSacredRoseEmblem.jpg|Sacred Rose
OrderOfTheValorousHeartEmblem.jpg|Valorous Heart
</gallery>
</center>

===PROMOTIONS===
 
{{Promotions}}
 
<center>
<gallery>

Canoness femdom.jpg|Goddamn fetishists... '''Ohoho!''' The [[Slaanesh|glorious satin throne]] is telling me '''someone''' is feeling a little butthurt! Speaking of which I'm late for my [[Rape|lunchtime appoin-]]{{BLAM|}} {{BLAM|Filthy Slaanesh worshipper!}}
Sistergangbang.png|There are not too many men (not counting old priests) in Adepta Sororitas so they have to improvise.
Strip_hammer_commission_for_propertyoflamb_by_hotgum-dagtqp6.jpg|What happens when a Battle Sister, a Repentia, a Hospitaller and a Living Saint decide they need to make a little cash?
R-daemonette 10.jpg |evidence that slaneesh can corrupt sisters of battle
Repentia_1.jpg|Sisters Repentia are supposed to repent. Stop whinging you know we know that you like this more.
FIGHTBYMYSIDE.jpg| An imperial artist's representation of a living saint.
1230051355300.gif|GENESTEALERS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY. <s>-But they should-</s> NO THEY SHOULDN'T, YOU SICK [[Slaanesh|PERV]].
Sister reading heretical text by Naga.gif
1233114472588.png|Unlike other settings, in 40k this kind of thing DOESN'T work. Still kinda hot though.
Sororitas strawberries.jpg
Sisters.jpg
1228252747952.jpg|Cum my sisters!
Repentia_2.jpg|Not that they are fanatical about it.
sister_n_slaaneshi.jpg|Sister in ''deep'' trouble.
SistervsLeviathan.jpg|OMNOMNOMNOM
Sororita_by_ipheli-d9mzze4.png|Sister Temeraire at rest
Sororita_2_rest_by_ipheli-damic1m.png|Interesting place for your devotional tattoo...
Saint celestine and the geminae superia by sexual yeti-dat6rd3.png|Sexy Celestine
91a96fb85899c260cb028d6ac34603b6.jpg
ToTheEnd.jpg|To the end...
</gallery>
</center>

==Navigation==
{{Sororitas-Characters}}
{{Sisters-of-Battle}}
{{Imperium}}
{{WH40k-Factions}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]
[[category:Imperial]]
[[Category:Matt Ward]]
[[Category:Sisters of Battle]]

Sisters of Battle

2019-09-19T20:13:06Z

2600:1006:B156:3ED1:88E0:A070:1621:297C: /* Sisters Snuff */

[[File:AdSor 2.jpg|300px|right|thumb|We'd like to [[Flamer|talk]] [[Bolter|to]] [[Meltagun|you]] for a moment about your [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Lord and Savior]]]]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smqK5cHSxMA|'''PLASTIC SISTERS CONFIRMED, FOR REAL THIS TIME''']

{{Topquote|Bunch together a group of people deliberately chosen for strong religious feelings, and you have a practical guarantee of dark morbidities expressed in crime, perversion, and insanity.|H.P. Lovecraft}}

''[[Guidelines of the Space Marines|Space Marine Guideline]] 1: Thou shalt not refer to the Adepta Sororitas as "[[Bolter]] [[Bitches]]," nor shalt thou go anywhere near our sisters during the time of their "Red Rage," lest thou wish to be the first human to enter orbit without the aid of a shuttle.

'''Sisters of Battle''' are essentially [[Warhammer 40k]]'s female equivalent of [[Space Marines]], warriors devoted to the [[God-Emperor_of_Mankind|Emperor]]. Although they lack the genetic modification of their beefier brethren, they also wear [[power armour]] and are armed mainly with the ubiquitous [[Bolter]] and [[Chainsword]]. The Sisters of Battle are also known as the "Daughters of the Emperor", and officially as the "Adepta Sororitas", though the Adepta Sororitas refers to their entire organization, while the term Sisters of Battle refers only to their militant branch. They are more colloquially known by players as "bolter bitches/babes" or "nuns with guns", almost always resulting in an awkward boner. They are ''not'' to be confused with [[Female Space Marines]].

==Overview==
[[File:Lusty Marine.png|300px|thumb|left]]
The Sisters of Battle are part of the [[Ecclesiarchy]], the religious arm of Imperial government, and sometimes work with the [[Inquisition]]'s [[Witch Hunters]]. In the 36th millennium, the Ecclesiarchy's pope, a guy called [[Goge Vandire]], attained the dual position of Ecclesiarch and Master of the Administratum, effectively giving him control over everyone in the Imperium, including nearly all of it's armed forces. With the exception of the Space Marines and Adeptus Mechanicus, pretty much everyone had to do what he said or face a slow and agonizing death. Unfortunately for everyone who wasn't lucky enough to be a Space Marine or Tech-Priest, he was also completely insane, and his rule was so devastating that it came to be known as the Reign of Blood, leading to untold billions of deaths across the Imperium, which in turn led to violent warp storms the likes of which wouldn't be seen again until the formation of the [[Great Rift]] 5,000 years later. During this period, Vandire discovered a force of warrior-nuns living on the feudal world of San Leor known as the Daughters of the Emperor. Although they initially didn't want anything to do with him, he convinced them that he was the Emperor's chosen by having his bodyguard shoot him while he was protected by the force field of a rosarius. Because the relatively primitive Daughters of the Emperor had never seen a force field before, they assumed that this meant Vandire was protected by the Emperor, and happily joined him. Rechristened as the Brides of the Emperor, they served as Vandire's personal bodyguards, shock troops, servants, and concubines. With a force of hyper-loyal Battle Sisters at his command, Vandire became effectively untouchable, proven when he had the Sisters execute all of the [[High Lords of Terra]], which he quickly replaced with his cronies. Suffice to say, things looked pretty bleak.

Of course, this state of affairs couldn't last forever. Late in his reign, a preacher known as [[Sebastian Thor]] rose to prominence in the Imperium, leading a massive crusade to Terra to take down Vandire once and for all. Agreeing that they too were sick of the High Lord, the Space Marines and Adeptus Mechanicus joined forces and launched an assault on Terra, matching themselves against Frateris Templars, Sisters of Battle, and those [[Imperial Guard]] and [[Imperial Navy|Navy]] forces that hadn't joined the insurrection. Unfortunately for them, the Sisters numbered around 10,000 women by this point, and they were battle-hardened, motivated, and armed to the teeth. The siege dragged on interminably, with no end in sight. Getting desperate, the Space Marines contacted the Adeptus Custodes, who had remained neutral for most of the siege, but agreed to help the insurrectionists out. Using secret passages to avoid the fighting, the Captain-General of the Custodes presented himself to Alicia Dominica, the leader of the Brides of the Emperor. After debating with her for some time, the Captain-General realized that she wasn't going to budge, and resorted to an extreme course of action; he took her and her five closest compatriots to the Imperial Palace and into the throneroom of the Emperor himself. No one knows what happened in there, but when the six women re-emerged, they went straight to Vandire, declared him a heretic of the highest degree, and beheaded him.

In the aftermath of this conflict, the Imperium underwent a substantial political restructuring known as the Reformation, designed to prevent another Reign of Blood from ever occurring. As part of this restructuring, the High Lords decreed that the Ecclesiarchy was no longer allowed to maintain "men under arms." Of course, while this meant the Ecclesiarchy had to disband their fleet and standing armies of Frateris Templars, the Sisters of Battle were technically allowed to remain, being women under arms and not men. While many point to this as an example of the idiocy of the High Lords of Terra, this easily-circumventable wording was likely intentional, as unlike the other Ministorum forces, the Sisters of Battle had proven that their loyalty was to the Emperor first and the Ecclesiarchy second, meaning that they could be relied upon to police the Ministorum as well as protect it.

In combat, Sisters of Battle have something of an obsession with the purifying effects of flame, and generally choose equipment that allows them to cover heretics with as much holy promethium and thermal lances as possible. This philosophy is most obviously exemplified by the Immolator tank, essentially a rolling [[METAL BOXES|steel crate]] with giant flamethrowers or multi-meltas stuck on it. They also have the [[Exorcist]], a mobile pipe organ that shoots missiles. Less accurate than the Whirlwind Missile Launcher or any Imperial Guard artillery, but who cares, the thought of [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flmoGRFZ7jc|pipe organs launching missiles while playing epic mass complete with Latin] is fucking awesome, dammit.

[[File:Ordersmilitant.jpg|200px|thumb|right|An overview of the six main Orders. Sadly brief, but characterful.]]
There are six main Orders. All minor Orders are descended from one of these.

* '''Argent Shroud:''' The Lawful Goods. Are a rarity among Imperial factions, in that they are described as being famous for selfless heroism, as well as altruism. For this reason, /tg/ likes to fluff them as noble space Paladins and she-bros to the [[Salamanders]]. They wear Silver.
* '''Bloody Rose:''' Aggressive as fuck. Aim to kill off their enemies as quickly as possible, as they see no reason to let the heretic live any longer than necessary. They wear Red.
* '''Ebon Chalice:''' The vanilla Order. These Sisters haven't changed a whole lot since they were first created, preferring to stick to their tried and tested methods. They wear Black.
* '''Our Martyred Lady:''' The postergirl Order, depicted in most mainstream portrayals of the Sisters. This has led to many people thinking that all Sisters have white hair, when it is in fact seemingly only this Order that does it. The Order itself is reputed as being determined even for SoBs, which is saying something. Will not stop until their enemies are utterly destroyed. They wear Black and Red.
* '''Sacred Rose:''' Cool, calm and collected. The most tactical Sisters. Enjoy gunning their foes down in a more disciplined manner. If they were to get their own rules, their Rets would have slow and purposeful. They wear White.
* '''Valorous Heart:''' Repent! These Sisters feel the guiltiest about that whole [[Age of Apostasy]] thing, and as a result have an excess of [[Sisters Repentia|Repentias]]. Likely on constant lookout for the slightest sign of weakness in themselves or any allies serving alongside them. They wear the most black.

==Sororitas Orders Non-Militant==
As mentioned in the opening, not all of the Adepta Sororitas are actually Sisters of Battle. A number of Orders exist which officially serve non-combat-related roles in Imperial Society, although they tend to receive even less attention than their combat-fighting sisters. The largest source of info on these Sororitas thus-far is the ''Blood of Martyrs'' sourcebook for [[Dark Heresy]], which specifies the three most important Orders and mentions the existence of others, even lesser in nature. ''Blood of Martyrs'' even includes character classes for members of the three major Orders Non-Militant.

* '''Orders Dialogous:''' These Sororitas are dedicated to the studying of language, with tasks ranging from interpreting long-lost texts to accompanying Imperial diplomats on contact missions with intelligent xenos species. Thanks to their training, even the most average Sororitas knows several hundred everyday human dialects and dozens of secret cants, ciphers, even xenos tongues. Sororitas of these Orders are some of the few individuals judged worthy (and capable) of actually understanding the [[Eldar]] tongue.
* '''[[Orders Famulous]]:''' Figuratively the [[Dune|Bene Gesserit]], without the kung fu skills from perfect body control. These Sororitas serve intimately with the upper echelons of Imperial society, acting as chamberlains, counselors, and consuls to the nobility. Their focus is on the spiritual and genetic purity of the human race, so they concern themselves with not only seeing to the education of nobles, but also secretly arranging alliances and marriages, in the hope of preventing corruption and inbreeding from taking root. They are particularly involved in tracking the manifestations of saints, which makes them a popular ally for Thorian Inquisitors.
* '''[[Sister Hospitaler|Orders Hospitaller]]:''' Healers and medics, these Sororitas are amongst the most skilled and compassionate surgeons in the Imperium, meaning they are commonly found attached to the [[Imperial Guard]]. Given their mission, they are one of the more beloved orders by the common citizenry of the Imperium. Of course, this being the Imperium, they're also expert torturers often called upon for that purpose by the Ecclesiarchy and the Inquisition, though Inquisitors are cautioned against using Hospitallers to keep important heretics alive; they have a bad tendency to forget about the future gains and instead "take the Emperor's justice into their own hands".
* Others: Scores, perhaps even hundreds, of minor non-militant Orders exist within the Adepta Sororitas. ''Blood of Martyrs'' mentions the '''Orders Sabine''' (who infiltrate newly rediscovered worlds and prepare them for the Missionarius Galaxia) and '''Orders Pronatus''' (guardians of sacred relics) as examples of more wide-spread Orders Non-Militant, and three "local" Orders in the forms of the '''Madriga''' (temple choirs), '''Planxilium''' (leading processionals on holy days) and '''Vespila''' (sanctifying the dead and forensic specialists).

==Sisters Snuff==
Back in [[Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader|1st Edition]], they were present fluff only as an order that was essentially the [[Just As Planned|Inquisition for everyone including the Inquisition]] (like an Inquisition Internal Affairs branch; a "who watches the watchmen?" deal) and [[Derp|Space Marines]]. This would change in later editions, when they eventually get their own codex.

In 1997, when the [[Necron|Necrons]] were launched, [[Games Workshop]] had them face the Sisters in a Battle report, which the Sisters lost. The results of this battle report then became the [[Sanctuary 101]] fluff. Games Workshop liked the result so much that they decided the Sisters of Battle should get slaughtered all the time. Unless they are falling to Chaos, obviously. Some fans blame popular GW whipping boy [[Matthew Ward|Matt "Spiritual Liege" Ward]] for this tendency, but it was there long before he got here [[FATAL|and it continues to exist after he left]].

Please note that while [[Heresy|fa/tg/uys]] [[/d/|masturbate furiously]] to fanfics of Sisters engaging in bdsm fetish sex with the likes of other Lesbian sisters, servitors, children, Schola Progenium cadets, Eldar, Dark Eldar, [[WhipsOil&Lofn|Half-Eldar]] or [[Sister of Nurgle|even the likes of Nurgle]], all of the below actually, '''canonically''' ''fucking happened''. (It should also be worth noting that they're getting stomped '''by their own fucking allies''' in most of these.). To be fair, they’re glorified guards. They’re well trained and equipped, but rarely get any experience at all. Plus, most of their training is of the devotional sort with a far less emphasis on actual combat skill than a real soldier would have as they just plain don’t need it since they are ideological guards and enforcers, not soldiers.

[[File:Warhammer_40k_sisters_of_battle_adeptas_sororitas_battling_Dark_Eldar.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Heroic Lesbian Space Nuns + Evil BDSM Space Elves = Shut up and take my money! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fU5ZHQLsGo FAP !FAP! FAP!] ]]
Some highlights include:
* Some of a Dialogus Order and some Battle Sisters turned to Chaos by a [[Slaanesh|Slaaneshi]] Keeper of Secrets.
* A whole Order Mind Controlled by one Chaos [[Psyker]]. Fucking [[C.S.Goto|Goto]] (This happened again in the Ciaphas Cain books, although it was only a tiny convent with a couple of squads of sisters, not a entire Order and said pskyer was also a direct lieutenant of the [[Failbaddon|Despoiler]] himself and could control [[powergamer|entire planets]]).
* An Order is present in another Ciaphas Cain book, wherein they're tricked into exterminating the workers of a mining outpost and sheltering a rogue Inquisitor. In an unrelated matter, they nearly cost the Imperial Guard a crucial battle against the Tyranids because they couldn't keep their bloodlust in check (Only Ciaphas Cain calling them out for leaving countless civilians to be slaughtered in their temples as they pushed forward made them reconsider). That said, it's one of the kinder portrayals in this list, because the Sisters in that battle do manage to make it back to the defense lines, and the entire Order dies in a later battle covering the Commissar's exit in repentance.
* A strike force of [[Celestians]] and an [[Inquisitor]] being killed, cannibalized, and sacrificed by the Sons of Malice Astartes chapter for disturbing their victory rites and falsely accusing the chapter of heresy. (To be fair, a small force of sisters against an entire Chapter? Still doesn't excuse the cannibalism, though.)
* A whole shrine-world of Sisters killed by a <s>[[Chaos Dreadnought#Helbrute|Helbrute]]</s> [[Daemon Engine]] powered by [[rage]]. It shrugs off meltas, meltabombs and multiple [[Exorcist]] volleys, and the efforts of a number of [[Salamanders]] in Terminator armour. A [[Living Saint]] even gives up her divinity (not to be confused with virginity) to stop it by speaking the bound Daemon's true name (her order had a vow of silence, probably so the audio recording team didn't need to hire women to do any of the speaking rolls for the audio drama), therefore weakening it after her aura of peace causes it to calm down and shrink down to the size of a man instead of a massive daemon walker. The daemon is then destroyed when its shell is broken after a Space Marine decides to throw a [[Power weapon|Thunder Hammer]] at it. ''We are not making this shit up''.
* A detachment of Sisters killed by [[Grey Knights]], [[Khornate Knights|their bodies sliced open and their blood applied to the Grey Knights' armor, so the Grey Knights can be immune to the Bloodtide's effects (though some of the Sisters were immune with faith alone, make of that what you will).]] The Bloodtide was retconned in the most recent Grey Knights Codex to instead go down holding the line long enough for their Grey Knight allies to finish off the Daemons. Still losing, but at least this time they die with dignity.
* In another instance of Grey Knight-on-Sororita violence, during the climax of the first novel of the Grey Knight series, a detachment of Sisters led by Cannoness Ludmilla is tricked by a Chaos-turned Inquisitor into thinking that the Grey Knights pursuing it are Chaos Space Marines. Later (as in a few pages later), said detachment gets nearly kamikaze'd by said Grey Knight Strike Cruiser, which itself was shot down by Imperial Navy ships fooled into thinking that it was Chaos - starting to see a pattern here? Surprisingly, the only dudes that die from the crash are Imperial Guard and PDF - the Sisters survive but only to get the ever-Emprah-lovin' shit beaten out of them by the surviving Grey Knights. The sisters pull no punches, however, and do manage to take out a few of Alaric's squadmates, so power to them. BUT WAIT. Seeing as this was written by a much more competent author, unlike the ambiguous piece of shite-fluff written by a certain [[Matthew Ward|spiritual liege]], both sides figure out that this was part of an elaborate case of [[JUST AS PLANNED]], they stop fighting,and even more shockingly, the person who ends it is Cannoness Ludmilla, after noticing the FUCKHUEG books bolted on the GK's mighty pauldrons, and team up to take down the Big Baddy.

* Apart from the codex stuff, they were also stomped in the video game ''[[Dawn Of War|Dawn of War: Soulstorm]]''. It all started when [[Selena Agna]] of the Sacred Rose falsely accused Governer General [[Vance Motherfucking Stubbs]] for the Warp Storm that appeared in Kaurava system. The sisters then had a zealots hard on which resulted in them thinking that everyone, even their imperial brethren ([[Space Marines|Space Marines]] and [[Imperial Guard|Imperial Guards]]) should be purged. Stubbs, like a true gentleman, not only dismissed the claim, but was also planning to destroy the sisters without [[Khornate Knights|the worries of committing a heretical action]] because "fuck you, no way me and my men gonna die for from some crazy bitch's accusation." They were presumably killed sacrificing themselves in an attempt to destroy the enemy, though we don't know who it was that wiped them out (however considering that Gorgutz is the canonical winner, it was likely him). Also, funny story, but that bit about accusing the Imperial Guard of starting the Warp Storm? ''They were right.'' The Chaos ending reveals that the storm was triggered by an Imperial Guardsman who turned out to be a latent psyker. Oops.

==The Sudden Yet Inevitable Betrayal==
{{MattWard}}

[[File:Sister_Hmph.jpg|200px|thumb|left|The reaction of Sisters and SoB players everywhere to the codex update.]] On August 1, 2011 [[Games Workshop]] finally decided to attempt to "revamp" the Sisters of Battle with a [[White Dwarf]] codex, much to the aggravation of about two thirds of the [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Witch Hunters|Witch Hunters']] remaining playerbase. It was by no means a horrible update; initial worries on [[/tg/]] suggested it to be akin to a biblical plague in terms of disaster-level, when in truth it was simply sub-average. The update had its fluff written by [[Matt Ward|your SPIRITUAL LIEGE]]. In spite of this, it was squarely in-level with another [[Tyranids|bad codex update]], because the rules were clearly written by committee.

Gone were the various inquisitorial units that got gobbled up by the [[Grey Knights]] codex update. This meant that many of the classics, like [[Witch Hunters#Notable Members of the Ordos Hereticus|Lord Inquisitor Krazypantzoff]] and [[Officio Assassinorum|Temple Assassins]], were gone, though they were replaced with Ecclesiarchy characters like [[Uriah Jacobus]] and [[Arch-Confessor Kyrinov]]. The Sisters did get some of Grey Knight units, namely [[Death Cult Assassin|Death Cult Assassins]], [[Arco-flagellant|Arco-Flagellants]], and [[Crusaders|Crusaders]], though their usefulness was questionable at best. [[Immolator|Immolators]] took a nasty nerf-bat to the face, being unable to fire on the move and losing all fire-points, which basically made them more-cost-effective [[Razorback Transport]]s). Who would have thought that Games Workshop would update an army by [[Carnifex|nerfing the one model every player had a couple of so that they all have to go out and buy new models]]?

Faith was functionally changed to a game of roulette, with randomized dice rolls deciding how much (if anything at all) you get. Units were given very specific faith powers on a squad-by-squad basis now, and whilst several were powerful, others were meh at best. [[Image:Repressor.jpg|right|thumb|Heavy armor in an update? We fucking ''wish''.]] Whereas before you had a nice general army that could use faith points to adapt to different situations, in the [[White Dwarf|Dwarf-dex]] system you had mostly weaker powers that were unreliable. Powers that most other units for similar points get permanently.

[[Sisters Repentia]] were originally purportedly nerfed, but in the end they were ''vastly'' better, boasting a 6++ invulnerable save, Fleet, and double their original number of attacks with a faith act to do more on death - meaning they stood a good chance of fucking up a lot of units they wouldn't pre-update... So ''now'' instead of paying ridiculous prices for a sick joke, you're just paying ridiculous prices for a suicide squad. At least they'll rape shit while they're there now. ''Progress''!

Sadly, things were muddled by a spree of fake releases as part of an [[Troll|April Fool's Prank]]. Original reports of genuinely useful units to offset the loss of the [[Stormtrooper|Stormtroopers]] and inducted forces thus turned out to be false. There was also talk of a new heavy transport/assault vehicle called the [[Repressor]], but it turned out to be part of the same fucking April Fool's Prank and is still Forgeworld-only (which sucks because it would be an improvement). Of the new characters, Kyrinov was semi-useful, and Jacobus was near-mandatory if you wanted to do anything with Acts of Faith. So in summary, about a third of the Sisters' armory is now gone without being replaced by anything. (The [[Bretonnia|knights]] feel your pain now.)

The biggest kick in the cunt for the Sisters, aside from the obvious loss of utility units, was the loss of ally rules and inducted unit rules. One of the biggest advantages the Sisters had was the ability to, courtesy of the Ordo Hereticus, requisition allied forces. A time-honored method of getting around the relatively weak Sisters of Battle vehicular lineup was to take some Inducted Guardsmen for a Leman Russ or two, or Space Marines for a Predator. The loss of Inquisitors also came with the loss of [[Land Raider|Land Raiders]] as dedicated transports, which was another stab at their vehicular capabilities.

