Dreadnoughts are described as being made up of great heroes and commanders. So why is it that their roles are reduced to telling stories and blowing stuff up? Do any dreadnoughts have any authority or commanding roles? If not, why is this?

It's mostly because they spend most of their time in slumber. Dreadnoughts are awakened for war and special occasions.

That Being said, there are plenty of precedence for Dreadnoughts leading men in battle, usually because a commanding officer fell or the Dreadnought is in the right place at the right time. But hell, Space Wolf Venerable Dreadnoughts used to be an HQ or Elite choice, i don't know if they still are.

Nope. This is because they are only awoken every ten years or something like that, in "the direst of circumstances".

Sure, they can command and lead armies. Take the Fall of Damnos for example; some crazy Dreadnought took command and eventually martyred (read: exploded) himself.

Dread not, elderly, for your years of service to the Emperor reward you with bingo on Tuesday nights.

Active commanders are exactly that, active, they need to be around all the time to organise and work, an entombed marine just isn't able to do that. Being entombed in a dreadnaught is seen as one of the greatest honours, so a marine entombed would fill that role gladly even if it ment losing command. The role they play in the chapter is equally as important as that of members of the command structure, they provide a direct link to the chapter's past, which for some can be 1000's of years.

And as already said, there are many examples of dreadnaughts leading forces, the most obvious to understand would be the defence of fortress monestries when the majority of marines are off world, seeing as dreadnaughts are kept asleep in protected rooms in the armoury.

One of the important things to remember is that dreadnaughts cannot be kept awake for too long as the effects can cause the entombed marine to lose his mind.

Darkvoidof40k wrote:Nope. This is because they are only awoken every ten years or something like that, in "the direst of circumstances".

It is more like every 100 years.

What about Bjorn the fell handed? isn't he awake more often then other dreads? I'm sure he leads strike forces too.

Lappie wrote:What about Bjorn the fell handed? isn't he awake more often then other dreads? I'm sure he leads strike forces too.

Get gets awoken every century to hold court at the Great Feast, but if Bjorn goes into battle, it's a good indicator that crap has hit the fan.

Bjorn the Fellhanded is one of the most ancient of dreadnoughts, having served alongside Leman Russ before his internment. He spends the majority of his time in a stasis-shielded vault in the Fang on Fenris, and is awoken only rarely, generally when a new Great Hunt is called, or if Fenris itself is threatened.

Of course, players featuring him in their SW armies will be waking him up every time their points-allocation allows.. but that is a different thing entirely.

Lappie wrote:What about Bjorn the fell handed? isn't he awake more often then other dreads? I'm sure he leads strike forces too.

As other people said, Bjorn is only awoken on extraordinary circumstances. But he has led Sm forces in the past (battle for the Fang for example).

BluntmanDC wrote:And as already said, there are many examples of dreadnaughts leading forces, the most obvious to understand would be the defence of fortress monestries when the majority of marines are off world.

For example Waagh! Big Skorcha that attacked the Baal system in 798.M41 - the Blood Angels were spread out on the moons and in orbit fighting orks when the warboss landed and headed for their fortress-monastery. Sadly for the orks all the Blood Angels' 41 functional dreadnoughts under command of a Venerable Furioso Astramael were awake. They had been deemed unsuitable for boarding ships or sweeping the moons for orks and so were left to defend home base.

Psienesis wrote:
Of course, players featuring him in their SW armies will be waking him up every time their points-allocation allows.. but that is a different thing entirely.

Bjorn we had no choice in this: war is comming and... we had points to spare. so you are comming along again. like last week... and the one before that...

Ahh blood angels. . . more dreadnoughts than almost anyone else by far. If you read Rynn's World you will see that Dreadnoughts are usually woken for either great need or a great rememberance. Do not take into consideration Chaos Dreadnoughts for they are most all mad from being awake to long in a coffin.

