Most brutal weapon in the Space Marine arsenal?

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**FezzikDaBullgryn**

Sherrypie wrote:
Having read quite a bit on chemical induced illnesses and related problems in both civil tragedies and wartime atrocities, I'm partial to go with phosphex too because no living thing is walking away unscathed from that hellhole after it gets unleashed. That stuff wrecks the future of the ecosystem for good as it's way worse than what we've dumped into Earth thus far and we still have forbidden zones left over from WW I at the French border that are too toxic for habitation. Mental images from Vietnam napalm bombings upped to hell and beyond with death science aren't pretty.

Though if we take the brutality to mean something more along the lines of RIP AND TEAR and less about humanitarian suffering in general, I'd nominate the Astartes themselves as they are portrayed in the fluff when pretenses of civility are cast aside. While anyone can point a person with a gun that does horrible things, not everyone is a literal giant built for unrestricted carnage that screams bloody murder as they rush you with the momentum of a small car and punch through your torso with their bare hands before devouring your remains to use your treacherous memories for finding your kin to be butchered next. Like thunder warriors before them, they are inhuman monsters created for a purpose, to be the weapon that carves humanitys destiny into the stars and subjugates all under the Emperor's rule before they too are cast aside into the night to be forgotten as horrors of old.

As a certain metalhead would put it: brütal.

Where did I read that Astartes, both loyal and salty varieties, used to literally eat the flesh of their comrades to get their memories? Was it the history of the making of an SM? Something about one of the upgrades allows them to eat people and gain their knowledge? Right?

**Sherrypie**

Yes, the organ allowing learning by eating is named "omophagea" and is the phase 8 of a space marine's creation.

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Creation_of_a_Space_Marine

**amanita**

When chickens eat the brains of trained chickens they learn the sames tasks much more easily.

Kinda gross, really.

**Strg Alt**

Vortex Grenade[u]

Victim gets sucked into the warp inhabited by countless daemons. These things can happen to you:

1) Meet a Khorne daemon and get slaughtered in a brutal fashion.

2) Meet a Nurgle daemon, catch some eldritch disease and spent eternity with a horrendous misshaped body that hurts like hell.

3) Meet a Tzeentch daemon and get polymorphed into something very unpleasant.

4) Meet a couple of Diaz Daemonettes, snort warp dust with them and have fun as long as the warp exists.

**Insectum7**

amanita wrote:
When chickens eat the brains of trained chickens they learn the sames tasks much more easily.

Kinda gross, really.

That can't be a thing. Is that a thing?

**Delvarus Centurion**

Their battle cries.

**Grimtuff**

Stormonu wrote:
Meltagun - it basically microwave-cooks you out of existence. If it doesn’t outright kill you, I imagine the radiation dosage from it is likely terminal, and I can imagine the burns from a glancing blow can be pretty dehabilitating - through armor and/or vehicles to boot.

Huron Blackheart is living proof of that. Just look at the guy.

**Alcibiades**

Insectum7 wrote:
amanita wrote:
When chickens eat the brains of trained chickens they learn the sames tasks much more easily.

Kinda gross, really.

That can't be a thing. Is that a thing?

No, it's not. It's an old discredited theory that was popular in the 80s, which is probably where GW got it.

**Martel732**

Its true for flatworms, but not higher forms of life.

**aka_mythos**

Battlebarge equipped for Exterminatus...

**Melissia**

Dysartes wrote:
Eviscerator (aka, Chainsword +1 = though why this needed to be swiped from the SoB is anyone's guess)

... and then have the SoB ones downgraded.

**Crazyterran**

Bolters are pretty brutal. First a big shell hits you, then if you survive, blows up inside of you. Spraying you all over your friends.

**wuestenfux**

In view of the new bolter rules, storm bolters!

**Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl**

The Space Marines most brutal weapons are surprise, fear, ruthless efficiency and an almost fanatical devotion to the Space Pope!!!

**ProwlerPC**

Legends, myths and propoganda is pretty much all they got going for them. Wiping out entire chapters is one of those entry level accomplishments for an enemy warlord to establish street credit. Thankfully there will always be enough chapters as the plot needs.

**Insectum7**

Alcibiades wrote:
Insectum7 wrote:
amanita wrote:
When chickens eat the brains of trained chickens they learn the sames tasks much more easily.

Kinda gross, really.

That can't be a thing. Is that a thing?

No, it's not. It's an old discredited theory that was popular in the 80s, which is probably where GW got it.

Hah! That's a great tidbit.

**bullyboy**

Simple, Asmodai's Blades of Reason

**Techpriestsupport**

Martel732 wrote:
Its true for flatworms, but not higher forms of life.

Not really. It's simply that a flatworm fed neurotransmitters will learn quicker. Also the mazes we're not cleaned adequately.

https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2020/if-flatworm-a-eats-flatworm-b-will-it-absorb-flatworm-bs-knowledge/

**Rolsheen**

Hunger and Slake
Tyberos the Red Wake's handy little gauntlets of immense pain and bloody life chewing goodness