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Digging through the various incarnations of AdMech that has come down to us since the beginning of 40K, i've often found throw-away lines in the fluff which suggest that AdMech was essentially "working on" adapting heretical Xenos devices with their foreign Machine Spirits to something more in-line with the wisdom of the Omnissiah....

There even exists a rather secretive "cabal" of AdMech priests, known as the Xenarites who although loyal to the Omnissiah, Mars, and the Imperium, do seek to push the envelop in regards to studing and deconstructing Xenos technology. One wonders if some from the cabal aren't in contact in someway with the more radical Inquisitors of the Ordos Xenos.... seems like they would get along with each other.

But regardless, whether we are speaking of the Radical method or the more slow methodical breakdown... has any of these actions ever really born fruit?

It's nonspecific as to how, but the Fall of Cadia heavily implies use of xenos technology in order to get some planetary shielding up and running so that they don't get immediately obliterated.

The IoM does use some xeno weapons that one could imagine aren't common enough to just capture more of, so the AdMech probably knows how to build them. Whether they've tried to adapt the designs to more human guidelines is another question.

But alien tech as such isn't beyond them.

a lot of the xenos tech tends to be presented as "Recovered STCs"

The Beast Arises series implies that modern portable teleportation technology was based on orkish technology.

I think a lot of people underestimate how difficult it is to reverse engineer things, even given multiple examples to take apart and similar tech levels it can take decades to perfect today. Take a look at Chinese knock off iPhones and knock off automobiles, they look similar but function quite a bit worse. Or have a read through the story of the Tupolev Tu4, which was a reverse engineered B-29(it took the Soviets 5 years to get it into service and it still had serious problems).

But that said the AdMech of course tries to figure things out. Anything they find will get studied and put into the following categories
Potentially contains AI/Corrupted by Chaos
Human Archo Tech
Xeno Tech
Unknown

If it contains AI, the AdMech will simply stop. Similarly if it is corrupted they will file it away and not touch it.
Human archo tech is of the most interest to them, as it has the highest chance they can reverse engineer it and figure out what is happening.
Known Xeno tech is of interest, but it might not be possible to replicate. A lot of DE weapons involve sophisticated materials with different properties, soft/strong on one side and hard on the other, sharped to a monomolecular edge for cutting. The IoM cannot make that, and having a thousand examples of it doesnt make it any easier to figure out how it was made.
They will try to figure out Xeno tech, but it is a monumentally difficult task. Even if they do figure it out, they might learn that it is just too dififcult to reproduce to be useful.

BrianDavion wrote:
a lot of the xenos tech tends to be presented as "Recovered STCs"

!

Got an example? Although i have to say that's a pretty ingenious way of circumventing the prohibition....


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 Mr Nobody wrote:
The Beast Arises series implies that modern portable teleportation technology was based on orkish technology.

Wait..what?!

How the hell did the Imperium derive Teleportation technology from a race whose technology only works because they decided to believe that it does?!

 Exergy wrote:
sharped to a monomolecular edge for cutting. The IoM cannot make that

Yes they can, monomolecular edges are frequently used through out the Imperium, most notably by the Astartes, who's basic Knife is Monomolecular.

Waaaghpower wrote:It's nonspecific as to how, but the Fall of Cadia heavily implies use of xenos technology in order to get some planetary shielding up and running so that they don't get immediately obliterated.

Don't the Necrons themselves do it?

GrapeApe wrote:

How the hell did the Imperium derive Teleportation technology from a race whose technology only works because they decided to believe that it does?!

Orkish technology doesn't work just because they believe it does. The Waagh! effect might help with reliability or make things a little better but it's not required. If Orkish belief was really that powerful they'd never lose a fight.


There were Guardsmen on Armageddon who used some Orkish weapons if I recall correctly (I think they were less reliable in their hands). The Callidus Assassins use phase swords which are Necron weapons (though I don't know if they can actually produce it or simply steal them). I don't know of any widespread use of adapted xeno technology though. Especially none that the Imperium can produce.

Aren't Dreadknights presumed/rumored to be Xenos tech repurposed for Grey Knight use?

GrapeApe wrote:

How the hell did the Imperium derive Teleportation technology from a race whose technology only works because they decided to believe that it does?!

