Twin-linking heavy weapons, still portable?

By van Riebeeck, in Rogue Trader Rules Questions

A small practical question. I am not sure if there are rules concerning this, so I fear we will have ot let reason guide this a bit: If we twin-link a heavy weapon, is it still portable? To complicate matters, how would power armour and bulging bicpes affect this?

I myself am more or less thinking that twin-linked heavy weapons ask for vehicle mounts, obviously including Dreadnaughts. But twin-linked heavy lascannon being swung about as if they were a bolter seems even for epic characters mayhaps a bit too much of a good thing.

Friedrich van Riebeeck, Navigator Primus, Heart of the Void

Which lascannon are we talking about exactly? The one from the RT core rules is SS only and carries 5 shots worth of charge packs. Yes, that is charge packs, plural, its a heavy weapon that does a lot of damage and the only way to do that is by discharging a large amount of power. The ammo backpack also cannot be used to supply heavy weapons so by the RAW the person would still only get at max 5 shots.

From its own description it barely meets the description as "man portable" other than some guys could carry it from place to place set it up and fire it. Twin-linking it isn't the problem, neither is the weight, its the shear bulk of everything the person would need to carry.

On the chance you weren't speaking exclusively to the lascannon there are other heavy weapons I could see being twin-linked and still being portable to a degree. The heavy bolter or stubber could both be supplied via the ammo backpack and they both have a greater rof than the lascannon.

As to talents like bulging biceps it says they can fire a heavy weapon without bracing, but does it say they can fire more than one heavy weapon without bracing? I don't think so. A linked weapon is two or more weapons 'linked' to fire together. I would think the normal bracing rules would apply for each weapon and the penalties would stack. So while they could negate the effects of firing one heavy weapon without bracing they couldn't negate more than that.

One more thing. If someone were to fire at the guy covered in charge packs carrying a twin-linked lascannon I am pretty sure they would be as likely to hit one of the numerous charge packs he's carrying as they would the guy carrying them. I for one would not want to be him.

Edit:

Vehicles are a nice way to get all those cool toys I am sure your players want. The most likely I think would be a nice walker setup. Use the vehicle combat rules in Into the Storm and just build combat walkers for your guys. Best part of vehicles is you aren't required to have all those heavy weapons talents only the drive (walker) skill.

Any heavy weapon, this is more of a general question, whether it is stubbers, heavy plasma's or twin linked heavy bolters. On vehicles it is obviously no problem at all, but can they be lugged around.

FvR

Personally i wouldn't allow it.

It's likely possible to do it, i don't see the weight as the problem, but the recoil would be enormous as would the size and bulk of it. I would triple the penalty rather then double it. These are weapons you need a talent or special equipment for to be able to use them without being thrown back. If you put two of them together the effects should be dramatic imo.

Also: i think it's not just a question of whether or not it's possible in a practical sense. I'd also argue that from a balance perspective it'd be majorly unsettling. Heavy weapons are devastating. Twin-linking them is imo something reserved for vehicles rather then just one person lugging them around. Unless there is a very good reason to stray from that rule (like say an abhuman that's twice the size and muscle of a normal guy), of course and even then the practicalities should limit the application. Narrow corridors in a spacehip don't lend themselves well for hauling around twin-linked heavy weapons and still use them flexibly. It'd likely involve lowering them down to a teammate when you have to scale a ladder (can you say ambush time?) and other such fun team-building activities.

*nods*

I quite agree on both counts, both the practical and balance question. But it seems that RAW it is not really considered, so that means house ruling?

FvR

Yup, i'd say so. Just checked again and can't find anything in the RAW that prohibits it.

Suspensors= AUTo-Stabilized Trait. Always counts as braced and may fire semi and full auto as a HALF action. No penalties for moving and firing. Woot!

Then you can have a twin linked heavy stubber at 35 kilos. Under RAW a guy can carry that much, plus a little armour and equipment.

