Terminator (Warhammer 40,000)

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In the fictional Warhammer 40,000 universe and associated games, Terminators are Space Marine veterans equipped with the immense Tactical Dreadnought Armour (or Terminator armour), .

Tactical Dreadnought Armor combines the technological developments of power armour with the sealed environmental suits designed for starship crews that work in highly unstable or corrosive environments such as inside the high pressure casings of plasma reactor shields. It can even withstand the colossal impact of high speed orbital micro debris.

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[edit] History

Tactical Dreadnought Armour was originally designed by the Emperor as a middle ground between Dreadnoughts and the Power Armour worn by the Space Marine Legions. Power Armour provided excellent protection against small arms fire but not against heavier weapons, the opposite, dreadnoughts, were very powerful and well-protected but were unable to operate in certain environments (buildings, forests) due to their bulk.

Some had expected that Tactical Dreadnought armor could replace Power Armour, although it soon became apparent that the bulk of Tactical Dreadnought armor was a disadvantage in battle, since the warriors using the armor would be quickly outmaneuvered by more lightly-armored forces, and because they could not be transported in standard Marine vehicles such as Rhinos and Razorbacks.

However, the armor proved its worth in certain situations. Cramped conditions, like the inside of hive cities, tunnels, and starship corridors showed that in certain situations, durability outweighed maneuverability, and in such exchanges, this type of armor would come out on top.

The armor itself is a complete exo-skeleton constructed from heavy-gauge plasteel plating, covered in thick sheets of plasteel and ceramite. Movement is made possible through the complex fiber-bundle muscles, which allow a properly-trained warrior to fight with deadly strength and skill in cramped, close quarter conditions, where this armor excels. Fully independent power supplies and life-support systems are incorporated into the suit, while various augers and auspex devices grant the wearer a full understanding of the situation he is in. Integrated threat sensors and targeters allow a Space Marine to track his target with great accuracy. A squad of warriors can be 'networked' together to share visual and tactical data, although to limit confusion this is rarely done; networking is used in special circumstances such as a Space Hulk where the squad is often separated into different corridors trying to cordon off a Genestealer attack.

Tactical Dreadnought Armour is incredibly rare - any given Chapter would be lucky to possess a hundred, which would be enough to fully equip the Chapter's First Company. New suits of armor can be manufactured, but although the Adeptus Mechanicus possesses the knowledge and skill, they can only be produced at an extremely slow rate. Newly formed Chapters often have difficulty obtaining large numbers of this armor, especially because older, more prestigious Chapters have greater priority. Each suit of Terminator armour bears the Crux Terminatus on its left shoulder pad. This is a great honour among the Space Marines, as each Crux Terminatus symbol is said to have been made using fragments from the Emperor's personal armour. Some Marines who have earned the use of Terminator Armour choose to stay in their regular Marine armour, due to its advantages in maneuverability, but they are allowed to wear the Crux Terminatus on their shoulder.

[edit] Armament

Terminators are able to carry a variety of weapons into combat. The fiber-bundle muscles of Tactical Dreadnought Armour allow Marines to carry much heavier loads and so heavy support weapons can be carried with ease. As their armor enables them to withstand heavy firepower, they often operate in the front lines, closer to the enemy than most Marines in Power Armour, and so most of their weaponry is specialized for medium-close range engagements.

The standard armament is the storm bolter and powerfist (sometimes called a power glove). The storm bolter can lay down twice the firepower of a standard boltgun at medium-close range, while the powerfist is a good all-round weapon with its strength enabling the wearer to kill most types of infantry and damage armored vehicles. The chain fist offers increased effectiveness against even the most heavily armored tanks, though it confers no bonus against infantry. The chain fist is crucial in Space Hulks where it is needed to cut through locked doors and bulkheads. Both the powerfist and chainfist suffer from bulk which forces them to "strike last" in melee situations, though the squad-leader (commonly a sergeant) is granted the use of the swifter powersword.

