Rank each race's basic wepaons

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**EmilCrane**

Flinty wrote:
EmilCrane wrote:
Happyjew wrote:
Just out of curiosity, where would the LRBT Battle Cannon fall? You know, the standard weapon for an Armoured Battle Group?

As per Imperial Armor its a 120mm smoothbore gun, the same kind of weapon that's mounted on a M1A2 Abrams

The imperials don't have the shell technology that we do though, the best they can do is APCR for the normal battlecannon, or normal Frag-HE, no HEAT or APFSDS that I know of, they make up for it with super special space metal and space HE though.

The Gaunt book with the Chaos Baneblade has a reference to a dpecialist "auger" shell one of the Imoerial Russ commanders has, sufficient to penetrate the superheavy and leave a weak point. Also the Vanquisher has specialist AT shells with no blast potential, similar to a shaped charge or kinetic penetrator shell. They are around, just not that common.

Yeah I know, I was referring to the battlecannon. As of IA:1 V2, the Auger round is a HESH round, its spreads explosive over the target and detonates, I think the vanquisher does have proper modern tank rounds.

**EmpNortonII**

Silverthorne wrote:
Eldar can also take a ranger long rifle as a basic weapon. It's probably better than a catapult overall. Can also take lasblasters but that's nothing to crow about

Kroot rifle is another solid troops choice basic weapon. Probably better than the bolter. But not as good as either the pulse rifle or carbine.

Yeah... given that a kroot rifle can use normal shooting, sniper rounds, and is a decent melee weapon, they might do fairly well in this.

**Maniac_nmt**

BrotherHaraldus wrote:
Shuriken weapons fire metal.

In Unremembered Empire, shuriken weapons are noted for firing a plastic/crystal hybrid. A solid block is inserted and shaved off then fired down the barrel at hyper velocities.

They are noted for not being particularly the most accurate weapons (pistols and rifles), but high volume, large ammo capacity weapons.

It would have great penetrative powers (and they do in the book), but poorer stopping power/knock down power. A .45 caliber round has worse penetrative power than a 7.62mm, on average, but better knock down power.

I would also second the kroot rifle, providing you are considering the fact they are provided special rounds produced by the Tau. This round has more knock down power and better armor penetration that the kroot's original rounds.

**Ashiraya**

In Nightbringer, the shots are described as being metal afaik, whereas Dark Eldar rifles fire crystals.

**Happyjew**

According to C: Eldar, Shuriken weapons utilise a solid core of plasti-crystal material.

**Ashiraya**

Then it was retconn'd. Oh well.

**OzTeG8ndPwRfl**

From my understanding both the Eldar and Tau use almost no metal in any of their tech. So this doesn't surprise me.

**Co'tor Shas**

Well tau do use metal. just not conventional stuff. All their stuff id made from a nano-crystalline alloys (whatever the feth that means). All the eldar's stuff is made from wraithbone though.

**OzTeG8ndPwRfl**

Carbon Nano tubes are a nano crystalline substance. If it were mixed with another chemical it would make it an alloy. Metals are not essential to the process.

**Co'tor Shas**

True, I just kind of assumed it was metal. I'm going to see if the books say anything more. We do know that this stuff is as strong a ceramitite, but lighter.

**Daba**

It's a common misconception Eldar use wraith bone for everything. It's actually a pretty uncommon material for them.

**Co'tor Shas**

It forms the majority of what they have from what I have read. They also use crystals a lot is seems.

**Psienesis**

It's much easier to grow crystals in a ship-born (or Craftworld-born) laboratory than it is to assemble minerals into stone and metals.

**Co'tor Shas**

And wraith bone is "sung" into existence, so there is none of the cost of transport.

**Daba**

Wraithbone is generally only used for Wraith constructs, the 'skeleton' of some vehicles and specialist weapons like Witchblades. Lush use other psychoplastics for most other applications, especially where you don't need psychic conductivity.

**Co'tor Shas**

It's a psychic-reactive polymer. Does it really matter if we call it wraithbone?

**SomeRandomEvilGuy**

Co'tor Shas wrote:
It's a psychic-reactive polymer. Does it really matter if we call it wraithbone?

It kind of does because you are talking about different materials. Wraithbone is stronger.

**Ashiraya**

Daba wrote:
It's a common misconception Eldar use wraith bone for everything. It's actually a pretty uncommon material for them.

Well, the Craftworlds are built from Wraithbone. That alone means it makes up the majority of their materials, does it not?

**TheyTarget**

Are we forgetting the standard weapon of the Grey Knights is a storm bolter not a standard bolter. In my opinion up there with the necrons standard.

**Co'tor Shas**

It's two bolters strapped together. It's not that good.

**TheyTarget**

Co'tor Shas wrote:
It's two bolters strapped together. It's not that good.

I'd take assult 2 over rapid fire at the same range any day.

**Psienesis**

Yeah, a stormbolter is when you need the destructive output of a bolter in a compact, fully-automatic sub-machinegun form, but don't need the staying-power of an accurate, semi-automatic weapon.

The Stormbolter is an ammo-eater, and empties its drum in a few seconds of sustained fire.

**Co'tor Shas**

And being more complicated it would jam more.

**EmpNortonII**

Co'tor Shas wrote:
And being more complicated it would jam more.

You play Space Hulk?

**Iron_Captain**

Co'tor Shas wrote:
And being more complicated it would jam more.

But the Tau can't unjam their weapons just by singing praise to the Machine Spirit

**Furyou Miko**

Unjamming a storm bolter is not a simple matter of singing praise to the machine spirit.

The praise merely soothes the spirit and guides your hands as you clear the jam. AdMech rituals are mnemonic instruction manuals.

**Wyzilla**

TheCustomLime wrote:
BrotherHaraldus wrote:
Never underestimate the capabilities of handwavehammer 40K.

Besides, others have said crazier stuff already. Shots as hot as a star? Go ask a scientist what that would do to the continent you stand on, and those on it...

We have achieved temperatures as hot as the surface of the sun before with no ill effects. I believe size and duration would have more to do with how well you boil a world than just sheer temperature. Remember, that heat has to travel through a lot of cool gas to reach someone a continent over.

If you like that 40k than more power to you. I think those figures are from writers who make up big numbers to sound cool but that is just me.

How would 30 tank shells fit in those mags, though?

FFG puts plasma as hot as a solar flare, which is in the twenty million degree ballpark, which is the only primary source on the workings of imperial plasma to my knowledge. Then there's the lulzy conclusion that depending on the logic used, Imperial citizens must be kryptonian-level durability or close to it, for not being instantly vaporized by being in close vicinity to the weapon when fired.

Also, Combi Bolter > Storm Bolter.

**Ashiraya**

Whether FFG is canon or not is disputed, but it is the most detailed source we have on the matter, and at least not a game mechanic.

**Happyjew**

Wyzilla wrote:
Also, Combi Bolter > Storm Bolter.

Only at half range.

At long range, I'll take 2 shots over a single TL shot.

**Daba**

BrotherHaraldus wrote:
Daba wrote:
It's a common misconception Eldar use wraith bone for everything. It's actually a pretty uncommon material for them.

Well, the Craftworlds are built from Wraithbone. That alone means it makes up the majority of their materials, does it not?

Only the skeleton of it, to provide a sturdy structure that doubles as a comms medium. The majority of it would not be made of Wraithbone.