Editing Plasma (section)

==Eldar Plasma Weapons==

While limited as the [[Eldar]] prefer their more stable and accurate [[Eldar Laser Weapons|laser-based weaponry]], they still make use of a few plasma-based weapons.

===Plasma Grenade===
[[File:PlasmaGrenadeEldarProfile.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Plasma Grenade]]
Though the signature feature of Eldar Plasma technology is its reliability to the point of being cool to the touch, that does not mean they don't appreciate exploding Plasma.

Also known as Sunburst Grenades possibly to differentiate, the Plasma Grenades of the Eldar kind are deployed by all three factions of their kind: Craftworlders throw them; Commorraghites toss them; Harlequins juggle them. For Craftworlders, the Plasma Grenades are issued to Guardian Defenders as well as a some of Aspect Warriors – Dire Avengers, Striking Scorpions, and Shadow Spectres – and by extension, Autarchs. For their darker cousins, usage is limited to Wyches and Scourges, and also Corsairs. Harlequin Troupes along with the accompanying Masters are equipped with Plasma Grenades. Though Plasma Grenades are represented over tabletop only by these Eldar factions, that does not mean the notion itself has not strike the other factions of the grimdark future. The Imperium of Man actually uses Plasma Grenades as well, seeing how Rogue Traders as well as Deathwatch Astartes for one may have in possession. If the Orks in general do toss Plasma Grenades, they are likely limited to the Meks who have access to the higher tier of their tech tree. On the other hand, the Tau seems to be content with just Photon Grenades, though Battlesuits tossing grenades might be an interesting prospect. The Necrons and the Tyranids do not seem to deploy Plasma Grenades, or any grenade for the matter.

While the Imperium relies on deliberate Plasma containment breach for their Plasma Grenades, those of the Eldar apply a different design principle like having an actual miniaturized star in there ready to go nova by the grenade pin or something.
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PlasmaGrenadeDireAvenger.jpg|<center>Dire Avenger</center>
PlasmaGrenadeStrikingScorpion.jpg|<center>Striking Scorpion</center>
PlasmaGrenadeAutarch.jpg|<center>Autarch</center>
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===Starcannon===
[[File:Starcannon.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Starcannon]]
It may not look like one, but the Starcannon is the smallest Plasma weapon deployed by Craftworld Eldar.

The Starcannon fires Plasma in many smaller pulses as opposed to single stronger ones, using sophisticated electromagnetic pulses to guide bolts of destructive plasma to a target. Though its Plasma core produces the incandescent heat of a star, unlike its crude and clumsy Imperial counterparts the Starcannon uses sophisticated containment fields to not only prevent the weapon overheating, but going as far as to keep it cool to the touch. Unless you count their Sunburst Grenades, this is as small as it gets for the category. Though its shape is somewhat similar to a few other weapons, there are a couple of ways for you to tell a Starcannon apart.

Most distinctive is the Plasma coil, but since that part is sometimes covered by a shroud, the second most distinctive part you may look for is the trinity of canisters at the very back of the weapon. As practically the Plasma Cannon for the Craftworld Eldar, the Starcannon sees a healthy militaristic application. [[Guardian|Guardian Defenders]] may mount one on their [[Support Weapon Battery|Heavy Weapons Platform,]] and Wraith constructs may similarly do so as well on their shoulders. Smaller vehicles such as [[Vyper]]s and [[Eldar War Walker|War Walkers]] may also has the gun attached. Larger vehicles such as the [[Wave Serpent]] and the [[Falcon]] may have one as part of their turrets. Finally, [[Crimson Hunter]] Exarchs may swap the usual pair of Bright Lances with Starcannons.