The Blood Swords are a Codex Chapter with the notable distinction of their Chapter Master being entombed within a Dreadnought. Lord Daggan is a Space Marine Dreadnought who was once Chapter Master of the Blood Swords Space Marine chapter. He died defending the remains of Sanguinius on Baal.

Dreadnoughts will often take command in the absense or incapacitation of a suitible commanding officer.


their primary purpose is to serve as an advisor and almighty weapon of war.

Dreadnoughts often sit on the Chapter Council.

Dreadnoughts don't have to spend loads of time in slumber, but it helps preserve their sanity. and most of the time their wisdom isn't needed and as such they have nothing to do. so, nap time.

Dante of the Blood Angels is the oldest Space Marine (not in a Dreadnaught) and they say he consults a council of Furioso Dreadnaughts prior to every battle and decision he makes.

Thats pretty much Dreadnaughts taking a command role.

BluntmanDC wrote:It is more like every 100 years.

Not true. I'll try and find where I read my fluff and cite it here.

Depends on chapter. Some rely on them more and take trhem out for walks more often. Others leave them in the home and only visit when they want money or to be put in the will.

To me it has always seemed dreads are like a punishment..... why put some great soldier in one of these? I understand service to the emperor and all. However this seems like a hellish life.

Nerivant wrote:

Lappie wrote:What about Bjorn the fell handed? isn't he awake more often then other dreads? I'm sure he leads strike forces too.

Get gets awoken every century to hold court at the Great Feast, but if Bjorn goes into battle, it's a good indicator that crap has hit the fan.

How frustrating would that be? Watching everyone else eating while you're stuck in a metal coffin with legs. People occasionally leaning towards you going 'Bjorn? BJORN? ARE YOU ALRIGHT THERE? ARE YOU WARM ENOUGH? DO YOU NEED A BLANKET?' and nodding pityingly when he keeps on saying 'I'm 10,463 you know, I remember when this was all fields.'

But to the OP, there is a cool Chaplain Dreadnought in the Badab war books that can be taken as an HQ choice.

The_Happy_Pig wrote:

How frustrating would that be? Watching everyone else eating while you're stuck in a metal coffin with legs.

He 10,463 years old, he's happy so long as he gets his apple sauce and medicines

As for dreadnaughts, I think it's probably best if they are left sleeping most of the time, and only awakened when necessary, otherwise you go rather peculiar.

I know that for chaos dreadnoughts are a punishment, because they are not allowed to sleep between usage so go mad. In one of the old novels, there was a SW who infiltrated Huron Blackheart's flagship, and when he got outed, his punishment was to be entombed in a dreadnought sarcophagus (just the box, no arms or legs) and jettisoned into space, while awake, and according to the novel the sarcophagus would sustain him for a very long time before it ran out of air/food/etc.

xXSir MontyXx wrote:To me it has always seemed dreads are like a punishment..... why put some great soldier in one of these? I understand service to the emperor and all. However this seems like a hellish life.

Doesn't seem so bad to me. Sleep in late, and only be woken up when someone needs to know what to do or it's time to kill a whole bunch of people. I'd take that job.

FeistierErmine wrote:

xXSir MontyXx wrote:To me it has always seemed dreads are like a punishment..... why put some great soldier in one of these? I understand service to the emperor and all. However this seems like a hellish life.

Doesn't seem so bad to me. Sleep in late, and only be woken up when someone needs to know what to do or it's time to kill a whole bunch of people. I'd take that job.

Considering the alternatives in the 40K universe I probably take it.

lol @ the Bjorn getting his applesauce comment


Automatically Appended Next Post:
as dreadnoughts sit around telling each other about how scouts from thier company are doing so well in thier jobs and are going to come visit soon haha......



I am sad now, I should write my grandpa a letter...

VikingScott wrote:

FeistierErmine wrote:

xXSir MontyXx wrote:To me it has always seemed dreads are like a punishment..... why put some great soldier in one of these? I understand service to the emperor and all. However this seems like a hellish life.

