Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Question is this: To what extent does Exterminatus become an option?

I know for instance, it is used upon planets where all hope is lost or there is a problem that cannot be solved by the brute force of the IG, the power of the Astartes, precision of the Assassins, etc.
Major Demon infestations, severe Ork Problems, Tyranids, etc.

Exterminatus has been called for lesser reasons but it is sparingly used.

I am in the middle of a Dark Heresy game and the planet in question is an Agriworld that has been cut off for many years and in that time has still been gathering tithes of food waiting to send them out once a ship arrives.
In the time they were separated, mutations such as quill-like hair, scales, lesions and other deformity's have somehow become so prevalent to actually be considered "normal" to the point that even the higher government officials have such mutations. Said mutations are most probably coming from tainted crops on the planet (the fields of which are lain in patterns such as normal Imperial symbols and one of a wide open Eye, which we concluded out of character, some Tzeentch trickery is afoot).

The extent the food is tainted is that fish smell of sulfur, bread is distinctly discolored, and fowl is disgustingly mutated and discolored.

For that matter, the group has discovered a plot to spread the tainted food to the rest of the imperium. How wide spread the taint is on the planet is unknown, but the fact that such mutation is considered normal is scary.
Also we have encountered a cultist with a large Eye in the middle of his back that even upon his death as the loss of the cultists arm, the eye itself stared at my comrades and followed their movements around the room. So there is likely the taint of chaos deep seeded on the planet (my money is on Tzeentch cults)

The plot to spread the taint also involves the murder of a navigator by higher officials in office (namely the current suspect is the governors wife.) which prompted the tithe ships to stop arriving.

The fears of myself and comrades are that if the crops and every scrap of food is not destroyed completely down to the last seed, grain and livestock and if any mistake is made the problem would only arise again and possibly spread the taint to other worlds. For that matter with wide spread mutation in the citizens could they be culled effectively?


Can this world be saved without the need for the final solution?
The highly likely presence of a deep rooted taint of chaos, rampant mutation to the point its considered normal by the populace, and plots against the Imperium.

I am aware the Inquisition loves their labor camps and other methods of eradicating a populace without Exterminatus, but would such a deep seeded taint be removable by such means it could be considered feasible?


I am also aware that sometimes after Exterminatus, the Ad Mech can salvage a world and make it a mining world (should the planet remain intact).



Does this world warrant Exterminatus? Or can it be culled, the chaos taint eradicated and the planets resources salvaged? It is an Agriworld, so the population is (compared to other planets) low, the tech lvl itsn't far above feudal (if anything its closer to the 1950s but with only select groups having decent gear) but being an agriworld, the Imperium has need of its potential food.

HERESY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I believe a blockade, and then purging of the planet might seem more warranted in that case. Depending on the pull of the acolytes, and the inquisitor they serve.

Agriworlds have low populations by comparison to others, so spacefaring options should be limited, a patrol of navy frigates and destroyers on loan would be able to keep anyone from reaching a warp transition point.

When the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

 iGuy91 wrote:
I believe a blockade, and then purging of the planet might seem more warranted in that case. Depending on the pull of the acolytes, and the inquisitor they serve.

Agriworlds have low populations by comparison to others, so spacefaring options should be limited, a patrol of navy frigates and destroyers on loan would be able to keep anyone from reaching a warp transition point.

At the moment in the Dark Heresy Story. There is a massive blockade surrounding the planet (To be frank, the size of said blockade is a bit much but I'm not the GM, he might have made it larger than needed for dramatic effect), since our group made planetfall and the tech priests (myself and another) flew back to the Inquisitorial ship to make a report while our other 3 comrades made their way to the silos containing the tithe food to gather samples.

The planet has no capacity of space travel (thankfully) infact the only flying craft that flys on the planet is the shuttle we are using.


So as long as it all doesn't escalate to full demon incursion exterminates might be a bit much? I hope it won't end up that far, but we have a 2 day deadline before the Inquisitor drops the bombs. so we may be able to convince her before then if our GM isn't cruel in that time...

