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Sure it might have been a happy accident when the first Eversors were made back during the Great Crusade but after that it's a known fact by both the leaders of the Assassinorum and the Eversors themselves.
I'm not arguing that an Eversor is only a bomb, just that one of the weapons in its arsenal is the knowledge that brain death leads to unregulated chemicals in the body that then explode with the force of a Plasma Bomb (stuff on T'au gunships).

I am confident that, by the 41st Millennium, the Imperium has precisely zero idea whether the explosion was an intentional design feature or serendipitous bonus. Both are plausible.

The origins aren't really the important point though, at the current time (and any time before) it is known by the Clade leadership and the assassins themselves that Eversors can act as a high explosive device as a last resort to complete their mission.
Eversors are bombs, they just aren't always used.

"they just aren't always used"

67 missions by one operative (and still going) would seem to indicate that it's basically never used.

Well we've gone from "are Eversors one-use assassins?" to "they carry a grenade in their chest", through "they're not even mixing specifically explosive biochemicals" all the way down to "they just happen to explode upon death and it's not even clear if it's intended."

Seems reductive to call them "bombs", but whatevs.

To be honest, I’m struggling to think of a situation where deliberately setting off the Eversor is the preferable action compare to…just letting it run riot like it’s meant to.

If it’s overwhelmed or otherwise killed, it’s going to go pop regardless. So why make that premature, when so long as it’s fighting there’s a decent chance it’s going to fight it’s way clear to continue its rampage?

I think the real question is . . . Can an eversor beat 10,000 guardsmen in a forest?

That depends... Do they get dropped off by the imperial navy, or are we assuming they both appear suddenly in a forest?

How much prep time does Batman the Guard have?

 Insectum7 wrote:
I think the real question is . . . Can an eversor beat 10,000 guardsmen in a forest?

Yes. Because he’s super terrifying

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:

 Insectum7 wrote:
I think the real question is . . . Can an eversor beat 10,000 guardsmen in a forest?

Yes. Because he’s super terrifying

Well iirc the eversor actually did cause Fear in 2nd ed, unlike certain other hypothetical combatants

Going on 2nd Ed combat rules? I don’t think it’s actually possible for the Eversor to lose combat?

WS8 with loads of attacks and one Parry. Higher Initiative to win tie breaks. And thanks to Combat Master, he also benefits from the +1WS when mobbed.

So even if swamped (btb only for 2nd Ed mind), he’d need to fumble pretty much every dice rolled to even draw a round of combat, which he promptly wins thanks to having the higher Initiative.

Sod it. I’ve got the relevant Codexes and the rulebook. Gimme 10 minutes to research and refresh - but I’m pretty sure I’m right!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Right…researched and reviewed.

It’s….super borderline.

It’s been ages since I played 40K so correct me if I’m wrong on the first bit. But, I think you can get 6 Guardsmen into BTB with an Eversor.

That gave the Eversor +5 WS. Because contrary to hazy memory? Combat Master, if attacked in HTH by multiple opponents, for each opponent after the first add 1 to his Weapon Skill.

So when fully surround, that’s a WS13 Eversor vs a WS3 Guardsman in the first combat, then add +1 attack and WS to each of the other Guardsmen getting slaughtered I mean taking part in that combat - so topping out at WS8.

Assassin has 5 attacks (4 native, +1 for two CCW). So the worst he could roll would be five 1’s - making for 5 fumbles, giving the Guard +5 to their score.

So the very last Guardsman has some slim chance of winning the combat. But it’s….super super slim. Complete botch from the Eversor and no 1’s to hit from that Guardsman’s by then 6 attacks.

Could the combat drugs have helped further? There were a few different effects to choose from but I don't have book access atm.

An entertaining combo I remember was drugging the Eversor for a triple distance charge, and then casting The Quickening on him to double it further for a 36" charge. Another detail was that the Eversor could shoot as many times as it had Attacks, so with the Quickening he could shoot 8 times.

But the super duper theoretical crazy combo is if you just happened to draw Special Issue for a Strategy card, and using that, just happened to draw the Combat Drugs Wargear Card, and then give it to the Eversor to further double it. 72" run/charge or fire its pistol 16 times. Probably a 1 in 10,000 chance of that happening though.

Options were triple charge range, fight even if on 0 wounds then asplode, or a 50/50 chance of fighting a further combat round if your follow up move left you in BTB.