SB 4 TB 4 = 8 = 56kg carrying weight (even with a SB/TB of 3 each you can do it if your naked).

A RT character can easily have a 40 in each.

With power armour its easier, less SB needed.

Quick Examples:

  • Twin Linked Heavy Stubber w/Suspensors 35kg (minimum SB/TB of 6)
  • Twin Linked Man Portable Las Cannon w/Suspensors 55kg (needs SB/TB of 8)
  • Twin Linked Naval Shot Cannon w/Suspensors 7kg, without (don't do it!)
  • Twin Linked Heavy Bolter w/Suspensors 40kg (minimum SB/TB of 7)
  • Twin Linked Thermal Lance w/Suspensors 40kg (minimum SB/TB of 7)
  • Twin Linked Multi-Melta w/Suspensors 40kg (minimum SB/TB of 7)
  • Twin Linked Plasma Cannon w/Suspensors 40kg (minimum SB/TB of 7)
  • Twin Linked Heavy Flamer w/Suspensors 40kg (minimum SB/TB of 7)
  • Twin Linked Missile Launcher w/Suspensors (Locke 12kg, Retobi 35kg) (minimum SB/TB of 4 or 6)

I think the sheer unwieldiness would not lend itself to a non-mounted firing platform, Auto-Stabilized or not. The weight may be halved, but the bulk and mass is not. Not to mention the recoil of the weapons combined with halved weight would be insanely ferocious.

Moreover, it is this fellow's opinion that it would be a bad fit for the setting. Have you ever heard of one, even among Terminators? No. I think if you were to have it function in a similar manner to an Imperial Guard heavy weapons team it would be possible and balanced. The player takes the 1 or 2 full-rounds to set it up, and in return he can pump out more firepower then anyone else on the battlefield. Such a weapon rewards preparation and good intelligence and punishes rashness.

The fact is that, RAW, the suspensor makes it absolutely possible to do this. The description nixes all of those concerns.

If you want to hamstring your group and prevent them from doing this you are the GM. Go for it.

This is the RAW:

Suspensors= AUTo-Stabilized Trait. Always counts as braced and may fire semi and full auto as a HALF action. No penalties for moving and firing.

Using that logic though, they could carry huge mounds of stuff, and the fact that the actual bulk would make it impossible to carry it all is ignored.

They may be able to carry the weight of it, but it'd still be way too bulky to actually use it without it being on some sort of platform.

Well RAW it says any heavy weapon. So they could carry up to their encumberance of stuff, with suspensors on twin linked heavy weapons. Don't overstate the idea i'm pointing out. You can kit a relatively normal guy with a honking big gun. Its grimdark. I'm also not ignoring the fact it is an anti-gravity technology, something us wee humans in the M2 (or whatever) have no grasp of yet. Giving the guy the auto-stabilized trait is cancelling out recoil to a degree - there is no need for a platform to carry or fire the weapon.

The average warm weather soldier's load is 88.3 pounds. (real life numbers) About 40 kilos or so. Our characters are not normal. With S/T bonuses of 7+ combined carrying 100 pounds is a breeze for the character. That is the game mechanic. 7 = 45kg carrying weight - lifting weight is double that!

Its also not logical that we can't make a Heavy weapon compact under RAW. That chaps my butt to no end so I allow it. Just like you can say no twin linking heavy weapons or using suspensors with twin linked heavy weapons.

Heres an alternative way to think about it: twin linked doesn't mean the guns are 'together', just keyed to fire at the same time. So if you attached a heavy bolter to each arm of a suit of power armour - each weapon having its own suspensor, does it seem so unwieldy?

I am not sure whether I would describe limiting powerplay that isn't covered by the rules (carrying twin-linked heavy weapons, something only vehicles do in tabletop games if I am right) as hamstringing player characters. Same goes for not having compact heavy weapons around. Size does matter, especially in WH40k.