===The Eternal Vigil===
[[Image:Homelesssister.jpg|right|thumb|<s>Come on guys, she's got sisters to feed.</s> Hang in there a little more, sis. You're coming back home at last.]]
While many members of [[/tg/]] are violently, gleefully convinced the sisters are on their way to be [[Squat|squatted]], a tiny contingent of the faithful keeps a candle burning, waiting for the day that their beloved bolter bitches will rise again ([[Finecast|tiny bubbles]] and all). [[Awesome|As for this notice, the prayers has been answered IN PLASTIC!]]

*'''0172008.M3:''' The Sisters are released as a playable faction in [[Dawn of War|Dawn of War: Soulstorm]]. While it is poorly designed and built, it still drums up some enthusiasm for the Sisters. Many conflicted feels are had.
*'''0583011.M3:''' [[Matt Ward|The Destroyer]] and [[Robin Cruddace|The Cruddace]] release a playable [[White Dwarf]] codex for the sisters, hinting at a similar treatment to the [[Blood Angels|Blood <s>Angels]] </s> <s> heretics </s> fuck you.
*'''0608012.M3:''' The sisters are retained for the 6E allies system and given a new flyer via [[Forge World]]. An unconfirmed leak shows a line up of new Sisters characters in development.
*'''0569013.M3:''' Faithful pilgrims supplicate themselves before the great and powerful [[Jervis Johnson]] asking for news on the Sisters. They are told that all armies are being worked on and there are no plans to discontinue support for the sisters. [[Phil Kelly|The Kelly]] adds that modeling issues prevented their release previously.
*'''05611013.M3:''' Rumors begin swirling about an [[Warhammer 40,000/6th Edition Tactics/Adepta Sororitas|official digital codex]] release for the Sisters. A leaked and subsequently confirmed White Dwarf advert later confirms this, and promises an updated version of the 5e codex. A later interview with [[Robin Cruddace|The Cruddace]] indicates that the codex will include tweaks to Faith and points cost, and that if it sells well enough it may get a physical release. The release date for the digital codex was set for October 19th. Later comments on the GW Digital Editions facebook page confirms a Warlord Traits Chart, Ecclesiarchy Relics and an Altar of War, in addition to some updates, new fluff and artwork and changes to faith and points costs. It appears that the Sisters prayers have been at least partially answered. A physical release however is still very much dependent on the sale of this eBook however. Also during all this GW changes the name from Sisters of Battle to Adepta Sororitas most likely because it sounds cooler and is [[ChapterHouse Studios|easier to maintain copyright on]]. The reactions are mixed when the Codex is released, with such changes like making all Acts of Faith usable only once, maximum twice, per battle and many buffs and nerfs around the board, leaving many arguing whatever the Sisters got better or majorly screwed. However, this mixed reception '''is''' better than the universally negative reception of the [[White Dwarf]] codex.
*'''09999015.M3:''' Escalation is released, alongside Stronghold Assault. While Stronghold Assault slips by unnoticed, the Sisters of Battle receive no Lords of War choices in an otherwise controversial and poorly thought out expansion. It then falls to Forge World to release a downloadable sheet a few days later saying that Sisters armies can take Warhound & Reaver titans, as well as Marauder Bombers & Destroyers as Lords of War. The Sisters have yet to comment on how overkill these choices might be if they can ever deploy them. The Reaver is at least far too expensive for normal games.
*'''0914016.M3:''' The Adepta Sororitas digital codex finally gets a physical release as part of [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Imperial Agents|Codex: Imperial Agents]]. Like the digital codex, the new one has a mixed reception, as it removes Saint Celestine from the army (leaving the Sisters with a single named character) and comes with a formation that called the Vestal Task Force that isn't great. However, it also allows for Ministorum Priests to be taken independently, and separates the component units of the Ecclesiarchy Battle Conclave, though these units are not given any buffs to make them useful on their own. Not much, but it was something.
[[Image:Celestine Fall of Cadia.jpg|left|thumb|Guess who's back, bitches?]]
*'''0999016.M3:''' The Warhammer TV team, after the initial hint in the video which saw Magnus announced, releases a compilation of 2016 launches. At the end of said video can be seen clearly several launches of January, including no other than a new plastic kit of the '''Living Saint Celestine''', supposedly tied to the release of The Gathering Storm: Fall of Cadia. The internet, and specially /tg/ and the SoB players go nuts shortly after that, which only gets worse after the confirmation in a Twitch live few hours later.
*'''0019017.M3:''' Fall of Cadia releases and Sisters are starting to return to the limelight. Not only do the Nuns With Guns play a substantial role in the 13th Black Crusade, but Saint Celestine is one of the key characters of the story, bringing reinforcements, rallying the beleaguered Imperial Forces, and facing off with [[Abaddon]] himself. She also gets updated rules which turn her into a powerhouse, capable of calling orbital strikes, chopping tanks in half, buffing nearby Imperial units, and becoming nearly impossible to kill. The book also comes with additional Ecclesiarchy Relics, causing much rejoicing among SoB fans.
*'''0233018.M3:''' In the Adepticon XVI of 018.M3, the team disclosed a plethora of information of future releases: [[Imperial Knight#Castellan_Knight_Patterns|Knights Castellan]], photos of the [[Idoneth Deepkin]] for AoS, a TCG of AoS and more. One of these announcements is the confirmation that '''THE RENOVATION IN PLASTIC OF THE SISTERS OF BATTLE IS HAPPENING'''. This is due to the overwhelming support of the fanbase during the Great Survey, which convinced the high-ups to give them what is due. The release date is unconfirmed, but temporally is "Emperor's willing, 019.M3" and in the meantime the whole process of designing, creating and bringing them back will be made public. The Long Vigil is coming to an end. PRAISE THE EMPRAH!!
*'''0999018.M3:''' GW releases beta Adepta Sororitas rules in Chapter Approved 2018. Despite an insane amount of hype, the rules end up being rather lackluster, and are met with a [[Skub|mixed reaction]] from the community. Although the beta rules help Sisters in some ways, such as buffing Exorcists and making Uriah Jacobus worth his point cost, they also include a series of inexplicable nerfs which drastically reduce their overall utility as an army, such as removing eviscerators from Canonesses, splitting up Celestine and the Geminae Superia, and completely removing wargear options from Ministorum Priests. Worst of all, they reworked Acts of Faith into a points-based system which was both more confusing and less useful than the Index Acts of Faith rules, effectively giving Sisters an army-wide nerf. Fortunately, this was just a beta codex, and [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2019/03/04/battle-sister-bulletin-part-2-beta-rules-feedback/ GW is listening to the community's response.]
*'''0659019.M3:''' During the Nova open a new box set for the sisters was revealed, with new models for the Penitent engine and the Mistress of Repentance as well as confirming November to be the release month for the Sisters new range. The end of the Eternal Vigil is in sight.

===Getting Started With The Nuns===

Wait for the 2019 official release.

Or...

Look to [[Anvil Industry]], because the Sisters of the Burning Rose are on the way, and are awesome enough as is to kick the shit out of the current official Sisters models. GW's gonna have to really up their game if they don't want to be outdone by a 3rd Party manufacturer. Another good option is the Sisters of Faith from [[Shieldwolf Miniatures]]; so good, in fact, that [https://spikeybits.com/2017/10/hard-plastic-sisters-wolves-kickstarter-canceled.html Games Workshop sent the Kickstarter for them a dubious C&D because they were afraid of the competition.]

==THE RETURN!==

[[File:WHFest2019-Sororitas1.jpg|250px|thumb|right|A fully painted sneak peak of things to come. Amazingly, GW has taken the time to learn how to sculpt female models [[Commorragh Slaves|that don't look hideous]], though they still haven't learned that [[THIN YOUR PAINTS|using CAD to sculpt in zillions of fiddly details makes life hell for novice painters.]] And she finally has a name! Sister Superior Amalia Novena.]]

'''THIS IS NOT A DRILL, REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THE NUNS WITH GUNS ARE RETURNING AND SHALL BE IN PLASTIC NO LESS!!'''

On the 21st of March in the year of our [[Emperor|Lord]] 2018, Warhammer Community uploaded [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smqK5cHSxMA a short video] stating that ([[Emperor]] willing) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFX8S9aAgvw&feature=youtu.be&t=31s Sisters will be getting some kind of an update in 2019]. In addition, on the warhammer community page [https://www.warhammer-community.com/2018/03/22/breaking-news-major-revealsgw-homepage-post-1/] after all the Age of Sigmar stuff, they added that Sisters of Battle will be released in [[Awesome|plastic form]], with the starter set slated for release in November 2019.

The Sisters will not be going the way of [[Squats|Bretonnia, the space Dwarves, Kislev and Nehekhara]] after all. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usfiAsWR4qU Praise be!]

'''GLORIA GLORIA, HALLELUJAH AMEN! PRAISE THE GOD-EMPEROR'''

==The James Swallow books: SoBs can win too!==
[[File:Hammer-and-anvil.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Sister Miriya from Hammer & Anvil; yes, [[Black Library]] artists can draw pretty sisters too.]]
Among [[Black Library]], there are two books, specifically starring the Sisters, that are widely considered to be some the finest portrayals of SoBs in all of [[40K]] fluff. Both were authored by [[James Swallow]], who decided that Sisters needed some attention and got to work. The first, [http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/Faith-and-Fire.html Faith and Fire], has the Sisters battling with what are basically terrorist psykers on a shrine world while trying to uncover the reasons behind the attacks. Then there's the sequel, [http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/Hammer-and-Anvil.html Hammer and Anvil]. Remember reading about Sanctuary 101 up there? This book has them going back there and trying to figure out what happened. While saying too much would be spoiling it, it can be said that shit hits the fan hard and that the final battle is very epic stuff. Also, if you're feeling extra faithful, Swallow wrote an SoB audiobook called [http://www.blacklibrary.com/all-products/red-and-black-mp3.html Red and Black]. A prequel to Faith and Fire, it has the Sisters being sent to a recently rediscovered planet as representatives of the Imperium, and ultimately to judge it. Needless to say, things get complicated. Also features a Scottish SoB. So, you can help the Sisters by getting the above books so that [[Games Workshop]] and Black Library may decide to change their minds and give some love to these girls. Or at least give them some additional badass portrayals.

==Tactics==
The Sisters of Battle employ a costly yet simple tactic whenever they're called out for battle:

 1. Bring thousands of sexually deprived Sisters of Battle into the field.
 2.Arm them all with Melta and flame-based weapons. Small squads of Storm Bolters also encouraged.
 3.<s>Tell them they can shlick to the image of the Emperor if they triumph over the foul enemies of the Imperium.</s> {{BLAM|'''HERESY. *BLAM*'''}}
 4.Set them loose, hope you are not fighting slaaneshi cult, hope you're fighting Dark Eldar wyches (although they do seem to be doing that just fine in one of the artworks on this page).
 5.If they do win, all remaining Imperial troops, save for the SoBs, are ordered off the field.
 6.No other accounts can be heard of, as remembrancers and all other Imperial journalists are sworn to an oath of silence on whatever events transpired (one theory is it would look like a mix of "Soldier of Fortune" and "Girls Gone Wild")
 7.????
 8.Profit.

''(Yes we do have a real tactica, its [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Adeptus_Ministorum(8E)|here]].)''

==Notable Sororitas Characters==
{|align=center border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0""
|-
|align=center|'''Name'''
|align=center|'''Order'''
|align=center|'''Description/Current Status'''
|align=center|'''Image'''
|align=center|'''Model'''
|-
|align=center|'''[[Canoness Veridyan]]'''
|align=center|[[Sisters of Battle#Overview|Order of Our Martyred Lady]]
|align=center|The canoness from the cover of the 2nd Edition codex. A steadfast, calculating woman who operates with a high degree of precision.
|align=center|[[Image:Veridyan Portrait.jpg|150px|]]
|align=center|[[Image:Veridyan Model.jpg|150px|]]
|-
|align=center|'''[[Ephrael Stern]]'''
|align=center|[[Sisters of Battle#Overview|Order of Our Martyred Lady]]
|align=center|Also known as the Thrice-Born and the Daemonifuge. A living weapon against Chaos, currently heading to the Black Library with a harlequin.
|align=center|[[Image:Ephrael Stern Portrait.jpg|150px|]]
|align=center|[[Image:SternMini.JPG|150px|]]
|-
|align=center|'''[[Miriael Sabathiel]]'''
|align=center|[[Sisters of Battle#Overview|Order of Our Martyred Lady]] (formerly)
|align=center|Former Sister Superior of the Order of Our Martyred Lady and one of the very few Sisters who fell to Chaos (specifically, Slaanesh worship).
|align=center|[[Image:Miriael Sabathiel Portrait.jpg|150px|]]
|align=center|None
|-
|align=center|'''[[Miriya]]'''
|align=center|[[Sisters of Battle#Overview|Order of Our Martyred Lady]]
|align=center|Celestian Superior of the Order of Our Martyred Lady and protagonist of Swallow's Sister of Battle books. Best known for her independent, headstrong attitude as well as her creative interpretation of orders. While this frequently gets her into trouble with her superiors, it also makes her uniquely qualified for handling situations that require quick action and outside-the-box thinking.
|align=center|[[Image:Mirya Portrait.jpg|150px|]]
|align=center|None
|-
|align=center|'''[[Saint Celestine]]'''
|align=center|[[Sisters of Battle#Overview|Order of Our Martyred Lady]] (formerly)
|align=center|A sister who became one of the most famous [[Living Saint|Living Saints]] in the Imperium. Best known for her angelic presence, relentless optimism, and resurrection
powers, the latter of which makes her nearly impossible to kill. She's also heavily implied to be the Imperial equivalent of a [[daemon prince]].
|align=center|[[Image:Celestine Portrait.jpg|150px|]]
|align=center|[[Image:Celestine 7e.jpg|150px|]]
|-
|align=center|'''[[Canoness-Errant Setheno]]'''
|align=center|Order of Piercing Thorn (Minoris)
|align=center|After destroying her own order on suspicion of corruption, she became Canoness-Errant, a vaguely defined position that involves a lot of asskicking.
Allied with the [[Black Dragons]] and [[Commissar Yarrick]]. Inquisitors wish they were as scary as her.
|align=center|None
|align=center|None
|}

==See Also==
*[[Codex - Adeptus Ministorum /tg/ Edition]] - An [[Warhammer 40,000 8th edition|8th edition]] [[homebrew]] codex for everyone's favorite Nuns With Guns. Includes new characters, frateris milita, flyers, customizable Living Saints, and much more!
*[[Sisters of Cleaning]] - a [[/tg/]] created order.
*[[Sister Hospitaler]] - a non-militant Sister.
*[[The Times and Trials of Klightus]]; a love story about a shy [[Imperial Guard | Guardsman]] and a Sister of Battle.
*[[The Steadfast Pewter Sororitas]] - a sad story about what happens to those metal Sisters that don't get bought.
*[[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Adeptus Ministorum(8E)]] - tactica on how to play them.
*[[Sisters of Battle Order Creation Tables]] - Create your very own Order of pyromaniac nuns.
*[[Sisters of Sigmar]] - The Warhammer Fantasy equivalent
*[[Psychic Sisters]] - A small house rule for 7th edition if you want your sisters a bit more witch hunting, but don't want to go full /tg/ edition.
*[[Sister of Nurgle]] - An article riddled with the blessings of Nurgle and PROMOTIONS.
*[[Codex - Sisters of Battle: /tg/ edition]] - in which the glory of the Witch Hunters, fueled by the possibilities of the 6th edition rulebook come together to cleanse the battlefield in a holy trinity of prometheum, bolter shells and melta rays. As of [[Warhammer 40,000 8th edition|8th edition]], these rules are no longer usable.
*[[Codex - Adepta Sororitas: /tg/ 7th Edition]] - the result of an anon challenging /tg/ to update the mediocre 6th edition digital codex; a true update that makes full use of 7th edition rules. Includes formations, flyers, decurions, customizable Living Saints, and much more. As of [[Warhammer 40,000 8th edition|8th edition]], these rules are no longer usable.

==External Links==
*[http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/1426730/ suptg archive about Sisters of Battle and pedophilia].
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHuNbWMBAeA FOR THE IMPERIUM! ''Hey, there's no rule saying that warrior space nuns can't be badass.'']
*[https://www.sendspace.com/file/8zykal Rules & Summary for Codex: Adepta Sororitas, for those who do not like the clusterfuck 7e digital codex.]
*[https://youtu.be/__GHpmdmJu0/ They can also sing!].

==Gallery==

===General===
<center>
<gallery>
AdSor.jpg|Scourge and Purge!
16 bit Battle Sisters SteelJoe.gif|The Action-Girls of 40k (Animated!)
Nun n' Gun.jpg|What? U MAD [[Space Marines|SPESS MAHREEN?]]
Sister of D'awwwww.jpg|They aren't actually this cute. -But they should be.-
But That's Heresy.jpg|But whatever it is, it's probably worth it. Maybe.
Sororit as planned.jpg| The rape face you know you love.
Pedo Sisters.jpg
NoiseMarine SoB.jpg | [[Rape|We all know how this is going to end.]]
MujuLolcron.jpg|Love Can Bl-- wait.
Sororitas.png
Ephrael_stern_page29.jpg|There was a sister in the [[Lost Worlds]] battlebook series.
1290509755821.jpg|Can't read my, Can't read my, No he cannot read my Purging Face (She's got no one to spare)
Sistersnslaanesh.jpg| Incompetent Inquisitor is incompetent (Hey, we know he did that on purpose).
1269678816033.jpg|dum dum dum... dummmm
1228253984074.jpg|OMNOMNOMNOM
1230052783344.png|Post whenever you need to make a fa/tg/uy rage that he doesn't understand the role and jurisdiction of Commissars.
Peachsororitas.jpg|Sorry Mario, but your Heresy is in another castle
Games Workshop Hates France.jpeg|This is rain.
1232217288173.jpg
LolimoNsis.png
B0018254_4897156440df9.jpg|Grimdark meets [[Hot Chicks]].
1227858843066.jpg|Sisters love delicious xeno shota.
Sororita_change_poster.png|Yes We Can
Nagasister_of_battle.jpg|Are we this desperate for recruits?
Haters.png|Just you wait until 2019! Fuck yeah plastic sisters! THE EMPHRAH HAS AWNSERED OUR PRAYERS!
Sistersuperior.jpg
1335738154693.jpg
SisterShy.jpg|You don't want to see her tsun side.
Notsureheresy.jpg
Heretic%3F_Colored.jpg|Better purge them anyway...
SisterCheer.jpg|<s>NO THATS STUPID NO NO NO.</s> Let's face it, being a bunch of glorified cheerleaders isn't that far off the mark nowadays...
Sisterweeaboo.jpg
Pyschosister.jpg|[[Awesome|Problems heretics?]]
ChaosCookies.png|Just as planned.
BurnHereticsBurn.jpg|Heretics gunna get burned.
SororitaInquisitorIsntHome.jpg|When the Inquisitor's away, the Sisters will play...
Sisters of repentia sisters of battle Adepta Sororitas rule 34 montage can't believe how hard fetish rule 34 Warhammer 40k myoc redux.jpg|As hilarious as it is to picture a bunch of semi-nude nuns bull rushing a carnifex or a baneblade through a hail of gunfire, it's also weirdly sexy. Behold, the [[Sisters Repentia]].
Sororitastakeabreak.png|What the Sisters have been reduced to as of late.
Remember.jpg|[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smqK5cHSxMA Remember]
</gallery>
</center>
===Cosplay===
<center>
<gallery>
Sororita cosplay7.jpg
SororitaAsianCosplay.jpg|Sister Shoju
Sororita_cosplay4.jpg
Repentia_+_bolter_bitches.jpg|The [[China|Chinese]] are beating us to the punch.
Sis.jpg
Celestine Cosplay.jpg|Sweet Emprah!
SoB Cosplay.jpg
SoB Cosplay 2.jpg|Scarred sisters are best sisters
SoB Cosplay 3.jpg
Shenzi sob warhammer 77 by cynshenzi-dalqqbb.jpg
1518145539057.png
1468433605143314511.jpg
1514910964169599531.jpg
SoB Cosplay 4.jpg
SoB Cosplay 5.jpg
1522066264701.jpg
</gallery>
</center>

===New Models===
<center>
<gallery>
File:Sororita-plastic.jpg|The first full model revealed.
File:WHFest2019-Sororitas3.jpg|The same model, now fully painted!
File:SoBBulletinSquad-Painted1.jpg|A new painted model.
File:SoBBulletinSquad-Canoness.jpg|"Back in my day, we beat heretics to death with our fucking fists!"
File:BSBHospitalier.jpg|Finally, the new Hospitalier model.
File:BSBHospitalier2.jpg|"No one cared who I was until I put on the mask."
LVOStudioPreview-Banner.jpg
File:SoBBulletinSquad-SisterSuperior6.jpg|"WE WILL BE MARTYRS!"
File:SoBBulletinSquad-Sister2.jpg
File:SoBBulletinSquad-StormBolter4.jpg
File:SoBBulletinSquad-Flamer5.jpg
BattleSisterBulletinSeraphim-Render.jpg
BattleSisterBulletin-Retributors-1.jpg
BattleSisterBulletin-Retributors-2.jpg
File:SoBBulletinRepentia-Repentia1.jpg|The new Repentias. One of the most [[skub]] causing models previewed.
File:SoBBulletinRepentia-RepentiaMasked.jpg|So Sisters apparently have the same plugs as [[Space Marines]] to help them interface with their armour.
File:SoBBulletinRepentia-Repentia3.jpg
File:SoBBulletinRepentia-Repentia4.jpg
WHFestLiveBlog-Sisters-Swords.jpg
WHFestLiveBlog-Sisters-Bolters.jpg|What would the Bolter Bitches be without their...Urm Bolters
WHFestLiveBlog-Sisters-HBolter.jpg
WHFestLiveBlog-Sisters-CondemnorSide.jpg
WHFestLiveBlog-Sisters-CondemnorTop.jpg
WHFestLiveBlog-Sisters-Flamers.jpg|FIRE! (nya nya nya)
NovaReveals-Sisters-Heads.jpg|So that's how their helmets work.
BattleSisterBulletinCharacter--ChainswordPowerpack.jpg
BattleSisterBulletinCharacter-Speaker.jpg
</gallery>
</center>

===Emblems===
<center>
<gallery>
OrderOfOurMartyredLadyEmblem.jpg|Our Martyred Lady
OrderOfTheArgentShroudEmblem.jpg|Argent Shroud
OrderOfTheBloodyRoseEmblem.jpg|Bloody Rose
OrderOfTheEbonChaliceEmblem.jpg|Ebon Chalice
OrderOfTheSacredRoseEmblem.jpg|Sacred Rose
OrderOfTheValorousHeartEmblem.jpg|Valorous Heart
</gallery>
</center>

===PROMOTIONS===
 
{{Promotions}}
 
<center>
<gallery>

Canoness femdom.jpg|Goddamn fetishists... '''Ohoho!''' The [[Slaanesh|glorious satin throne]] is telling me '''someone''' is feeling a little butthurt! Speaking of which I'm late for my [[Rape|lunchtime appoin-]]{{BLAM|}} {{BLAM|Filthy Slaanesh worshipper!}}
Sistergangbang.png|There are not too many men (not counting old priests) in Adepta Sororitas so they have to improvise.
Strip_hammer_commission_for_propertyoflamb_by_hotgum-dagtqp6.jpg|What happens when a Battle Sister, a Repentia, a Hospitaller and a Living Saint decide they need to make a little cash?
R-daemonette 10.jpg |evidence that slaneesh can corrupt sisters of battle
Repentia_1.jpg|Sisters Repentia are supposed to repent. Stop whinging you know we know that you like this more.
FIGHTBYMYSIDE.jpg| An imperial artist's representation of a living saint.
1230051355300.gif|GENESTEALERS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY. <s>-But they should-</s> NO THEY SHOULDN'T, YOU SICK [[Slaanesh|PERV]].
Sister reading heretical text by Naga.gif
1233114472588.png|Unlike other settings, in 40k this kind of thing DOESN'T work. Still kinda hot though.
Sororitas strawberries.jpg
Sisters.jpg
1228252747952.jpg|Cum my sisters!
Repentia_2.jpg|Not that they are fanatical about it.
sister_n_slaaneshi.jpg|Sister in ''deep'' trouble.
SistervsLeviathan.jpg|OMNOMNOMNOM
Sororita_by_ipheli-d9mzze4.png|Sister Temeraire at rest
Sororita_2_rest_by_ipheli-damic1m.png|Interesting place for your devotional tattoo...
Saint celestine and the geminae superia by sexual yeti-dat6rd3.png|Sexy Celestine
91a96fb85899c260cb028d6ac34603b6.jpg
ToTheEnd.jpg|To the end...
</gallery>
</center>

==Navigation==
{{Sororitas-Characters}}
{{Sisters-of-Battle}}
{{Imperium}}
{{WH40k-Factions}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]
[[category:Imperial]]
[[Category:Matt Ward]]
[[Category:Sisters of Battle]]

Adrathic Weapons

2019-09-18T20:11:53Z

2600:1006:B156:3ED1:88E0:A070:1621:297C:

[[File:AquilonAdrathic.png|200px|right|thumb|Imperium's disintegration beams. Golden boy exclusive of course.]]
Imperial [[Gauss|Gauss Flayers.]] No really.