Doesn't seem so bad to me. Sleep in late, and only be woken up when someone needs to know what to do or it's time to kill a whole bunch of people. I'd take that job.

Considering the alternatives in the 40K universe I probably take it.

Don't forget how you get their first.

Lysenis wrote:

VikingScott wrote:

FeistierErmine wrote:

xXSir MontyXx wrote:To me it has always seemed dreads are like a punishment..... why put some great soldier in one of these? I understand service to the emperor and all. However this seems like a hellish life.

Doesn't seem so bad to me. Sleep in late, and only be woken up when someone needs to know what to do or it's time to kill a whole bunch of people. I'd take that job.

Considering the alternatives in the 40K universe I probably take it.

Don't forget how you get their first.

So, live a life full of shooting, stabbing, and killing, get grievously wounded, then keep living a life of sleeping, and more killing, but in a walking tank?

I'd still take that job.

The time of being awake would eventually add up right? So is there an average amount of time it would take them to lose their minds?

Another question..... do they go through rituals and stuff like titans do when they are awoken?

xXSir MontyXx wrote:The time of being awake would eventually add up right? So is there an average amount of time it would take them to lose their minds?

Another question..... do they go through rituals and stuff like titans do when they are awoken?

Bjorn is still pretty sane, and I assume that all of the Librarian Furioso's are too (otherwise they'd go mad with Psychic energy and kill stuff, left, right, front, centre and in other dimensions). But BA are totally different.. any Dreadnought might succumb to the Black Rage and go mad anyway at any time..

But Dreadnought's generally stay sane.. well.. forever. It's just so long as they remain in stasis for reasonable amounts of time.

edit: and yes, they go through many rituals overseen by the Tech Priests (and perhaps a Chaplain or Librarian or close friend as well, depending on the circumstances).

Darkvoidof40k wrote:

xXSir MontyXx wrote:The time of being awake would eventually add up right? So is there an average amount of time it would take them to lose their minds?

Another question..... do they go through rituals and stuff like titans do when they are awoken?

Bjorn is still pretty sane, and I assume that all of the Librarian Furioso's are too (otherwise they'd go mad with Psychic energy and kill stuff, left, right, front, centre and in other dimensions). But BA are totally different.. any Dreadnought might succumb to the Black Rage and go mad anyway at any time..

But Dreadnought's generally stay sane.. well.. forever. It's just so long as they remain in stasis for reasonable amounts of time.

edit: and yes, they go through many rituals overseen by the Tech Priests (and perhaps a Chaplain or Librarian or close friend as well, depending on the circumstances).

Interesting..... so their down time is more like a cool-down period for their mind.

xXSir MontyXx wrote:

Darkvoidof40k wrote:

xXSir MontyXx wrote:The time of being awake would eventually add up right? So is there an average amount of time it would take them to lose their minds?

Another question..... do they go through rituals and stuff like titans do when they are awoken?

Bjorn is still pretty sane, and I assume that all of the Librarian Furioso's are too (otherwise they'd go mad with Psychic energy and kill stuff, left, right, front, centre and in other dimensions). But BA are totally different.. any Dreadnought might succumb to the Black Rage and go mad anyway at any time..

But Dreadnought's generally stay sane.. well.. forever. It's just so long as they remain in stasis for reasonable amounts of time.

edit: and yes, they go through many rituals overseen by the Tech Priests (and perhaps a Chaplain or Librarian or close friend as well, depending on the circumstances).

Interesting..... so their down time is more like a cool-down period for their mind.

Yep.. I imagine it's like being really high on Cannabis or Marajuana, 'cept without any bad side affects. It's a swirling, incoherant dream-world of memories and facts all mixed together.

Isent deathend full in a dread because of beeing mortly wounded after a fight or the chapter mast or the blood ravens either or(I get muddled up with them).

