Just as in the topic. Does Imperium still possess technology to turn inhospitable rock into one that can support human life? I'm aware this won't besomething for o lowly gubernor to achive, but given all might of Mechanicum? I haven't find anything about it it the offical fluff, but still can use some opinions.

I'm quite sure that they did possess the technology to terraform at some point in time. Not really sure if it matter all that much if they still have it, terraforming (usually) takes a long period of time and since the setting doesn't really advance it probably isn't viable to spend to effort figuring out the "official" answer.

I would also assume there are a few ancient archeotech terraformers, and even if the Imperium doesn't have it the Eldar certainly do. However it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to go through the process of terraforming when you could just drop a void shield on a planet, form a mining colony, strip mine what you want and leave. If you needed a strategic base of operations, build an imperial navy yard (you'd have to anyway). If you actually wanted a new colony world, you just keep looking. There are thousands of uncharted systems in the Expanse, so why go through the problem of converting one planet when you can just find another one that's already what you want?

I recall some GW fluff on a battle where a Chapter of Space Marines blew up a climate control facility on some planet's mountain in an effort to eradicate the Ork population that had befallen the human colony - the entire world slipped from spring-like climate into becoming an ice world into a matter of months as the planet devolved into its original state before it was settled. The distinctively remember the machine being described as being from the Dark Age of Technology.

The Adeptus Mechanicus still seems to possess some knowledge of terraforming, but it has become inefficient and unreliable. The Index Astartes article on the Raptors Chapter describes how the AdMech once attempted to terraform their homeworld Jemadal, a jungle planet with an atmosphere "so heavily saturated with moisture that human lungs, even the hyper efficient multi-lungs of a Space Marine, are unable to extract enough oxygen from the air" - but they failed, which is why the Raptors depend on special respirators to move around on their planet.

Ultimately, however, I'd guess it is safe to say that "it depends". In details such as these, you're probably going to get a hundred different answers from a hundred different books.

Thanks for all answers. To sum up: rather possible but uneconomic - sound warhammerish enough .

As to Erathia question I've got an idea of death-like penal planet, which inhabitants are forced to work towards its terraformation. All in the mood of fighting with elements and soil itself for the glory of Emperor.

Aren't there a couple of references to terraforming tech in the RT core book, or Into the Storm?

My usual rule of thumb for any Imperial Tech that isn't mentioned in the fluff is yes it probably exists, but its going to be bulky, rare, finicky, or expensive.

For a terraformer I would have it be the size of a large factory complex and work by slowly crawling across the planets surface pumping out hundreds of thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gasses, and converting the dust and stone into arable land over the course of decades or centuries. In exchange for the use, and technical expertise the AdMech would recieve a certain percentage of all raw materials harvested from the planet, first dibs on any and all archeotech, xenotech, fossil records, etc, and probably a portion of the planetary surface.

They certainly used to - Mars itself had been terraformed, prior to the birth of Slaanesh, subsequent collapse of human civilisation across the galaxy, and eventual rise of the Tech-Priests.

Mars went from uninhabitable, to habitable, and back to barely habbitable.

For a close to home reference, look at Percipre in the Calixis Sector. That's right next door to Koronus. Fluff makes it very clear that that planet had been terraformed, but the climate is now deteriorating quite badly as the AdMech has lost the know-how to keep the terraforming engines running. Typical 40K, really.

Here's a web address if you want to learn more about that world: http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Percipre

Cheers,

- V.

Vandegraffe said:

Good find mr V.

So they've got Terraforming Engines in DAoT which could do the trick. Yet, what makes me wonder, the planet slipped into frozen hell after their malfunction. I always thought that terraforming is a proces with an end, not a state needing constant support. As V. said - typical 40 K.

Wincent said:

Thanks. I've spent far too much time wiki-walking on that wh40k.lexicanum site. You'd be amazed at what is there. For example, Black Industries published a book titled Guide to the Calixis Sector . This was before Black Industries folded and GW transferred the 40KRP licence to FFG. There are a significant number of worlds in there that have yet to appear in any FFG product, Precipre among them.

As for terraforming, if the terraforming engines were pumping out, say, greenhouse gases which had a finite lifespan in the atmosphere, then a failure really could do that. 40K isn't on speaking terms with most science, but that's actually somewhat plausible… Common greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide do react with an earth standard atmosphere and get purged. (On Earth, they're constantly being replenished by natural processes and human activity.)

Cheers,

- V.

Vandegraffe said: