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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).