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I mean, a Combat blade is a slightly larger knife, and a chainsword is a huge and massive blade with rotating adamantium teeth, rotating at high speed and turning everithing they touch to mush. So why doesn't a SM having a Chainsword at least +1 to str, ws or something?

Should probably go in proposed rules. That being said it is simply a balance issue. If they made the chainswords cost some points I could see them giving a bonus.

This is more a 'proposed rules' type of inquiry. The reason they do not is the rules do not allow for any additional strength/attacks/WS from being equipped with a Chain Sword.

because a chain sword is big and hard to move around and has to cut through armor

a knife is small and fast and goes in between the plates where there is no armor.

either way a strike to a major artery makes you the same amount of dead, the difference is the knife just makes a smaller hole.

It's an abstraction. Any close combat weapon which doesn't have special rules is equivalent to every other close combat weapon lacking special rules. This also allows for people to exercise more creativity with their modeling. If you want to model an axe or a sword or something else instead of a chainsword, you can do that without having to worry about WYSIWYG. If a chainsword had special rules, you couldn't do that.

I remember way back, a chainsword used to always strike at s4, no matter the wielder's str. It might still be that way in necromunda. Having a high str wouldn't effect a chainsaw as much as a several foot long knife.

There's only so much you can do with a d6 based game system - the statistical variation just isn't there in the current 'streamlined' version.

It wasn't always so. Prior to 3rd ed (the coming of the grimdark), believe it or not, different CCW had different effects. But certain individuals thought it was too complicated, so they were removed in the revamp.

If you want difference between weapons, go play 2nd ed or variations (necromunda), Inquisitor (where there is a huge difference between a marine with a knife and a guardsman with chainsaw) or one of the rpgs.

The one thing that always eats me is this:

Power Weapon > Chainsword

Chainfist > Powerfist

WTF?!!

liam0404 wrote:The one thing that always eats me is this:

Power Weapon > Chainsword

Chainfist > Powerfist

WTF?!!

You are mistaken my friend.

Chainfist = Powerfist + Chainsword

What is cooler then punching a tank? Punching a tank with a chainsaw.

It would be nice if Chainswords were Special CCWs that gave the model rending on their CC attacks; but that would severely effect the cost of Space marines and/or force a sweeping re-modeling of every Space marine to give them simple combat blades instead of Chainswords. It is, as said, a balance choice and one that makes some sense(when you consider the ramifications to any changes).

Eldar Chainswords do have a difference when compared to basic Eldar CCWs; but they are available on very few unit types and you pay for that difference.

The usage of the Chainsword vs the combat knife also may change the effectiveness of the 2 weapons "in-universe": A chainsword is definitely a Slashing weapon where the whirling chain-blades would carve away armor to expose and bite into the fleshy bits. A combat blade could be used as a stabbing weapon where the wielder is trained to strike at armor-overlaps and Joints, much like a Dirk or stiletto. This also leads to the Guardsman's bayonet which is used as a Spear in the same fashion.

I am having to put all combat knives and combat gear on all my Wanderers and I thought chainswords look awesome. Then I remembered they don't do anything. Rather take a knife mates.

Acidwraine wrote:I remember way back, a chainsword used to always strike at s4, no matter the wielder's str. It might still be that way in necromunda. Having a high str wouldn't effect a chainsaw as much as a several foot long knife.

You are correct sir and they give a -1 save modifier! shoot i/d be happy with those rules in 40k.

so would my all-chainknife and chainaxe big choppa orks...
Marines aren't the only ones who get 'em, and the orks need the S boost far more..

The Chainsword is really more of a club, anyway.

KK - well, except most tactical marines, who apparently dont get to pack the Holy Chainsword anymore

Edit: also to correct something: A combat blade, in fluff, is NOT meant to be a "slightly larger knife" - it may be to the marine holding it, but it is more like a normal sword for a human, about 1m in length.

This sort of issue is why Ive always wondered why melee weapons dont have an AP rating. I always thought something like:

AP-clubs/fists
AP6-basic ccw
AP5-Chainsword
AP4-Heavy CCW(like Ogryns & such)
AP3 Power weapons
AP2 Power Fists
AP1 Thunderhammer

-would make a bit more sense than the existing all or nothing approach.

AP 1 THUNDERHAMMER

AP1 Thunder hammer would be the sex!!!!!

Arjac Rockfist agrees AP1 T-hammer is the sex.

Now consider that a chainsword is equal to bopping someone with the butt of a lasgun.

Zefig wrote:Now consider that a chainsword is equal to bopping someone with the butt of a lasgun.

