Most Legionary commanders demonstrated a clear preference for the new breed of faster, more easily maintained artillery tanks that were able to keep pace with the mobile and dynamic battlefield doctrines employed during the Great Crusade. Despite this, many Legions maintained reserve formations of older patterns of mobile artillery platforms, such as Basilisks, that would be called forward from the rear echelons to take part in protracted sieges. Their comparative lack of mobility was deemed less of a disadvantage and their immense guns able to steadily bombard fixed enemy positions from range in these situations.
| Armour | Transport Capacity | ||||||
| M | BS | Front | Side | Rear | HP | ||
| Legion Basilisk (⌀Use model) | |||||||
| Legion Basilisk (⌀Use model) | 10 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 4 | - |
Intended to engage targets at extreme ranges, the huge explosive payload of the earthshaker cannon results in a destructive capacity that few other long-range artillery weapons can match.
| Ranged Weapon | |||||||
Ranged Weapon | R | FP | RS | AP | D | Special Rules | Traits |
| Earthshaker Cannon | |||||||
| Earthshaker cannon | 240 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | Ordnance (RS), Blast (5"), Barrage (2), Breaching (6+), Pinning (1) | - |
Some weapons trade precision for indiscriminate destruction, high explosive impacts that can devastate a wide area. From artillery shells to high energy blasts, such weapons are popular tools of destruction on the battlefields of the Horus Heresy.
Attacks made with the Blast (X) Special Rule use a Blast Marker to determine how many Hits are caused.The [Allegiance] Trait is used in the following Legiones Astartes datasheets:
The [Legiones Astartes] Trait is used in the following Legiones Astartes datasheets:
Designed to pierce the armour worn by heavy infantry, some weapons have gained a fearsome reputation on the battlefields of the Floras Heresy. While many such weapons are rare or temperamental in use, the sheer power of their attacks more than makes up for this.
With a Weapon that has the Breaching (X) Special Rule there is a chance that a Wound Test may result in the Wound ignoring Armour Saves.The crack of the sniper’s rifle or the burst of heavy artillery, both signal a sudden and indiscriminate death and send infantry scurrying for cover. Such weapons are meant as much to pin the foe in place as to kill them, breaking up advancing ranks of troops and shattering defensive formations.
Weapons and other attacks that have the Pinning (X) Special Rule have a chance of inflicting the Pinned Status on the Target Unit.Some weapons are so heavy that, while they can be fired on the move, are more powerful when properly braced and made ready before shooting. Warriors on the battlefield must use their judgement to decide when speed is required and when the full firepower of their arsenal must be unleashed.
Weapons with the Heavy (X) Special Rule gain +1 to a Characteristic when Stationary.| Ranged Weapon | |||||||
Ranged Weapon | R | FP | RS | AP | D | Special Rules | Traits |
| Heavy bolter | |||||||
| Heavy bolter | 36 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | Heavy (FP) | Bolt |
Huge artillery cannon and vast laser weapons are commonly employed as the primary armament of the greatest war machines of the Imperium. These weapons are devastating when properly braced and prepared for firing - more than capable of destroying smaller war engines in a single blast.
Weapons with the Ordnance (X) Special Rule double the value of a Characteristic when Stationary.Long range artillery fire is the terror of any infantry advance, striking its targets no matter what cover they seek or where they attempt to take shelter.
A Weapon with this Special Rule may be used to attack Target Units out of Line of Sight.This datasheet has Armour Battlefield Role. Full list of Legiones Astartes units sharing same Battlefield Role follows:
Intended to engage targets at extreme ranges, the huge explosive payload of the earthshaker cannon results in a destructive capacity that few other long-range artillery weapons can match.
| Ranged Weapon | |||||||
Ranged Weapon | R | FP | RS | AP | D | Special Rules | Traits |
| Earthshaker Cannon | |||||||
| Earthshaker cannon | 240 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | Ordnance (RS), Blast (5"), Barrage (2), Breaching (6+), Pinning (1) | - |