Adrathic Weapons are a type of disintegration weapon used by our [[Adeptus Custodes|very special boys in gold.]]

These are relics dating back to the [[Dark Age of Technology]] and are believed to be unique to Terra. They use dangerously unstable but powerful energy beams to sever the internal bonds of matter, causing objects in their path to unravel. The only evidence that the victim existed is a flaring after-image of what was. To most casual observers, this affect is similiar to the [[Necrons|Space Tomb King's]] [[Gauss]] weapons. Ignoramus would think that this might be a form of anti-matter, but anti-matter works through the concept of annihilation, so instead of ''merely'' turning a target into molecular soup, it should release 100% of its energy, thereby turning a Adrathic weapon into a nuclear device that makes the Tsar Bomba look like a firecracker. What would be the most likely answer is that Adrathic weapons shoots out the equivalent of the Big Rip, essentially shooting out so much dark energy that it overcomes all conventional forces that binds matter together. [[RIP AND TEAR|For those who do not know what a Big Rip is, it is one of the several hypothesis for the future death of the universe; the literal RIP AND TEAR option to kill the universe if you will.]] So if this is true, than the Imperium somehow weaponized a universe-ending event into a gun. It would be [[Awesome]] if it weren't so [[Stupid|stupid]] by premise. But not stupid in the 40k premise. Besides, ours is a species that initiated a nuclear device even though we were half convinced it would destroy the world. We also made killing machines that ate the data of the universe...

Such weapons were legend during the [[Age of Strife]] and were prized by the Techno-Barbarians of Terra. When the Emperor emerged he had all Adrathic Weapons given to him on pain of death. These weapons were then issued to his trusted Custodians and are used against the deadliest foes. The technology behind Adrathic weapons are even kept from the [[Adeptus Mechanicus|Mechanicum]] and only the Emperor's personal weaponsmiths gained the knowledge of how to replicate them.

Unfortunately, they are all pretty short ranged despite their [[Awesome|awesomeness]], this is for the sake of keeping the game balanced we suppose.

===Adrastus Bolt Caliver===
[[image:SagittarumBoltCaliver2.png|200px|right|thumb|Adrastus Bolt Caliver]]
''See main page, [[Combi-weapon#Adrastus Bolt Caliver|Adrastus Bolt Caliver]].''

More of a hybrid [[Combi-weapon]] than it is a '''TRUE''' Adrathic Weapon. Nonetheless, the primary weapon for the Bolt Caliver ''is'' the disintegration beams, so I guess it kind of counts anyways.

The Adrastus Bolt Caliver is a potent shoulder arm serving as a portable heavy weapon for the Adeptus Custodes, more specifically, the [[Sagittarum Guard]]. So you could think of this as the Golden Banana equivalent of the trusty Space Maine Bolter, except every imagine every SPESS MEHREEN carrying a combi-weapon that disintegrates targets like a fucking [[Necron]] [[Gauss flayer|Gauss Flayer]]. How quaint.

Yet, as you know, Adrathic weapons are unfortunately laughably short ranged. So I guess the secondary Bolter weapon is there for increased range to compensate for the Adrathic's....''short comings''.
{{clear}}

===Adrathic Destructor===
[[File:Adrathic_Destructor_2.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Adrathic Destructor]]

Used on Guardian Spears or twin-linked with Aquilon Terminators. These guns, especially the the twin-linked variety, [[Derp|notoriously look like toasters.]] Why GW thought '''''THAT''''' was a good design choice, we have no idea, but this is the same company that brought us the [[Dreadknight|proverbial silver baby carrier]] and the [[Stormfang|flying cargo]] [[Stormwolf|containers with rockets]]. Despite this unfortunate design, the Adrathic Destructor can atomize the strongest enemy armor into a mist of glowing vapor.

The Adrathic Destructor like all Adrathic weapons, are all AP2 with Instant Death, Armorbane, and Gets Hot. The Destructor itself is a 12" S5 AP2 Assault 1 weapon. It is by far the most 'common', available in some form or another on most infantry models.

<gallery>
File:AdrasiteSpear.png|Adrathic Destructor Guardian Spear pattern.
File:AquilonAdrathicDestructor.png|Twin-Linked pattern.
</gallery>

{{clear}}

===Adrathic Devastator===
[[File:GyrfalconAdrathic.png|200px|right|thumb|Adrathic Devastator]]

Heavy Weapon mounted on [[Gyrfalcon Pattern Jetbike|Gyrfalcon Pattern Jetbikes.]] These are the larger variant of the Adrathic weapons and are too heavy and cumbersome for even the Aquilon Terminators.

These guns are designed to rip apart vehicles ranging from small skimmers to superheavy tanks. Seeing as how the average pilot for the Gyrfalcon is as [[Powergamer|tough as a]] [[Primarch]], much pain is to be expected in the [[Anal circumference|rectal region.]]

The Adrathic Devastator, like all Adrathic weapons, is AP2 with Instant Death, Armorbane, and Gets Hot. The Devastator itself is a 18" S6 AP2 Heavy 2 weapon and can do a number on heavy infantry and vehicles. They are an upgrade for the Jetbike and the [[Pallas Grav-Attack]].

{{40k-Imperial-Weapons}}

Lasgun

2019-09-18T19:34:45Z

2600:1006:B156:3ED1:88E0:A070:1621:297C: /* Auxilia lasrifle */

[[Image:Guardsman.jpg|thumb|right|This is painfully accurate.]]
[[image:KHARN LOEV FLASHLIGHT.jpg|thumb|right|[[Kharn]] also love <strike>Flashlight</strike>LASGUN!!]]
[[image:1271099410879.jpg|thumb|right|The closest thing to choice an Imperial guardsmen will have - what sort of lasgun he'll get (not an actual choice, generally speaking).]]

{{Topquote|IT'S NOT A LASER! IT'S A LITTLE LIGHT BULB THAT BLINKS!|Woody, Toy Story}}

{{Topquote|What do you call a Lasgun with a taclight mounted under the barrel? Twin-linked.|Any 40k player evar (Hilariously, GW has caught onto this. Less hilariously, on Regimental Standard they've got an in-universe nod where any Guardsman who makes this joke is sentenced to flogging)}}

The humble (and we mean humble) '''Lasgun''' is the standard-issue armament of the average [[Imperial Guard]]sman in the [[Warhammer 40,000]] setting. Given the incalculable number of Guardsmen under arms and the sheer scale of the [[Imperium]] itself, it is safe to say that the lasgun is probably the most common weapon in the entire galaxy that isn't some underhive piece of junk like stub guns, knives or other miscellaneous weapon. (Or something [[Shootas'an Dakkas|slapped together by an ork]], but that's another topic in and of itself.) On the tabletop it shares the same rules with [[autogun]]s.

The name is rather obviously a portmanteau of "laser" and "gun", but argument [[rage]]s [[skub|over how the word is meant to be pronounced]]. Many claim that the "las" should be pronounced "layz" (or in other words say that it's pronounced with a long "a", as the first part of "laser"), but others contend that this sounds retarded, and "lazz-gun" (or a short "a" sound, as in "glass") is a better pronunciation. According to [[Games Workshop]], its name is pronounced "Laze-gun"; however, Jeremy Vetock and Duncan Rhodes both say "Lazzguns," so it really is a toss up. (And unimportant).

It is almost universally described in the [[fluff]] as discharging with a sharp crack (caused by the beam ionizing the air it travels through), but some authors describe the lasround as either a "bolt" as in Star Wars or as a "beam" as in Dawn of War. Other features of the weapon have greater variation - some [[Black Library]] works and items such as the [[Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer]] describe the weapon as possessing a fully automatic firing setting; this feature is represented by Rapid Fire rule on the tabletop, but not represented in Dark Heresy, which can be explained away by virtue of the fact that there are many different patterns of Lasgun produced throughout the Imperium.

There is also some dispute as to the color of the "beam". Some fluff claims it to be blue, while games like Dawn of War portray it as red or something of a reddish-yellow. The popular ''Gaunt's Ghosts'' series of novels by [[Dan Abnett]] say that the Imperial weapons fire blue "beams", while the Chaos weapons fire red ones. In order to fix this [[Skub|mess]], we have proposed a Scientific fact on the issue...

*The Fact: the energy of each individual photon is determined by its frequency (i.e. colour); power output is energy per second, meaning the same power output is achievable with either more photons per second at a lower frequency (bright red) or fewer photons per second at a higher frequency (dim blue). In either case, the colour is also dependent on the gas it is traveling through, as the amount of energy transferred to the surrounding medium via [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compton_scattering]] depends on the mass of each gas particle, while the brightness depends on the amount of gas particles, so the laser would look different on different planets. Regardless, a fired lasround would never look like a glowing projectile "bolt" to any camera (such as a human eye) operating at a frame rate lower than approximately a billion frames per second, so those depictions can safely be assumed to be [[heresy|heresy]]. It would look like an actual pulsed laser, i.e. a "beam" that visibly spans the distance from the weapon's muzzle to the impact point, for the duration of the pulse. The popular visual idea from [[Star Wars|other popular sci-fi weapons]] that fire glowing projectile bolts are not lasers at all, instead being described as magnetically-contained plasma bolts. It should also be taken into account that since damaged caused by a laser is higher the greater the photons-per-second impact the target location, and the Imperium’s advanced skill with laser technology, it may be possible that various patterns of lasgun might combine two or more or even all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum to maximize photons-per-second. This would also influence the color of the laser and would change how the above factors influence the color.

== Why the Lasgun sucks ==
''See Also: [[Lasgun Patterns]]''

The lasgun is [[Derp|rather pathetic]] [[Grimdark|compared to the mainline arms and armour of most of the other armies of the setting]], useful only by virtue of the fact that Guardsmen come in ridiculous numbers (except in comparison to Tyranids, Chaos Cultists/Zombies, or Orks) and the application of statistical probability. The weapons are often derisively referred to as "flashlights," based on their individual uselessness, although this is arguably more of an example of how ridiculously tough everything else is in the setting.

The 6th Edition rulebook describes the lasgun as severing limbs at close range but further away it only goes about as deep as the liver, explosively flash-boiling said liver and all other squishy bits in the laser's path. That sounds awesome, until you remember that nearly every enemy of the Imperium has [[Chaos Space Marines|heat and energy-dissipating armor]], [[Orks|redundant biology]], or [[Tau|simply outrange them]]. Pretty much the only enemy an individual lasgun can reliably kill are other humans. They are on the same level of effectiveness as autoguns (which are basically AK-47s IN SPACE), except lasguns are even more durable, reliable, accurate (due to low to no recoil and the fact that the beam is not affected by gravity or wind, though shooting through a dust cloud or fog on the other hand is more problematic, so a B over all for atmospheric effects) and less dependent on massive ammo supplies; a single power-pack can, depending on the gun's setting, afford up to 100 to 140 shots on average, while an autogun magazine is usually 20-60 bullets (which, fun fact, is generally what typical lasguns set to max power usually can fire.) Plus you can recharge their batteries from Chimera generators, sunlight or even fire, while an autogun is useless once out of ammo for anything other than a fancy club or if you have the good fortune to have a bayonet, a vaguely sharp stick. Not that said bayonet on either weapon will help against orks or 'nids. And given the general competence of Munitorum depots, you'd probably end up with ration packs instead of ammunition, though this of course applies to lasgun power-packs, as well.

Combine this with most lasguns seeming to come pre-set to "medium power" (granting between 40 and 80 shots a pack with usually enough penetration power to reliably punch right through Imperial Guard's flak armour (or xenos-made equivalents of such) and Imperial Infantrymen Primer actually bothering to include specific instructions on how to adjust power as part of basic training and you end up with an energy-based assault rifle, that is actually good for taking down lightly-armoured infantry with resilience to ballistic damage roughly equal that of a normal human (as it is in case with eldars or tau), but that's exactly what it was designed for - nothing less, but also nothing more. Unluckly for typical guardsmen, however, there are warrior-creatures of the 41st millennium that are either equipped with [[Power_Armour|armour, capable of deflecting even heavy stubber or bolter shells impacts]], or [[Orks|biology so robust, that it is able to take a hit from heavy stubber's bullet in the chest and continue fighting on]], or, in especially bad cases, [[Chaos_Space_Marines|warrior-creatures that have both of the aforementioned traits]]...

== Why the Lasgun is still being used ==
The lasgun is derisively known as a "flashlight" by most players, including Guard players themselves. However, within the context of the 40k setting the lasgun is reliable, durable, extremely common, and reasonably accurate. It should be noted that the lasgun is described as being able to destroy a slab of cement, which would at least put it on equal or better footing compared to what modern small-arms can achieve. From a production standpoint the lasgun (and its power pack) requires a somewhat more advanced industrial base to construct than the autogun. In return you get a compact infantry weapon that can fire over a hundred shots on a single power pack and has virtually no moving parts.

Getting shot by a laser, even if you are protected, would at least flash a decent portion of the surface of what is hit into plasma. Explosively. So, most human-sized targets too tough to be penetrated by a lasgun would at least be stunned/stopped for a moment (in theory). Therefore, the lasgun actually has pretty good utility given the enemies the Imperium faces. Furthermore, lasers damage just about anything to some degree when powerful enough. Which means a lasgun can theoretically kill anything in the universe...eventually. Just like the [[Commissar]] told you!

The lasgun has very low recoil, especially in comparison to a [[bolter]] or even an [[autogun]]. More like a jolt than a kick, probably due to sudden change in air pressure. The powerpack that the weapon uses can fire about eighty to a hundred/hundred-twenty shots before running empty and can be easily recharged through any standard Imperial power supply, direct sunlight, and even heat. A relatively common practice of Imperial Guard units cut off from supplies is to place their lasgun power packs in open fires, although this does lower the pack's lifespan considerably and is [[heresy|frowned upon by Mechanicus]] and considered an absolute last resort by anyone else - but hey, the possibility of one's powerpack becoming useless is better than a guarantee of charging enemy with a bayonet.

The weapons are rather more useful in [[Dark Heresy]] than they are in the tabletop wargame, as their reliability, availability and plentiful ammunition become real considerations and they are rather more useful against the human foes that an agent of the Inquisition is likely to face.

Lasgun power packs also greatly simplify logistics for Guard units in the field. In fact, even if Autoguns were better in all ways than a lasgun, the Administratum would still use the lasgun due to its power pack. This is because power packs can be recharged in the middle of a campaign by the troopers using them, which is especially important if you can't get any new supplies for whatever reason. In other words, even if an Imperial Guard unit was completely isolated they would still be able to recharge the power packs they have, given time, and thus they would still be able to fight. This simplification of logistics is crucial for the Imperial Guard, which has trillions of soldiers spread all over the galaxy, many of whom are months if not years travel away from the nearest Forge World.

One last thing about Lasguns is that they ''can'' be used as last-ditch grenades by basically making the entire power pack empty into the gun without ever actually firing it. It turns the Lasgun into an explosive comparable in power to a krak grenade. It can even scratch the front plate of a Chaos Dreadnought who thought he was going to make some Guardsmen go squish, and instead gets a lasgun-bomb surprise to the face. (It should be noted that this happened to a dreadnought whose front armor was already cracked from being hit by anti-armor weapons, so no way your overloading lasgun is going to help against an undamaged one)

Five counter-arguments to the lasgun-power-pack-grenade come readily to mind, discounting most guardsmen not being aware of this particular tactic.
* Firstly, the power pack's detonation timing is highly unpredictable, and as we all know, <del>anything that endangers an imperial infantryman will absolutely not be considered</del> only the most fanatical, stupid, or just plain reckless Guardsmen would be willing to use it regularly.
* Secondly, while a lasgun is pretty inexpensive in comparison to, say, a bolter, its power-packs are ''not'' as cheap to produce (they make up for it by being so easily recharged.) And only veteran soldiers tend to carry more than a small handful of packs; packs which said veterans probably looted off other guardsmen who didn't get to be veterans.
* Thirdly, the blast yield from a power pack is never described as being particularly strong. In the aforementioned example the soldier managed to open a dreadnought's faceplate just enough for the [[grimdark|local flora to kill it]], which sounds commensurate to a glancing hit, estimating the explosion closer to that of a krak grenade (S6) or maybe a little stronger. While still powerful when compared to regular old frag grenades, this is nothing like the famous melta bomb. Because surely the faceplate of a ''dreadnought'' is fragile. Like the viewports of a Baneblade (which tanked a krak missile in a novel). Easily killed Space Marine heroes are all the rage in the Imperium.
* A weapon, no matter how shitty, is still a soldier's baby. A soldier without his main weapon is generally a dead man, commissar or no, and the only time you would be forced to use your own, custom, probably personalized rifle if you live long enough to know this tactic, is in case of true emergency or imminent death. The same case that the first case of this ever being recorded happened. Which means only use this tactic when fighting any playable faction. Especially Necrons since it isn't like your lasgun will matter then anyway.
* Finally, in the instance where a Guardsman survives using his weapon and its magazine in such a reckless manner, he must then face the wrath of his superiors (If he survives the incident); the sheer number of Munitorum violations involved in using a lasgun and its ammo as a makeshift bomb are staggering (and while most alone would probably result in perfectly survivable corporal punishment, such as say being repeatedly rifle-stocked in the balls four dozen times while hanging upside down, all added up it's more pragmatic to just make the punishment execution to save some time.) Unless he manages to secure a new weapon beforehand of course. Well, not having a weapon is punished by execution (in case your lack of a gun is due to throwing it away to flee or something).

In all seriousness, a lasgun is a deadly weapon when in the hands of someone competent. As being an effective combat weapon goes, anything not too heavily armored, like Traitor Cultists, Eldar Guardians, Ork Boyz, Tyranid Gaunts, and other Imperial Guard style forces are bound to be ridden with Laser holes quickly and efficiently. The Vostroyan Firstborn, for example, are renown for their precision with their lasguns and rewarded with high kill counts against everything from Orks to traitors. Elysian Drop Troopers are similarly known for exceptional marksmanship bred via necessity wherein they maximize lethality with minimal shots. It is only against heavily armored foes that a Lasgun falters. [[Power armour]] is able to shrug off lasbolts like there's no tomorrow when they hit its reinforced ceramite layers. The wearer is not invulnerable, though: helmet lenses, articulations and joints are still vulnerable to a well-placed lasbolt and a point- or near-point-blank shot at maximum power from a lasgun can penetrate certain areas of a Space Marine's helmet (or armor in general) and turn his brains into impromptu house paint. Pray to the Emperor and get really lucky, you will take down even a Chaos Space Marine (or equivalent) with your humble lasgun. ([[What|though Space Marines are also known to die after being poked (stabbed) by enough pointy (sharp hard) sticks on occasion after all or being stomped on by enough human beings at once, plot willing.]]) And given the Imperial Guard's numbers they will ''always'' get some lucky shots, through sheer volume of fire. The closer you are to your target, the more penetration you get. Tough targets in 40K like to get up close and personal and by that point lasguns can go right through them to blast their squishy innards. Machines also get fucked over by lasers because it's electromagnetic (photons, duh).

In the end, a quote from [[Black Crusade (RPG)]] sums up the lasgun perfectly: ''"The Legionnaire that scoffs at a lasgun has not charged across an open field against a hundred of them."''
Of course, in Black Crusade a Legionnaire in power armor is almost impossible wound with a lasgun unless they score a Righteous Fury/Zealous Hatred ("critical hit"), which even then only causes minimal harm. But for representing Imperial Guard squads/platoons as enemies for Traitor Astartes player characters in Black Crusade, that is what the Horde rules are for, which allows representation of dozens of lasguns combining concentrated fire.. and becoming a very, very serious threat even for a Traitor Legionnaire.

And remember, hit the marine in the eye, and they drop like a fly.

==Uses for the Lasgun==
[[Image:Laysgun2_1974.PNG|300px|right|thumb|Also, a rare pict-capture of the ancient Laysgun.]]
*Warming soup
*Cigarette lighter
*Changing TV channels
*Selling to buy a new weapon
*Pissing off [[Thunderhawk]] pilots
*Shining in enemies' eyes
*Throwing at people (may cause more damage than shooting it at them)
*Burning ants
*Paperweight
*Laser sight for a boltgun
*Aide during PotentiaPunctum presentations
*Light shows
*Laser tag for kids (who are probably more dangerous than the gun itself)
*Magic shows for kids
*Lighting candles on birthday cakes
*A Laser pointer
*Entertainment for your space-kitties
*Shooting bottles
*Hitting your officer's pipe (Warning, will result in [[Blam|BLAMing]])
*Flashlight
*Substitute baseball bat
*Salvaged for actual useful stuff
*Horsie rides
*Chair
*Creating a makeshift rave

== Other laser weapons ==
The lasgun also comes in carbine, pistol, bullpup, sniper ("long-las"), and light machine gun (the heavy lasgun, which so far seems to only exist in Black Library) - (Heavy laser is just a crew-fired multi laser) varieties, and the Imperium fields many other weapons based on the same technology, such as the [[hellgun]] (a powerful lasgun powered by a backpack power pack), the mighty [[lascannon]] (mighty being relative... SPESS MEHREENS can equip it), the even bigger [[Apocalypse|volcano cannon and turbo-laser]], the even bigger Defense Laser, and the bigger ''still'' laser weapons mounted on [[Battlefleet Gothic|starships.]] Must be a different type, though, because a broadside from a Retribution class battleship can devastate half a continent depending on the [[Skub|calcs]]. A single barrage from an Imperator class Titan can devastate an ''entire'' city with weapons as strong as modern day nukes. Keep in mind how large an Imperial city is. So, far stronger than modern nukes.