Im pretty sure that their was some dreadnought commanders in the space wolfs and ultramarine. Pretty sure the ultras name was agrrippa.

HAZZER wrote:Isent deathend full in a dread because of beeing mortly wounded after a fight or the chapter mast or the blood ravens either or(I get muddled up with them).

Sorry buddy, but I'm drawing a blank on this one. What?

So what is the max they should be awake? a coule of years maybe? Keyword: SHOULD

xXSir MontyXx wrote:So what is the max they should be awake? a coule of years maybe? Keyword: SHOULD

I'd say they're usually only awakened for chapter council on important matters or for a campaign/large or important battle. Most of the time, they won't even be needed in a fight.

The way that.dreads are sometimes portarared in black library books and why they are not normally In command is because their minds start to slip when they are interned. They still think they are at a past battle, normally the one where they were killed. Understandable, really they sleep for so long and when woken still think they are dreaming.

Fists of the emperor wrote:The way that.dreads are sometimes portarared in black library books and why they are not normally In command is because their minds start to slip when they are interned. They still think they are at a past battle, normally the one where they were killed. Understandable, really they sleep for so long and when woken still think they are dreaming.

Not particularly so. Whilst there is some truth to this, they're usually completely coherent when they're fully awake.

I do remember from the Blood Angel Ominibus that one of the Blood Angel chapters had a dreadnought Chapter Master. it was either in the omnibus or the following books and since I do not have them infront of me I can not rightly tell you which. . .

I would hate to be being supported by a blood angel dread and have it go berserk on me and my men when it goes into the black rage....

xXSir MontyXx wrote:I would hate to be being supported by a blood angel dread and have it go berserk on me and my men when it goes into the black rage....

Yeah, that would be pretty bad.

It'd be even worse if it was your commander.

"Venerated one, what are your orders?"

"HORUS! I WILL DESTROY YOU!"

Dreads do have a say on tactics- just not during the battle. There are better things for a dreadnought to be doing than standing around giving orders. That and they are big targets so standing still isn't a good idea.

Before the battle SM often go and get advice from dreadnoughts. When things get bad they wake up an old hero and see what he would do.

Has a marine in a dreadnaught ever been taken out and healed completly? That way he would be like a normal marine again?

UNREALPwnage wrote:Has a marine in a dreadnaught ever been taken out and healed completly? That way he would be like a normal marine again?

The sarcophagus is a life-support system. A marine that could survive being removed from one probably wouldn't ever end up in one, anyway.

Nerivant wrote:

UNREALPwnage wrote:Has a marine in a dreadnaught ever been taken out and healed completly?

The sarcophagus is a life-support system. A marine that could survive being removed from one probably wouldn't ever end up in one, anyway.

There's emergencies that require drastic measures just in order to get the patient somewhere he can be saved. One could imagine a situation where the dreadnought is the only available life support that can keep a wounded hero alive until they get him to the chapter's main medical facilities. I'm just not sure you don't need those fine facilities to inter him in a dread to start with.

xXSir MontyXx wrote:So what is the max they should be awake? a coule of years maybe? Keyword: SHOULD

I imagine a Dread could be awake for a considerably long time. They probably woulnt bother to put him back to sleep when in a campaign for example and just let him mosey around on the deployment deck or some such, to help train marines or tell stories.

We must all remember the REASON chaos dreads are so mad, they are not only kept awake all the time, but all power is taken from them when stored, so they can't see out and hear what is around them, all they hear is they're own breathing inside the sarcophagus.

UltraHawk wrote:

xXSir MontyXx wrote:So what is the max they should be awake? a coule of years maybe? Keyword: SHOULD

I imagine a Dread could be awake for a considerably long time. They probably woulnt bother to put him back to sleep when in a campaign for example and just let him mosey around on the deployment deck or some such, to help train marines or tell stories.

