Why would you take it? It doesn't really do much, you know? Are its stats a misprint?

How good do its stats get once you add in an orks strength bonus ?

An orc choppa is an excellent Primitive weapon ... that is not actually primitive and has good Pen. You can't compare it to a power weapon. You should be comparing it to primitive weapons like Great Weapons or Warhammers, since those are really it's 'equivalent'.

Yeah, that's a good point. I just figured a big, beefy, exotic alien weapon would be more..."oomphy", that's all.

TalkingMuffin said:

It's an Ork weapon. The oomph comes from how hard they hit you with it.

Yeah. Afterall, is basically just an enormous, 80 pound meat-cleaver. No doubt, its made of pretty good steel, but the Orks aren't the most high-tech fellows. I imagine the choppa might be carried by a orc-slaying human, but more for panache than for effectiveness.

[Archived and indexed by adept Tvivii IX. Designated Status MAROON pending investigation of heretical tendencies of Arocontus Victor. As ordered by Inquisitor Tivendaar, ordo xenos]

From: Magos Munitorium Arocontus Victor
To: General Flaavius Borsct
Subject: RE: Assessment of the Choppa

In reply to your queries concerning the military values of the orkish close quarter fighting implement known as the choppa.

The choppa is a somehwat flat slab of any sort of metal, ripped by hand from the hull of any sturdy object and ground into the image of sharpness by a group of barely sentient snotlings equipped with a rock. It is hafted by a grot whos instructions consists of being repeatedly hit over the head with the biggest wrench its owner can build. The process of crafting is theoretically overseen by a mekboy whose idea of a sound design strategy is "moar bolts", and who is very likely to be somewhere else building 300m high junkyard mechas.

The choppa has a good throughput of damage, even when compared to the astartes pattern chainweapons. It bypasses most sorts of light to medium armor and causes large amounts of trauma that generally makes the target non combatworthy simply by force of impact. The often dirty, rusty and irregular edges will, if it penetrates armor, cause wounds that bleeds extensively, complicates easily and require heavy medical care thus reducing the likelihood of recovering the wounded soldier and increasing the strain on logistics. Only stiff types of personal armor, such as carapace or powered armors (blessed be their machinespirits) give a reliable protection against a blow from a choppa, by dispersing the force of impact and thus causing only loss of balance, concussion and similar relatively shortterm disabilities.

As a matter of completeness I will have you notice that the bigger versions of choppas, generally ranging from 5' and up in length, share most of the qualities of the smaller one, but is decidedly much more unvieldy while having just a slightly improved effect on infantry targets. It's effect on armored vehicles is decidedly insufficient. It is therefore not at all as widely used on the battlefield, apart from by dominant individuals that presumably use them as a badge of office by displaying their size and strength. Please cross reference studies indexed ORK, HIERARCHY, COMMAND STRUCTURE, MATURE AGE SIZE DEVELOPMENT, and similar.

The choppa is extremely easy to craft, maintain and handle with the materials needed being available most anywhere there are enemies using metal. It has been theorized that this is due to the nature of the enemy they were designed to combat. Please cross reference studies indexed [EXPUNGED BY ORDER OF INQUISITOR TIVENDAAR] . The tools needed is improviseable in less than a days work. It can in most any circumstances be crafted locally, even in huge amounts, to meet the demands of a suddenly appearing ork waagh. Wear and tear is of minimal consequence, even during heavy battlefield useage. It is a commonly known design, that has not been improved upon in any meaningfull way since the Empires first documented contacts with orks.

The choppa is an excellent example of military technology at its finest and fully worthy of being the main melee weapon for an entire race of genetically designed closecombat specialists.

The choppa is truly a miracle of the Great Designer. It is a perfect creation.

Yours in service to the Emperor. May he bring painful death to his enemies.

/A. Victor, Ministorum Munitorium, games and theory department

[End of archived and indexed post]

*** Thought for the day: Abhor the alien ***

TalkingMuffin said:

"Exotic alien weapon" = not something I'd use in the same sentence when speaking of melee weapons of Ork manufacture.

Choppas are just oversized axes, not even intended for human use. While deadly and "oomphy" in the hands of a musclebound Ork, it will just be a glorified piece of metal if a human picked one up.

Although there are kustom-choppas with "extra rippy" modifications, sporting chain-sword like blades and a screaming engine powering them.

Nullius said:

Given how other ork "tech" works, I wouldn't be surprised to find that one choppa is a lump of wood in approximately the right shape that has been painted to look like metal. As long as the orks believe it to be a metal choppa, it will work like one.

Remember, we are talking about the race where the red vehicles go faster because they are painted red.

The Choppa in the book in the basic crude Choppa used by the average Ork warrior. Just like the lasgun the average guardsman uses it sucks compared to better weapons. It's included for flavor, and in case the PCs are desperate even to use it. The PC, and/or nobles might have one as trophy, but that's pretty much it.

Note that in the hands of an Ork it's fairly nasty with their strength. Ork Nobs (Noble) will have better models or chain/power weapon models. The Boss, and Mekboy weapons include power claws, and the like.

Basically it's a mono-axe (Pen 2, nonprimitive) ... without the edge being monomolecular, but instead because of the sharp jagged edge and various rippers on it.

And yeah, it's the basic model.

It's a chunky piece of metal, what did you expect...