 Engine of War wrote:
Does this world warrant Exterminatus? Or can it be culled, the chaos taint eradicated and the planets resources salvaged? It is an Agriworld, so the population is (compared to other planets) low, the tech lvl itsn't far above feudal (if anything its closer to the 1950s but with only select groups having decent gear) but being an agriworld, the Imperium has need of its potential food.

Exterminatus is an extreme measure, and IMO this place doesn't warrant it yet. With tithe ships stopped the taint is contained so there's no risk of it spreading right now.

A less extreme solution would be to get rid of the population (and livestock, and food plants), then re-settle the place at a later date. Low tech level and small population makes it pretty easy to wipe them out, and new colonists are basically free from any overpopulated Hive World. Getting away from such a hell would sound like paradise so whoever handles it could likely pick and choose only the best candidates.

Even better would ofc be to root out the corrupting presence so the world could be salvaged without stopping production completely. But that would require hard work, dedication and some real investigation skills. All things an Inquisitor should have.

If daemons start popping up and overwhelm the Ordo Malleus, sure, but the current situation is too minor for Exterminatus and the planet doesn't really sound like a place that would attract threats of that magnitude.
I’d expect the root of the problem to come from somewhere more significant.

I think the usual solution would be to burn down the farms, send everyone to the ovens, and ship in some hiveworlders, willing or not, to recolonize. As well as set up a garrison of Sisters/Arbites/=I=Stormtroopers (supplied from offworld) to keep an eye on things. Inquisitors that try destroying a planet over backwater mutants are the reckless sort that attract scrutiny from their peers, IMO.

 Byte wrote:
When the juice isn't worth the squeeze.

^This.

There's no instant Exterminatus condition. It's all cost/benefit analysis. How valuable is the world? How big is the threat they're trying to stop?

A backwater feral world that produces nothing of value will have a much lower threshold for getting blamf'd than say, an agri world that provides food for a dozen systems. And imagine if that agri world provides food for a forge world that provides armaments to half a sector... It's a domino effect that throws everything out of wack.

At the same time, the threat has to be serious enough to be worth Exterminatus. These super weapons don't come cheap. They aren't easy to make and replace. Even a worthless feral backwater won't be Exterminatus'd unless the threat is sufficiently deadly and likely to spread. Some space pirates or Kroot raiders? Nah. A daemonic incursion or Tyranid splinter fleet?

It very much depends on the Inquisitor involved as well.
Some are extremely reluctant to sanction exterminatus, whilst others will sanction one well before it is strictly necessary.

Even then the use of exterminatus is considered sufficiently rare to be particularly remarked upon in the Imperial sources we have available. So obviously the Imperium doesn't commit such atrocities willy nilly.

Even if it does excalate to full daemonic incursion, if the planet is useful enough, they still won't commit exterminatus. Take the First war of Armegedon for example: full scale daemon invasion lead by a Daemon Primarch but no exterminatus was called because Armagedon is a key world in the Imperium. All they did was purge the entire population and mind wipe anyone who fought on the planet (except the SW because they don't gaf bought no Inquisitorial orders).

It depends.

What tithe grade is the planet in question? How vital is it to local system security? What other resources are to hand? How dastardly is the foe? What's the general temperament of the Inquisitor or Space Marine Chapter Master making the call?

Consider this....Armageddon is a vital world in it's sector and beyond. Despite massive Daemonic incursion and Ork invasion, it's not been subjected to Exterminatus - even though that would almost certainly have taken out Ghaz.

If Ghaz had been somehow cornered on a backwater planet? Definitely Exterminatus.

Of course, some Inquisitors will unleash Exterminatus on a whim - because they can or because they're mental.

For some people, not bringing painted miniatures to the table is justification enough for Exterminatus.

Not me, however.

What warrants Exterminatus is up to the individuals who have the authority. Generally it's Space Marine chapters, Inquisitors, and anybody at Sector Command and above.