Oh, and [[C.S. Goto|multilasers]].

=== Laspistol ===
''See main page, [[Laspistol]]''

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=== Lasgun ===
[[Image:lasgun.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Standard Cadian pattern Lasgun]]

You know'em, you love'em. There really isn't a point in repeating what has already been said since you are on a page talking about this wonderful piece of Imperial equipment other <s>then</s> than putting it in the Lasgun family. Of course there are certain modifications that may breach the line on what ''may'' count as a Lasgun. But overall, it is cheap, effective and put a lovely little dent to most light infantry contrary to popular belief.

Just don't try and attempt go all [[Leeroy Jenkins]] on this thing. The Lasgun is a light assault weapon, not a Titan-busting Volcano Cannon.

{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile-7-8|name=Lasgun|r7=24"|type7=Rapid Fire|s7=3|ap7=-|r8=24"|type8=Rapid Fire 1|s8=3|ap8=0}}

<gallery>
image:CadianLasgun.png|<center>Cadian</center>
</gallery>

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=== Hotshot Laspistol===
[[File:Hotshot_Laspistol.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Hotshot Laspistol]]

''See main page, [[Hellgun#Hellpistol|Hellpistol]]''

The Hotshot Lasgun's little brother, also known as [[Hellgun#Hellpistol|Hellpistol]] (although there do remain some canon conflict about these two weapons designation). Hotshot Laspistols are typically hand-crafted, rather than mass-produced in factories, and many of them are hundreds of years old and have acquired histories over the course of centuries of use in combat. Unless otherwise specified, a Hotshot Laspistol remains the property of the Departmento Munitorum, though an individual can be awarded one for heroic deeds. A Hotshot Laspistol fires a higher-intensity shot than a laspistol, therefore, despite its higher penetration it will cauterize the wound it causes and prevents too much blood from being shed. For this reason, Hotshot Laspistol are preferred for use as execution weapons for officers and commissars, as a shot to the condemned soldier's head will prevent any blood from staining their uniform.

<gallery>
image:TempestusPistol.png|<center>Tempestus Scion</center>
</gallery>

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=== Hotshot Lasgun===
[[File:Hotshot_Lasgun.png|200px|right|thumb|Hotshot Lasgun]]

''See main page, [[Hellgun]]''

A variant of the Lasgun, also known by the far cooler name "[[Hellgun]]" (although there do remain some canon conflict about these two weapons designations since they have different art, different models, and are used by different units in both the lore and in the models...so yeah, probably totally different things), the Hotshot Lasgun and Hotshot Laspistol are weapons used primarily by the [[Stormtrooper]]s (and presumably other arms of the Imperial war machine). In some canon sources, these are juiced-up versions of the Lasgun charge pack inside a normal Lasgun, or in ''other'' canon sources, the entire weapon has a beefier build with better conduits and optics to survive the prolonged increased strain of a higher power throughput. They are designed to be used by elite troops or officers, who are generally better shots. Instead of the Hellgun's design approach of using lots of batteries and a heavy-duty build to attain higher cyclic fire rates, Hotshots use a super-concentrated laser blast to achieve the same kind of armor-penetrating power.

{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile-7-8|name=Hotshot Lasgun|r7=18"|type7=Rapid Fire|s7=3|ap7=3|r8=18"|type8=Rapid Fire 1|s8=3|ap8=-2}}

<gallery>
image:TempestusLasgun.png|<center>Tempestus Scion</center>
</gallery>

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=== Hotshot Volley Gun ===
[[File:Volley_Gun.png|200px|right|thumb|Hotshot Volley Gun]]

Another variation of the Hotshot category of Lasguns. These weapons are borne into battle by [[Stormtrooper|Tempestus Scions]] to deal with armored enemy infantry. The Hot-Shot Volley Gun is a larger version of the Hot-Shot Lasgun that "incorporates penitent-class heat sink arrays" which means that they "can maintain a punishing rate of high powered fire".

Think of them as a fully automatic LMG version of the regular old Hotshot Lasgun. As you can imagine, the sheer amount of [[Dakka]] means that they are more likely to be situated within the heavy weapons category then the normal Hotshot Lasguns. They are known to fire with a distinctive spitting howl.

<gallery>
image:TempestusVolley.png|<center>Tempestus Scion</center>
</gallery>

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=== Mining Laser ===
[[File:Mining_Laser.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Mining Laser]]

Mining Laser is not formally a weapon, but a tool for breaching tunnels in the mining process. In some cases though the Mining Laser can be used as a weapon, often by [[Genestealer|Genestealer Cults]]. For example, Dvarlock pattern Mining Laser, founded and identified by Tempestor Gulack of the Kappic Eagles have been modified so it can blast the hole through a meters-thick bulkhead with a single pull of a trigger. It also features three hand-grips. indicating its use in combination with a tertia pattern servo-arm (or the extra arms of a Genestealer Hybrid).

There is also the Heavy Mining Laser which is a heavier variant of the standard version, used on [[Goliath Truck|Goliath Rockgrinders]] (More can be read below). Although to be honest, it is only 'heavy' because it is on a turreted mount, other than that there is very little difference between the Heavy Mining Laser and the regular old Mining Laser.

<gallery>
image:HybridLaser.png|<center>Neophyte Hybrid</center>
</gallery>

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=== Long-Las ===
[[File:Long-Las.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Long-Las]]

In the good old days the Imperial sniper rifle was the poorly named [[Needler|'needle rifle']] which was in fact a kind of laser weapon. Well, partly. It had two parts to each shot. It fired a narrow beam laser to burn through armor, and then it fired a 'needle' bullet; a spike of some kind of metal filled with horribly poisonous toxins. With the armor removed first, the spiky bit all but ensured a kill if you hit, spurting deadly death juice into your unfortunate body. Sadly they weren't especially well conceived weapons (hitting the same spot with two different weapons, one that responds to wind and gravity, and the other that doesn't is something of a challenge) so they've pretty much been written out of the setting these days as being too expensive for regular use. Now the term "sniper rifle" is used fairly loosely in the Imperium; many sniper rifles are simply over-powered lasguns called long-las rifles, while many others (such as those used by [[Space Marine]] [[Scout]]s) are high-velocity slug-throwers which have more in common with [[autogun]]s than they do with energy weapons. Then there are other more exotic variants firing poisoned darts or even stranger payloads, such as the aforementioned needle rifle (which Ratlings still prefer) or the Exitus Rifle that fires straightup death. All of these variants have pretty much the same effect on the target, unless you play older editions or use special characters who have rules that say otherwise. Or play [[Dark Heresy]].

However, since you are on the Long-Las category, we might as well talk about it. The Long-Las is a sniper variation of the Lasgun with a much longer barrel for increased range and accuracy, and also to prevent overheating. However the barrel makes a Long-Las up to twice as long as a standard Lasgun and thus difficult to use in close quarters.

Within the Imperial Guard the Long-Las, formerly known as the Sniper Variant Lasgun, is issued only to those Guardsmen with the necessary marksmanship skills and knowledge in stealth and scouting operations. It uses the XC 52/3 strengthened barrel, longer and thinner than normal models, and lacks a charge setting slider, instead using hotshot power packs. It's also much quieter than other lasguns and features a flash suppressor to dampen the revealing flashes of its shots. However the increased wear on the barrel from using the overpowered energy packs means more frequent barrel changes than is usually required for normal lasguns.

<gallery>
image:CadianLongLas.png|<center>Cadian</center>
</gallery>

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=== Lascarbine ===
[[File:Lascarbine.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Lascarbine]]

During the [[Great Crusade]] the Lascarbine was the great grandfather of the Lasgun. Basically the same weapon as the Lasgun in a smaller package. They were standard issue among the Imperial Army and Solar Auxilla.

In modern WH40k, a Lascarbine is designed for use by special operations units and is usually employed by Drop Troopers or scout units of the Imperial Guard such as the
[[Elysian Drop Troops]].

<gallery>
image:CatachanLascarbine.png|<center>Catachan</center>
</gallery>

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=== Auxilia Lasrifle ===
[[File:Auxillia_Lasrifle.PNG|200px|right|thumb|Auxilia Lasrifle]]

The Auxilia lasrifles were the primary weapon of the [[Solar Auxilia]] during the Great Crusade and Horus heresy eras. And as befitting weapons from a time when Imperial Technology had not yet sunk into the abyss, they have better range compared to their inferior knockoffs. These weapons have the option of taking Blast-chargers, which turns the lasrifle into a miniature lascannon, though on the roll of 1 the charger melts in its operator's hands, preventing the player from using them for the remainder of the game (the gun can still fire after 1 turn of cooling off). They also [[awesome|come standard]] with Collimators, which switch out Rapid Fire for Heavy 2, making any opponent think twice about about charging a squad of [[Solar Auxilia]]. As if a Super Heavy tank as a Dedicated Transport wasn't enough reason to stay out of range.

<gallery>
image:SolarAuxiliaLasrifleProfile.png|<center>Solar Auxilia</center>
</gallery>

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=== Blast Pistol ===
[[File:Auxillia_Blast_Pistol.PNG|200px|right|thumb|Blast Pistol]]
''Not to be confused with the [[Phosphor Weaponry#Phosphor Blast Pistol|Phosphor Blast Pistol]], another 30k era weapon that fires completely different rounds.''

Basically a souped-up las-pistol that explodes in the user's hand. Their description makes them seem like laser revolvers used by officers of the Solar Auxilla. To mirror when an officer during the 19th century was issued a sidearm. Giving him a better gun than the line troops who had to use leaver and bolt actions. Which isn't the case here.

These bespoke weapons like the Hotshot Laspistol and Hellpistol were able to fire only a handful of shots before reloading, but their damage output rivals that of arcane [[Volkite Weaponry]]. Due to this, Blast Pistols were seen as an emblem of wealth and prestige, and many were works of art in their own right, and thus they also became a widely used form of decoration and reward for extreme gallantry and commendation within the Solar Auxilia regiments.

On the table top. Blast Pistols are S5 Las-pistols with Twin Linked and Gets-Hot. Archaeotech and Plasma pistols are more useful then these things.

<gallery>
image:SolarAuxiliaBlastPistol.png|<center>Solar Auxilia</center>
</gallery>

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=== Digital Lasers/Digital Weapons ===
[[File:JokaeroDigitalWeapon.jpg‎|200px|right|thumb|Digi-Weapon]]

These are actually melee weapons. However there isn't really anywhere else to put them.
In 40k they are exclusively made by [[Jokaero]]. During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy they are weapons of [[Blood Ravens|unknown]] [[Heresy|Xenos origin]]. This section describes how the Imperium at large uses them.

Digital weapons are best described as a small laser used by Space Marine officers. It allows them to re-roll one failed hit during the Assault/Fight Phase. Which is decent, However it isn't anywhere near as cool when their used in Black Library books or the weapons stated to be used by the [[Jokaero]]. Only the Xenos monkies have them on the table top in 8th edition.

30k Digital Lasers are as usual better than the 40k version. Rather than just Space Marines, Inquisitors and the occasional gun/chain/power sword toting hero. Every officer had access to them. They are short ranged but deadly weapons that are "small enough to be concealed in a ring, gauntlet, sword hilt or helm." So they should be as strong as a single Hot Shot Lasgun, Lasrifle or Las-Lock beam.

In the Horus Heresy game a Digital Laser gives the model one additional attack. [[Awesome|So the officer doesn't have to give up their sole ranged weapon for an extra melee hit.]] One would assume either weapon would also allow an extra ranged attack with the same strength and AP as a Hot-Shot Lasgun or Archaeotech Pistol. Like how the Servo Harness gives [[Techmarines]] extra ranged and melee weapons. However Games Workshop and Forge World aren't nice enough to give players an option that would be useful in more than one situation. Without making them pay extra real life money for it first.

<gallery>
image:JokaeroDigital.png|<center>Jokaero Weaponsmith</center>
</gallery>

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=== Las-Lock ===

[[File:Las-Lock.PNG|200px|right|thumb|Las-Lock]]

Las-lock is like a granddad to "modern" Lasgun. While very few Guard Regiments still use it in-universe in 40k (see [[Only War]] by FFG), the Las-Lock is popular with the Mechanicum in 30k. [[Tech Thrall]]s are thus far the only known Mechanicum troops to carry las-weapons, but oh boy, aren't they numerous. Las-locks sacrifice rate of fire and range for more damage per shot, making it a worse version of the Hot-Shot lasgun with higher Strength, but with miserable AP of 6 and 1 shot max.

<gallery>
image:TechThrallLasLock.png|<center>Tech Thrall</center>
</gallery>

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=== Mitralock ===
[[File:Mitralock2.PNG|200px|right|thumb|Mitralock]]

There is also the Mitralock, a [[what|laser shotgun]] with reduced range.
Both have the option to upgrade to Induction chargers [[awesome|increasing their shots to two.(represented as Assault 2 in game.)]] While still allowing them to Assault with no penalty. This turns them into a high risk unit for any opponent dumb enough to charge them.

In terms of tabletop, the Mitralock is the [[Shotgun|Scattergun]] of the Las Family. It is an 8" range Las-lock, but it gains Shred. It also has Induction Chargers which is an optional attachment to both Las-locks AND Mitra-locks (HH3, p. 221) it upgrades them to Assault 2.

<gallery>
image:TechThrallMitralock.png|<center>Tech Thrall</center>
</gallery>

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=== Lascutter ===
[[File:Bits-lascutter.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Lascutter]]

Lascutters are a powerful but extremely unwieldy type of Laser Weapon. Originally industrial tools used for cutting through armored bulkheads and dense ores, these weapons make use of disruption field-assisted short range laser arcs. They were later utilized for warfare, being used in sieges where they were able to breach enemy fortifications and if necessary become devastating close-quarters weapons.
On the table top, these thing suck. Only Breachers can take them. [[What| The Cumbersome rule reduces the model's WS1 and can only make a single attack.]] Take [[Graviton_weapons|Graviton guns]] instead.

<gallery>
image:LegionBreacherLascutter.png|<center>Legion Breacher</center>
</gallery>

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===Lightning Gun===
[[File:Lightning+Gun.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Lightning Gun]]

[[Pretend|Despite the name,]] Lightning Guns are a type of laser weapons used by the AdMech. Whilst they do use electromagnetism, most of the killing power is from the pew pew lasers. Lightning Guns are Great Crusade era weapons used by various Adeptus Mechanicus troops, most notably [[Thallax]].

This aptly named weapon takes the form of a baroquely designed carbine connected to a micro-reactor or power core. It fires an ionizing las-beam along with a powerful phased discharge of electromagnetic particles. The ensuing effect makes the weapon able to overload mechanical targets in addition to its effectiveness against organic enemies.

<gallery>
image:ThallaxLightning.png|<center>Thallax</center>
</gallery>

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=== Multilasers ===

''See main page, [[Multilasers]].''

The Multilaser is basically just a [[Hellgun]] that's been modded for more [[Dakka]], being a pretty good weapon against most non- to lightly-armored targets (infantry, Taurox-equivalents, skimmers, etc.).

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=== Heavy Mining Laser ===
[[File:Heavy_Mining_Laser_Wolfquad.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Heavy Mining Laser]]
The aforementioned Heavy Mining Laser. As previously mentioned, it is basically a Mining Laser on a turret. Like its smaller brother, the Heavy Mining Laser is used primarily to bore through rock and other quarry within Mining and Forge Worlds of the Imperium. However it can also be used to cleanly bore through the side armor of a Leman Russ and a Space Marine if needed.

The [[Genestealer Cult|Genestealer Cults]] have exploited its power because of this. The only difference between the regular Mining Laser and the Heavy Mining Laser is in its power supply. The regular Mining Laser carries its own portable power supply which makes it mobile but at the cost of a shorter battery life (eg: less 'shots') and a shorter effective range. The Heavy Mining Laser on the other hand, is connected to a much larger and thus, powerful power supply which allows for a longer battery life and a longer range.

It is often mounted on the [[Goliath Truck|Goliath Rockgrinder]], but it can also be mounted on the [[Achilles Ridgerunner]] and the [[Wolfquad]].

<gallery>
image:GoliathRockgrinderLaser.png|<center>Golaith Rockgrinder</center>
</gallery>

=== Lascannon ===

''See main page, [[Lascannon]].''

These are the main Imperial anti-tank weapon (Heavy1 72" S9 AP2 for D6), and they are mounted on [[Heavy Weapons Squad|E]][[Predator|V]][[Devastator Squad|E]][[Razorback Transport|R]][[Leman Russ Battle Tank|Y]][[Sentinel|T]][[Dreadnought|H]][[Land Raider|I]][[Tarantula|N]][[Fortress of Redemption|G]] and occasionally wielded by [[SPESS MEHREENS]].

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===Corve Las-Pulser===
[[File:ContemptorAchillusLasPulser.png|200px|right|thumb|Corve Las-Pulser]]
The Corve Las-Pulser is a type of Laser Weapon used by the [[Adeptus Custodes]]. They are the giant Lascannon mounted on top of the giant Dreadnought-like spear. It was equipped to the Dreadspear of the Custodes Contemptor-Achillus class Dreadnought.

The Corve is a 36" S9 AP2 Heavy D3 weapon. It is an upgrade for the Agamatus jetbikes and found as part of the Contemptor-Achillus's Dreadspear, and most of the reason for it's 40 point upgrade cost. The Pulsar is one of the few weapons that Custodes have as a counterpart to Lascannons.

<gallery>
image:LasPulser.png|<center>Contemptor Achillus</center>
image:AgamatusLasPulser.png|<center>Agamatus Jetbike</center>
</gallery>

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===Las-Ripper===
[[File:Las-Ripper_Side_View.PNG|200px|right|thumb|Las-Ripper]]
Essentially a weaker version of the Las-Talon.

A Las-Ripper is a type of heavy Imperial Laser Weapon usually deployed on the Primaris Space Marines' [[Astraeus Super-Heavy Tank|Astraeus Super-Heavy Grav Tank.]] Las-Rippers are used as sponson weapons on Astraeus grav tanks, where they serve as the vehicle's standard anti-personnel weapons for close and messy encounters.

In terms of crunch, as previously aforementioned, the Las-Rippers are a weaker version of the Las-Talon. Although it is not a bad weapon per se, it suffers from the fact that there are much better weapons that the Astraeus could be equipped with.

Most often, the Las-Ripper is replaced with the more powerful Plasma Eradicators. This have got to do with the fact that the Plasma Eradicators are understandable more powerful per shot, but what is unusual is that the Eradicators have more range and is [[Wat|''cheaper'']] than the Las-Ripper of all things.

<gallery>
Image:AstraeusLasRipper.png|Alternate View
</gallery>

===Las-Talon===
[[File:LasTalon.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Las-Talon]]
One of the primary weapons of the Repulsor and a discount Lascannon.

The Las-talon is a specialized type of Laser Weapon that can only be found on both the Stormhawk Interceptor air superiority fighter used by the Adeptus Astartes and the Primaris Space Marine Repulsor armored transport.

The Las-talon fires two potent blasts of laser energy in rapid succession, ensuring a clean kill against even the heaviest armored targets. Unlike other laser weapons, the Las-talon is relatively short-ranged, with its damage heavily reduced at great range.

And as you know, it is basically the big brother of the Las-Ripper.

<gallery>
image:RepulsorLasTalon.png|<center>Primaris Repulsor</center>
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===Laser Destroyer===
[[File:Laser_Destroyer.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Laser Destroyer]]
The Laser Destroyer is an Imperial laser weapon mounted primarily on the Destroyer Tank Hunter, capable of destroying enemy tanks from long range. The Laser Destroyer however is a highly-complex system which all but a few Forge Worlds can no longer reproduce; even those who can create new ones must hand-craft each one through a painstakingly slow process. The result has been that these weapons and the vehicles which use them have become incredibly rare amongst the Imperial Guard. The chance of receiving any replacement for lost or destroyed models is very slim, often leading to recovered tank destroyers instead being fitted with another weapon.

During the invasion of Armageddon, though, a number of Chimeras were refitted with Laser Destroyers and re-designated APDS-6a 'Defenders' as an effective stop-gap measure against the Orks.

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===Neutron Laser===
[[File:NeutronLaser.jpg|200px|right|thumb|A Neutron Laser, a slightly more safer version of the Neutron Laser Projector. ''Slightly''.]]
A Neutron Laser is a heavy weapon utilized by the forces of Adeptus Mechanicus' Skitarii Legions as a primary weapon for [[Onager Dunecrawler|Onager Dunecrawlers.]] A Neutron Laser is the last word in battlefield anti-tank weaponry.

With a stabilised neutronic coil arc reactor as its power source, a Neutron Laser is able to fire a beam so devastating that it not only is able to punch through the thickest of armour, but also sends a blast wave of electromagnetic energy that scrambles circuits and synapses alike when it strikes its target.

It doesn't seem to suffer as much of a backfire feedback that usually plagues its larger brother. So that's a plus.

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image:OnagerNeutronLaser.png|<center>Onager Dunecrawler</center>
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===Arachnus Blaze Cannon===
[[File:ArachnusCannon.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Arachnus Blaze Cannon]]
The Arachnus Blaze Cannon is a type of Laser Weapon used by the Adeptus Custodes. This weapon was a development of standard Imperial las-technology, but with built in esoteric and powerful components which could never be replicated en masse.

The Blaze Cannon is mounted on the [[Coronus Grav Carrier]].

On tabletop they are basically the bastard offspring of Multi-lasers and Lascannons, they have two firing modes. One is Burst for infantry shredding, the other is Concentrated for Vehicle killing with AP1 and Exoshock, which gives you an automatic second Penetrating hit which ignores cover saves on a 4+ after you score one (so you roll to hit, roll to penetrate, enemy rolls invulnerable/cover, and only then...)

The Blaze Cannon itself is a S6 AP5 Heavy Bolter, or 48" S8AP1 Heavy 1, Exoshock: In all honesty, the Burst mode is rather shitty, but Concentrated is essentially a Lascannon with nasty special rules.

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image:CoronusBlazeCannon.png|<center>Coronus Grav-Carrier</center>
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===Arachnus Heavy Blaze Cannon===
[[File:CaladiusAnnihilatorHeavyBlazeCannonProfile.png|200px|right|thumb|Arachnus Heavy Blaze Cannon]]
A larger version known as the Arachnus Heavy Blaze Cannon also exist.

This time it is mounted on the [[Caladius Grav-Tank|Caladius Annihilator]] and it is basically a twin-linked Lascannon on steroids.

On tabletop they are basically the bastard offspring of Multi-lasers and Lascannons, they have two firing modes. One is Burst for infantry shredding, the other is Concentrated for Vehicle killing with AP1 and Exoshock, which gives you an automatic second Penetrating hit which ignores cover saves on a 4+ after you score one (so you roll to hit, roll to penetrate, enemy rolls invulnerable/cover, and only then...)

The Heavy Blaze Cannon itself is a 48" S8 AP3 Heavy 4, or 72" S10 AP1 Heavy 1, Exoshock: Optional turret replacement for the Caladius.