We must all remember the REASON chaos dreads are so mad, they are not only kept awake all the time, but all power is taken from them when stored, so they can't see out and hear what is around them, all they hear is they're own breathing inside the sarcophagus.

Good lord I would hate to do that! I would be crazy to! Being awake but in total darkness for DECADES, wit demons and the like prowling through your mind all of the time.

xXSir MontyXx wrote:To me it has always seemed dreads are like a punishment..... why put some great soldier in one of these? I understand service to the emperor and all. However this seems like a hellish life.

To Chaos dreads are a punishment. But for the SM, they get put in a big walking tank before they die so they can keep fighting for them, it is a great honour. Don't know why. It would just be:

sleep
sleep
sleep
crush ork skull
sleep

115th Cadian Shock Troops wrote:

xXSir MontyXx wrote:To me it has always seemed dreads are like a punishment..... why put some great soldier in one of these? I understand service to the emperor and all. However this seems like a hellish life.

To Chaos dreads are a punishment. But for the SM, they get put in a big walking tank before they die so they can keep fighting for them, it is a great honour. Don't know why. It would just be:

sleep
sleep
sleep
crush ork skull
sleep

Exactly my point.

Mr Nobody wrote:Dreadnoughts are described as being made up of great heroes and commanders. So why is it that their roles are reduced to telling stories and blowing stuff up? Do any dreadnoughts have any authority or commanding roles? If not, why is this?

Yes, The Blood Swords' Chapter master is a Dread.

~~Yzz

In the latest HH book there is a story called 'The Iron Within'. It contains an aside which gives a somewhat graphic look at a dreadnought, its occupant and the reverence associated with it. I found it sad yet illuminating.

Uhlan wrote:In the latest HH book there is a story called 'The Iron Within'. It contains an aside which gives a somewhat graphic look at a dreadnought, its occupant and the reverence associated with it. I found it sad yet illuminating.

I remember that, it was messy.

Because they are too big to fit in the chairs at the retirement home, and all people do at retirement homes is sit in chairs, so they figured "This sucks, so I might as well scourge the heretic"

Uhlan wrote:In the latest HH book there is a story called 'The Iron Within'. It contains an aside which gives a somewhat graphic look at a dreadnought, its occupant and the reverence associated with it. I found it sad yet illuminating.

When did that come out? Any clue if it's out up north?

Leigen_Zero wrote:

The_Happy_Pig wrote:

How frustrating would that be? Watching everyone else eating while you're stuck in a metal coffin with legs.

He 10,463 years old, he's happy so long as he gets his apple sauce and medicines

As for dreadnaughts, I think it's probably best if they are left sleeping most of the time, and only awakened when necessary, otherwise you go rather peculiar.

I know that for chaos dreadnoughts are a punishment, because they are not allowed to sleep between usage so go mad. In one of the old novels, there was a SW who infiltrated Huron Blackheart's flagship, and when he got outed, his punishment was to be entombed in a dreadnought sarcophagus (just the box, no arms or legs) and jettisoned into space, while awake, and according to the novel the sarcophagus would sustain him for a very long time before it ran out of air/food/etc.

Actually that was a Red Corsair Librarian/Sorceror (Previously an Astral Claw) who was trying to defect back to the Imperium in return for infomation on Huron. And, yeah... nasty end.

So im guessing a dreadnaught pilot is pretty much guaranteed an "honorable" death since they have done more for the Emperor than most.

Yzz wrote:

Mr Nobody wrote:Dreadnoughts are described as being made up of great heroes and commanders. So why is it that their roles are reduced to telling stories and blowing stuff up? Do any dreadnoughts have any authority or commanding roles? If not, why is this?

Yes, The Blood Swords' Chapter master is a Dread.

~~Yzz

so is the blood ravens or at least doesent Gabriel Angelos nearly die at the end of retubution being held by Captain Apollo Diomedes.

