Fear me, heretic, for I am your death. Even the superhuman Space Marines are still mortal and can fall in battle despite legends to the contrary amongst the common people of the Imperium of Man. Dreadnoughts are war incarnate, towering machines that advance forwards with thunderous strides, fiery death roaring from the myriad of heavy weapons mounted on their hulls. They are terrifying foes, fighting with all the skill and ferocity of a Space Marine, but combined with the durability and firepower of a battle tank. Dreadnoughts are often mistaken by mortal observers for huge suits of battle armour or robots; they are similar to both and yet neither. Dreadnoughts are a combination of armoured walker and cybernetic life- support system; their pilots are neurally linked straight into the Dreadnought's cybernetic systems, and are able to use the walker as if it were their own body, although they are permanently entombed within its Ceramite skin until they are destroyed. This sarcophagus is then interred within the heart of the armoured body of a Dreadnought if there is even a spark of life left. The pilot himself survives only as a tightly curled and shrivelled organic component deep inside the Dreadnought, which is at once his reborn body and his tomb.
Sustained and kept alive within the sarcophagus, the link between his physical being and the Dreadnought’s systems is absolute and for the remainder of his life. The Space Marine within the sarcophagus will control the robotic body of the walker and experience the outside world through a web of cyborganic neural links and sensors implanted within his life support systems. The sepulchre that contains a Chapter’s Dreadnoughts is a holy shrine, and the Techmarines tend to their charges with great care, fastidiously applying sacred oils and unguents while chanting the Litanies of Preservation. To honour these courageous warriors, the fallen heroes are allowed to sleep away the centuries, until need calls them to war once more. Reviews and articles for wargames like Warhammer 40k, including cases, miniatures, hobby tools and terrain, plus guides for your projects and conversions. As a result of their great age, many Dreadnoughts, known as Venerable Dreadnoughts, are not only approached by their Battle- Brothers for support in combat, but also as advisors in the governance of their Chapter. The oldest Dreadnought in the Imperium, Bjorn the Fell- Handed of the Space Wolves, was a member of the Primarch. Leman Russ' retinue and fought in the Horus Heresy when he was still whole of body, making him well over 1. Terran years old. When the Dreadnoughts are not in use by their Chapter, they are placed back into the Chapter's Chapel in its fortress- monastery to sleep away the centuries in a form of suspended animation until they are needed once more. These include the older Castraferrum Mars Pattern Mark IV and the current standard Castraferrum Mars Pattern Mark V. Warhammer 40.000 Black Templar, Blood Angels, ChaosdBoth variants of the Mars Pattern can make use of the same weapon load- outs, though Mark IV Dreadnoughts are considered slightly less adaptable and robust compared to the newer Mark V cybernetic chassis. Some of these individual relics were still in service during the Great Crusade and early years of the Horus Heresy - - although many times re- tenanted over the millennia. Brought together under the banner of the Imperium, many patterns of Dreadnoughts existed and it was in latter- day conjunction with the superhuman physiology of the Space Marines that this technology had reached its zenith. By the 4. 1st Millennium, the art of their construction has long since been lost, the arcane knowledge required passing into ritualised mythology, and each Chapter's Dreadnoughts are treasured relics. They are a living embodiment of the Machine God, representing the ultimate fusion of the biological and the mechanical, as each one contains a living, sentient being. The pilots encased in the shell of a Dreadnought often have memories stretching back for millennia, and these ancient warriors are a tangible link to their Chapter's past and heritage. The latter is usually a Power Fist with either a Storm Bolter or Heavy Flamer fitted below the forearm. Though the Dreadnought's Power Fist shares the same name, it is not at all similar to the melee weapons also called Power Fists used by other armed forces of the Imperium. Unrestricted by size or weight, Dreadnought Power Fists are vastly more powerful than ones carried by Imperial infantrymen, even Space Marine Terminators. The Dreadnought's Power Fist is (like the unwieldy infantry- borne Power Fist and Chainfist) strikingly effective against heavy armour. This, combined with the Dreadnought's own impressive unmodified strength makes the fist deadly to all, even heavily armoured foes like a Space Marine Chapter Master. Also, the Dreadnought's heavy vehicle armour means that even those that survive the initial assault can do little more than wait for the inevitable. The Space Wolves Venerable Dreadnought's melee weapon is a Lightning