Makes sense to me. A Chainsaw is a great tool for things like cutting wood. Wielding one like a sword and trying to attack people simply doesn't work all that well.

Add to that the fact that most of what you're attacking is wearing advanced armor made from super futuristic materials, and a large blunt object becomes even more appealing.

Grakmar wrote:

Zefig wrote:Now consider that a chainsword is equal to bopping someone with the butt of a lasgun.

Makes sense to me. A Chainsaw is a great tool for things like cutting wood. Wielding one like a sword and trying to attack people simply doesn't work all that well.

Add to that the fact that most of what you're attacking is wearing advanced armor made from super futuristic materials, and a large blunt object becomes even more appealing.

Ash had no problem with using a chainsaw as a weapon, and lets face it. If you aren't trying to be more like Ash, you are wasting your life away.

Hail to the king, baby!

I'll just go ahead and point out that in 2nd ed, chainswords did *nothing* to enhance the amount of damage that a Space Marine did, because his strength was already 4, and he already had a -1 save modifier. It *was* a source of a cheap parry, however.

For Guardsmen, a chainsword was a significant CC buff, however, as it did operate at Str 4, regardless of the guardsman's str.

Kamo, preto lebo tie zuby odlietaju ked nieco trafia. Je to totalna brutalna zbran, terrorizuje tich ktorich to prezili. Inak to nic neroby. Na priklad co ked dve motorizovane mece sa trafia ked oby dve hybaju? tisice ksy rozletia! Ked ma nepriatel pancier, tak tie zuby sa ani nehibaju!

Friend, because the teeth will fly off when they hit anything. Its a brutal weapon that only terroizes the survivors. Otherwise, its kinda useless. For instance, if two chainswords hit when they're both running, then the forces of both of them send the teeth spinning everywhere. And then when the enemy is wearing armor, the teeth really are not tough enough to cut through it, so the blades won't be running. It ruins flesh, but does nothing against armor

Besides, a marine will do the same damage in CC without a weapon...

poda_t wrote:Kamo, preto lebo tie zuby odlietaju ked nieco trafia. Je to totalna brutalna zbran, terrorizuje tich ktorich to prezili. Inak to nic neroby. Na priklad co ked dve motorizovane mece sa trafia ked oby dve hybaju? tisice ksy rozletia! Ked ma nepriatel pancier, tak tie zuby sa ani nehibaju!

Friend, because the teeth will fly off when they hit anything. Its a brutal weapon that only terroizes the survivors. Otherwise, its kinda useless. For instance, if two chainswords hit when they're both running, then the forces of both of them send the teeth spinning everywhere. And then when the enemy is wearing armor, the teeth really are not tough enough to cut through it, so the blades won't be running. It ruins flesh, but does nothing against armor

Chainswords often have different teeth built into them.

the Wielder can switch the teeth to deal with the specific target.


the Teeth on chainswords are monofiliment sharp and i belive they have built in systems to protect them in the event of a Chainsword parrying another chainsword.



Now, a Chainsaw is different. a real chainsaw would make a mess of anyone wearing any type of modern body armor. Chainsaw teeth are made to cut through wood. anyone who has cut down Oak with a chainsaw will know that Oak is really hard. probably tougher then low thickness steel. naturally, metal would rip the chainsaw teeth up, but the metal wouldn't escape unharmed.

Ceramic body armor would just get bored through as it's designed to withstand impact, not whirring blades.

somethings withstand direct impacts pretty well, but don't do well against friction and Vice Versa. Ceramics can absorb impacts, but they can get worn down pretty easily. Metal stops both impacts and friction by absorbing the energy and transferring the energy into warping the metal.

Yeah, a chainsaw style blade would just bounce off of real armor if you're swinging it, even if the teeth were made to cut through metal. It's holding the blade on the target that really would do the damage. On soft targets, the blade will pull itself INTO to the target, though... Clearly this was just done as a rule simplification. The fact that you are already swinging a sword is enough. Why the hell would anyone REALLY have a chainsaw blade on their sword? Much less chain axes...

BECAUSE IT'S COOOOOL

and it would be good if you didn't have enough force to actually force your way through with the blade. the chainblade would cut itself out.

Most cc troopers have a 'weapon' = to or > than a chainsword.

Simple answer; Because the thing that is actually dangerous is the guy holding it.

A thousand pound eight foot tall genetically perfect killing machine could stab you with a pencil for similar effect.

That was my favorite part of Inquisitor - a Space Marine was more dangerous hitting you with his bolter than shooting it at you.