HAZZER wrote:

Yzz wrote:

Mr Nobody wrote:Dreadnoughts are described as being made up of great heroes and commanders. So why is it that their roles are reduced to telling stories and blowing stuff up? Do any dreadnoughts have any authority or commanding roles? If not, why is this?

Yes, The Blood Swords' Chapter master is a Dread.

~~Yzz

so is the blood ravens or at least doesent Gabriel Angelos nearly die at the end of retubution being held by Captain Apollo Diomedes.

Do you know what I think?

I think Dreadnoughts would make great bodybuilders (+1 for anyone who got the unintentional pun) cus 'der 'uge!

purplefood wrote:

HAZZER wrote:

Yzz wrote:

Mr Nobody wrote:Dreadnoughts are described as being made up of great heroes and commanders. So why is it that their roles are reduced to telling stories and blowing stuff up? Do any dreadnoughts have any authority or commanding roles? If not, why is this?

Yes, The Blood Swords' Chapter master is a Dread.

~~Yzz

so is the blood ravens or at least doesent Gabriel Angelos nearly die at the end of retubution being held by Captain Apollo Diomedes.

Spoiler:

Angelos gets fixed up and becomes Chapter Master

my bad..

...Hazzer=Ultrasmurf player

Ultrasmurf player=bad.

blazinpsycho&typhooni wrote:

Uhlan wrote:In the latest HH book there is a story called 'The Iron Within'. It contains an aside which gives a somewhat graphic look at a dreadnought, its occupant and the reverence associated with it. I found it sad yet illuminating.

When did that come out? Any clue if it's out up north?

Yes, it's out in North America, I got my copy a week ago.

im2randomghgh wrote:...Hazzer=Ultrasmurf player

Ultrasmurf player=bad.

Lets keep it civil shall we?

purplefood wrote:

im2randomghgh wrote:...Hazzer=Ultrasmurf player

Ultrasmurf player=bad.

Lets keep it civil shall we?

Alright. We'll put him to sleep with drugs first, and then put the bolter round through his skull. He won't feel a thing. Glory to Chaos!*

*Morally acceptable slaughter now included, for a limited time only!

Mr Nobody wrote:

blazinpsycho&typhooni wrote:

Uhlan wrote:In the latest HH book there is a story called 'The Iron Within'. It contains an aside which gives a somewhat graphic look at a dreadnought, its occupant and the reverence associated with it. I found it sad yet illuminating.

When did that come out? Any clue if it's out up north?

Yes, it's out in North America, I got my copy a week ago.

Is the iron within a book or a story? and if it is a story, what's the book called?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Darkvoidof40k wrote:

purplefood wrote:

im2randomghgh wrote:...Hazzer=Ultrasmurf player

Ultrasmurf player=bad.

Lets keep it civil shall we?

Alright. We'll put him to sleep with drugs first, and then put the bolter round through his skull. He won't feel a thing. Glory to Chaos!*

*Morally acceptable slaughter now included, for a limited time only!

Or we can just put SO MANY drugs in him that he goes to sleep, and the goes comatose, and while he is vegetal, we feed him to the zombies from the "a vindicare, grey knight brother captain, and an Inquisitor walk into a space hulk..." thread.

That works too.

I thought chaos dreads were so psycho because they get denied the chance for their soul to join with chaos, plus the whole sensory deprivation thing to a sensation-obsessed CSM... need I say more?
Normal marine dreadboys are saner (mostly) because they have no greater wish than to serve the emperor for as long and as well as they can.

CSM dreads are psycho because they have spent a few thousand years in a metal cage with no idea of the outside world...
SM dreads aren't as insane because they spend their time in stasis.

Lysenis wrote:I do remember from the Blood Angel Ominibus that one of the Blood Angel chapters had a dreadnought Chapter Master. it was either in the omnibus or the following books and since I do not have them infront of me I can not rightly tell you which. . .

It was the book Red Fury, where a council of the Blood Angel Chapter and Sccessors was called, the Dradnought Chapter Master appeared.