So doesn’t really help.

Ahh sure. I was probably confusing it with Frenzon, which I think could instill Frenzy (double attacks?) Or Hatred, which I can't remember what that did.

 Insectum7 wrote:
Ahh sure. I was probably confusing it with Frenzon, which I think could instill Frenzy (double attacks?) Or Hatred, which I can't remember what that did.

Hatred gives LD10 for Break and Rally, Re-Roll Attack Dice in the First Round of combat, and must use their 2" follow up to get closer to the enemy.

Frenzy doubles Attack Dice, requires follow up to move towards closest enemy, cannot Parry, are not affected by other Psychology, and MUST charge.

 Platuan4th wrote:

 Insectum7 wrote:
Ahh sure. I was probably confusing it with Frenzon, which I think could instill Frenzy (double attacks?) Or Hatred, which I can't remember what that did.

Hatred gives LD10 for Break and Rally, Re-Roll Attack Dice in the First Round of combat, and must use their 2" follow up to get closer to the enemy.

Frenzy doubles Attack Dice, requires follow up to move towards closest enemy, cannot Parry, are not affected by other Psychology, and MUST charge.

Nice, ty!

Yeah, bunch of guardsmen in a forest is pretty much easy street for the Eversor. Its gonna be like the Predator, except without the weakness of honor.

If it isn't explicitly stated somewhere? Just go with whatever is the most grimderp nihilistic answer.

My actual question, is what is the average product life of a Calladius Asssassin? They only get so many "morphs" before they become unable, and break.

FezzikDaBullgryn wrote:
My actual question, is what is the average product life of a Calladius Asssassin? They only get so many "morphs" before they become unable, and break.

I don't think I've ever heard that. Source?

Ehhh, its clearly more than 68 uses, which I would personally think that the probability of an Eversor surviving 68+ missions is fairly low so even if there is a technical finite lifespan its probably unlikely they survive enough missions to reach it.

Well, of the two Callidus we see over a long period in the Black Library novels - Meh'Lindi (inquisition war) and "Anna" (Macharius) - neither seems in the least concerned by or ever mentions any 'cap' on polymorphine use.

For that matter, "Anna" even uses the stuff slightly frivolously a few times - she's the bodyguard-slash-on-demand-murderer attached by order to an Inquisitor with the crusade, the protagonist is one of Macharius' bodyguards and the two form a sort of unofficial 'back channel' between the two leaders in a sotta-kinda-maybe-relationship.

"Anna", having a slightly mischievous sense of humour, makes a point of occasionally letting herself get spotted sneaking in and out of his rooms - always with a different face - resulting in the protagonist's getting a rather unfair reputation as a completely unfaithful womaniser despite being the only one of his friends who ISN'T.

(Admittedly in his case that's at least in part because he's not sure if she's actually attracted to him, been specifically ordered to do this, or dispassionately decided herself it was the most efficient way to manipulate him but he's fully aware if she caught him with anyone else and did take umbrage THEY'D NEVER FIND EITHER CORPSE)

Yeah I think there's at least one member of the Callidus temple that had morphed so many times they've forgotten their original form. I don't think there's a practical limit.

 Insectum7 wrote:
I think the real question is . . . Can an eversor beat 10,000 guardsmen in a forest?

Come on, we have to make this a little fair.

Let's say to balance things the Eversor is only armed with a spoon.


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Going back to the original question... This could be an interesting story hook.

A group of marines/guard/navy/Inquisition who are the assassin clean up crew. They drop in a few hours later with instructions to send the shut down code and put the Psycho Crack Money back in his box.

And like the old GT scenario there's a problem...

 Insectum7 wrote:
Yeah I think there's at least one member of the Callidus temple that had morphed so many times they've forgotten their original form. I don't think there's a practical limit.

I'mma be 100 with you, I have no source. After 5 years of reading books and BRBs, I thought I'd read it somewhere, in like the 7th brb, but I checked all my books this morning and I can't locate it. It might totally be head cannon or mixing it with something else. I dunno, maybe I'm getting it mixed up with Odo from DS9. I'm sorry I posted it, but I really do remember reading something like that with shape shifters having a shelf life.

^ Fair enough. I can understand getting shapeshifter lore mixed up.

 Insectum7 wrote:
I think the real question is . . . Can an eversor beat 10,000 guardsmen in a forest?

Eversors are the only meme fighter I think that would be able to do that