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image:CaladiusAnnihilatorHeavyBlazeCannon.png|<center>Caladius Annihilator</center>
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===Arachnus Storm Cannon===
[[File:TelemonArachnusStormCannon.png|200px|right|thumb|Arachnus Storm Cannon]]
The big honcho mounted only on the biggest of Dreadnought walkers.

The Arachnus Storm Cannon is a large gatling-style Laser Weapon used by the Adeptus Custodes. Seeing as how it is a ''double-barrelled'' gatling weapon, there must be one hell of a cooling system to prevent this from melting the golden gunstick into a golden beatstick. Although, give how its godfather, the [[Superheavy Laser Weapons#Arachnus Magna-Blaze Cannon|Arachnus Magna-Blaze Cannon]], have a stupidly expensive cooling/containment system, I guess something like the Storm Cannon is just as capable in preventing a meltdown. It is most typically mounted on the [[Telemon Heavy Dreadnought]]. The Golden Bananas just wanted to have an oversized Multi-Laser and the Emprah delivereth.

On tabletop, the Storm Cannon is a 48" S7 AP3 Heavy 7, or 72" S9 AP1 Heavy 2, Exoshock: the Telemon's big Gatling gun and perhaps the most versatile of the Arachnus weapons. This is a must take if you are facing armies with a large amount of vehicles.

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image:|<center></center>
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=== Helfrost weapons ===

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_cooling Laser cooling is actually a thing.]
''See main page, [[Helfrost Weaponry]]''

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=== Laser Destroyer Array ===
[[File:VindicatorLaserDestroyer01.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Vindicator Laser Destroyer Array]]
Laser Destroyer Arrays are a special type of lascannon array. Instead of firing in a single, solid blast the laser destroyer would fire short pulses microseconds apart from its various barrels, acting as a sort of long-ranged drill. On the plus side this means they're more destructive (never a bad thing) as it allowed them to bore through everything, on the downside it's apparently more of a pain in the ass to fire and reload them, going by their tabletop stats and they're nowhere near as portable. Note that despite sharing the name, they are not the same as laser destroyers.

In 7th edition (and Horus Heresy) this gave you a single lascannon shot which was Ordnance instead of Heavy and AP 1 instead of 2. It dealt with vehicles better but similar lascannon arrays fired 2 shots instead of the one (both are twin-linked) so if you had to decide on the two then you had to make a choice, quality hits or quantity of hits?
There was a way to up the shot count, but only if you took a Vindicator Tank Destroyer. If you stayed motionless and/or declared to overcharge it after remaining motionless, you could add +1/+2 to its shots respectively, and after it fired you'd do the equivalent of a Gets Hot roll. In practical terms if you were playing 40k you were free to remove whatever vehicle your opponent fielded that you didn't like, whereas if you were playing Horus Heresy you'd wish Flare Shields weren't a thing as you still couldn't kill that Spartan.

In 8th edition the Laser destroyer is hilariously powerful, being S 12, AP -4, D6 damage but before you roll for damage, roll a D6. On a 1-2, it's still just D6 damage. On a 3-5, it's 2D6 and on a 6, it's 3D6. Ever wanted to cripple a Knight, Land Raider, monster or just remove that one character who accidentally got a little too close in only one shot? Now you can. It's also surprisingly cheap meaning you can spam the fuckers and potentially forget about taking lascannons entirely. Also hilarious is that the Rapier Laser Destroyer has actual combat stats, and not the kind that are explained away via its crew steering it into the enemy, but literal stats as somehow the thing attempts to hurt the enemy by poking it with its barrels (presumably). Despite being (technically) a vehicle its pokes are also weaker than the Guardsmen who push it around, being S3 whereas these macho-men are S4.

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Image:Rapier4.jpg|Rapier variant
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===Superheavy Laser Weapons===

''See main page, [[Superheavy Laser Weapons]]''

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== Properties of a lasgun ==
It's easy to imagine being hit with a lasgun would be like having a hole burned into you like an ant being burned by a magnifying glass. That, of course, is not nearly grimdark enough to be the truth.

A military DEW (or Directed Energy Weapon since military forces love TLAs (Three-Letter Acronyms) comes in several different types, from microwave weapons which are mostly used to short out electronics but can also be used to cause intense pain by microwaving the surface of the skin (as is the case with the Active Denial System), to Electrolasers which use lasers to ionize the air into a semi-superconductive channel, allowing an electrical current to be projected between two points like a glorified (albeit high-powered) taser. (This is likely how Necron [[Tesla]] weapons work, but that's beside the point.) A lasgun, however, is most similar to a pulsed energy laser. A pulsed laser works by imparting so much energy to an area so fast, that it turns into plasma and explodes. Modern versions create a pressure wave strong enough to stun and knock a person out (termed "Pulsed Energy Projectile), but they are less then-lethal weapons that don't penetrate things very well by design, while the lasgun is not.

Being hit with a lasgun would (could) look and feel more like you were hit by a concussion grenade held up to your chest (which would messily kill you, like a lasgun would). You would see a bright flash of light as your skin or clothing vaporized into plasma, much like a high-end camera flash going next to the wound. Higher-power laser weapons might cause enough of an explosion to blow you back and maybe knock you unconscious, or if you got hit by one of the Lasgun's anti-tank big brothers, vaporize you outright turning you into an impromptu plasma grenade for the rest of your squad to deal with. The explosion would create enough hydrostatic pressure to likely scramble your internal organs and maybe snapping your bones in parts of your body distant from the explosion. So, shooting someone's cover with a lascannon is actually a good idea in real life. Then your buddies can just murderize everyone who had been hiding behind it (on their asses half dead with their armor destroyed).

However, if the lasgun hit something like armor, or even clothing it might induce an explosion only on the surface of the armor leaving the rest of you safe (except for the whole "the stuff you were wearing ''blew up''" part, which would still wreck your body), though most assuredly stunned and dazzled from the plasma explosion (in the sense of "you're stunned and dazzled by the pearly gates after the plasma explosion"). This explains why the Lasgun has a AP of only - shit. A Bolter's bolts, on the other hand, penetrate the exterior and then explode inside the target, meaning it can deal with armor and tough alien targets like Orks much easier, since you're effectively ignoring the armor on anything the mass-reactive warhead can punch through. The lasgun is clearly nothing to sneeze at; it's just that the vast majority of the Imperium's more exotic enemies are capable of taking that kind of punishment most of the time and still keep on fighting. On the other hand, '''a lasgun is not a Hammer's Slammers plasma weapon'''. It does '''''not''''' impart all of its energy into the first significant object it hits. It keeps going. Don't forget that a Lasgun's power level can be changed with a switch of a nob (depending on what pattern of Lasgun you get of course), meaning that you could theoretically have Lasguns powerful enough to punch Ferrocrete (AKA super concrete) and melt power armor at the expense of ruining the barrel, power supply and any relationship with your local Techpriest adept. Because, again, this is a laser, not Hammer's Slammers plasma.

Now, if you want what ''actually'' happens when shot by a lasgun instead of a ''non-lethal modern version'', it's this: the plasma explosion destroys a large area of your clothing or light armor, breaks your ribs, and ruptures your organs and the heat causes your skin and some other fluids under the impact point to also detonate to a significantly less intense degree, easily killing you if you weren't already dead (and if it doesn't kill you, heat trauma will). It also doesn't impart all its energy unless the target is durable enough. Something weaker than flak armor is not durable enough (or anything at close range to a lasgun, really) and the laser in the case of inferior armor will pass through and all the organs and crap near the beam will also explosively flash into plasma and everything near ''that'' will explosively flash-vaporize. You get the idea. This is a damn powerful weapon against anything that isn't either a super alien or a super human (or Egyptian zombie robot pirate). Or anything that isn't more heavily armored than infantry have any right to be that doesn't involve super-tech. Basically, if your shot by a lasgun and you're not one of the playable factions, you're fucked. If you're hit but not fucked, congratulations, you are now either off balance or knocked on your ass and probably an easy target for any Guardsman wanting to finish you or, at best, you now have badly damaged armor and another shot will kill you and you still have to get off your ass and not get shot while doing it.

However, all that is based on the previously mentioned less than lethal lasers, which are specifically designed that way on purpose; more lethal laser weapons, while possible with 21st century technology, require massive amounts of power to function properly- and unlike 40k, we don't have the equivalent of power packs to contain the energy needed for a man-portable form to work or even something that could be mounted on a tank. The closest thing to those would be ship-mounted lasers designed specifically for shooting down missiles or aircraft, and even those have rarely left the prototype stage due to the energy issue and thermal blooming (described further below). Except in America, in which they are equipped on ships and the American navy also is using a few anti-satellite lasers on some ships.

A laser can easily be designed to maximize impact or penetration, and autogun bullets, which could likely go right through many parts of you, also have AP - anyway (it's bullets vs super space monsters, what did you expect). A theory more in line with the stated effects of a lasgun shot is that it would use multiple insanely rapid micro pulses to BORE THROUGH light infantry-grade armour, clothes and flesh to reach internal organs. Imagine getting drilled into by hundreds of tiny explosions, all within the span of milliseconds (more like hundredths or thousandths of a millisecond). This would leave wound very similar to the ones described in the Uplifting Primer, nasty burnt holes (and the aforementioned explosive flash-vaporization and micro plasma explosion effects in a wide area around the penetrated area). According to the Regimental Standard's "Field-Dressing a Lasgun Wound" article, the laser's heat cauterizes any wounds left by the shot (which is scientifically incorrect as the explosive flash-vaporization would prevent all but a minuscule amount of random cauterization and the only way a cauterized would could be present is if the laser was too weak to penetrate a human body in the first place since it wouldn't even be hot enough to ''evaporate water''. But then, the Primer is full of shit on multiple instances, so....), but the subsequent swelling can still be lethal if it occurs in or near a vital organ. Most likely the Regimental Standard article was written by an idiot who not only didn't know lasgun lore but also didn't know basic science but we can pass it off as Imperial propaganda to encourage Guardsmen to believe they won't die if shot by a lasgun unless they're just unlucky. ''OR'' the article assumes you were shot through your flak armor and so all but a tiny amount of the laser's energy had already been absorbed by your armor, saving your life but still leaving a serious wound in need of dressing before it can cripple or kill you anyway.

You've noticed that a lot of a lasguns damage works via energy and heat exchange. This further explains it's AP of -, since most of the heavy armor that the Imperium uses are are based on ceramics, which are legendary for how well they absorb heat. The Space shuttle uses the stuff to allow reentry and presumable other heat resistant materials are used in other races armor since if your the Tau (crystalline armor screwing up concentrated light) or even Eldar (psychic play-doe bullshit), you know you're going to have to fight laser weapons at some point.

While the lasgun is portrayed in some media as having recoil, it doesn't in any true sense of the term. There might be a slight jerk on the barrel from the air pressure differential created by melting a hole through the air, a la a thunderclap, but the effects would be much more pronounced on the target (since there's no direct exchange of kinetic energy, the recoil can be zero, while there is a noticeable impact.) It might make a loud "crack" noise, due to Compton scattering, if it is fired in atmosphere and an abundant source of electrons is available (such as from the gun itself, if it is design appropriately). It should also be noted that at long range, if you were shot with one, there would be a substantial delay between the shot hitting you and you actually hearing the noise, making it an effective sniper's weapon. The second most common counterargument to this is that you would be able to follow the beam back to the sniper, but remember: you don't see the beam. It's too bright for you to be able to see it clearly, and you're going to be flashblinded by both the plasma explosion and the laser itself, if it's in a visible spectrum. Which it doesn't have to be. In fact, since Imperial lasgun is described as firing blue or white beams, the laser itself is likely ultraviolet, meaning there would be some brightness as it carved through the air, but not as much as a high-power laser backscattering into your eyes and giving you an impromptu round of Lasik.

Coming to that, [[Grimdark|the continued use of a lasgun is probably going to render you blind.]] Even though it has a baffling tip that not only can protect the barrel but also shelter the shooter from the flash (and even direct that at the enemy for extra fuck you). Remember, this is a gun that shoots a whole bunch of light to do damage. It's going to be even harder on your retinas, even if you're not the one being hit by it. After all, just because you can't see UV light doesn't mean it's not bouncing around your eyeballs-this is why UV protection in sunglasses is such a big deal, and why your eyes sometimes hurt when you step outside on an overcast day. There's still light there, and it's still fucking with your very easily damaged optics. So unless the Departmento Munitorum issues some kind of protective eyewear or contacts to the Guardsmen (and don't kid yourself, this is 40K. They don't, except they usually do as the majority of regiments who wear helmets have visors, goggles, or gas masks, all of which can easily be made UV protective), their vision is going to get worse and worse over time, until they finally go blind. Fortunately, this would take about six months to a year of exposure of combat level conditions, or one apocalypse battle on a gunline, and most Guardsmen are not going to live that long on the battlefields of the 41st Millennium, and if do live that like then you're an elite soldier (or commissar/commander) worth the laser eye surgery to keep fighting since you're now worth many times what a normal guardsmen is. Or you manage to buy a cheap pair of shades at your troop ship's market, which are actually pretty common even then.

Except that you don't have to worry about laser back scatter or (to a lesser extent) lasers sucking at range. Lasers of sufficient power don't reflect. As in at all. Their light and energy is basically absorbed by the surrounding atmosphere, a process known as thermal bloom; it the real world, this significantly limits the power of any laser weapon since other potential workarounds are currently impossible to implement. So the only light you'd have to worry about is the plasma flash of the impact and beam (if present). Also, lasers that can blast holes in to you may suffer from dust or distortion effects, but non-vacuum frequency lasers will get through air well enough simply on the basis that air is much much less dense than what it is intended to actually bore through. Also adaptive optics can at least partially mitigate said effect. As far as inverse square law goes, lasers are COHESIVE beams, and can easily be focused and stay focused well within firing range, even for typical sniper ranges, if aperture is large enough and/or wavelength is short enough to counter diffraction (UV is very short).

TL, DR: People disagree but it's not fun.

Too short, want more? Go [http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/sidearmenergy.php here].

== Why the Lasgun doesn't suck (an alternate take) ==
The purpose of the primary infantry weapon is not to take out everything that the infantryman might face. It's to provide volume of fire and self defense from other infantry. As today the average infantry man is equipped with an assault rifle that is not capable of piercing through light armor and up, nor is intended to. That's why in infantry squads you have infantry support weapons, like machine guns, mortars, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, anti materiel rifles etc. An infantry squad is supposed to take on hard targets with its support weapons where light armed troopers provide cover and logistic support. Also they are supposed to call in heavy support from artillery/air/tanks etc.

The Imperial Guard is fully equipped to handle harder targets with a variety of powerful infantry support weapons (plasma rifles, missile launchers etc) and a huge selection of heavy fire support from lascannons to Leman Russes.

In this context the lasgun is a fantastic weapon, far superior of the today assault rifle even considering the battlefield differences. The lasgun is extremely rugged, reliable and will require almost zero training because it has no moving part or recoil. The "no recoil" part being extremely important, because it means that untrained troops will still be able to put down relatively accurate full auto fire, a practical impossibility with today guns. Lasgun fire will rape non-armored or lightly armored infantry and still pose a threat to medium armored infantry, not to mention it will absolutely destroy unarmored vehicles. A bullet can cause virtually no damage to an M02.018 truck, but a lasgun bolt will cripple it.

The logistical ability of giving hundreds of shots to every single infantry man, in the form of compact, standard and rechargeable power packs is the ultimate dream of every army. The level of flexibility that this allows is incredible and is unmatched by virtually any other infantry weapon in the 40k universe. And remember: "amateurs talk about tactics, professionals talk about logistics".

The lasgun is such an incredibly flexible weapon that it could be even modified into firing more powerful shots, still retaining part compatibility and power source (therefore logistical chain). So it's well suited for the lowly grunt '''and''' the special forces operatives, that will also be able to use it's superior training and physical fitness to carry literally THOUSANDS of shots worth of power packs. This will enable all sort of long range military operations deep in enemy territory and far from supply lines that we can't even think of today.

And yes, in 40k everyone and their mom has at the very least carapace-grade armor that will offer a decent grade of protection from lasgun shots (and that's not counting the fact that even carapace armour could be rather reliably pierced by lasgun's beams, albeit this would generally require a guardsman to close to about 100 meters distance to his target as opposed to lasgun's 400-500 meters effective range against infantry, donning only light flak vests and regular steel helmets). But that's not a weakness of the whole lasgun concept. Far from it. It's the ultimate victory of it, because it means that your enemy has to spend a shitload of money to put every one of his soldiers in expensive top grade armor just to have any hope not them to be instantly destroyed by your endless stream of dead accurate full auto lasgun fire.

On that note, we would like to also note something. Since lasguns have instantaneous hits, they, when massed, make for a good anti air weapon. Something that is lightly Armored will soon be chewed up by the lasfire. This is more heavily covered below. As well, it can kill even those top notch armors. If fired into the eyepiece of a space Marine, you can actually bring him down. In addition, due to the ability to pick up any other version and with a few seconds be able to use it, special troops are not hard to come by. Also, note that massed fire on anything is bound to start dealing damage. If one has a couple dozen squads of Guardsmen focus fire on a squad of Space Marines, they may be disabled from lasgun fire hitting vital areas (ignoring some fluff stating a Space Marine can run as fast as 50mph, and that is difficult to land any degree off accuracy on). In many books, massed lasfire is able to chew on (space marine) armour regardless of hitting hitting exposed parts. This is realistic because las weapons will transfer a lot of energy to the armor material. This means that the armor would rapidly overheat to the point of cooking the marine inside. To avoid this the armor is probably designed to ablate, meaning that the upper coat of the armor itself will vaporize upon being shot to dissipate heat. Once the ablative coat is expended, then even heavy armor would start to take damage from lasguns. However, it does require a decently large group of the bastards, as the average lasgun comes in at... 220 rpm. Preeety slow. Only 3-4 shots per second. This would also be exponentially less effective against bulkier armor like terminator armor because of higher thermal inertia and virtually useless against big armored vehicles. But that's not really a strike against it given that it's an anti-infantry weapon. That's like discounting a modern assault rifle because it can't take down a tank or shoot through a bomb suit. That's not what it's designed for.

== Compared to other small arms ==

The lasgun is arguably one of the least powerful weapons stat-wise, on par with the autogun in the tabletop. This is why it is often compared to a flashlight, highlighting how inadequate it seems in the frightening battlefields of the 41st millennium. We already debunked this, showing how the lasgun is a powerful, flexible weapon which would provide effective firepower to the guardsmen in support of heavier weapons and squad tactics. But would be possible for the Imperium to provide better guns to the average soldier? Is really the lasgun adoption a byproduct of the incompetence of the Mechanicum to provide more powerful weapons? Are the enemies of mankind better armed? We will compare the lasgun to other small arms '''not considering''' the production costs and availability but focusing on battlefield practicality.

==== Imperial Boltguns ====

The imperial boltgun is a very powerful weapon and it's the ideal tool in the hand of the augmented post human. The space marine fulfills a heavy infantry/shock troop(/light armour) hybrid role and such a brutally powerful weapon is very well suited for him. But without the superhuman strength to carry ammunition and the superior training, reflexes and accuracy of a space marine, the recoil-heavy and relatively low capacity boltgun is a poor tool for the average human soldier. This is consistent with the fluff, where human-sized boltguns are available but see very limited adoption.

That said: The sisters of battle while not a guard size force are universally armed with bolt weapons and power armor. Presumable the power armor is what compensates for the recoil and weight of the bolters, even without space marine augmentations the sisters are still a respectable fighting forces. Therefore we can conclude that the primary limitation on boltguns might be less there battle field power, but logistics and that the more shots the lasgun's powerpack offers is the deciding factor, along with production issues because the Imperium being the Imperium, not all forge world may know how to make complicated bolters and bolt rounds.

==== Imperial Plasma Gun/Plasma ====

The plasma gun is very powerful, but even without the little "exploding" problem, the practical rate of fire is probably quite limited before overheating. The plasma gun is bulky and complex to field and mantain. The ability to fry everything up to heavy armor is nice but completely wasted on more numerous targets like cultists, tyranids, rebels, etc. The recoil also is reported to kick like hell. The monstrous power output is bound to have logistical repercussions on magazine capacity, production, storage etc. The plasma gun is a very useful force multiplier, with the peculiar ability to fulfill a wide variety of roles. But a general issued weapon is not one of them.

==== Hotshot weapons ====
The first step up from Lasguns with penetration comparable to Bolters. Seems like a good idea right?While superior overall, They have issues of their own. Not only they are heavier, they require a back mounted battery tethered to the gun itself, requiring Tempestus Scions to wear semi-powered Carapace Armor. They also have much shorter range, so only the best trained Stormtroopers are issued Hotshot weapons.

==== Auxilia lasrifle ====

Even during the great crusade, when the Imperium technology was arguably at his peak, the basic human foot soldier still defaulted to a form of lasrifle not too different from the 40k era one. The 30k lasrifle was equipped with various attachments but their usefulness was questionable at best. The Blast Charger is an odd piece of equipment that gives the user a single high strength shot but with no significant armor penetration at the cost of possible damage to the gun. The krak grenade being a simpler, more powerful and practical substitute. The collimator seems useful but the range extension is probably more than the average human soldier can exploit and ultimately need. As we learned in ww2, almost all small arms combat is fought inside 300 meters range. At longer ranges machine guns, designated marksman rifles, rocket launchers, etc. can do the job better than a combat rifle. In other words, give everyone longlas instead.

The comparison with the great crusade era is one of the best argument for the lasrifle being an ideal weapon in his role, despite technological availability and production issues. Essentially, a straight upgrade for an individual user, but worse on a galactic grand strategy scale. Thus, although elites can certainly use this to incredible effect, it doesn't really justify the mass logistical necessity of maintaining something more logistically exhaustive in the quadrillion scale that Lasguns are issued.

==== Mechanicum Las-weapons ====

Slightly better lasguns made by the Cog-boys. For their own cannon fodder. Las-Locks weaker than Hot-Shot las-rifles while Mitralocks are laser shotguns. Induction chargers doubles their shots per minute. They are also simple enough for renegade Space Marines and insurgents to build on their own. Sounds pretty good so far doesn't it? However they have some obvious flaws. Not only do Las-locks carry the same weight issues as Hot-shot weapons. Requiring back mounted batteries to power them. The Mechanicus made them exclusively for Tech-Thralls. So anyone who isn't a cyborg or an Astartes would be killed by large amounts of radiation. While [[Dark Heresy]] claims that Las-Locks made by outlaws are tempermental weapons at the best of times. It would not be unfeasible to assume that weapons made by rogue actors are likely to explode at any given moment just like Imperial Plasma Guns.

==== Volkite weapons ====

At the start of the great crusade, the Imperium used to field the powerful and terrifying Volkite guns. These technological marvels were almost completely phased out to the point that they are an extremely rare sight even a couple of centuries later during the Horus Heresy. While this is usually attributed to the Mechanicum inability to produce enough to equip the rapidly expanding Legion Astartes and [[Solar Auxilia]], this does not explain how a weapon that numerous enough to be standard equipment and more powerful than its successor, mostly disappeared from the battlefield. Reason stands that they should have been kept in service for elite units. This means that either the Volkite weapons had some defects that made them less than ideal (that deflagrate ability doesn't seem so cool when the engagement comes to an uncomfortably close range and the range of the smaller versions is quite pitiful) or the weapons themselves were so delicate and maintenance intensive that they simply stopped working. Either way, if the Legions ditched them it seems unfeasible that the Imperial Guard could have adopted them en masse even if the Mechanicum could produce enough of them.