I believe Dread could haveleadership roles, but their need for slumber as they age, their need for maintenence, their less mobile forms, and their...well, mental degradation? (When you hear the speech of the dread in DoWII, you feel he's not all there) can hinder that. Otherwise their centuries of experience makes them fantastic advisors.

Who gets to give Baal his sponge bath?

Baal is a planet...

purplefood wrote:Baal is a planet...

\

Someone with too much time, then?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Dark Apostle 666 wrote:I thought chaos dreads were so psycho because they get denied the chance for their soul to join with chaos, plus the whole sensory deprivation thing to a sensation-obsessed CSM... need I say more?
Normal marine dreadboys are saner (mostly) because they have no greater wish than to serve the emperor for as long and as well as they can.

Only Slaaneshi SM are sensory obsessed.

Leading a battle, yes. Running a war, no. They'd keep nodding off.

Which sucks.

I wonder if they could command ships?

The Chaos Space Marines abhor the thought of a half-life locked away inside the imprisoning womb of a Dreadnought, where they can no longer see battle with their ow eyes or feel the kick of a bolter in their fist. For them, it is better to die and find final release in the surging maelstrom of the warp than spend an eternity locked in an adamantium shell, fighting the Long War as a maniacal machine. As a result, most Chaos Space Marine Dreadnoughts are completly psychotic. A creeping insanity mixed with fear and fury has riddled their brains of the long millennia.

From the current chaos space marine codex, so... its highly unlikely that a Chaos Dreadnought get trusted with anything else than to kill SOMETHING.

If I recall correctly the Iron Hands Chapter are known for being led by Dreadnoughts into battle(amongst other things)? It fits their "flesh is weak" thinking and strong connections with the Priesthood of Mars. So if any chapter got a huge amount of active dreadnoughts it should be them.

Small, Far Away wrote:Leading a battle, yes. Running a war, no. They'd keep nodding off.

Which sucks.

I wonder if they could command ships?

They don't fall asleep.
Once they are fully awakened they can function normally but the longer they are in a dreadnought the harder it is to wake them up... or is that dragons?
At any rate they 'sleep' in stasis not normal sleep.

Scotty1985 wrote:Who gets to give Baal his sponge bath?

purplefood wrote:Baal is a planet...

Made me lol.

Seriously though, I don't think the dread would nod off or anything, there is still a marine inside that thing and even though he's wounded I think he would keep the qualities of a marine in regards to sleep.

Dark Apostle 666 wrote:I thought chaos dreads were so psycho because they get denied the chance for their soul to join with chaos, plus the whole sensory deprivation thing to a sensation-obsessed CSM... need I say more?
Normal marine dreadboys are saner (mostly) because they have no greater wish than to serve the emperor for as long and as well as they can.

Not all are sensory deprived....

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Demetrius_(Violator)

Small, Far Away wrote:Leading a battle, yes. Running a war, no. They'd keep nodding off.

Which sucks.

I wonder if they could command ships?

Yes, they could.

im2randomghgh wrote:

Small, Far Away wrote:Leading a battle, yes. Running a war, no. They'd keep nodding off.

Which sucks.

I wonder if they could command ships?

Yes, they could.

Anything can happen in the 40K universe, especially if the Ward Dragon wills it to be so. Future Tau codex should reveal this.

purplefood wrote:

Small, Far Away wrote:Leading a battle, yes. Running a war, no. They'd keep nodding off.

They don't fall asleep. At any rate they 'sleep' in stasis not normal sleep.

That's probably part of the problem. Even "normal" Space Marines have an upgrade that let's them go for long times without sleep but being awake too long is not good for you. Whatever psych-conditioning and drugs keeps a marine from flipping would have to be applied to dreads too, and if they actually can't sleep while active it's going to hit them harder and cause worse side effects.

You might not have to sleep for a long time, but it will wreck your mental and physical agility.