Claw with an underslung Heavy Flamer, though the claw functions the same as a Power Fist. Through customisations or conversions Space Marine Chapters may also possess . One of a Dreadnought's weapon arms can also be replaced with a bunker- busting Assault Drill, as detailed below, transforming it into a Siege Dreadnought. In appearance, the Castraferrum is very different from other types, very few of which exist outside of the stasis- sealed reliquary chambers of the Adeptus Astartes. It is not as tall as such venerated relics as the Contemptor Pattern Dreadnought and its armour is said to be configured far more to the fore than the unhallowed Lucifer class. Some claim that the older Unification classes of proto- Dreadnoughts dating back to the time of the Unification Wars could be piloted by non- Astartes warriors, but the Castraferrum can only be fully controlled by a Space Marine, thanks to his unique physiology and mental conditioning. Ancient and incomplete archival fragments suggest that the Castraferrum class was introduced in order to meet a range of tactical challenges. It is configured for direct assaults, the Ironclad Dreadnought being the ultimate expression of this role. It also excels in Zone Mortalis missions such as starship boarding actions, tunnel fights and combat deep inside densely built hive cities. Here, its lower profile allows the Castraferrum to negotiate low- ceilinged passageways that the taller Contemptor Pattern would be unable to pass along. The true reason, however, that the Castraferrum remains in common use while the Contemptor and other classes are rarely seen lies with the technology utilised within its many systems. Instead of the ill- understood Atomantic Arc Reactors and Helical Targeting Arrays of the Contemptor Pattern, the Castraferrum uses an adaptable thermic reactor and other such technological systems already found within a wide range of current Adeptus Astartes war machines. The advantage of the Dreadnought's Missile Launcher over its Space Marine equivalent is that it is capable of moving at full speed whilst still laying down a barrage of missiles. Hellfire Dreadnoughts are usually referred to as Fire. Support Dreadnoughts. The Hellfire Dreadnought's Missile Launcher carries up to 8 Krak Missiles that are capable of causing severe damage to enemy vehicles, and unlike the Missile Launchers carried by Space Marine infantry, the Dreadnought is fully capable of firing accurately whilst moving. The Hellfire Dreadnought can use any weapon in the Astartes Armoury other than a Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon or another Missile Launcher as its other weapon arm. A Dreadnought using either of those two configurations will be classified as either a standard Mars Pattern Dreadnought or a Mortis Dreadnought, respectively. Some Space Marine Chapters have equipped their armoured Dreadnought Battle- Brothers to siege fortresses and lead their assaults upon other fortified enemy emplacements. They are equipped with either an Inferno Cannon or a Flamestorm Cannon for clearing out enemy infantry from bunkers and an Assault Drill arm for grinding through Ferrocrete in only a matter of seconds. This arm also usually includes a built- in Heavy Flamer so that once a hole has been drilled, the Dreadnought can pour super- heated Promethium into a bunker or pill box complex. Siege Dreadnoughts are specialised units and are only deployed when a Chapter needs to break through a stubborn static defence line or during close quarters street- to- street fighting within a city or town. A Siege Dreadnought's standard weapons loadout includes an Inferno Cannon, an Assault Drill with built- in Heavy Flamer, Smoke Launchers, a Searchlight and reinforced Ceramite Armour. In some cases the Inferno Cannon can be replaced with a Multi- melta, and 2 Hunter- Killer Missile Launchers can be attached using external sponsons to the Dreadnought's carapace. The known Chapter- Specific Castraferrum Dreadnought variants are as follows. A Furioso Dreadnought of the Lamenters. Chapter armed with two Dreadnought Close Combat Weapons. The Furioso Dreadnought is a variant of the standard Imperial Dreadnought and is used almost exclusively by the Blood Angels and their Successor Chapters, although other Chapters may use Dreadnoughts configured similarly to the Furioso Pattern Dreadnought though they are not called so and are usually referred to simply as a Dreadnought configured for close combat. The Furioso Dreadnought replaces the single long- range weapon carried by standard Dreadnoughts with a second Dreadnought Close Combat Weapon. True Furioso Dreadnoughts used by the Blood Angels and their Successor Chapters use special Dreadnought weapons known as Bloodfists and Blood Talons. These Dreadnoughts can also be armed with two specialised weapons used only by the Blood Angels and their Successor Chapters known as the Magna- Grapple and the Frag Cannon, these weapons make the Furioso Dreadnought more effective in medium- ranged combat.
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