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How long can a dread stay 'awake' for before he runs out of fuel or whatever it is that powers them ?

I ask this because i was wondering what would happen to a dread if it got stranded on its own.

Unlimited energy thanks to 'no fuel' ....

Why does it seem a dread running on batteries to you?
There is nothing about dreaeds refueled, or recharged.
Rearmed ,yes, so it may run out of ammo.

If I remember right space marine backpacks have fusion reactors, so I would imagine dreads might as well.

Could be solar powered or something.

1hadhq wrote:Unlimited energy thanks to 'no fuel' ....

Why does it seem a dread running on batteries to you?
There is nothing about dreaeds refueled, or recharged.
Rearmed ,yes, so it may run out of ammo.

Haha i didn't mean an actual battery i just used it to phrase the question, but i can see your in Germany so if English isn't your first language i can see how it would seem that way.
Thanks for the reply though, its good to know that there isn't any actual fluff on it becasue I'm writing a small bit of fluff for one of my chaos dreads who is being punished by Abbadon by being forced to be constantly awake


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riplikash wrote:If I remember right space marine backpacks have fusion reactors, so I would imagine dreads might as well.

Thanks man that helps

I believe Dreadnoughts are essentially nuclear powered.

Wouldn't that slowly kill them?
Or are marines ok with radiation?

I though they were nuclear powered as well, but they do have smoke stacks

Perhaps the dreadnought uses an engine similar to a Leman Russ, an internal combustion engine that will run on anything that is even remotely combustible.

The Mad Tanker wrote:I though they were nuclear powered as well, but they do have smoke stacks

That's exactly what confused me in the first place.

DrChaos wrote: I'm writing a small bit of fluff for one of my chaos dreads who is being punished by Abbadon by being forced to be constantly awake

Isn't one of the reasons why chaos dreads are insane the fact they don't "shut down" to sleep like loyalist dreads do?
Chaos dreads chained to keep them in check in transit and such.... so becoming a dread IS punishment IIRC...

More punishment:
- switching the sensors off as punishment for slaneeshi dreads
- disarming and switching off movement activators for khornate dreads
- chained close to a bunch of psychic blanks for tzeentchian dreads
- watching commercials of pristine factory fresh dreads for nurgle dreads

1hadhq wrote:

DrChaos wrote: I'm writing a small bit of fluff for one of my chaos dreads who is being punished by Abbadon by being forced to be constantly awake

Isn't one of the reasons why chaos dreads are insane the fact they don't "shut down" to sleep like loyalist dreads do?
Chaos dreads chained to keep them in check in transit and such.... so becoming a dread IS punishment IIRC...

More punishment:
- switching the sensors off as punishment for slaneeshi dreads
- disarming and switching off movement activators for khornate dreads
- chained close to a bunch of psychic blanks for tzeentchian dreads
- watching commercials of pristine factory fresh dreads for nurgle dreads

Yeah never going to sleep was the punishment as well as becoming the dread.
Its hard to tell becasue iv read a few books where chaos dreads are kept asleep, it must vary with legion/warband.

Energy use is one thing not often touched on. However it seems most imperial technology runs off some form of advanced fusion reactors. It would make sense as it provides a large amount of clean energy with relatively abundant fuel sources. (the only reason we dont use it now is because the technology is still only experimental)

They could have smoke stacks as part of the cooling system for the reactors.

Radiation shouldn't be a problem, even today you get more radiation from eating a banana than from standing next to a nuclear power plant.
In the grim darkness of the blah blah blah the reactors will be significantly more advanced.

Tankred endures!

I imagine that the plasma reactors would simply last for months, and after that period of time a tech marine woud come and refuel them. They could probably make it through 6 months, though the last 2 all their power would be going towards life support and they would be unable to move.

DrChaos wrote:

1hadhq wrote:

DrChaos wrote: I'm writing a small bit of fluff for one of my chaos dreads who is being punished by Abbadon by being forced to be constantly awake

Isn't one of the reasons why chaos dreads are insane the fact they don't "shut down" to sleep like loyalist dreads do?
Chaos dreads chained to keep them in check in transit and such.... so becoming a dread IS punishment IIRC...

More punishment:
- switching the sensors off as punishment for slaneeshi dreads
- disarming and switching off movement activators for khornate dreads
- chained close to a bunch of psychic blanks for tzeentchian dreads
- watching commercials of pristine factory fresh dreads for nurgle dreads

Yeah never going to sleep was the punishment as well as becoming the dread.
Its hard to tell becasue iv read a few books where chaos dreads are kept asleep, it must vary with legion/warband.

According to the codex, the pilots are taken out and sedated between battles to prevent them going on a rampage in the ship, and the Dread body is chained up to prevent residue of the pilot's spirit causing it to go on a rampage anyway. So it being constantly awake might be more of a danger to Abaddon than the Dread.

DrChaos wrote:How long can a dread stay 'awake' for before he runs out of fuel or whatever it is that powers them ?

I ask this because i was wondering what would happen to a dread if it got stranded on its own.

Quite a while, because Energizer allows them to just keep going and going and going.

Dreads have some sort of engine mounted on their back. Presumably, it generates enough power to run one indefinitely while in the field. The sarcophagus itself is probably self-sustaining, or at least run off an independent power source. That way, even if the Dread is destroyed, the interred hero might survive.