Tanks of the Imperium

By BaronIveagh, in Rogue Trader

I posted this on another forum, but I figure I'll toss this up here too. I'm not sure if these will work with the new vehicle rules, they were written for the old rules from Black Libraries web site. They would seem, however, to best work with the RT game more so then DH

Tanks of the Imperium

Introduction
A long time ago, someone asked me for the vehicles that I used in my RT/DH campaign. I can’t say that I have been exactly hard core about this, since the vehicle rules are spotty at best. However, here are a few of them, and the weapons they carry. These do not include vehicles already in the Apocrypha rules.

GMs should note: these weapons are meant for shooting, by and large, and big, nasty things, large numbers of things, or really, really armored things. Players struck by Titan Megabolters tend to not survive, and even really good power armor does not handle hits from a Vanquisher well.

Vehicles

Leman Russ Tank
Type: Ground Vehicle
Size: Massive
Armour: Front 33, Hull 22, Rear 20
Traits: Stabilized
Narrative Speed: 25 kmph/40 kmph
Combat Speed: 5/20/40/60/80
Handling Modifier (Drive (Ground Vehicles)): -10
Armaments:

Leman Russ: Forward hull heavy weapon mounting, optional 2 sponson heavy weapon mountings, pintel heavy weapon mount on turret, one ordinance/heavy weapon mounting in turret
Thunderer: One ordinance mounting forward.


Crew: 1 (Driver), 1-3 (Gunner), 1 (Commander), 1 (Loader [depending on variant])
Access Points: Turret and side hatches

Basilisk Mobile Artillery
Type: Ground Vehicle
Size: Enormous
Armour: Front 27, Hull 18, Rear 16
Traits: Open
Narrative Speed: 18 kmph/30 kmph
Combat Speed: 5/20/40/60/80
Handling Modifier (Drive (Ground Vehicles)): -5
Armaments: Forward hull heavy weapon mounting, pintel heavy weapon mounting, Earthshaker Cannon
Crew: 1 (Driver), 3 (Gunner)
Access Points: Top hatch

Salamander Scout
Type: Ground Vehicle
Size: Enormous
Armour: Front 27, Hull 18, Rear 16
Traits: Amphibious, Open
Narrative Speed: 65 kmph/100 kmph
Combat Speed: 10/40/60/80/100
Handling Modifier (Drive (Ground Vehicles)): +5
Armaments: Forward hull heavy weapon mounting, 1 top mounted forward fixed heavy weapon mounting
Crew: 1 (Driver), 2 (Gunner), 1 (Comms)
Access Points: Open top, forward hatch.

Macharius
Type: Ground Vehicle
Size: Massive (!!)
Armour: Front 33, Hull 22, Rear 20
Traits: Stabilized, Super Heavy
Narrative Speed: 10kmph/20 kmph
Combat Speed: 3/10/20/30/40
Handling Modifier (Drive (Ground Vehicles)): -20
Armaments: Forward hull heavy weapon mounting, optional 2 sponson heavy weapon mountings, pintel heavy weapon mount on turret, one ordinance/titan/heavy weapon mounting in turret
Crew: 1 (Driver), 1-3 (Gunner), 1 (Commander), 1 (Comms Operator)
Access Points: Turret and side hatches

Malcador
Type: Ground Vehicle
Size: Massive
Armour: Front 30, Hull 20, Rear 18
Traits: Stabilized, Super Heavy
Narrative Speed: 10 kmph/20 kmph
Combat Speed: 3/10/20/30/40
Handling Modifier (Drive (Ground Vehicles)): -20
Armaments:


Malcador - Forward hull heavy weapon mounting, optional 2 sponson heavy weapon mountings, pintel heavy weapon mount on turret, one ordinance/heavy weapon mounting in turret
Defender - Forward hull ordinance mounting, optional 2 sponson heavy weapon mountings, pintel heavy weapon mounting, and five fixed heavy weapons mounts on top in lieu of a turret.