It's typically a process where you consider what the potential damage is of doing vs not doing it. Can you reclaim the planet with minimal damage? Is there some irreplaceable asset on the planet? Can said asset be removed? What are the consequences of the planet falling to the enemy? Can you return later with a Crusade to reclaim it? What enemy are you facing?

For example,

When fighting Tyranids, it's common practice to Exterminatus planets before the Tyranids arrive in force to deny them biomass. This turns the hive fleet away as there is no food. And over time it might weaken the hive fleets proper. While if fighting a more conventional foe, the planet would only be destroyed after fighting tooth and nail for the planet.

In this case: Burn the planet, resettle with new flora, fauna and settlers. Unless, a planet is in danger of falling to an enemy (such as in the case of daemonic incursion) exterminatus is rarely used.

Pretty sure the horse is dead.

 Byte wrote:
Pretty sure the horse is dead.

In that case we must beat it harder!

 Grey Templar wrote:
What warrants Exterminatus is up to the individuals who have the authority. Generally it's Space Marine chapters, Inquisitors, and anybody at Sector Command and above.

It's typically a process where you consider what the potential damage is of doing vs not doing it. Can you reclaim the planet with minimal damage? Is there some irreplaceable asset on the planet? Can said asset be removed? What are the consequences of the planet falling to the enemy? Can you return later with a Crusade to reclaim it? What enemy are you facing?

For example,

When fighting Tyranids, it's common practice to Exterminatus planets before the Tyranids arrive in force to deny them biomass. This turns the hive fleet away as there is no food. And over time it might weaken the hive fleets proper. While if fighting a more conventional foe, the planet would only be destroyed after fighting tooth and nail for the planet.

Actually, its more common to Exterminatus them at the very last moment. They descend, commit their forces, expand millions of bugs to consume the planet (expecting to just reabsorb the corpses), have almost won... then Exterminatus. A cyclonic torpedo to destroy the entire planet, melta bombardment or atmospheric incineration to completely atomise the biomass. The nids lose so much because they expend so much to reclaim planets.

IIrc Exterminatus is a catch all term used to describe several Planetary apocalypse scale weapons. A Chaos plot to corrupt the larger imperium through its food supply is a serious issue. If I was an inquisitor, I would kill order some sort of firebomb to cleanse the entire planet. Then install some sort of monitoring from orbit, hopefully with check ins from imperial fleets, for years to decades before gifting it to a retired guard regiment.

 Deadshot wrote:

 Grey Templar wrote:
What warrants Exterminatus is up to the individuals who have the authority. Generally it's Space Marine chapters, Inquisitors, and anybody at Sector Command and above.

It's typically a process where you consider what the potential damage is of doing vs not doing it. Can you reclaim the planet with minimal damage? Is there some irreplaceable asset on the planet? Can said asset be removed? What are the consequences of the planet falling to the enemy? Can you return later with a Crusade to reclaim it? What enemy are you facing?

For example,

When fighting Tyranids, it's common practice to Exterminatus planets before the Tyranids arrive in force to deny them biomass. This turns the hive fleet away as there is no food. And over time it might weaken the hive fleets proper. While if fighting a more conventional foe, the planet would only be destroyed after fighting tooth and nail for the planet.

Actually, its more common to Exterminatus them at the very last moment. They descend, commit their forces, expand millions of bugs to consume the planet (expecting to just reabsorb the corpses), have almost won... then Exterminatus. A cyclonic torpedo to destroy the entire planet, melta bombardment or atmospheric incineration to completely atomise the biomass. The nids lose so much because they expend so much to reclaim planets.

Sometimes. Though it's worth noting that the Imperium does NOT use Virus bombs on Nids. They're worried that Nids could evolve immunity or possibly reverse engineer the virus and weaponize it themselves.

So your only option is clyclonic torpedoes.

kingleir wrote:
IIrc Exterminatus is a catch all term used to describe several Planetary apocalypse scale weapons. A Chaos plot to corrupt the larger imperium through its food supply is a serious issue. If I was an inquisitor, I would kill order some sort of firebomb to cleanse the entire planet. Then install some sort of monitoring from orbit, hopefully with check ins from imperial fleets, for years to decades before gifting it to a retired guard regiment.