Elector wrote:You might not have to sleep for a long time, but it will wreck your stamina and cause a lot of fatigue.

Indeed.

and while you are locked in this lovely metal box well run videos of barney and friends so youll have something to keep yourself entertained.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Darkvoidof40k wrote:

Fists of the emperor wrote:The way that.dreads are sometimes portarared in black library books and why they are not normally In command is because their minds start to slip when they are interned. They still think they are at a past battle, normally the one where they were killed. Understandable, really they sleep for so long and when woken still think they are dreaming.

Not particularly so. Whilst there is some truth to this, they're usually completely coherent when they're fully awake.

Fall of Damnos has really explored the mindset of dreads more than other books and there is a lot of mental slippage taking place. In most other publications dreads really only deliver dialog here and there but we know little of their thoughts and emotions. This may just be a newer take on the fluff but I'm betting we see more dementia afflicted dreads in writings to come. There will always be those, however, that handle the entombment better and keep their facilities intact.

I think the main reason Loyalist dreds get put to sleep is because of this.


while they would be perfectly capable of staying sane for thousands of years, the marine inside could get bored.

85% of engagements won't require his services and so he will just sit around twiddling his giant metal thumbs.

they put them to sleep so they don't got bat stirr-crazy.


Dred is like "Emperor Dammit, give me some Xenos to KILL. I been hanging around this training ground for 47 years and I am sick of playing Wist with Venerable Brother Invictus!!!"

Scotty1985 wrote:Who gets to give Baal his sponge bath?

Yeah, as PurpleFood said Baal is a planet...

Although, it does have two 'Baals' hanging together in orbit. Baal is a crappy planet and it's moons, Baal Prime and Baal Secundus, are most probably in dire need of a sponge bath by now considering their proximity.

In all seriousness, I'm sure those at GW were very aware of the inuendo here...

I want to know who paints the DC dreads, that seems like a DANGEROUS job.
Also, I remember reading the the BA 4th ed book that one of the dreads was fed Blood before battles. Did that get ret-coned and does that mean that Dreads can eat??

Grey Templar wrote:I think the main reason Loyalist dreds get put to sleep is because of this.


while they would be perfectly capable of staying sane for thousands of years, the marine inside could get bored.

85% of engagements won't require his services and so he will just sit around twiddling his giant metal thumbs.

they put them to sleep so they don't got bat stirr-crazy.


Dred is like "Emperor Dammit, give me some Xenos to KILL. I been hanging around this training ground for 47 years and I am sick of playing Wist with Venerable Brother Invictus!!!"

The dreads could lift weights

or wrestle other dreads.

Or trade stocks.

Or make dresses.

There is a WORLD of possibility here.

They could play MMOs for centuries on end...they'd be the best around.

...Nobody could ever take them down.

Elector wrote:They could play MMOs for centuries on end...they'd be the best around.

...Nobody could ever take them down.

Except their fingers are bigger than the keyboard...and they only have three per hand.

They could use very large keyboards.

They could control it through an external link routed through their Mind-Impulse Units.

They could get equipped with utility mechadendrites that feature a bunch of those split-open, rapid-typing fingers, a la Ghost In The Shell.

They could grip it by the husk.

Psienesis wrote:They could use very large keyboards.

They could control it through an external link routed through their Mind-Impulse Units.

They could get equipped with utility mechadendrites that feature a bunch of those split-open, rapid-typing fingers, a la Ghost In The Shell.

They could grip it by the husk.

Nah, they still wouldn't beat the techmarines, or any mechanicus for that matter. We ALL know that MMOs of the future get ass-raped by the Fabricator General.

They could, y'know, use their new mechanical sensors and bionic bonuses to play, no hardware needed for input, just an internet connction.

Very very large keyboards.

Maybe they have extremely advanced computers in each dreadnaught, and they are able to "replay" battles while they are hibernation.