Crew: 1 (Driver), 1-4 (Gunner), 1 (Commander), 1 (Loader)
Access Points: Top and side hatches


Traits:

Stabilized
The crew or driver of this vehicle gains +10 bonus to fire a weapon mounted on the vehicle while moving. This vehicle can fire ordinance weapons while moving. Plasma Weapons do not suffer from the Overheats rule while mounted on vehicles with this trait.

Ordinance
Ordinance weapons are designed to smash large numbers of heavily armed troops, fortifications, and armored juggernauts with ease. Ordinance Weapons deal triple damage to targets that are Hulking size or smaller. Such targets must also pass a toughness check to avoid being killed outright from the titanic shock to their system.

Artillery
This weapon can fire in a high arc and engage targets out of line of sight. To do this requires a Challenging (+0) Intelligence Test rather than a BS test.

Titan
This weapon is designed for use on a Titan or Super Heavy tank. Titan weapons ignore the Super Heavy trait.

Super Heavy
Super Heavy Vehicles are massive, gigantic monstrosities nearly immune to damage from anything smaller then themselves. Shots against a super heavy vehicle have their damage and penetration reduced by one half.


Weapons:

Battle Cannon
The standard weapon of the most common tank in the Imperial Guard. These have been used for millennia to great effect, their simplicity and durability making them the most dependable ordinance in the Imperial arsenal.

Battle Cannon– Ordinance – 1km – S/-/-/ - 4d10 + 5 X – 5 – 1 – 2 Full – Reliable, Blast (10) – 1500kg – GM - Rare

Plasma Destroyer
Once a common variant, the Leman Russ Executioner equipped whole armies during the Great Crusade. Now only a single forgeworld, Ryza, has the technical means to manufacture this tank. Many consider the Executioner unlucky due to the huge plasma weapon it carries, and many crews conduct elaborate rituals to appease the temperamental machine spirit of this weapon.

Plasma Destroyer – Ordinance - 500m – S/3/- - 3d10 +5 E – 9 – 12 – NA – Overheats, Blast (10) – 2000kg – GM – Near Unique.

Vanquisher Battle Cannon
The Vanquisher is another tank that was once more common on the battlefields then now. Due to the destruction of the Tigrus forgewold during the 35th Millenium, this pattern of Leman Russ was almost lost to the Imperium. However, several other forgeworlds have since begun to manufacture these tank-hunters par excellence once more.

Vanquisher Battle Cannon– Ordinance – 1km – S/-/-/ - 4d10 + 5 X – 20 – 1 – 2 Full – Reliable, Accurate – 2000kg – GM - Near Unique

Exterminator Autocannon
The Exterminator is a common variant of the Leman Russ, usually bristling with heavy bolters to supplement its twin linked autocannons. These engines of destruction are quick to live up to their name, exterminating infantry with commendable speed.

Exterminator Autocannon – Heavy – 300m – S/2/5 – 4d10 +5 I – 4 - 360 – NA – Twin Linked – 200kg – GM - Very Rare

Demolisher Cannon
The Demolisher and Thunderer variants are well known in urban fighting, their ability to smash dug in positions being highly valued by commanders fighting in built up areas.

Demolisher Cannon - Ordinance – 120m – S/-/-/ - 5d10 X – 17 – 1 – 1 – Reliable, Blast (10) – GM – GM - Rare

Laser Destroyer
As the Vindicare Assassin is to people, so is the Destroyer to the tank. Fabulously rare, this weapon is designed to punch neat holes through even the hardest armor. Highly prized for this, only the most skilled gunners will be assigned to this ‘pocket Shadowsword’.

Laser Destroyer – Ordinance – 1km – S/-/- - 6d10+5 X – 20 – 1 – 1 – Accurate – GM – GM – Near Unique

Earthshaker Cannon
The Earthshaker is one of the most common artillery pieces in the Imperium, with both excellent range and rate of fire. They are commonly mounted on stationary platforms or closer to the front as Basilisk mobile artillery pieces.