No, with a game on the scale of RT, limiting twin-linked heavy weapons to vehicle (or tripod) mountings and making them crew served is only logical. Players allready can swing heavy weapons around with staggering ease, increasing the power of those seems unneccesary to say the least. If players wish to deploy them, what is easier then have heavy weapon teams setting up their big dakka dakka? They can still decide to shove aside the gunner and take their place if they wish to blast away with loads and loads of firepower.

FvR

Aye, you are essentially just saying that the bulk of an item doesn't matter in whether it can be carried or used easily, all that matters is the weight...

And, whilst volume or bulk doesn't have "rules", you should really operate on what makes any kind of sense.

That's like saying a Space Marine can carry around 2-3 heavy bolters - he might be able to theoretically, but how the hell is he going to hold them all?

My cries of "More Dakka!" go unheard!

Not at all! You can have vast and vast amounts of 'Dakka'! The only thing is that you will have to get a crew to walk around and set up that tripod, vast amounts of munition and then you can take a nice comfy seat and go Uberdakka! By the way, having people carry ammunition is not an unlogical thing. One of the main limitations of infantry firepower is not so much the weaponry as the munition consumption, added to the fact that they have to carry it all. Now, if you consider that a WW II Soviet company could expend about half a ton of ammo in one minute, you see the problem.

FvR

I'll settle for the meltaguns then as a player in a strict non-RAW campaign, after noticing the weight is incorrect in core rules (according to errata they're supposed to be 7.5 and 8.5 kg each).

Twin Linked Mezoa Pattern Meltagun and a Red Dot (2d10+8, Pen 13, +30% and five shots before reload), 17kg

PEW! PEW! PEW! RAAAwwwwwaaaRRR!

Oh, i forgot to say: one TW Melta on each arm of mah powah armah!

I would allow twin-linked portable heavy weapons, but only as specific patterns vice slapdash field expedients. Most would also require suspensors to help mitigate the shear bulkiness. Otherwise most twin-linked weapons should be limited to tripod, power armor or vehicle mounts. Do note that twin-linked, suspensor equipped patterns would be extremely rare and I would require characters to complete and adventure for one. After they get their sweet toy don't forget that they need to carry double the ammo, which depending on the weapon could get very expensive for even Rogue Traders.

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Well there is an example or two of double heavy weapons in Into the storm.

The first is the assault stubber, which is technically a storm weapon but is basically what the OP was asking about. It's noticeably on the 'light' side of the heavy weapons list and even then you'd still be best getting a suspensor if you plan to remain mobile or engage in hikes with it.

The second are Ork weapons with the Combi upgrade which can make them twin linked. In this case it's worth noting that

A) Orks don't much care for accuracy and bullets on target so much as making noise and scaring folks. Plus an empty gun isn't useless, it just gives them more reason to run up and hit things so they don't get bored.

B) Orks have an unnatural stable body structure which can be said t help them in remaining upright (even if not exactly mobile) while firing a massive weapon unaided. Later rank orcs become about a fairly stable (if hideously inaccurate and flatulent) weapons platform and I'd imagine at some point a rank 8 Ork is going to try and carry a looted battle cannon around.

But as it stands even marines put suspensors on their normal heavy weapons despite having the triple advantages of Size, Strength, and power armor working to overcome any problems caused by recoil and weight. So I think that for a normal human twin linking anything bigger than a light stubber would make it to bulky for movement under fire. While the game rules on weight and such say you can do it, as a GM I'd make the issue of its mass and size problematic.

No easy way to ditch the weapon if you get pounced by kroot, good luck sneaking, and no way in the warp are you going to drag it around anywhere that isn't a combat zone. I

A better solution is to get your tech priest to install a weapon MIU in your head and psyber link it to some gun servitors who carry your weapons for you. Then you could have a whole bloody arsenal on treads you pick from while doing something stupid/epic like dual wielding shields as you cybernetically order your guns to fire. Heck a beginning level player could pull that off unless your GM decided the book's initital acquisition rule was to lenient.