Since the Starcannon doesn't blow up ever, the fact that humanity uses a weapon that could maim and/or kill the wielder is seen by the Eldar as a testament to [[Derp|our idiocy]]. That said, if they're so reliable, it begs the question as to why the Eldar never created a handheld version of the Starcannon for use by their infantry like the Imperium and the Tau.
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StarcannonGuardianPlatform.jpg|<center>Heavy Weapons Platform</center>
StarcannonGuardianPlatformPict.jpg|<center>Pict Capture</center>
StarcannonVyper.jpg|<center>Vyper</center>
StarcannonWarWalker.jpg|<center>War Walker</center>
StarcannonWaveSerpent.jpg|<center>Wave Serpent</center>
StarcannonWraithknight.jpg|<center>Wraithknight</center>
StarcannonWraithlord.jpg|<center>Wraithlord</center>
StarcannonFalcon.jpg|<center>Falcon</center>
StarcannonCrimsonHunter.jpg|<center>Crimson Hunter Exarch</center>
StarcannonCrimsonHunterPict.jpg|<center>Pict Capture</center>
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===Disintegrator Cannon===
[[File:Disintegrator_Cannon.png|200px|right|thumb|Disintegrator Cannon]]
Plasma weapons are often described as striking with the force of a sun. Because of the pathological need to make everything [[Grimdark|dark and edgy]], Disintegrator Cannons of the [[Dark Eldar]] are powered by a stolen sun. 

To be specific, the Disintegrator Cannon fires particles of unstable matter harnessed from a stolen sun, each shot capable of atomizing the most heavily armored warrior. Far more sophisticated than the conventional breed, it maintains a high rate of fire and always remains cool to the touch even in the fiercest battles despite the ravening energies housed within. Indeed that unlike the crude Plasma-weaponry of more primitive races, Dark Eldar Disintegrators are able to maintain a phenomenal rate of fire without suffering an overload or reducing themselves to slag through excess heat. The [[Raider]] combat skimmer may use on as its turret.

Likewise, the [[Ravager]] variant with its two additional side turrets may mount up to three Disintegrator Cannons. While the Suncannon is limited to only Exarchs for the Crimson Hunters, [[Razorwing Jetfighter]]s all have access to Disintegrator Cannons. Another large vehicle with Disintegrator Cannons is the [[Tantalus]]. The two cannons mounted on the nose of the Tantalus are actually stock parts. They are commonly found on Commoraghite starships. In a space-borne environment, they were considered somewhat low-powered. In the confines of the Dark City, however, they are ridiculously strong. Anyone struck by the Tantalus’s Disintegrators is killed instantly, exploding as the water in their cells turned to superheated steam.

That starship-grade breed of Disintegrator Cannons on the Tantalus is called Pulse-disintegrator, by the way. More can be read below.
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DisintegratorCannonRaiderSide.jpg|<center>Raider</center>
DisintegratorCannonRaiderSide2.jpg|<center>Side View</center>
DisintegratorCannonRavagerFront.jpg|<center>Ravager</center>
DisintegratorCannonRavagerSide.jpg|<center>Side View</center>
DisintegratorCannonRavagerTurret.jpg|<center>Turret Side</center>
DisintegratorCannonRavagerTurretFront.jpg|<center>Turret Front</center>
DisintegratorCannonRazorwingJetfighter.jpg|<center>Razorwing Jetfighter</center>
Pulse-disintegrator.jpg|<center>Pulse-disintegrator</center>
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===Pulse-Disintegrator===
[[File:Pulse-Disintegrators.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Pulse-Disintegrator]]
The bigger cousin of the Disintegrator Cannons.

Pulse-Disintegrators are Dark Eldar weapons mounted on vehicles, for example - on the front hull of a [[Tantalus|Tantalus grav-tank.]] These weapons fire rapid pulses of unstable subatomic matter, vaporizing their targets. Unlike crude Plasma Weapons of primitive races, Dark Eldar disintegrators are able to maintain a high rate of fire without overheating. [[Awesome|It is for all intents and purposes, a rapid-firing Plasma Cannon without the need in gimping its firepower.]]

On tabletop, these things are a Dark Angels player's wet dream, these monsters are essentially an [[Powergamer|overcharged Plasma Cannon,]] [[Cheese|but with a cooling system that actually works]] [[Dakka|and the rate of fire of an Assault Cannon]]...[[Anal circumference|Oh, and the Tantalus comes with two of them.]] [[Rape|You couldn't catch a bus back to 'overkill'.]]