Earthshaker Cannon - Ordinance – GM – S/-/-/ - 5d10 X – 15 – 1 – 2 Full – Reliable, Artillery, Blast (20) – GM – GM - Rare

Vulcan Megabolter
This Titan sized bolter is designed to reduce large numbers of infantry to bloody chunks. In this capacity, it has always excelled.

Vulcan Megabolter – Titan – 300m - -/-/30 – 3d10 +4X – 7 – 8000 – NA – Storm, Tearing, Titan, Twin Linked – GM – GM – Unique

Ammunition Types

Anti-Tank Shells – An Anti-tank shell is a high velocity armor penetrating ordinance round. This ammunition increases a weapons penetration by +7 and removes the Blast trait, should the weapon normally have it.
Rarity: Rare
Cost: 2000

Illumination Shells – An illumination shell is designed to illuminate a battlefield at night. This shell is meant to be fired high into the air, where it will drift down slowly, providing shadowy illumination over a wide area.
Rarity: Scarce
Cost: 1000

Infernus Shells – This ordinance shell possesses incendiary properties. Any target hit by it or in the area of its blast must pass an Agility test or catch fire.)
Rarity: Rare
Cost: 2000

Hunter Shell – This incredibly rare ordinance shell may only be used by Battle Cannons and Vanquisher Battle Cannons. Containing advanced targeting archeotech cogitators; on a hit this self guided shell strikes the targets weakest armor. These ancient munitions are rarer then starships and what few remain are hoarded, with good reason, by the Imperial Guard for their tank aces. These are also considered of HIGH interest by the Adeptus Mechanicus, as the means to make them have been lost.
Rarity: Unique
Cost: GM

I wouldn't handle the 'stabilized' trait like you did : as you've written, firing at rest gives an accuracy bonus, which it shouldn't.

I'd rather give it a few levels (two, maybe three at most - maybe more with 5% steps to reflect the various degree of effectiveness) and rewrite something like 'each levels of stablization reduces penalties for firing on the move by 5%'.

If you feel it a generous mood, it might help with follow-up shoots as the gun will realign itself

.... since it says 'while moving' why would it give the bonus when the tank is not in motion?

Because stabilization won't do a thing to improve aiming, or the inherent accuracy of the gun when it's at rest. If the hull doesn't move, the gun is already steady and the stabilization won't help. What stabilization does is to keep the gun (and it's sight for the most effective ssytems) steady on the move by compensating the hull's motion. Having such a system providing it's bonus when the tank is at rest would mùake as much sense as having a night vision scope reducing darkness penalties and providing an accuracy bonus in daylight.

But there's nothing that prevents you to have an 'improved targeting' modification (here gain with several degree) to reflect things light better optics, targeting computers, rangefinders and other gunnery aids. Those would give their bonus wether the tank is moving or not.

Oups I messed up my reply - that what one gets for reading and replying when short on sleep. I completetely missed the 'while moving' bit. Well, at elast it will give those ufamiliar with stablization and how it works a more detailed idea of how it works.

Since I can't edit muy previous posts, I'll maje on more : rewording with the 'removes up to xx%' penalty will make it proof against the rule lwayer who would drive the tank at a slaw crawl to avoid the 'fire on the move' penalty while still being able to argue 'hey but the tank is moving so I get the bonus'.

I didn't have that problem when we playtested it, but I can see your point. Maybe a clarification about how fast it has to be moving.

the 'removes up to xx% from the fire on the move penalties' wording is probably the surest way to do that - it also bypasses the potential problem that depending on the vehicle and situation the penalty can vary widely :A tank going as fast as possible on a broken offroad terrain and that same tank zooming along a smooth highway are a very different kettle of fishes as far as firing in motion penalties go.

Well, I'm gonna have to re-write and re-test it for the new vehicle rules anyway.

Don't suppose you've ever thought about stating up a 'BaneBlade". happy.gif

Our Pesky Void-Master is after one (among other things).

Actually that was why I did the Macharius. The Baneblade had some complications with the old rules, but the Mach didn't. That and a stray Mach would be a bit fluffier then a Baneblade, since Baneblades are carefully tracked by Mars, but something like the Mach isn't.