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For a game called Warhammer 40k, I'm noticing a severe lack of Warhammers...

Sure weird xenos like Eldar, Tau and Tyranids can't be expected to use mighty warhammers... but why are they missing from many Imperial factions.

There are none in the Custodes, Sisters of Silence, Mechanicus, Imperial Knights, or Imperial Guard.

The most I've seen lately has been a singular priest in the Sisters of Battle army...

Are the Adeptus Astartes the sole users of Warhammers these days?

And does this feel wrong to anyone else?

I wouldn't say that warhammers have ever featured majorly in either Warhammer Fantasy Battle or Warhammer 40,000. Not something I've ever considered to be an issue.

The only hammer I'm aware of is the Thunder Hammer. But the "generic Power Weapon" rules of 3-5th allowed you to make a power weapon in any shape, so you could have "hammered up" as long as they were distinct from actual Thunder Hammers.

Could have done the same with generic CC weapons too. You coulda run Doctrined Guardsmen all with hammer-shaped CC weapons for maximum hammer representation.

It kind of depends on how literal you want to be with “warhammer.”

If you’re only counting something that looks like a blacksmith’s mallet with a squared-off striking face, sure — the Imperium seems short on those. But if you broaden the definition a bit and include maces, mauls, or any other bludgeoning implements meant for cracking armor or skulls, the picture changes a lot.

Almost every Imperial faction has some form of hammer-adjacent weapon. Grey Knights, Chaplains, and Custodes Wardens wield guardian maces and axes that function exactly like warhammers in-universe — heavy, blunt-force weapons powered by absurd strength or field generators. The Sisters of Battle have priests with thunder hammers or power mauls, and even the humble Guard occasionally fields a Commissar or preacher waving a sanctified power maul around. Mechanicus tech-priests carry Omnissian axes, which are half weapon, half holy relic, but still absolutely designed to pulp heretics.

If you think of a “warhammer” as any close combat weapon built around blunt trauma rather than edge or point, the Imperium is loaded with them. They just don’t always look like the traditional fantasy hammer head because 40k designs tend to exaggerate tech details over medieval shapes.

So, yeah — the name Warhammer 40,000 still fits. It’s just that the “hammer” part evolved a few thousand years into the future.

The Saturnine Praetor can sport a very mean looking hammer that even Odin himself would say "Ooooh...that's nice. May I?"

There's a new Spez Muhreen Captain with hammer being released this week, no?

Any 'close combat weapon' or 'power weapon' can be a warhammer, not just nemesis daemon hammers or thunder hammers - the only limit is your imagination!

 Jammer87 wrote:
It kind of depends on how literal you want to be with “warhammer.”

If you’re only counting something that looks like a blacksmith’s mallet with a squared-off striking face, sure — the Imperium seems short on those. But if you broaden the definition a bit and include maces, mauls, or any other bludgeoning implements meant for cracking armor or skulls, the picture changes a lot.

Almost every Imperial faction has some form of hammer-adjacent weapon. Grey Knights, Chaplains, and Custodes Wardens wield guardian maces and axes that function exactly like warhammers in-universe — heavy, blunt-force weapons powered by absurd strength or field generators. The Sisters of Battle have priests with thunder hammers or power mauls, and even the humble Guard occasionally fields a Commissar or preacher waving a sanctified power maul around. Mechanicus tech-priests carry Omnissian axes, which are half weapon, half holy relic, but still absolutely designed to pulp heretics.

If you think of a “warhammer” as any close combat weapon built around blunt trauma rather than edge or point, the Imperium is loaded with them. They just don’t always look like the traditional fantasy hammer head because 40k designs tend to exaggerate tech details over medieval shapes.

So, yeah — the name Warhammer 40,000 still fits. It’s just that the “hammer” part evolved a few thousand years into the future.

Dark Angels are loaded for bear when it comes to bashy things. Maces on the Deathwing Knights, the Ravenwing Black Knights are probably the most "on point". Plus all the chaplains.

I think you could convert some pretty awesome aspect warriors using the lumineth stone guard.

Aspect of the wailing void
Strike with distortion hammers, each one opening a d rift on impact, carving out spheres of the enemy wherever they strike.

Distortion hammer ws3+ A2 S6 ap-1 D1 distort- on a critical wound increase the ap and damage by 2.