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Pulse-Disintegrators_Front.JPG|<center>Front</center>
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===Suncannon===
[[File:Suncannon.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Suncannon]]
While the Starcannon is at just the right size to be viable for many installations, 40K being 40K, bigger vehicles need bigger guns.

For this particular case, the vehicle in question is the [[Wraithknight]], and only the Wraithknight so far. The Suncannon is the souped-up version of the Starcannon above with notably more oomph. It is a larger and also noticeably longer Eldar Plasma weapon. A Suncannon is a rapid-firing weapon and its wide and potent blasts are able to pierce all but the heaviest types of armor worn by enemy infantry – that is, this thing wipes out whole platoons. It is also hauntingly accurate due to the use of a sophisticated electromagnetic pulse to guide its lethal blasts to enemy targets. Really, it has all the properties of a Starcannon, only in a much bigger scale.

As with all Eldar Plasma weapons, it is far superior to its Imperial counterparts – which for now is only the Plasma Decimator since the Imperial Knights are kinda lacking in variety of weaponry over the Plasma spectrum – as the core of the weapon is protected by a sophisticated series of electromagnetic containment fields to ensure the weapon will never overheat in the hands of its wielder despite producing the incandescent heat of a sun. Unlike the Starcannon, the Suncannon does not come with an exposed Plasma coil for us to identify. But do not worry, because the Suncannon retains the distinctive triple canisters by the top side.

The Suncannon is identical in pretty much every way to the Starcannon except that it dispenses pie plates instead of ho-hum boring-old hits.
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SuncannonSide.jpg|<center>Side View</center>
SuncannonSide2.jpg|<center>Side View</center>
SuncannonBack.jpg|<center>Back View</center>
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===Heavy Starcannon===
[[File:HeavyStarcannon.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Heavy Starcannon]]
The Absolute UNIT of plasma weapons and possibly one of the biggest one to date.

The much <u>LARGER</u> brother of the standard Starcannon (Larger being a ''massive'' understatement). The Heavy Starcannon works in much the same way as its tinier sibling, just on the scale to match Battlefleet Gothic. These things are commonly mounted on Eldar starships and are very much the equivalent of the Imperial [[Macrocannon]]s we know and love.

As noted, it is notorious for the fact that [[Derp|it is not mounted on a turret,]] meaning that the entire ship needs to steer in order to aim. While one could argue that it frees up internal space and eases construction. The problem is that the ships are in space, a 3-dimensional void where you really, <u>''REALLY''</u> need a turret to hit anywhere given its three dimensions ''and'' the sheer vastness of it. Although 40k is just one of many Sci-Fi franchises guilty of designing their warships like WW1-era battleships, the design of Eldar vessels in general is one of the more notorious examples.

You might think it would be easy to turn the whole ship in vacuum, so turrets wouldn't be important, but you'd be dead wrong. Space is big... really, really mind-bogglingly big, even in combat, spacecraft aren't likely to be very close at all, and the sheer precision required to hit anything at those kinds of ranges goes well beyond minutes or even seconds of angle. While turning and orienting any object with great precision is hard, doing so with a massive object is orders of magnitude harder, even if that big heavy something is "extremely maneuverable". Good luck turning that kilometer-long cruiser with single-molecule precision. Once you realize that, you know that you need to turn as small a mass as possible to get the job done, and if your super-advanced space elf technology isn't up to the challenge of fitting an effective anti-spacecraft weapon in a turret, then it sure as hell isn't going to be up to the much tougher challenge of pointing things at other things in space. For Cegorach's sake, even the mon-keigh figured out turrets, and once they invented them, were smart enough to stop using fixed gun mounts altogether.

Compared to the [[Naval Lascannon]]s used by Craftworlders, Heavy Starcannons are shorter-ranged and have a lower projectile speed in contrast to the literal lightspeed of the Lascannon. However, Corsairs are able to mount a metric shit ton more Starcannons than the few diddly Lascannons of the Craftworlders.

Both Eldar and their [[Dark Eldar|Edgier cousins]] use Heavy Starcannons as their secondary ship weapons. The former fires blue plasma bolts while the latter fires pinkish-purple bolts for your convenience.

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