Okay, I know this is probably random but I was wondering. In one of the expansions or possibly the original Dark Heresy core book there were rules for using a Hellgun without a backpack. (I know because I did it; it did something like only getting 12 shots or 10 or some number along those lines.)

A char of mine recently acquired a Hot-Shot Laspistol which, in 2E, seems to have taken over that thing's sidearm's equivalent role. Catch is, I don't want to lug around a giganto-backpack for my -backup- weapon. (My char already sports a plasma gun!)

Is there a rule about this anywhere? I mean I love the armor pen, and the damage is nice, but I really don't want to have to lug that pack around for a freakin' pistol.

You're referring to the Inquisitor's Handbook; it had this rule in the Warzones gear category and it essentially allowed using a standard chargepack to power the weapon, with the caveat that every single shot would cost 4 charges rather than 1.

Obviously it's a different edition with different rules, but your GM might still be open about this idea. Just make sure to ask nicely. :3

The standard ammo capacity on a hellgun is stored in a capacitor the size of a thermos, worn hanging from the small of a soldier's back. You can get a backpack-sized ammo reservoir (the Backpack Ammo Supply upgrade) or use lasgun packs as Lynata described.

On a somewhat related note, I've always been mystified as to why the name of that weapon was changed from "hellgun" to "hot-shot lasgun." The latter causes confusion because a hot-shot lasgun doesn't use hot-shot power packs, and the former name was infinitely cooler anyway.

The standard ammo capacity on a hellgun is stored in a capacitor the size of a thermos, worn hanging from the small of a soldier's back. You can get a backpack-sized ammo reservoir (the Backpack Ammo Supply upgrade) or use lasgun packs as Lynata described.

On a somewhat related note, I've always been mystified as to why the name of that weapon was changed from "hellgun" to "hot-shot lasgun." The latter causes confusion because a hot-shot lasgun doesn't use hot-shot power packs, and the former name was infinitely cooler anyway.

Is the name change an Codex:Astra Militarum thing? I know they have hot-shot lasguns in the 'dex, but I assumed they also had hellguns.

Is the name change an Codex:Astra Militarum thing? I know they have hot-shot lasguns in the 'dex, but I assumed they also had hellguns.

I believe this already was a thing in the 5th edition codex. But yeah, they mean the same weapon -- personally, I just prefer to think that "hot-shot lasgun" is a silly misnomer some of the less educated Guardsmen came up with and it spread through the regiments as an alternate term.

As a funny bit of 1E/2E trivia: "Hellgun" is a contraction that likely arose within soldier lingo as well. The original name for the weapon was, supposedly, HEL-gun, for High Energy Laser. Much like the Rhino was originally just the "RH1-N0".

I haven't seen this detail reprinted in the books for decades, though, which makes it an ironic example of how this sort of stuff happens in the real world, too.

Is the name change an Codex:Astra Militarum thing? I know they have hot-shot lasguns in the 'dex, but I assumed they also had hellguns.

I believe this already was a thing in the 5th edition codex. But yeah, they mean the same weapon -- personally, I just prefer to think that "hot-shot lasgun" is a silly misnomer some of the less educated Guardsmen came up with and it spread through the regiments as an alternate term.

As a funny bit of 1E/2E trivia: "Hellgun" is a contraction that likely arose within soldier lingo as well. The original name for the weapon was, supposedly, HEL-gun, for High Energy Laser. Much like the Rhino was originally just the "RH1-N0".

I haven't seen this detail reprinted in the books for decades, though, which makes it an ironic example of how this sort of stuff happens in the real world, too.

Cool! I didn't know that. The rhino one I know I've heard before. That's a little silly.

Is the name change an Codex:Astra Militarum thing? I know they have hot-shot lasguns in the 'dex, but I assumed they also had hellguns.

I believe this already was a thing in the 5th edition codex. But yeah, they mean the same weapon -- personally, I just prefer to think that "hot-shot lasgun" is a silly misnomer some of the less educated Guardsmen came up with and it spread through the regiments as an alternate term.

As a funny bit of 1E/2E trivia: "Hellgun" is a contraction that likely arose within soldier lingo as well. The original name for the weapon was, supposedly, HEL-gun, for High Energy Laser. Much like the Rhino was originally just the "RH1-N0".

I haven't seen this detail reprinted in the books for decades, though, which makes it an ironic example of how this sort of stuff happens in the real world, too.

Or how the Land speeder and Land raider are named after Arkhan Land (the techpriest who rediscovered them)

Also sometimes I wonder as to why somebody would name a tank after a melee weapon (Baneblade, Stormhammer)

I know I did a double take when I saw the chimera pistol sword in Inquisitor's Handbook. I figured they're just making stuff up for the hell of it at this point.

Pistol Swords are a fairly common thing in history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pistol_sword

The Knuckleduster pistol is my favourite.

We even have combi weapons! LeMat revolver: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeMat_Revolver

9 shot cilinder and one 20ga shotgun!