If you consider a jack hammer a hammer, then the tau can mount onager impact hammers:

Impact hammer WS 4+ A3 s5 ap0 D2 impact - each successful increases each attacks strength and ap by 1 to a max of s8 ap-3.

Come to think of it, Imperial Knights should have extra-large Thunderhammers in their arsenal. That would be so bloody funny.

Thunderhammer, Crozius Arcanum (SM)
Demon Hammer, Helbrute Hammer, Vashtorr’s hammer(CSM)
Foe Hammer, Tempest hammer (Space Wolves)
Malleus Noctum (Salamanders)
Fist of Dorn (Imperial Fists)
Malleus Argyrum, Nemesis Daemon Hammer (GK)
Graviton hammer, Mass Hammer (LoV)
Snazzhammer, Tank Hammer, Smash Hammer (Orks)
Power sledgehammer (GSC)
Honorable Mention: Banehammer, Doomhammer, Hellhammer (Guard)

There also is a few hammers hidden behind generic melee weapons, like on poxwalker or aberant weapons.

 Jidmah wrote:
Thunderhammer, Crozius Arcanum (SM)
Demon Hammer, Helbrute Hammer, Vashtorr’s hammer(CSM)
Foe Hammer, Tempest hammer (Space Wolves)
Malleus Noctum (Salamanders)
Fist of Dorn (Imperial Fists)
Malleus Argyrum, Nemesis Daemon Hammer (GK)
Graviton hammer, Mass Hammer (LoV)
Snazzhammer, Tank Hammer, Smash Hammer (Orks)
Power sledgehammer (GSC)
Honorable Mention: Banehammer, Doomhammer, Hellhammer (Guard)

There also is a few hammers hidden behind generic melee weapons, like on poxwalker or aberant weapons.

Cool. I was lamenting the lack of hammers in non-Astartes armies.

I totally forgot all about The Genestealer Cults!

Any faction capable of exterminatusing a planet can certainly "bring the hammer down"

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
For a game called Warhammer 40k, I'm noticing a severe lack of Warhammers...


...And does this feel wrong to anyone else?

Well the eponymous Warhammer isn't actually from the 41st millennium or anything depicted as part of its background ( unless you think that Horus truly was the Warhammer 40'000). The Warhammer is the weapon of Sigmar forged by the dwarfs and is called 'Ghal Maraz' dwafish for 'Skull Splitter'.

I've never really considered the lack of warhammers in 40k to be much of an issue. I do love the look of a good thunder hammer, however I think an over abundance of hammers in a game called Warhammer would be rather memey, and a bad meme at that.

The Black Adder wrote:

 Lathe Biosas wrote:
For a game called Warhammer 40k, I'm noticing a severe lack of Warhammers...


...And does this feel wrong to anyone else?

Well the eponymous Warhammer isn't actually from the 41st millennium or anything depicted as part of its background ( unless you think that Horus truly was the Warhammer 40'000). The Warhammer is the weapon of Sigmar forged by the dwarfs and is called 'Ghal Maraz' dwafish for 'Skull Splitter'.

I've never really considered the lack of warhammers in 40k to be much of an issue. I do love the look of a good thunder hammer, however I think an over abundance of hammers in a game called Warhammer would be rather memey, and a bad meme at that.

"Warhammer" being a reference to Ghal Maraz is actually a recent invention. In 1st edition Warhammer, it must (for lack of options) be a reference to the warhammer being used on the cover.



It's clearly not Ghal Maraz, nor does it look like either a historically accurate warhammer, a 40k thunder hammer, or any warhammer I remember seeing among mainstream models. It looks more like a mallet.

For people new to the games, I think it's a reasonable enough thing to wonder what that "warhammer" is that the games are named after, and we've all just grown used to it.

Why don’t non-Astartes have access to the mighty Thunder Hammer?

Well. Many many moons ago, when I was young and you were probably even younger, perhaps only a twinkle in the Milkman’s eye?

It was a weapon reserved solely for those clad in Assault Terminator Armour. Not so much a pattern of Terminator Armour, as a specific adaptation to help maintain stability.

Without that? The sheer force of impact would lift the bearer off their feet, as well as turning their foe into a rather fetching abstract art piece I’m sure tasteless goon, wife beater and man with more money than sense Charles Saatchi would gladly pay a ridiculous amount of money for.

Then came 3rd Ed, when you could get it on Power Armour. And nothing was ever the same or quite as cool ever again.