...and then fire bombing it again, because I can. (If I were an Inquisitor...)

You'll need to see if you can account for every grainstore and so on the planet and manually destroy them.

Of course, the cultists will have a bunch of unofficial stores which would also need discovering and clearing.

If there is a way to destroy all the crops and the stores, but without completely trashing the planet so it could be re-terraformed that would be ideal.

 Grey Templar wrote:

 Deadshot wrote:

 Grey Templar wrote:
What warrants Exterminatus is up to the individuals who have the authority. Generally it's Space Marine chapters, Inquisitors, and anybody at Sector Command and above.

It's typically a process where you consider what the potential damage is of doing vs not doing it. Can you reclaim the planet with minimal damage? Is there some irreplaceable asset on the planet? Can said asset be removed? What are the consequences of the planet falling to the enemy? Can you return later with a Crusade to reclaim it? What enemy are you facing?

For example,

When fighting Tyranids, it's common practice to Exterminatus planets before the Tyranids arrive in force to deny them biomass. This turns the hive fleet away as there is no food. And over time it might weaken the hive fleets proper. While if fighting a more conventional foe, the planet would only be destroyed after fighting tooth and nail for the planet.

Actually, its more common to Exterminatus them at the very last moment. They descend, commit their forces, expand millions of bugs to consume the planet (expecting to just reabsorb the corpses), have almost won... then Exterminatus. A cyclonic torpedo to destroy the entire planet, melta bombardment or atmospheric incineration to completely atomise the biomass. The nids lose so much because they expend so much to reclaim planets.

Sometimes. Though it's worth noting that the Imperium does NOT use Virus bombs on Nids. They're worried that Nids could evolve immunity or possibly reverse engineer the virus and weaponize it themselves.

So your only option is clyclonic torpedoes.

I will point out there was previous codexes saying virus bombs were used. From Inquisitor Kryptman's page on Lexicanum

After one of the two tendrils of Leviathan was destroyed on Tarsis Ultra, contact was reestablished with the worlds between the two tendrils of Leviathan, which previously had been smothered by the Shadow in the Warp. This made Kryptman aware of the fall of numerous worlds within this region, each one swelling the ranks of the hive fleet. With a grim determination, Kryptman began exterminating worlds in Leviathan's path, creating a galactic cordon. Any world within this cordon would undergo Exterminatus as soon as the Tyranids invaded, the virus bombs destroying all life on the planet. This would cause the Hive Fleet to expend large amounts of resources to invade a planet, resources that would then be lost with the planet's destruction. Billions died, in the largest act of genocide the Imperium has faced since the Horus Heresy. As a result, Kryptman was declared a traitor, a fool and a radical, and a Carta Extremis was issued for him, stripping Kryptman of his title and condemning him to death, should he be apprehended. However, these harsh measures slowed Leviathan's advance to a crawl

The citation is Codex Tyranids 4th Edition. Obviously, that is a significant amount of time ago but it was in the canon at one point. I would also say the way virus bombs work mean that use vs a planetary based Nid force would be fine They spread way too quickly to evolve against it. In the Heresy, the virus bombs liquidised the inhabitants of Isstvaan III in minutes. The nids can't evolve THAT fast. The second half of virus bombs would be then the firestorm, as the rotten biomass on the planet basically turns to a giant methane bomb. Fire a lance strike down and incinerator the atmosphere.

Using it in vacuum, where there would be no firestorm, would be bad, but the Tyranids would be devastated by in-atmosphere virus bombs.

So the consensus is to burn every scrap of food on the planet, murder all the mutants and heretics (if not the entire population), and send in a repopulation team later on as opposed to igniting the atmosphere with a plasma bomb or zapping the whole deal from orbit.

Well... I got 2 days in-game time to get back to my comrades on the ground, pick them up, and head back to the Inquisitor with additional evidence before she does this...




*scream in the distance heretics!!!*