==== Skitarii Rad Carbines / Galvanic Rifles ====

Rad carbines are a very nice tool. Too bad they tend to kill the user by radiation poisoning, so no-no. Galvanic rifles are basically designated marksmen rifles and not clearly intended for general use. They are also not made for use by unaugmented humans. Skitarii have implants and their own Powered Armor that makes them almost as strong as a Space Marine.

==== Arc Rifles ====

Arc rifles are fantastic weapons in all aspects. High rate of fire, good armor penetration, great stopping power. The small problem here is that they also require a full backpack power supply. Again, not a very practical weapon for the average soldier.

== Las weapons and AA ==
The problem of hitting a flying object with a gun is that the flyer is moving at high speed in a three dimensional space. That means that to hit it with a "bullet" you need to know where the flyer be when the bullet will cover the relative distance between the shooter and the target. You need to detect the precise three dimensional position and velocity vectors. Then you have to factor the variable speed of the bullet and his ballistic trajectory. And even if you do all that with the near-perfect accuracy, the target might just change his velocity (maneuver) and dodge it.

That's why in modern warfare all AA, except at the very most close range, is handled to missiles instead of guns.

All this problems disappears if you have a practical las weapon that will fire a las beam at speed of light. Even if your target is - say - 300 kilometers away, the las beam will reach it in a millisecond. Flying at mach 3, the object would displace by only one meter in one millisecond and still be hit. This means that hitting a flyer with a las weapon would be extremely easy even without any dedicated equipment if close enough to be seen by naked eye. With <s>radar</s> auspex firing control you will basically hit flyers as soon as you detect it. The main strength of flyers (being harder to hit) will disappear and they will become the easier targets on the battlefield because they have no chance of cover and they cannot be as hard armored as something on the ground.

However, China and a few other countries (read: every first world country because no duh) have begun research into armor coatings designed to reflect or disperse laser-based weaponry (whereas countries like the US are doing that and increasing the power of their lasers in the knowledge that reflecting or dispersing lasers won't work at a certain level of energy), which would offset that advantage (though perhaps shooting the planes anyway could help guide missiles in the air to their targets and could damage or destroy electronics like targeting devices or cause missiles to detonate inside the target); it helps that the coatings would likely be much less expensive than the lasers themselves. Unfortunately, due to the effects of massed fire, such a coating would soon fail. Or, fire of a certain intensity, again and science says the laser simply won't be affected by such coatings at all...

Even if we invent coating that works perfectly well to protect aircraft, lasers could have a role in missile defence. After all, unless we can easily, and affordably, apply enough coating for every non-reusable explosive missile fired, the upsides of anti-air lasers could revolutionize missile defence.

Unfortunately this would clearly not work in 40k. In M2 some ablative/reflective coating might protect an airplane/missile because nowadays lasers are relatively weak and work by overheating and damaging delicate parts. An imperial lascannon does simply punch a clean hole through a Leman Russ battle tank with a big explosion of stuff rapidly heating to plasma. This will laugh at any "anti laser coating".

==See also==
*[[Hellgun]]
*[[Laspistol]]
*[[Dune]]: from which the term was cribbed.

{{40k-Imperial-Weapons}}
{{40k-GenestealerCults-Weapons}}
{{40k-Chaos-Weapons}}

Lasgun

2019-09-18T19:33:02Z

2600:1006:B156:3ED1:88E0:A070:1621:297C:

[[Image:Guardsman.jpg|thumb|right|This is painfully accurate.]]
[[image:KHARN LOEV FLASHLIGHT.jpg|thumb|right|[[Kharn]] also love <strike>Flashlight</strike>LASGUN!!]]
[[image:1271099410879.jpg|thumb|right|The closest thing to choice an Imperial guardsmen will have - what sort of lasgun he'll get (not an actual choice, generally speaking).]]

{{Topquote|IT'S NOT A LASER! IT'S A LITTLE LIGHT BULB THAT BLINKS!|Woody, Toy Story}}

{{Topquote|What do you call a Lasgun with a taclight mounted under the barrel? Twin-linked.|Any 40k player evar (Hilariously, GW has caught onto this. Less hilariously, on Regimental Standard they've got an in-universe nod where any Guardsman who makes this joke is sentenced to flogging)}}

The humble (and we mean humble) '''Lasgun''' is the standard-issue armament of the average [[Imperial Guard]]sman in the [[Warhammer 40,000]] setting. Given the incalculable number of Guardsmen under arms and the sheer scale of the [[Imperium]] itself, it is safe to say that the lasgun is probably the most common weapon in the entire galaxy that isn't some underhive piece of junk like stub guns, knives or other miscellaneous weapon. (Or something [[Shootas'an Dakkas|slapped together by an ork]], but that's another topic in and of itself.) On the tabletop it shares the same rules with [[autogun]]s.

The name is rather obviously a portmanteau of "laser" and "gun", but argument [[rage]]s [[skub|over how the word is meant to be pronounced]]. Many claim that the "las" should be pronounced "layz" (or in other words say that it's pronounced with a long "a", as the first part of "laser"), but others contend that this sounds retarded, and "lazz-gun" (or a short "a" sound, as in "glass") is a better pronunciation. According to [[Games Workshop]], its name is pronounced "Laze-gun"; however, Jeremy Vetock and Duncan Rhodes both say "Lazzguns," so it really is a toss up. (And unimportant).

It is almost universally described in the [[fluff]] as discharging with a sharp crack (caused by the beam ionizing the air it travels through), but some authors describe the lasround as either a "bolt" as in Star Wars or as a "beam" as in Dawn of War. Other features of the weapon have greater variation - some [[Black Library]] works and items such as the [[Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer]] describe the weapon as possessing a fully automatic firing setting; this feature is represented by Rapid Fire rule on the tabletop, but not represented in Dark Heresy, which can be explained away by virtue of the fact that there are many different patterns of Lasgun produced throughout the Imperium.

There is also some dispute as to the color of the "beam". Some fluff claims it to be blue, while games like Dawn of War portray it as red or something of a reddish-yellow. The popular ''Gaunt's Ghosts'' series of novels by [[Dan Abnett]] say that the Imperial weapons fire blue "beams", while the Chaos weapons fire red ones. In order to fix this [[Skub|mess]], we have proposed a Scientific fact on the issue...

*The Fact: the energy of each individual photon is determined by its frequency (i.e. colour); power output is energy per second, meaning the same power output is achievable with either more photons per second at a lower frequency (bright red) or fewer photons per second at a higher frequency (dim blue). In either case, the colour is also dependent on the gas it is traveling through, as the amount of energy transferred to the surrounding medium via [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compton_scattering]] depends on the mass of each gas particle, while the brightness depends on the amount of gas particles, so the laser would look different on different planets. Regardless, a fired lasround would never look like a glowing projectile "bolt" to any camera (such as a human eye) operating at a frame rate lower than approximately a billion frames per second, so those depictions can safely be assumed to be [[heresy|heresy]]. It would look like an actual pulsed laser, i.e. a "beam" that visibly spans the distance from the weapon's muzzle to the impact point, for the duration of the pulse. The popular visual idea from [[Star Wars|other popular sci-fi weapons]] that fire glowing projectile bolts are not lasers at all, instead being described as magnetically-contained plasma bolts. It should also be taken into account that since damaged caused by a laser is higher the greater the photons-per-second impact the target location, and the Imperium’s advanced skill with laser technology, it may be possible that various patterns of lasgun might combine two or more or even all wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum to maximize photons-per-second. This would also influence the color of the laser and would change how the above factors influence the color.

== Why the Lasgun sucks ==
''See Also: [[Lasgun Patterns]]''

The lasgun is [[Derp|rather pathetic]] [[Grimdark|compared to the mainline arms and armour of most of the other armies of the setting]], useful only by virtue of the fact that Guardsmen come in ridiculous numbers (except in comparison to Tyranids, Chaos Cultists/Zombies, or Orks) and the application of statistical probability. The weapons are often derisively referred to as "flashlights," based on their individual uselessness, although this is arguably more of an example of how ridiculously tough everything else is in the setting.

The 6th Edition rulebook describes the lasgun as severing limbs at close range but further away it only goes about as deep as the liver, explosively flash-boiling said liver and all other squishy bits in the laser's path. That sounds awesome, until you remember that nearly every enemy of the Imperium has [[Chaos Space Marines|heat and energy-dissipating armor]], [[Orks|redundant biology]], or [[Tau|simply outrange them]]. Pretty much the only enemy an individual lasgun can reliably kill are other humans. They are on the same level of effectiveness as autoguns (which are basically AK-47s IN SPACE), except lasguns are even more durable, reliable, accurate (due to low to no recoil and the fact that the beam is not affected by gravity or wind, though shooting through a dust cloud or fog on the other hand is more problematic, so a B over all for atmospheric effects) and less dependent on massive ammo supplies; a single power-pack can, depending on the gun's setting, afford up to 100 to 140 shots on average, while an autogun magazine is usually 20-60 bullets (which, fun fact, is generally what typical lasguns set to max power usually can fire.) Plus you can recharge their batteries from Chimera generators, sunlight or even fire, while an autogun is useless once out of ammo for anything other than a fancy club or if you have the good fortune to have a bayonet, a vaguely sharp stick. Not that said bayonet on either weapon will help against orks or 'nids. And given the general competence of Munitorum depots, you'd probably end up with ration packs instead of ammunition, though this of course applies to lasgun power-packs, as well.

Combine this with most lasguns seeming to come pre-set to "medium power" (granting between 40 and 80 shots a pack with usually enough penetration power to reliably punch right through Imperial Guard's flak armour (or xenos-made equivalents of such) and Imperial Infantrymen Primer actually bothering to include specific instructions on how to adjust power as part of basic training and you end up with an energy-based assault rifle, that is actually good for taking down lightly-armoured infantry with resilience to ballistic damage roughly equal that of a normal human (as it is in case with eldars or tau), but that's exactly what it was designed for - nothing less, but also nothing more. Unluckly for typical guardsmen, however, there are warrior-creatures of the 41st millennium that are either equipped with [[Power_Armour|armour, capable of deflecting even heavy stubber or bolter shells impacts]], or [[Orks|biology so robust, that it is able to take a hit from heavy stubber's bullet in the chest and continue fighting on]], or, in especially bad cases, [[Chaos_Space_Marines|warrior-creatures that have both of the aforementioned traits]]...

== Why the Lasgun is still being used ==
The lasgun is derisively known as a "flashlight" by most players, including Guard players themselves. However, within the context of the 40k setting the lasgun is reliable, durable, extremely common, and reasonably accurate. It should be noted that the lasgun is described as being able to destroy a slab of cement, which would at least put it on equal or better footing compared to what modern small-arms can achieve. From a production standpoint the lasgun (and its power pack) requires a somewhat more advanced industrial base to construct than the autogun. In return you get a compact infantry weapon that can fire over a hundred shots on a single power pack and has virtually no moving parts.

Getting shot by a laser, even if you are protected, would at least flash a decent portion of the surface of what is hit into plasma. Explosively. So, most human-sized targets too tough to be penetrated by a lasgun would at least be stunned/stopped for a moment (in theory). Therefore, the lasgun actually has pretty good utility given the enemies the Imperium faces. Furthermore, lasers damage just about anything to some degree when powerful enough. Which means a lasgun can theoretically kill anything in the universe...eventually. Just like the [[Commissar]] told you!

The lasgun has very low recoil, especially in comparison to a [[bolter]] or even an [[autogun]]. More like a jolt than a kick, probably due to sudden change in air pressure. The powerpack that the weapon uses can fire about eighty to a hundred/hundred-twenty shots before running empty and can be easily recharged through any standard Imperial power supply, direct sunlight, and even heat. A relatively common practice of Imperial Guard units cut off from supplies is to place their lasgun power packs in open fires, although this does lower the pack's lifespan considerably and is [[heresy|frowned upon by Mechanicus]] and considered an absolute last resort by anyone else - but hey, the possibility of one's powerpack becoming useless is better than a guarantee of charging enemy with a bayonet.

The weapons are rather more useful in [[Dark Heresy]] than they are in the tabletop wargame, as their reliability, availability and plentiful ammunition become real considerations and they are rather more useful against the human foes that an agent of the Inquisition is likely to face.

Lasgun power packs also greatly simplify logistics for Guard units in the field. In fact, even if Autoguns were better in all ways than a lasgun, the Administratum would still use the lasgun due to its power pack. This is because power packs can be recharged in the middle of a campaign by the troopers using them, which is especially important if you can't get any new supplies for whatever reason. In other words, even if an Imperial Guard unit was completely isolated they would still be able to recharge the power packs they have, given time, and thus they would still be able to fight. This simplification of logistics is crucial for the Imperial Guard, which has trillions of soldiers spread all over the galaxy, many of whom are months if not years travel away from the nearest Forge World.

One last thing about Lasguns is that they ''can'' be used as last-ditch grenades by basically making the entire power pack empty into the gun without ever actually firing it. It turns the Lasgun into an explosive comparable in power to a krak grenade. It can even scratch the front plate of a Chaos Dreadnought who thought he was going to make some Guardsmen go squish, and instead gets a lasgun-bomb surprise to the face. (It should be noted that this happened to a dreadnought whose front armor was already cracked from being hit by anti-armor weapons, so no way your overloading lasgun is going to help against an undamaged one)

Five counter-arguments to the lasgun-power-pack-grenade come readily to mind, discounting most guardsmen not being aware of this particular tactic.
* Firstly, the power pack's detonation timing is highly unpredictable, and as we all know, <del>anything that endangers an imperial infantryman will absolutely not be considered</del> only the most fanatical, stupid, or just plain reckless Guardsmen would be willing to use it regularly.
* Secondly, while a lasgun is pretty inexpensive in comparison to, say, a bolter, its power-packs are ''not'' as cheap to produce (they make up for it by being so easily recharged.) And only veteran soldiers tend to carry more than a small handful of packs; packs which said veterans probably looted off other guardsmen who didn't get to be veterans.
* Thirdly, the blast yield from a power pack is never described as being particularly strong. In the aforementioned example the soldier managed to open a dreadnought's faceplate just enough for the [[grimdark|local flora to kill it]], which sounds commensurate to a glancing hit, estimating the explosion closer to that of a krak grenade (S6) or maybe a little stronger. While still powerful when compared to regular old frag grenades, this is nothing like the famous melta bomb. Because surely the faceplate of a ''dreadnought'' is fragile. Like the viewports of a Baneblade (which tanked a krak missile in a novel). Easily killed Space Marine heroes are all the rage in the Imperium.
* A weapon, no matter how shitty, is still a soldier's baby. A soldier without his main weapon is generally a dead man, commissar or no, and the only time you would be forced to use your own, custom, probably personalized rifle if you live long enough to know this tactic, is in case of true emergency or imminent death. The same case that the first case of this ever being recorded happened. Which means only use this tactic when fighting any playable faction. Especially Necrons since it isn't like your lasgun will matter then anyway.
* Finally, in the instance where a Guardsman survives using his weapon and its magazine in such a reckless manner, he must then face the wrath of his superiors (If he survives the incident); the sheer number of Munitorum violations involved in using a lasgun and its ammo as a makeshift bomb are staggering (and while most alone would probably result in perfectly survivable corporal punishment, such as say being repeatedly rifle-stocked in the balls four dozen times while hanging upside down, all added up it's more pragmatic to just make the punishment execution to save some time.) Unless he manages to secure a new weapon beforehand of course. Well, not having a weapon is punished by execution (in case your lack of a gun is due to throwing it away to flee or something).

In all seriousness, a lasgun is a deadly weapon when in the hands of someone competent. As being an effective combat weapon goes, anything not too heavily armored, like Traitor Cultists, Eldar Guardians, Ork Boyz, Tyranid Gaunts, and other Imperial Guard style forces are bound to be ridden with Laser holes quickly and efficiently. The Vostroyan Firstborn, for example, are renown for their precision with their lasguns and rewarded with high kill counts against everything from Orks to traitors. Elysian Drop Troopers are similarly known for exceptional marksmanship bred via necessity wherein they maximize lethality with minimal shots. It is only against heavily armored foes that a Lasgun falters. [[Power armour]] is able to shrug off lasbolts like there's no tomorrow when they hit its reinforced ceramite layers. The wearer is not invulnerable, though: helmet lenses, articulations and joints are still vulnerable to a well-placed lasbolt and a point- or near-point-blank shot at maximum power from a lasgun can penetrate certain areas of a Space Marine's helmet (or armor in general) and turn his brains into impromptu house paint. Pray to the Emperor and get really lucky, you will take down even a Chaos Space Marine (or equivalent) with your humble lasgun. ([[What|though Space Marines are also known to die after being poked (stabbed) by enough pointy (sharp hard) sticks on occasion after all or being stomped on by enough human beings at once, plot willing.]]) And given the Imperial Guard's numbers they will ''always'' get some lucky shots, through sheer volume of fire. The closer you are to your target, the more penetration you get. Tough targets in 40K like to get up close and personal and by that point lasguns can go right through them to blast their squishy innards. Machines also get fucked over by lasers because it's electromagnetic (photons, duh).

In the end, a quote from [[Black Crusade (RPG)]] sums up the lasgun perfectly: ''"The Legionnaire that scoffs at a lasgun has not charged across an open field against a hundred of them."''
Of course, in Black Crusade a Legionnaire in power armor is almost impossible wound with a lasgun unless they score a Righteous Fury/Zealous Hatred ("critical hit"), which even then only causes minimal harm. But for representing Imperial Guard squads/platoons as enemies for Traitor Astartes player characters in Black Crusade, that is what the Horde rules are for, which allows representation of dozens of lasguns combining concentrated fire.. and becoming a very, very serious threat even for a Traitor Legionnaire.

And remember, hit the marine in the eye, and they drop like a fly.

==Uses for the Lasgun==
[[Image:Laysgun2_1974.PNG|300px|right|thumb|Also, a rare pict-capture of the ancient Laysgun.]]
*Warming soup
*Cigarette lighter
*Changing TV channels
*Selling to buy a new weapon
*Pissing off [[Thunderhawk]] pilots
*Shining in enemies' eyes
*Throwing at people (may cause more damage than shooting it at them)
*Burning ants
*Paperweight
*Laser sight for a boltgun
*Aide during PotentiaPunctum presentations
*Light shows
*Laser tag for kids (who are probably more dangerous than the gun itself)
*Magic shows for kids
*Lighting candles on birthday cakes
*A Laser pointer
*Entertainment for your space-kitties
*Shooting bottles
*Hitting your officer's pipe (Warning, will result in [[Blam|BLAMing]])
*Flashlight
*Substitute baseball bat
*Salvaged for actual useful stuff
*Horsie rides
*Chair
*Creating a makeshift rave

== Other laser weapons ==
The lasgun also comes in carbine, pistol, bullpup, sniper ("long-las"), and light machine gun (the heavy lasgun, which so far seems to only exist in Black Library) - (Heavy laser is just a crew-fired multi laser) varieties, and the Imperium fields many other weapons based on the same technology, such as the [[hellgun]] (a powerful lasgun powered by a backpack power pack), the mighty [[lascannon]] (mighty being relative... SPESS MEHREENS can equip it), the even bigger [[Apocalypse|volcano cannon and turbo-laser]], the even bigger Defense Laser, and the bigger ''still'' laser weapons mounted on [[Battlefleet Gothic|starships.]] Must be a different type, though, because a broadside from a Retribution class battleship can devastate half a continent depending on the [[Skub|calcs]]. A single barrage from an Imperator class Titan can devastate an ''entire'' city with weapons as strong as modern day nukes. Keep in mind how large an Imperial city is. So, far stronger than modern nukes.

Oh, and [[C.S. Goto|multilasers]].

=== Laspistol ===
''See main page, [[Laspistol]]''

{{clear}}

=== Lasgun ===
[[Image:lasgun.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Standard Cadian pattern Lasgun]]

You know'em, you love'em. There really isn't a point in repeating what has already been said since you are on a page talking about this wonderful piece of Imperial equipment other <s>then</s> than putting it in the Lasgun family. Of course there are certain modifications that may breach the line on what ''may'' count as a Lasgun. But overall, it is cheap, effective and put a lovely little dent to most light infantry contrary to popular belief.

Just don't try and attempt go all [[Leeroy Jenkins]] on this thing. The Lasgun is a light assault weapon, not a Titan-busting Volcano Cannon.

{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile-7-8|name=Lasgun|r7=24"|type7=Rapid Fire|s7=3|ap7=-|r8=24"|type8=Rapid Fire 1|s8=3|ap8=0}}

<gallery>
image:CadianLasgun.png|<center>Cadian</center>
</gallery>

{{clear}}

=== Hotshot Laspistol===
[[File:Hotshot_Laspistol.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Hotshot Laspistol]]

''See main page, [[Hellgun#Hellpistol|Hellpistol]]''

The Hotshot Lasgun's little brother, also known as [[Hellgun#Hellpistol|Hellpistol]] (although there do remain some canon conflict about these two weapons designation). Hotshot Laspistols are typically hand-crafted, rather than mass-produced in factories, and many of them are hundreds of years old and have acquired histories over the course of centuries of use in combat. Unless otherwise specified, a Hotshot Laspistol remains the property of the Departmento Munitorum, though an individual can be awarded one for heroic deeds. A Hotshot Laspistol fires a higher-intensity shot than a laspistol, therefore, despite its higher penetration it will cauterize the wound it causes and prevents too much blood from being shed. For this reason, Hotshot Laspistol are preferred for use as execution weapons for officers and commissars, as a shot to the condemned soldier's head will prevent any blood from staining their uniform.

<gallery>
image:TempestusPistol.png|<center>Tempestus Scion</center>
</gallery>

{{clear}}

=== Hotshot Lasgun===
[[File:Hotshot_Lasgun.png|200px|right|thumb|Hotshot Lasgun]]

''See main page, [[Hellgun]]''

A variant of the Lasgun, also known by the far cooler name "[[Hellgun]]" (although there do remain some canon conflict about these two weapons designations since they have different art, different models, and are used by different units in both the lore and in the models...so yeah, probably totally different things), the Hotshot Lasgun and Hotshot Laspistol are weapons used primarily by the [[Stormtrooper]]s (and presumably other arms of the Imperial war machine). In some canon sources, these are juiced-up versions of the Lasgun charge pack inside a normal Lasgun, or in ''other'' canon sources, the entire weapon has a beefier build with better conduits and optics to survive the prolonged increased strain of a higher power throughput. They are designed to be used by elite troops or officers, who are generally better shots. Instead of the Hellgun's design approach of using lots of batteries and a heavy-duty build to attain higher cyclic fire rates, Hotshots use a super-concentrated laser blast to achieve the same kind of armor-penetrating power.

