M36 Imperium: Weapons

Bolt Weapons

Bolt weapons fire self-propelled mass-reactive shells known as bolts, which are timed to explode just after penetration for maximum lethality. The standard bolt is 20mm calibre with a super-dense metallic core and diamantine tip.

While bolts themselves were once expensive and difficult to manufacture, that is no longer the case for the standard bolt shell as nearly every world has long since been able to mass produce them.

Exotic and non-standard bolt shell variants also exist, many having been created at the behest of various Legions in days long since past. These bolt shell variants are quite rare, even in M36, as their makers hold the designs as closely guarded secrets.

In the modern era that is M36, Bolt weapons are primarily used by the Division Generals and their retinue of the Planetae Militarum.

Las Weapons

Las weapons emit a highly focused, high energy beam of light which on impact produces a rapid temperature change on the target's surface, causing vaporisation in the form of a small explosion.

Rechargeable power packs feed the discharge generator, each of which usually consist of a highly efficient liquid metal core and vary in size and capacity depending on their usage.

The ubiquitous Las weapon has been used by the armies of the Imperium since its birth. While the Imperium was once largely reliant on crude particle technology for these weapons, the modern Las armament has been updated and refined over countless iterations and tests.

In the modern era that is M36, sophisticated Las weapons are used by the rank and file of both the Astra Militarum and a Planetae Militarum.

Melta Weapons

At the dawn of the Imperium, Melta weapons used a Pyrum/Promethium fuel mix to create a small scale fusion reaction, projected as a blast towards a given target.

While short-ranged and slow to fire compared to other weapons, they were prized for their reliability and effectiveness against armored vehicles.

Having rediscovered crucial knowledge lost to the ravages of Old Night, the Tech-Priests of the Mechanicum have worked tirelessly to improve Imperial Melta technology.

As of M36, modern Melta weapons work by causing sub-atomic agitation of the target, causing it to melt into slag.

The advantages to this new paradigm are many, but the most significant benefits are increased range and being powered by an miniaturized fusion core instead of a fuel mix.

In the modern era that is M36, Melta weapons are used by all of the Emperor's armies, and is even beginning to see use in the warships of the Imperialis Armada.

Plasma Weapons

Plasma weapons utilize hydrogen fuel held suspended in a photonic state, before being fed into the weapon's miniature fusion core and energised into a plasma state. This plasma is then contained by powerful magnetic fields until the weapon is fired, whereupon it is ejected via a linear magnetic accelerator to form a bolt of superheated matter in appearance and temperature much like a solar flare. Upon impact tremendous energy is released akin to a small sun, destroying the target through searing heat and explosive shock in an almighty explosion.

Until recent millennia, plasma weapons were notoriously unstable and needed to be handled with the utmost care. Every shot was a gamble and could result in either catastrophic overheating or containment failure of its fuel source, more often than not resulting in the death of its user.

Using rediscovered knowledge believed to be from the very last days of the Dark Age of Technology and millennia of testing, the Mechanicum was finally able to refine Imperial Plasma weaponry to be far safer.

As of M36 Imperial Plasma weapons are capable of sustained fire without risk of catastrophic failure and include reliable warning systems that inform their users of imminent heatsink failure.

In the modern era that is M36, Plasma weapons are used by all of the Emperor's armies, and sees extensive use by the warships of the Imperialis Armada.

Volkite Weapons

Volkite is a Mechanicum term for a type of thermal ray weapon of considerable killing power compared to other armaments of similar size. These weapons are capable of deflagrating organic matter, explosively burning flesh into ash and jetting fire. A direct hit by a Volkite weapon is capable of causing the target to combust, often taking nearby comrades with them.

When the Imperium was still young, Volkite weapons were considered hellishly difficult to manufacture and only a trained Adept could hope to ensure the complex components that make up each weapon is in order. So much so that the newborn Astartes legions, originally equipped with Volkite weaponry, had to switch to using Bolt weapons as their primary armament.

Millennia later Volkite weapons are still difficult to mass produce, but the improvements in autofab technology has allowed the Mechanicum to more closely keep up with demand for these potent weapons.

Through thousands of years of studying STCs and vigorous testing, the Volkite weapons of modern times feature longer effective ranges and the need for much reduced maintenance than their older counterparts.

In the modern era that is M36, Volkite weapons are used by the Legiones Astartes for their primary armament, and the Astra Militarum when deployed against Beast Ork forces.