Why aren't navigators strapped to the front of front-line tanks?

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**Tyran**

I'm also extremely skeptical of its killing potential.

You need to be quite close to be able to see the eyes of someone. I'm also doubtful how effective it would be against Orks or Chaos corrupted troops and it would be useless against Tyranids, Daemons and Necrons.

**Haighus**

Might be useful against Necrons, the Warp is supposed to be anathema to them.

It is effective on Orks, but maybe not as effective as against humans. Orks definitely get stunned and some die. This happens in the 3rd Last Chancers novel. In the same scene, it is totally ineffective on a daemon.

**Grey Templar**

Tyran wrote:
I'm also extremely skeptical of its killing potential.

You need to be quite close to be able to see the eyes of someone. I'm also doubtful how effective it would be against Orks or Chaos corrupted troops and it would be useless against Tyranids, Daemons and Necrons.

Given how it is portrayed, I dont think its that you must literally make eye contact. It seems to be enough if you can trace a line from your eyes to theirs you will be affected.

It definitely doesn't work like Medusa so you can be cheeky with mirrors and stuff.

**Tyran**

Grey Templar wrote:
Tyran wrote:
I'm also extremely skeptical of its killing potential.

You need to be quite close to be able to see the eyes of someone. I'm also doubtful how effective it would be against Orks or Chaos corrupted troops and it would be useless against Tyranids, Daemons and Necrons.

Given how it is portrayed, I dont think its that you must literally make eye contact. It seems to be enough if you can trace a line from your eyes to theirs you will be affected.

It definitely doesn't work like Medusa so you can be cheeky with mirrors and stuff.

I'm pretty sure the 40k RPGs have a range limitation on it.

**Haighus**

The rules for the FW navigator model a few years back used a flamer template for the third eye, IIRC. Definitely short-ranged.

**Grey Templar**

Tyran wrote:
Grey Templar wrote:
Tyran wrote:
I'm also extremely skeptical of its killing potential.

You need to be quite close to be able to see the eyes of someone. I'm also doubtful how effective it would be against Orks or Chaos corrupted troops and it would be useless against Tyranids, Daemons and Necrons.

Given how it is portrayed, I dont think its that you must literally make eye contact. It seems to be enough if you can trace a line from your eyes to theirs you will be affected.

It definitely doesn't work like Medusa so you can be cheeky with mirrors and stuff.

I'm pretty sure the 40k RPGs have a range limitation on it.

Yes, there is a range limitation. But there doesn't seem to be a "unless you are looking directly at the Navigator's eye and can make it out and understand what you are seeing" limitation.

IE: You can't just close your eyes or turn around to avoid it. Its gonna eff you up.

**Tyran**

From my limited googlefu, apparently a Night Lord did avoid it by closing his eyes, and the 7th ed description of the power describes looking away as a viable defense (represented by an initiative test).

**the ancient**

Jaq Draco did hack out a navigators eye. After testing on various vagrants, looking out the inside of the flayed eye didnt matter. Looking into the eye left the wretch either insensinate or dead. I dont rememeber which. But it twas powerful enough to kill a 1TK son.
He used to wear it to find some crossroads in the webway.

**tneva82**

FezzikDaBullgryn wrote:
If looking into the 3rd eye of a navigator is literally fatal (I do not know the exact functioning of this) why hasn't this been weaponized by the Imperium? Surely it's not an issue of rarity, where Blanks are weaponized. But how powerful is it? Can they kill anything they can "see" or do they have to look into the eyes of their target? Has they ever been tried? Does it work against only human/mortals?

Sooooo. Put very rare mutation absolutely essential to imperium front of tank....to be killed by random machine gun ranking the tank.

Good Job.

How long you think imperium can travel space without navigators?

Automatically Appended Next Post:

Karak Norn Clansman wrote:
Flinty wrote:
Navigators also have their house to protect them and prevent their use as a pure weapon. The politics of the situation helps them, as the Imperium cannot function without them.

Another thought is that, maybe it does happen, but its not widespread enough to have been discussed much in the lore.

I'm sure there will be inter-family warfare that leads to Navigator Houses losing their power and being persecuted by the Inquisition or other bodies. Maybe some Culexis are actually navigators or from navigator stock. Maybe there is an other Assassin Temple that is fed entirely by extra/failed Navigator offspring. Maybe all titan grade Warp missiles have a servitorized Navigator embedded in their guidance core, and neither the AdMech or Navigator houses like to talk about it much.

This is probably part of the answer. Navigators are a strategic resource and hold a great deal of power. But 40k being bonkers 40k, something in the spirit of strapping a Navigator to a tank may well have happened sometimes with captured outcasts. A fringe occurence, but not beyond the realm of possibility. Humans are but resources to use up, after all, and psykers of all kinds especially so. And whenever Navigators are mistreated in such a manner, it would always be done with as much secrecy as can be mustered, since there is a lot of pain to receive upon House discovery to outweigh any combat gain.

Even then odds are they would be used in other way. Strapped fromt of tank where dies before getting close enough to do the stare...

**Flinty**

I think a bit of comedic licence can be taken as read for the OP. I can see some kind of armoured housing in the hull or turret in The same way psi-titans have embedded psyker support. Either a permanent slot, or a hatch of some kind to unleash the gaze.

But for all the reasons set out above, it wouldn’t be a standard combat solution.

**FezzikDaBullgryn**

It's ok, Tneva only ever signs on to post snarky and insulting posts to mine. It's their entire purpose in life. I've begged them to leave me alone, find a mate, maybe have sexual relations with a few prostitutes, but instead he just decides to point HOW AN OBVIOUS JOKE IS OBVIOUSLY NOT POSSIBLE.