{{40k-Ranged-Weapon-Profile-7-8|name=Hotshot Lasgun|r7=18"|type7=Rapid Fire|s7=3|ap7=3|r8=18"|type8=Rapid Fire 1|s8=3|ap8=-2}}

<gallery>
image:TempestusLasgun.png|<center>Tempestus Scion</center>
</gallery>

{{clear}}

=== Hotshot Volley Gun ===
[[File:Volley_Gun.png|200px|right|thumb|Hotshot Volley Gun]]

Another variation of the Hotshot category of Lasguns. These weapons are borne into battle by [[Stormtrooper|Tempestus Scions]] to deal with armored enemy infantry. The Hot-Shot Volley Gun is a larger version of the Hot-Shot Lasgun that "incorporates penitent-class heat sink arrays" which means that they "can maintain a punishing rate of high powered fire".

Think of them as a fully automatic LMG version of the regular old Hotshot Lasgun. As you can imagine, the sheer amount of [[Dakka]] means that they are more likely to be situated within the heavy weapons category then the normal Hotshot Lasguns. They are known to fire with a distinctive spitting howl.

<gallery>
image:TempestusVolley.png|<center>Tempestus Scion</center>
</gallery>

{{clear}}

=== Mining Laser ===
[[File:Mining_Laser.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Mining Laser]]

Mining Laser is not formally a weapon, but a tool for breaching tunnels in the mining process. In some cases though the Mining Laser can be used as a weapon, often by [[Genestealer|Genestealer Cults]]. For example, Dvarlock pattern Mining Laser, founded and identified by Tempestor Gulack of the Kappic Eagles have been modified so it can blast the hole through a meters-thick bulkhead with a single pull of a trigger. It also features three hand-grips. indicating its use in combination with a tertia pattern servo-arm (or the extra arms of a Genestealer Hybrid).

There is also the Heavy Mining Laser which is a heavier variant of the standard version, used on [[Goliath Truck|Goliath Rockgrinders]] (More can be read below). Although to be honest, it is only 'heavy' because it is on a turreted mount, other than that there is very little difference between the Heavy Mining Laser and the regular old Mining Laser.

<gallery>
image:HybridLaser.png|<center>Neophyte Hybrid</center>
</gallery>

{{clear}}

=== Long-Las ===
[[File:Long-Las.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Long-Las]]

In the good old days the Imperial sniper rifle was the poorly named [[Needler|'needle rifle']] which was in fact a kind of laser weapon. Well, partly. It had two parts to each shot. It fired a narrow beam laser to burn through armor, and then it fired a 'needle' bullet; a spike of some kind of metal filled with horribly poisonous toxins. With the armor removed first, the spiky bit all but ensured a kill if you hit, spurting deadly death juice into your unfortunate body. Sadly they weren't especially well conceived weapons (hitting the same spot with two different weapons, one that responds to wind and gravity, and the other that doesn't is something of a challenge) so they've pretty much been written out of the setting these days as being too expensive for regular use. Now the term "sniper rifle" is used fairly loosely in the Imperium; many sniper rifles are simply over-powered lasguns called long-las rifles, while many others (such as those used by [[Space Marine]] [[Scout]]s) are high-velocity slug-throwers which have more in common with [[autogun]]s than they do with energy weapons. Then there are other more exotic variants firing poisoned darts or even stranger payloads, such as the aforementioned needle rifle (which Ratlings still prefer) or the Exitus Rifle that fires straightup death. All of these variants have pretty much the same effect on the target, unless you play older editions or use special characters who have rules that say otherwise. Or play [[Dark Heresy]].

However, since you are on the Long-Las category, we might as well talk about it. The Long-Las is a sniper variation of the Lasgun with a much longer barrel for increased range and accuracy, and also to prevent overheating. However the barrel makes a Long-Las up to twice as long as a standard Lasgun and thus difficult to use in close quarters.

Within the Imperial Guard the Long-Las, formerly known as the Sniper Variant Lasgun, is issued only to those Guardsmen with the necessary marksmanship skills and knowledge in stealth and scouting operations. It uses the XC 52/3 strengthened barrel, longer and thinner than normal models, and lacks a charge setting slider, instead using hotshot power packs. It's also much quieter than other lasguns and features a flash suppressor to dampen the revealing flashes of its shots. However the increased wear on the barrel from using the overpowered energy packs means more frequent barrel changes than is usually required for normal lasguns.

<gallery>
image:CadianLongLas.png|<center>Cadian</center>
</gallery>

{{clear}}

=== Lascarbine ===
[[File:Lascarbine.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Lascarbine]]

During the [[Great Crusade]] the Lascarbine was the great grandfather of the Lasgun. Basically the same weapon as the Lasgun in a smaller package. They were standard issue among the Imperial Army and Solar Auxilla.

In modern WH40k, a Lascarbine is designed for use by special operations units and is usually employed by Drop Troopers or scout units of the Imperial Guard such as the
[[Elysian Drop Troops]].

<gallery>
image:CatachanLascarbine.png|<center>Catachan</center>
</gallery>

{{clear}}

=== Auxilia Lasrifle ===
[[File:Auxillia_Lasrifle.PNG|200px|right|thumb|Auxilia Lasrifle]]

The Auxilia lasrifles were the primary weapon of the [[Solar Auxilia]] during the Great Crusade and Horus heresy eras. And as befitting weapons from a time when Imperial Technology had not yet sunk into the abyss, they have better range compared to their inferior knockoffs. These weapons have the option of taking Blast-chargers, which turns the lasrifle into a miniature lascannon, though on the roll of 1 the charger melts in its operator's hands, preventing the player from using them for the remainder of the game (the gun can still fire after 1 turn of cooling off). They also [[awesome|come standard]] with Collimators, which switch out Rapid Fire for Heavy 2, making any opponent think twice about about charging a squad of [[Solar Auxilia]]. As if a Super Heavy tank as a Dedicated Transport wasn't enough reason to stay out of range.

<gallery>
image:SolarAuxiliaLasrifleProfile.png|<center>Solar Auxilia</center>
</gallery>

{{clear}}

=== Blast Pistol ===
[[File:Auxillia_Blast_Pistol.PNG|200px|right|thumb|Blast Pistol]]
''Not to be confused with the [[Phosphor Weaponry#Phosphor Blast Pistol|Phosphor Blast Pistol]], another 30k era weapon that fires completely different rounds.''

Basically a souped-up las-pistol that explodes in the user's hand. Their description makes them seem like laser revolvers used by officers of the Solar Auxilla. To mirror when an officer during the 19th century was issued a sidearm. Giving him a better gun than the line troops who had to use leaver and bolt actions. Which isn't the case here.

These bespoke weapons like the Hotshot Laspistol and Hellpistol were able to fire only a handful of shots before reloading, but their damage output rivals that of arcane [[Volkite Weaponry]]. Due to this, Blast Pistols were seen as an emblem of wealth and prestige, and many were works of art in their own right, and thus they also became a widely used form of decoration and reward for extreme gallantry and commendation within the Solar Auxilia regiments.

On the table top. Blast Pistols are S5 Las-pistols with Twin Linked and Gets-Hot. Archaeotech and Plasma pistols are more useful then these things.

<gallery>
image:SolarAuxiliaBlastPistol.png|<center>Solar Auxilia</center>
</gallery>

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=== Digital Lasers/Digital Weapons ===
[[File:JokaeroDigitalWeapon.jpg‎|200px|right|thumb|Digi-Weapon]]

These are actually melee weapons. However there isn't really anywhere else to put them.
In 40k they are exclusively made by [[Jokaero]]. During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy they are weapons of [[Blood Ravens|unknown]] [[Heresy|Xenos origin]]. This section describes how the Imperium at large uses them.

Digital weapons are best described as a small laser used by Space Marine officers. It allows them to re-roll one failed hit during the Assault/Fight Phase. Which is decent, However it isn't anywhere near as cool when their used in Black Library books or the weapons stated to be used by the [[Jokaero]]. Only the Xenos monkies have them on the table top in 8th edition.

30k Digital Lasers are as usual better than the 40k version. Rather than just Space Marines, Inquisitors and the occasional gun/chain/power sword toting hero. Every officer had access to them. They are short ranged but deadly weapons that are "small enough to be concealed in a ring, gauntlet, sword hilt or helm." So they should be as strong as a single Hot Shot Lasgun, Lasrifle or Las-Lock beam.

In the Horus Heresy game a Digital Laser gives the model one additional attack. [[Awesome|So the officer doesn't have to give up their sole ranged weapon for an extra melee hit.]] One would assume either weapon would also allow an extra ranged attack with the same strength and AP as a Hot-Shot Lasgun or Archaeotech Pistol. Like how the Servo Harness gives [[Techmarines]] extra ranged and melee weapons. However Games Workshop and Forge World aren't nice enough to give players an option that would be useful in more than one situation. Without making them pay extra real life money for it first.

<gallery>
image:JokaeroDigital.png|<center>Jokaero Weaponsmith</center>
</gallery>

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=== Las-Lock ===

[[File:Las-Lock.PNG|200px|right|thumb|Las-Lock]]

Las-lock is like a granddad to "modern" Lasgun. While very few Guard Regiments still use it in-universe in 40k (see [[Only War]] by FFG), the Las-Lock is popular with the Mechanicum in 30k. [[Tech Thrall]]s are thus far the only known Mechanicum troops to carry las-weapons, but oh boy, aren't they numerous. Las-locks sacrifice rate of fire and range for more damage per shot, making it a worse version of the Hot-Shot lasgun with higher Strength, but with miserable AP of 6 and 1 shot max.

<gallery>
image:TechThrallLasLock.png|<center>Tech Thrall</center>
</gallery>

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=== Mitralock ===
[[File:Mitralock2.PNG|200px|right|thumb|Mitralock]]

There is also the Mitralock, a [[what|laser shotgun]] with reduced range.
Both have the option to upgrade to Induction chargers [[awesome|increasing their shots to two.(represented as Assault 2 in game.)]] While still allowing them to Assault with no penalty. This turns them into a high risk unit for any opponent dumb enough to charge them.

In terms of tabletop, the Mitralock is the [[Shotgun|Scattergun]] of the Las Family. It is an 8" range Las-lock, but it gains Shred. It also has Induction Chargers which is an optional attachment to both Las-locks AND Mitra-locks (HH3, p. 221) it upgrades them to Assault 2.

<gallery>
image:TechThrallMitralock.png|<center>Tech Thrall</center>
</gallery>

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=== Lascutter ===
[[File:Bits-lascutter.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Lascutter]]

Lascutters are a powerful but extremely unwieldy type of Laser Weapon. Originally industrial tools used for cutting through armored bulkheads and dense ores, these weapons make use of disruption field-assisted short range laser arcs. They were later utilized for warfare, being used in sieges where they were able to breach enemy fortifications and if necessary become devastating close-quarters weapons.
On the table top, these thing suck. Only Breachers can take them. [[What| The Cumbersome rule reduces the model's WS1 and can only make a single attack.]] Take [[Graviton_weapons|Graviton guns]] instead.

<gallery>
image:LegionBreacherLascutter.png|<center>Legion Breacher</center>
</gallery>

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===Lightning Gun===
[[File:Lightning+Gun.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Lightning Gun]]

[[Pretend|Despite the name,]] Lightning Guns are a type of laser weapons used by the AdMech. Whilst they do use electromagnetism, most of the killing power is from the pew pew lasers. Lightning Guns are Great Crusade era weapons used by various Adeptus Mechanicus troops, most notably [[Thallax]].

This aptly named weapon takes the form of a baroquely designed carbine connected to a micro-reactor or power core. It fires an ionizing las-beam along with a powerful phased discharge of electromagnetic particles. The ensuing effect makes the weapon able to overload mechanical targets in addition to its effectiveness against organic enemies.

<gallery>
image:ThallaxLightning.png|<center>Thallax</center>
</gallery>

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=== Multilasers ===

''See main page, [[Multilasers]].''

The Multilaser is basically just a [[Hellgun]] that's been modded for more [[Dakka]], being a pretty good weapon against most non- to lightly-armored targets (infantry, Taurox-equivalents, skimmers, etc.).

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=== Heavy Mining Laser ===
[[File:Heavy_Mining_Laser_Wolfquad.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Heavy Mining Laser]]
The aforementioned Heavy Mining Laser. As previously mentioned, it is basically a Mining Laser on a turret. Like its smaller brother, the Heavy Mining Laser is used primarily to bore through rock and other quarry within Mining and Forge Worlds of the Imperium. However it can also be used to cleanly bore through the side armor of a Leman Russ and a Space Marine if needed.

The [[Genestealer Cult|Genestealer Cults]] have exploited its power because of this. The only difference between the regular Mining Laser and the Heavy Mining Laser is in its power supply. The regular Mining Laser carries its own portable power supply which makes it mobile but at the cost of a shorter battery life (eg: less 'shots') and a shorter effective range. The Heavy Mining Laser on the other hand, is connected to a much larger and thus, powerful power supply which allows for a longer battery life and a longer range.

It is often mounted on the [[Goliath Truck|Goliath Rockgrinder]], but it can also be mounted on the [[Achilles Ridgerunner]] and the [[Wolfquad]].

<gallery>
image:GoliathRockgrinderLaser.png|<center>Golaith Rockgrinder</center>
</gallery>

=== Lascannon ===

''See main page, [[Lascannon]].''

These are the main Imperial anti-tank weapon (Heavy1 72" S9 AP2 for D6), and they are mounted on [[Heavy Weapons Squad|E]][[Predator|V]][[Devastator Squad|E]][[Razorback Transport|R]][[Leman Russ Battle Tank|Y]][[Sentinel|T]][[Dreadnought|H]][[Land Raider|I]][[Tarantula|N]][[Fortress of Redemption|G]] and occasionally wielded by [[SPESS MEHREENS]].

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===Corve Las-Pulser===
[[File:ContemptorAchillusLasPulser.png|200px|right|thumb|Corve Las-Pulser]]
The Corve Las-Pulser is a type of Laser Weapon used by the [[Adeptus Custodes]]. They are the giant Lascannon mounted on top of the giant Dreadnought-like spear. It was equipped to the Dreadspear of the Custodes Contemptor-Achillus class Dreadnought.

The Corve is a 36" S9 AP2 Heavy D3 weapon. It is an upgrade for the Agamatus jetbikes and found as part of the Contemptor-Achillus's Dreadspear, and most of the reason for it's 40 point upgrade cost. The Pulsar is one of the few weapons that Custodes have as a counterpart to Lascannons.

<gallery>
image:LasPulser.png|<center>Contemptor Achillus</center>
image:AgamatusLasPulser.png|<center>Agamatus Jetbike</center>
</gallery>

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===Las-Ripper===
[[File:Las-Ripper_Side_View.PNG|200px|right|thumb|Las-Ripper]]
Essentially a weaker version of the Las-Talon.

A Las-Ripper is a type of heavy Imperial Laser Weapon usually deployed on the Primaris Space Marines' [[Astraeus Super-Heavy Tank|Astraeus Super-Heavy Grav Tank.]] Las-Rippers are used as sponson weapons on Astraeus grav tanks, where they serve as the vehicle's standard anti-personnel weapons for close and messy encounters.

In terms of crunch, as previously aforementioned, the Las-Rippers are a weaker version of the Las-Talon. Although it is not a bad weapon per se, it suffers from the fact that there are much better weapons that the Astraeus could be equipped with.

Most often, the Las-Ripper is replaced with the more powerful Plasma Eradicators. This have got to do with the fact that the Plasma Eradicators are understandable more powerful per shot, but what is unusual is that the Eradicators have more range and is [[Wat|''cheaper'']] than the Las-Ripper of all things.

<gallery>
Image:AstraeusLasRipper.png|Alternate View
</gallery>

===Las-Talon===
[[File:LasTalon.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Las-Talon]]
One of the primary weapons of the Repulsor and a discount Lascannon.

The Las-talon is a specialized type of Laser Weapon that can only be found on both the Stormhawk Interceptor air superiority fighter used by the Adeptus Astartes and the Primaris Space Marine Repulsor armored transport.

The Las-talon fires two potent blasts of laser energy in rapid succession, ensuring a clean kill against even the heaviest armored targets. Unlike other laser weapons, the Las-talon is relatively short-ranged, with its damage heavily reduced at great range.

And as you know, it is basically the big brother of the Las-Ripper.

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image:RepulsorLasTalon.png|<center>Primaris Repulsor</center>
</gallery>

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===Laser Destroyer===
[[File:Laser_Destroyer.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Laser Destroyer]]
The Laser Destroyer is an Imperial laser weapon mounted primarily on the Destroyer Tank Hunter, capable of destroying enemy tanks from long range. The Laser Destroyer however is a highly-complex system which all but a few Forge Worlds can no longer reproduce; even those who can create new ones must hand-craft each one through a painstakingly slow process. The result has been that these weapons and the vehicles which use them have become incredibly rare amongst the Imperial Guard. The chance of receiving any replacement for lost or destroyed models is very slim, often leading to recovered tank destroyers instead being fitted with another weapon.

During the invasion of Armageddon, though, a number of Chimeras were refitted with Laser Destroyers and re-designated APDS-6a 'Defenders' as an effective stop-gap measure against the Orks.

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===Neutron Laser===
[[File:NeutronLaser.jpg|200px|right|thumb|A Neutron Laser, a slightly more safer version of the Neutron Laser Projector. ''Slightly''.]]
A Neutron Laser is a heavy weapon utilized by the forces of Adeptus Mechanicus' Skitarii Legions as a primary weapon for [[Onager Dunecrawler|Onager Dunecrawlers.]] A Neutron Laser is the last word in battlefield anti-tank weaponry.

With a stabilised neutronic coil arc reactor as its power source, a Neutron Laser is able to fire a beam so devastating that it not only is able to punch through the thickest of armour, but also sends a blast wave of electromagnetic energy that scrambles circuits and synapses alike when it strikes its target.

It doesn't seem to suffer as much of a backfire feedback that usually plagues its larger brother. So that's a plus.

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image:OnagerNeutronLaser.png|<center>Onager Dunecrawler</center>
</gallery>

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===Arachnus Blaze Cannon===
[[File:ArachnusCannon.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Arachnus Blaze Cannon]]
The Arachnus Blaze Cannon is a type of Laser Weapon used by the Adeptus Custodes. This weapon was a development of standard Imperial las-technology, but with built in esoteric and powerful components which could never be replicated en masse.

The Blaze Cannon is mounted on the [[Coronus Grav Carrier]].

On tabletop they are basically the bastard offspring of Multi-lasers and Lascannons, they have two firing modes. One is Burst for infantry shredding, the other is Concentrated for Vehicle killing with AP1 and Exoshock, which gives you an automatic second Penetrating hit which ignores cover saves on a 4+ after you score one (so you roll to hit, roll to penetrate, enemy rolls invulnerable/cover, and only then...)

The Blaze Cannon itself is a S6 AP5 Heavy Bolter, or 48" S8AP1 Heavy 1, Exoshock: In all honesty, the Burst mode is rather shitty, but Concentrated is essentially a Lascannon with nasty special rules.

<gallery>
image:CoronusBlazeCannon.png|<center>Coronus Grav-Carrier</center>
</gallery>

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===Arachnus Heavy Blaze Cannon===
[[File:CaladiusAnnihilatorHeavyBlazeCannonProfile.png|200px|right|thumb|Arachnus Heavy Blaze Cannon]]
A larger version known as the Arachnus Heavy Blaze Cannon also exist.

This time it is mounted on the [[Caladius Grav-Tank|Caladius Annihilator]] and it is basically a twin-linked Lascannon on steroids.

On tabletop they are basically the bastard offspring of Multi-lasers and Lascannons, they have two firing modes. One is Burst for infantry shredding, the other is Concentrated for Vehicle killing with AP1 and Exoshock, which gives you an automatic second Penetrating hit which ignores cover saves on a 4+ after you score one (so you roll to hit, roll to penetrate, enemy rolls invulnerable/cover, and only then...)

The Heavy Blaze Cannon itself is a 48" S8 AP3 Heavy 4, or 72" S10 AP1 Heavy 1, Exoshock: Optional turret replacement for the Caladius.

<gallery>
image:CaladiusAnnihilatorHeavyBlazeCannon.png|<center>Caladius Annihilator</center>
</gallery>

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===Arachnus Storm Cannon===
[[File:TelemonArachnusStormCannon.png|200px|right|thumb|Arachnus Storm Cannon]]
The big honcho mounted only on the biggest of Dreadnought walkers.

The Arachnus Storm Cannon is a large gatling-style Laser Weapon used by the Adeptus Custodes. Seeing as how it is a ''double-barrelled'' gatling weapon, there must be one hell of a cooling system to prevent this from melting the golden gunstick into a golden beatstick. Although, give how its godfather, the [[Superheavy Laser Weapons#Arachnus Magna-Blaze Cannon|Arachnus Magna-Blaze Cannon]], have a stupidly expensive cooling/containment system, I guess something like the Storm Cannon is just as capable in preventing a meltdown. It is most typically mounted on the [[Telemon Heavy Dreadnought]]. The Golden Bananas just wanted to have an oversized Multi-Laser and the Emprah delivereth.

On tabletop, the Storm Cannon is a 48" S7 AP3 Heavy 7, or 72" S9 AP1 Heavy 2, Exoshock: the Telemon's big Gatling gun and perhaps the most versatile of the Arachnus weapons. This is a must take if you are facing armies with a large amount of vehicles.

<gallery>
image:|<center></center>
</gallery>

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=== Helfrost weapons ===

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_cooling Laser cooling is actually a thing.]
''See main page, [[Helfrost Weaponry]]''

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=== Laser Destroyer Array ===
[[File:VindicatorLaserDestroyer01.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Vindicator Laser Destroyer Array]]
Laser Destroyer Arrays are a special type of lascannon array. Instead of firing in a single, solid blast the laser destroyer would fire short pulses microseconds apart from its various barrels, acting as a sort of long-ranged drill. On the plus side this means they're more destructive (never a bad thing) as it allowed them to bore through everything, on the downside it's apparently more of a pain in the ass to fire and reload them, going by their tabletop stats and they're nowhere near as portable. Note that despite sharing the name, they are not the same as laser destroyers.

In 7th edition (and Horus Heresy) this gave you a single lascannon shot which was Ordnance instead of Heavy and AP 1 instead of 2. It dealt with vehicles better but similar lascannon arrays fired 2 shots instead of the one (both are twin-linked) so if you had to decide on the two then you had to make a choice, quality hits or quantity of hits?
There was a way to up the shot count, but only if you took a Vindicator Tank Destroyer. If you stayed motionless and/or declared to overcharge it after remaining motionless, you could add +1/+2 to its shots respectively, and after it fired you'd do the equivalent of a Gets Hot roll. In practical terms if you were playing 40k you were free to remove whatever vehicle your opponent fielded that you didn't like, whereas if you were playing Horus Heresy you'd wish Flare Shields weren't a thing as you still couldn't kill that Spartan.

In 8th edition the Laser destroyer is hilariously powerful, being S 12, AP -4, D6 damage but before you roll for damage, roll a D6. On a 1-2, it's still just D6 damage. On a 3-5, it's 2D6 and on a 6, it's 3D6. Ever wanted to cripple a Knight, Land Raider, monster or just remove that one character who accidentally got a little too close in only one shot? Now you can. It's also surprisingly cheap meaning you can spam the fuckers and potentially forget about taking lascannons entirely. Also hilarious is that the Rapier Laser Destroyer has actual combat stats, and not the kind that are explained away via its crew steering it into the enemy, but literal stats as somehow the thing attempts to hurt the enemy by poking it with its barrels (presumably). Despite being (technically) a vehicle its pokes are also weaker than the Guardsmen who push it around, being S3 whereas these macho-men are S4.

