Editing Chaos Heavy Cruiser


The '''Heavy Cruiser''' is a warship type originally used by the Imperium of Man, but now is primarily seen in the service of the [[Chaos|Great Enemy]].  As an early attempt to create a cheaper and easier-to-maintain class of ships that could replace the [[Imperial Navy Grand Cruiser|Grand Cruisers]], Heavy Cruisers try to capture the firepower of a Battleship on the smaller but swifter frame of the Cruiser.

Heavy Cruisers fell out of favor with Navy commanders due to the costs involved in maintaining their advanced systems.  Their roles in fleets were soon filled by [[Imperial Navy Battlecruiser|Battlecruisers]], which were much economical to construct and easier to maintain due to using simpler technology.

[[Chaos]] has no such bias, and over the millennia ships of this type have made their way into [[Fleets of Chaos|Traitor fleets]].  

==Heavy Cruiser Classes==
===Acheron===

A testbed for experimental and possibly xenos-based technologies, only one was thought to have been built.  Said ship suddenly defected to the side of [[Abaddon]]'s forces during the [[Gothic War]].  Multiple ships of the same type were spotted since that time, which means that there's a [[Dark Mechanicus]] [[Forge World]] somewhere churning them out.

A dedicated [[Lance]]-boat, the '''Acheron''-class features long-ranged [[Lance]] broadsides, a mid-ranged dorsal Lance battery, and mid-ranged forward-mounted Weapons battery

===Hades===

The Ordinance-boat of the Heavy Cruisers, the '''Hades'''-class is equipped to engage opponents at not-quite brawling range.  While it doesn't have the shields or armor to take a sustained firefight with larger ships,  it's still more than a match of any Imperial Cruiser.

The Hades is the mirror of the Acheron, weapons-wise, with mid-ranged Macro Weapons Battery broadsides supplemented by a long-ranged forward-mounted [[Lance]] battery, and dorsal-mounted long-ranged Lance turrets.

===Styx===

A Carrier-type, the '''Styx'''-class was eventually phased out in favor of the ''Mars''-class Battlecruiser.  A versatile design, many Chaos Lords appreciate its ability to provide Fighter and Bomber support on top of its long-ranged weapons.

The Styx features a pair of Launch Bays, with a long-ranged Weapons Battery and long-ranged dorsal [[Lance]] battery. The long-ranged guns means that the ship can keep relatively out of danger while still being able to contribute the firepower of its weapons.

==In Battlefleet Gothic==

Heavy Cruisers are a good source of firepower if [[Chaos Battleship|Battleships]] or [[Chaos Grand Cruiser|Grand Cruisers]] are unavailable for some reason (like lack of models).  Barring the Styx, they're somewhat cheap points-wise, but always keep in mind that they're not any tougher than a regular Cruiser.

A Heavy Cruiser may be taken for every two Cruisers in a list.  Like any other ship on the Chaos list, any one commanded by a [[Chaos Lord]] may select a Mark of Chaos, and gets the option of adding Chaos Space Marine crew for additional cost.

==In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 1 & 2==

A slight upgrade over regular Cruisers, Heavy Cruisers feature better weaponry in exchange for a more limited selection of vessels.  They're a smidgen more costly than a regular Cruiser as well, so they can't round off points as efficiently.

The roles of the three Heavy Cruisers available are clearly delineated, so it really falls under a player's preference how the ships fill their fleet list. 

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]
[[Category:Battlefleet Gothic]]
[[Category:Chaos]]
[[Category:Fleets of Chaos]]
[[Category:Chaos Space Marines]]