Yeah it's a pretty widely spread fallacy that Ork tech only works because they believe it does. I think it originates from Xenology (maybe?) where it's in the research notes of a Magos that gets pretty nutty by the end of it. There's certain effects like red trukks going fasta and things like that, but it feels more like 'greasing the wheels' rather than the sole basis of their technology.

The Orks are actually fantastically technologically adept. Their knowledge of mechanics and warp-science is hard-coded into their genetic structure, meaning that mek-boys sort of semi-intuitively come up with advanced technological creations, teleportation devices being one of them

I've always felt like the 'waaagh effect' thing really detracted from how brilliant the Orks really are. Being able to intuitively create a firearm from bits of old scrap without ever having seen one, or even being told about one before is something I always thought was really cool

 Unusual Suspect wrote:
Aren't Dreadknights presumed/rumored to be Xenos tech repurposed for Grey Knight use?

This might explain the instinctive loathing of them

 Ynneadwraith wrote:

GrapeApe wrote:

How the hell did the Imperium derive Teleportation technology from a race whose technology only works because they decided to believe that it does?!

Yeah it's a pretty widely spread fallacy that Ork tech only works because they believe it does. I think it originates from Xenology (maybe?) where it's in the research notes of a Magos that gets pretty nutty by the end of it. There's certain effects like red trukks going fasta and things like that, but it feels more like 'greasing the wheels' rather than the sole basis of their technology.

The Orks are actually fantastically technologically adept. Their knowledge of mechanics and warp-science is hard-coded into their genetic structure, meaning that mek-boys sort of semi-intuitively come up with advanced technological creations, teleportation devices being one of them

I've always felt like the 'waaagh effect' thing really detracted from how brilliant the Orks really are. Being able to intuitively create a firearm from bits of old scrap without ever having seen one, or even being told about one before is something I always thought was really cool

Ah! I was talking my information from Xenology!

Well, if that's the case, that really puts the whole "Teleport a Battle-Station Moon Across the Warp" in War of the Beast into a completely different perspective.

If the Imperium wasn't so anti-Xenos tech (at least officially), there should be a whole division dedicated to collecting and attempting to reverse engineer their toys....

Ork tech still has to functionally work on a basic level, the supposed Waaaagh effect just makes it fail a great deal less often than such slapdash designs should.

 Unusual Suspect wrote:
Aren't Dreadknights presumed/rumored to be Xenos tech repurposed for Grey Knight use?

not sure but psilencers are implied heavily to be eldar in orgin

GrapeApe wrote:

Ah! I was talking my information from Xenology!

Well, if that's the case, that really puts the whole "Teleport a Battle-Station Moon Across the Warp" in War of the Beast into a completely different perspective.

If the Imperium wasn't so anti-Xenos tech (at least officially), there should be a whole division dedicated to collecting and attempting to reverse engineer their toys....

Yeah it really does!

It's less that Xenology's a crock, more that anything in it is from an in-universe perspective so should be taken with a grain of salt. Things like Eldar having crystalline organs seems to stack up, but one Magos' bonkers theory of how Ork tech works is another thing altogether. Plus the usual retcons and conflicting information comparing old fluff to newer stuff

 VictorVonTzeentch wrote:

 Exergy wrote:
sharped to a monomolecular edge for cutting. The IoM cannot make that

Yes they can, monomolecular edges are frequently used through out the Imperium, most notably by the Astartes, who's basic Knife is Monomolecular.

right but the whole material is one piece, not strong and flexible on the back and hard and sharp on the cutting edge.

A lot of eldar tech is also self repairing, it just takes time and it sharpens itself.


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 AegisGrimm wrote:
Ork tech still has to functionally work on a basic level, the supposed Waaaagh effect just makes it fail a great deal less often than such slapdash designs should.

Orky tech works to a degree. It works better the stronger the waaagh field.

Callidus Assassins use Phase Blades which are made of Necron/C'tan necrodermis.

In 30k, the "Darklight Cannon" is a lance weapon with a description identical to a DE Dark Lance that states that it has "dark and mysterious origins"

 Mr Nobody wrote:
The Beast Arises series implies that modern portable teleportation technology was based on orkish technology.

Don't forget about gravity manipulation as well.

The Imperium has and uses teleport technology before the War of the Beast, but in the Beast Arise series the Orks have mastered it to a level that was not conceived of by the Imperium.