<gallery>
Image:Rapier4.jpg|Rapier variant
</gallery>

===Superheavy Laser Weapons===

''See main page, [[Superheavy Laser Weapons]]''

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== Properties of a lasgun ==
It's easy to imagine being hit with a lasgun would be like having a hole burned into you like an ant being burned by a magnifying glass. That, of course, is not nearly grimdark enough to be the truth.

A military DEW (or Directed Energy Weapon since military forces love TLAs (Three-Letter Acronyms) comes in several different types, from microwave weapons which are mostly used to short out electronics but can also be used to cause intense pain by microwaving the surface of the skin (as is the case with the Active Denial System), to Electrolasers which use lasers to ionize the air into a semi-superconductive channel, allowing an electrical current to be projected between two points like a glorified (albeit high-powered) taser. (This is likely how Necron [[Tesla]] weapons work, but that's beside the point.) A lasgun, however, is most similar to a pulsed energy laser. A pulsed laser works by imparting so much energy to an area so fast, that it turns into plasma and explodes. Modern versions create a pressure wave strong enough to stun and knock a person out (termed "Pulsed Energy Projectile), but they are less then-lethal weapons that don't penetrate things very well by design, while the lasgun is not.

Being hit with a lasgun would (could) look and feel more like you were hit by a concussion grenade held up to your chest (which would messily kill you, like a lasgun would). You would see a bright flash of light as your skin or clothing vaporized into plasma, much like a high-end camera flash going next to the wound. Higher-power laser weapons might cause enough of an explosion to blow you back and maybe knock you unconscious, or if you got hit by one of the Lasgun's anti-tank big brothers, vaporize you outright turning you into an impromptu plasma grenade for the rest of your squad to deal with. The explosion would create enough hydrostatic pressure to likely scramble your internal organs and maybe snapping your bones in parts of your body distant from the explosion. So, shooting someone's cover with a lascannon is actually a good idea in real life. Then your buddies can just murderize everyone who had been hiding behind it (on their asses half dead with their armor destroyed).

However, if the lasgun hit something like armor, or even clothing it might induce an explosion only on the surface of the armor leaving the rest of you safe (except for the whole "the stuff you were wearing ''blew up''" part, which would still wreck your body), though most assuredly stunned and dazzled from the plasma explosion (in the sense of "you're stunned and dazzled by the pearly gates after the plasma explosion"). This explains why the Lasgun has a AP of only - shit. A Bolter's bolts, on the other hand, penetrate the exterior and then explode inside the target, meaning it can deal with armor and tough alien targets like Orks much easier, since you're effectively ignoring the armor on anything the mass-reactive warhead can punch through. The lasgun is clearly nothing to sneeze at; it's just that the vast majority of the Imperium's more exotic enemies are capable of taking that kind of punishment most of the time and still keep on fighting. On the other hand, '''a lasgun is not a Hammer's Slammers plasma weapon'''. It does '''''not''''' impart all of its energy into the first significant object it hits. It keeps going. Don't forget that a Lasgun's power level can be changed with a switch of a nob (depending on what pattern of Lasgun you get of course), meaning that you could theoretically have Lasguns powerful enough to punch Ferrocrete (AKA super concrete) and melt power armor at the expense of ruining the barrel, power supply and any relationship with your local Techpriest adept. Because, again, this is a laser, not Hammer's Slammers plasma.

Now, if you want what ''actually'' happens when shot by a lasgun instead of a ''non-lethal modern version'', it's this: the plasma explosion destroys a large area of your clothing or light armor, breaks your ribs, and ruptures your organs and the heat causes your skin and some other fluids under the impact point to also detonate to a significantly less intense degree, easily killing you if you weren't already dead (and if it doesn't kill you, heat trauma will). It also doesn't impart all its energy unless the target is durable enough. Something weaker than flak armor is not durable enough (or anything at close range to a lasgun, really) and the laser in the case of inferior armor will pass through and all the organs and crap near the beam will also explosively flash into plasma and everything near ''that'' will explosively flash-vaporize. You get the idea. This is a damn powerful weapon against anything that isn't either a super alien or a super human (or Egyptian zombie robot pirate). Or anything that isn't more heavily armored than infantry have any right to be that doesn't involve super-tech. Basically, if your shot by a lasgun and you're not one of the playable factions, you're fucked. If you're hit but not fucked, congratulations, you are now either off balance or knocked on your ass and probably an easy target for any Guardsman wanting to finish you or, at best, you now have badly damaged armor and another shot will kill you and you still have to get off your ass and not get shot while doing it.

However, all that is based on the previously mentioned less than lethal lasers, which are specifically designed that way on purpose; more lethal laser weapons, while possible with 21st century technology, require massive amounts of power to function properly- and unlike 40k, we don't have the equivalent of power packs to contain the energy needed for a man-portable form to work or even something that could be mounted on a tank. The closest thing to those would be ship-mounted lasers designed specifically for shooting down missiles or aircraft, and even those have rarely left the prototype stage due to the energy issue and thermal blooming (described further below). Except in America, in which they are equipped on ships and the American navy also is using a few anti-satellite lasers on some ships.

A laser can easily be designed to maximize impact or penetration, and autogun bullets, which could likely go right through many parts of you, also have AP - anyway (it's bullets vs super space monsters, what did you expect). A theory more in line with the stated effects of a lasgun shot is that it would use multiple insanely rapid micro pulses to BORE THROUGH light infantry-grade armour, clothes and flesh to reach internal organs. Imagine getting drilled into by hundreds of tiny explosions, all within the span of milliseconds (more like hundredths or thousandths of a millisecond). This would leave wound very similar to the ones described in the Uplifting Primer, nasty burnt holes (and the aforementioned explosive flash-vaporization and micro plasma explosion effects in a wide area around the penetrated area). According to the Regimental Standard's "Field-Dressing a Lasgun Wound" article, the laser's heat cauterizes any wounds left by the shot (which is scientifically incorrect as the explosive flash-vaporization would prevent all but a minuscule amount of random cauterization and the only way a cauterized would could be present is if the laser was too weak to penetrate a human body in the first place since it wouldn't even be hot enough to ''evaporate water''. But then, the Primer is full of shit on multiple instances, so....), but the subsequent swelling can still be lethal if it occurs in or near a vital organ. Most likely the Regimental Standard article was written by an idiot who not only didn't know lasgun lore but also didn't know basic science but we can pass it off as Imperial propaganda to encourage Guardsmen to believe they won't die if shot by a lasgun unless they're just unlucky. ''OR'' the article assumes you were shot through your flak armor and so all but a tiny amount of the laser's energy had already been absorbed by your armor, saving your life but still leaving a serious wound in need of dressing before it can cripple or kill you anyway.

You've noticed that a lot of a lasguns damage works via energy and heat exchange. This further explains it's AP of -, since most of the heavy armor that the Imperium uses are are based on ceramics, which are legendary for how well they absorb heat. The Space shuttle uses the stuff to allow reentry and presumable other heat resistant materials are used in other races armor since if your the Tau (crystalline armor screwing up concentrated light) or even Eldar (psychic play-doe bullshit), you know you're going to have to fight laser weapons at some point.

While the lasgun is portrayed in some media as having recoil, it doesn't in any true sense of the term. There might be a slight jerk on the barrel from the air pressure differential created by melting a hole through the air, a la a thunderclap, but the effects would be much more pronounced on the target (since there's no direct exchange of kinetic energy, the recoil can be zero, while there is a noticeable impact.) It might make a loud "crack" noise, due to Compton scattering, if it is fired in atmosphere and an abundant source of electrons is available (such as from the gun itself, if it is design appropriately). It should also be noted that at long range, if you were shot with one, there would be a substantial delay between the shot hitting you and you actually hearing the noise, making it an effective sniper's weapon. The second most common counterargument to this is that you would be able to follow the beam back to the sniper, but remember: you don't see the beam. It's too bright for you to be able to see it clearly, and you're going to be flashblinded by both the plasma explosion and the laser itself, if it's in a visible spectrum. Which it doesn't have to be. In fact, since Imperial lasgun is described as firing blue or white beams, the laser itself is likely ultraviolet, meaning there would be some brightness as it carved through the air, but not as much as a high-power laser backscattering into your eyes and giving you an impromptu round of Lasik.

Coming to that, [[Grimdark|the continued use of a lasgun is probably going to render you blind.]] Even though it has a baffling tip that not only can protect the barrel but also shelter the shooter from the flash (and even direct that at the enemy for extra fuck you). Remember, this is a gun that shoots a whole bunch of light to do damage. It's going to be even harder on your retinas, even if you're not the one being hit by it. After all, just because you can't see UV light doesn't mean it's not bouncing around your eyeballs-this is why UV protection in sunglasses is such a big deal, and why your eyes sometimes hurt when you step outside on an overcast day. There's still light there, and it's still fucking with your very easily damaged optics. So unless the Departmento Munitorum issues some kind of protective eyewear or contacts to the Guardsmen (and don't kid yourself, this is 40K. They don't, except they usually do as the majority of regiments who wear helmets have visors, goggles, or gas masks, all of which can easily be made UV protective), their vision is going to get worse and worse over time, until they finally go blind. Fortunately, this would take about six months to a year of exposure of combat level conditions, or one apocalypse battle on a gunline, and most Guardsmen are not going to live that long on the battlefields of the 41st Millennium, and if do live that like then you're an elite soldier (or commissar/commander) worth the laser eye surgery to keep fighting since you're now worth many times what a normal guardsmen is. Or you manage to buy a cheap pair of shades at your troop ship's market, which are actually pretty common even then.

Except that you don't have to worry about laser back scatter or (to a lesser extent) lasers sucking at range. Lasers of sufficient power don't reflect. As in at all. Their light and energy is basically absorbed by the surrounding atmosphere, a process known as thermal bloom; it the real world, this significantly limits the power of any laser weapon since other potential workarounds are currently impossible to implement. So the only light you'd have to worry about is the plasma flash of the impact and beam (if present). Also, lasers that can blast holes in to you may suffer from dust or distortion effects, but non-vacuum frequency lasers will get through air well enough simply on the basis that air is much much less dense than what it is intended to actually bore through. Also adaptive optics can at least partially mitigate said effect. As far as inverse square law goes, lasers are COHESIVE beams, and can easily be focused and stay focused well within firing range, even for typical sniper ranges, if aperture is large enough and/or wavelength is short enough to counter diffraction (UV is very short).

TL, DR: People disagree but it's not fun.

Too short, want more? Go [http://www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/sidearmenergy.php here].

== Why the Lasgun doesn't suck (an alternate take) ==
The purpose of the primary infantry weapon is not to take out everything that the infantryman might face. It's to provide volume of fire and self defense from other infantry. As today the average infantry man is equipped with an assault rifle that is not capable of piercing through light armor and up, nor is intended to. That's why in infantry squads you have infantry support weapons, like machine guns, mortars, rocket launchers, grenade launchers, anti materiel rifles etc. An infantry squad is supposed to take on hard targets with its support weapons where light armed troopers provide cover and logistic support. Also they are supposed to call in heavy support from artillery/air/tanks etc.

The Imperial Guard is fully equipped to handle harder targets with a variety of powerful infantry support weapons (plasma rifles, missile launchers etc) and a huge selection of heavy fire support from lascannons to Leman Russes.

In this context the lasgun is a fantastic weapon, far superior of the today assault rifle even considering the battlefield differences. The lasgun is extremely rugged, reliable and will require almost zero training because it has no moving part or recoil. The "no recoil" part being extremely important, because it means that untrained troops will still be able to put down relatively accurate full auto fire, a practical impossibility with today guns. Lasgun fire will rape non-armored or lightly armored infantry and still pose a threat to medium armored infantry, not to mention it will absolutely destroy unarmored vehicles. A bullet can cause virtually no damage to an M02.018 truck, but a lasgun bolt will cripple it.

The logistical ability of giving hundreds of shots to every single infantry man, in the form of compact, standard and rechargeable power packs is the ultimate dream of every army. The level of flexibility that this allows is incredible and is unmatched by virtually any other infantry weapon in the 40k universe. And remember: "amateurs talk about tactics, professionals talk about logistics".

The lasgun is such an incredibly flexible weapon that it could be even modified into firing more powerful shots, still retaining part compatibility and power source (therefore logistical chain). So it's well suited for the lowly grunt '''and''' the special forces operatives, that will also be able to use it's superior training and physical fitness to carry literally THOUSANDS of shots worth of power packs. This will enable all sort of long range military operations deep in enemy territory and far from supply lines that we can't even think of today.

And yes, in 40k everyone and their mom has at the very least carapace-grade armor that will offer a decent grade of protection from lasgun shots (and that's not counting the fact that even carapace armour could be rather reliably pierced by lasgun's beams, albeit this would generally require a guardsman to close to about 100 meters distance to his target as opposed to lasgun's 400-500 meters effective range against infantry, donning only light flak vests and regular steel helmets). But that's not a weakness of the whole lasgun concept. Far from it. It's the ultimate victory of it, because it means that your enemy has to spend a shitload of money to put every one of his soldiers in expensive top grade armor just to have any hope not them to be instantly destroyed by your endless stream of dead accurate full auto lasgun fire.

On that note, we would like to also note something. Since lasguns have instantaneous hits, they, when massed, make for a good anti air weapon. Something that is lightly Armored will soon be chewed up by the lasfire. This is more heavily covered below. As well, it can kill even those top notch armors. If fired into the eyepiece of a space Marine, you can actually bring him down. In addition, due to the ability to pick up any other version and with a few seconds be able to use it, special troops are not hard to come by. Also, note that massed fire on anything is bound to start dealing damage. If one has a couple dozen squads of Guardsmen focus fire on a squad of Space Marines, they may be disabled from lasgun fire hitting vital areas (ignoring some fluff stating a Space Marine can run as fast as 50mph, and that is difficult to land any degree off accuracy on). In many books, massed lasfire is able to chew on (space marine) armour regardless of hitting hitting exposed parts. This is realistic because las weapons will transfer a lot of energy to the armor material. This means that the armor would rapidly overheat to the point of cooking the marine inside. To avoid this the armor is probably designed to ablate, meaning that the upper coat of the armor itself will vaporize upon being shot to dissipate heat. Once the ablative coat is expended, then even heavy armor would start to take damage from lasguns. However, it does require a decently large group of the bastards, as the average lasgun comes in at... 220 rpm. Preeety slow. Only 3-4 shots per second. This would also be exponentially less effective against bulkier armor like terminator armor because of higher thermal inertia and virtually useless against big armored vehicles. But that's not really a strike against it given that it's an anti-infantry weapon. That's like discounting a modern assault rifle because it can't take down a tank or shoot through a bomb suit. That's not what it's designed for.

== Compared to other small arms ==

The lasgun is arguably one of the least powerful weapons stat-wise, on par with the autogun in the tabletop. This is why it is often compared to a flashlight, highlighting how inadequate it seems in the frightening battlefields of the 41st millennium. We already debunked this, showing how the lasgun is a powerful, flexible weapon which would provide effective firepower to the guardsmen in support of heavier weapons and squad tactics. But would be possible for the Imperium to provide better guns to the average soldier? Is really the lasgun adoption a byproduct of the incompetence of the Mechanicum to provide more powerful weapons? Are the enemies of mankind better armed? We will compare the lasgun to other small arms '''not considering''' the production costs and availability but focusing on battlefield practicality.

==== Imperial Boltguns ====

The imperial boltgun is a very powerful weapon and it's the ideal tool in the hand of the augmented post human. The space marine fulfills a heavy infantry/shock troop(/light armour) hybrid role and such a brutally powerful weapon is very well suited for him. But without the superhuman strength to carry ammunition and the superior training, reflexes and accuracy of a space marine, the recoil-heavy and relatively low capacity boltgun is a poor tool for the average human soldier. This is consistent with the fluff, where human-sized boltguns are available but see very limited adoption.

That said: The sisters of battle while not a guard size force are universally armed with bolt weapons and power armor. Presumable the power armor is what compensates for the recoil and weight of the bolters, even without space marine augmentations the sisters are still a respectable fighting forces. Therefore we can conclude that the primary limitation on boltguns might be less there battle field power, but logistics and that the more shots the lasgun's powerpack offers is the deciding factor, along with production issues because the Imperium being the Imperium, not all forge world may know how to make complicated bolters and bolt rounds.

==== Imperial Plasma Gun/Plasma ====

The plasma gun is very powerful, but even without the little "exploding" problem, the practical rate of fire is probably quite limited before overheating. The plasma gun is bulky and complex to field and mantain. The ability to fry everything up to heavy armor is nice but completely wasted on more numerous targets like cultists, tyranids, rebels, etc. The recoil also is reported to kick like hell. The monstrous power output is bound to have logistical repercussions on magazine capacity, production, storage etc. The plasma gun is a very useful force multiplier, with the peculiar ability to fulfill a wide variety of roles. But a general issued weapon is not one of them.

==== Hotshot weapons ====
The first step up from Lasguns with penetration comparable to Bolters. Seems like a good idea right?While superior overall, They have issues of their own. Not only they are heavier, they require a back mounted battery tethered to the gun itself, requiring Tempestus Scions to wear semi-powered Carapace Armor. They also have much shorter range, so only the best trained Stormtroopers are issued Hotshot weapons.

==== Auxilia lasrifle ====

Even during the great crusade, when the Imperium technology was arguably at his peak, the basic human foot soldier still defaulted to a form of lasrifle not too different from the 40k era one. The 30k lasrifle was equipped with various attachments but their usefulness was questionable at best. The Blast Charger is an odd piece of equipment that gives the user a single high strength shot but with no significant armor penetration at the cost of possible damage to the gun. The krak grenade being a simpler, more powerful and practical substitute. The collimator seems useful but the range extension is probably more than the average human soldier can exploit and ultimately need. As we learned in ww2, almost all small arms combat is fought inside 300 meters range. At longer ranges machine guns, designated marksman rifles, rocket launchers, etc. can do the job better than a combat rifle.

The comparison with the great crusade era is one of the best argument for the lasrifle being an ideal weapon in his role, despite technological availability and production issues. Essentially, a straight upgrade for an individual user, but worse on a galactic grand strategy scale. Thus, although elites can certainly use this to incredible effect, it doesn't really justify the mass logistical necessity of maintaining something more logistically exhaustive in the quadrillion scale that Lasguns are issued.

==== Mechanicum Las-weapons ====

Slightly better lasguns made by the Cog-boys. For their own cannon fodder. Las-Locks weaker than Hot-Shot las-rifles while Mitralocks are laser shotguns. Induction chargers doubles their shots per minute. They are also simple enough for renegade Space Marines and insurgents to build on their own. Sounds pretty good so far doesn't it? However they have some obvious flaws. Not only do Las-locks carry the same weight issues as Hot-shot weapons. Requiring back mounted batteries to power them. The Mechanicus made them exclusively for Tech-Thralls. So anyone who isn't a cyborg or an Astartes would be killed by large amounts of radiation. While [[Dark Heresy]] claims that Las-Locks made by outlaws are tempermental weapons at the best of times. It would not be unfeasible to assume that weapons made by rogue actors are likely to explode at any given moment just like Imperial Plasma Guns.

==== Volkite weapons ====

At the start of the great crusade, the Imperium used to field the powerful and terrifying Volkite guns. These technological marvels were almost completely phased out to the point that they are an extremely rare sight even a couple of centuries later during the Horus Heresy. While this is usually attributed to the Mechanicum inability to produce enough to equip the rapidly expanding Legion Astartes and [[Solar Auxilia]], this does not explain how a weapon that numerous enough to be standard equipment and more powerful than its successor, mostly disappeared from the battlefield. Reason stands that they should have been kept in service for elite units. This means that either the Volkite weapons had some defects that made them less than ideal (that deflagrate ability doesn't seem so cool when the engagement comes to an uncomfortably close range and the range of the smaller versions is quite pitiful) or the weapons themselves were so delicate and maintenance intensive that they simply stopped working. Either way, if the Legions ditched them it seems unfeasible that the Imperial Guard could have adopted them en masse even if the Mechanicum could produce enough of them.

==== Skitarii Rad Carbines / Galvanic Rifles ====

Rad carbines are a very nice tool. Too bad they tend to kill the user by radiation poisoning, so no-no. Galvanic rifles are basically designated marksmen rifles and not clearly intended for general use. They are also not made for use by unaugmented humans. Skitarii have implants and their own Powered Armor that makes them almost as strong as a Space Marine.

==== Arc Rifles ====

Arc rifles are fantastic weapons in all aspects. High rate of fire, good armor penetration, great stopping power. The small problem here is that they also require a full backpack power supply. Again, not a very practical weapon for the average soldier.

== Las weapons and AA ==
The problem of hitting a flying object with a gun is that the flyer is moving at high speed in a three dimensional space. That means that to hit it with a "bullet" you need to know where the flyer be when the bullet will cover the relative distance between the shooter and the target. You need to detect the precise three dimensional position and velocity vectors. Then you have to factor the variable speed of the bullet and his ballistic trajectory. And even if you do all that with the near-perfect accuracy, the target might just change his velocity (maneuver) and dodge it.

That's why in modern warfare all AA, except at the very most close range, is handled to missiles instead of guns.

All this problems disappears if you have a practical las weapon that will fire a las beam at speed of light. Even if your target is - say - 300 kilometers away, the las beam will reach it in a millisecond. Flying at mach 3, the object would displace by only one meter in one millisecond and still be hit. This means that hitting a flyer with a las weapon would be extremely easy even without any dedicated equipment if close enough to be seen by naked eye. With <s>radar</s> auspex firing control you will basically hit flyers as soon as you detect it. The main strength of flyers (being harder to hit) will disappear and they will become the easier targets on the battlefield because they have no chance of cover and they cannot be as hard armored as something on the ground.

However, China and a few other countries (read: every first world country because no duh) have begun research into armor coatings designed to reflect or disperse laser-based weaponry (whereas countries like the US are doing that and increasing the power of their lasers in the knowledge that reflecting or dispersing lasers won't work at a certain level of energy), which would offset that advantage (though perhaps shooting the planes anyway could help guide missiles in the air to their targets and could damage or destroy electronics like targeting devices or cause missiles to detonate inside the target); it helps that the coatings would likely be much less expensive than the lasers themselves. Unfortunately, due to the effects of massed fire, such a coating would soon fail. Or, fire of a certain intensity, again and science says the laser simply won't be affected by such coatings at all...

Even if we invent coating that works perfectly well to protect aircraft, lasers could have a role in missile defence. After all, unless we can easily, and affordably, apply enough coating for every non-reusable explosive missile fired, the upsides of anti-air lasers could revolutionize missile defence.

Unfortunately this would clearly not work in 40k. In M2 some ablative/reflective coating might protect an airplane/missile because nowadays lasers are relatively weak and work by overheating and damaging delicate parts. An imperial lascannon does simply punch a clean hole through a Leman Russ battle tank with a big explosion of stuff rapidly heating to plasma. This will laugh at any "anti laser coating".

==See also==
*[[Hellgun]]
*[[Laspistol]]
*[[Dune]]: from which the term was cribbed.

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