Depending on the Marine Chapter, up to two members of a Terminator squad can carry support weapons - an assault cannon, heavy flamer, or the Cyclone missile launcher - not carried by Marines in Power Armour. Assault cannons have a high rate of fire and excellent infantry and light-vehicle armour penetration at medium-close range; Terminators are the only infantry in the Imperium that are able to carry these weapons. Heavy flamers can destroy Genestealer genebanks and burn out groups of enemy units in single searing blast before the Terminators charge in. The Cyclone missile launcher is unique to Terminators, being the only long range weapon in their arsenal, and it is the only Terminator weapon specifically for open battlefield use (not used in Space Hulks); it can unleash a volley of frag or krak missiles for anti-infantry or anti-vehicle use. The weapon is a twin six-cell launcher mounted on top of the Tactical Dreadnought Armour, so the Marine can also retain the standard storm bolter. In addition, a special targeter is built into the armor, thus allowing the user to accurately fire the Cyclone missiles while simultaneously firing the Storm Bolter.

Assault Terminator squads are outfitted for all-out close combat ability. The storm bolter and powerfist are given up for either a pair of lightning claws or the thunder hammer and Storm Shield. Lightning Claws are a form of powerfist with the matter disruption field focused around long blades instead of the glove itself, so these are dedicated to and most effectively used against enemy troops. The Thunder Hammer delivers a powerful blast of energy when it strikes, which can be used to great effect to stun enemy vehicle crews, and the Storm Shield uses an energy field which the bearer can use to deflect attacks, making such Terminators more generalized all-round combatants. Having no ranged weapons, Terminators with these close combat weapons need to get close to the enemy as fast as possible, so are transported by Land Raiders or teleported directly into the enemy's battle lines.

Dark Angels Deathwing Terminator squads are unique in that they are able to field mixed squads containing support weapons and assault terminators. Dark Angel Deathwing Terminators also have the sacred Deathwing Standard, which gives everyone a boost in morale, encouraging them to fight with unimaginable fury.

Grey Knight Terminators trade their powerfist for a Nemesis force weapon, a weapon powered by the wielder's psychic abilities that increases the strength of the bearer and easily cuts through armor without the loss of speed associated with the bulk of the power fist, although Grey Knight Terminators do have the option to take a powerfist or chain fist. The other difference with Grey Knight Terminators is the storm bolter is attached to the back of the left gauntlet instead of being carried and this can be replaced with either a psycannon, a long range rapid firing high strength firearm that excels at destroying Daemons, or an Incinerator which is for all intents a heavy flamer except its blessed fuel makes it deadly to Daemons.

[edit] Terminators in battle

Because of the rarity of Tactical Dreadnought Armour, only the members of the elite First Company may wear them while force commanders, chaplains and librarians may also equip such armour. These Space Marines are the best of the best, each one a hero in his own right. They must be deployed in carefully-planned situations where the armour's inherent toughness and destructive weapons can be unleashed to wreak havoc upon the enemy.

Squads of Terminators are most often employed in boarding actions, and although the armaments can be modified for longer-range combats, it is brutal assault for which they are made. Because of their bulk and slow speed, various methods have been developed to make the greatest use of these warriors. Primary among these is to deploy the Terminators straight into the thick of battle via teleportation. Although inaccurate and potentially dangerous, it is often the best way to ensure that the Terminators see combat. Nonetheless, teleportation is an ancient, barely understood technology, and many Space Marine Chapters rightly distrust it.

Chapters can also deploy Terminator squads via Land Raiders (5 Terminators or one Squad), Land Raider Crusaders (8 Terminators), Drop Pods, and Thunderhawk Gunships (up to 15 Terminators or 3 squads). Due to their bulk, Terminators are not transported in standard Marine vehicles such as Rhinos, or Razorbacks. However, Inquisitors with Terminator armour can be transported in Chimera transports, albeit taking up a lot of space.

[edit] In the Games

Terminators were first introduced to the Warhammer 40,000 universe during the late 1980s, via the miniature boardgame Space Hulk. The Terminators were pitted against Genestealers aboard a Space Hulk. The cover art for the first and second editions showed Blood Angels Terminators; a Dark Angels Deathwing Terminator was shown in the expansion pack. Deathwing Terminators also featured in the cover art for the earlier game Tyranid Attack, where they were shown battling Tyranid Warriors and Termagants, but the game miniatures themselves were Space Marine Scouts.

Less than a year later, popular demand caused Games Workshop to provide for Terminators in the main Warhammer 40,000 game, and a set of rules was published in White Dwarf Magazine (no. 109). Although the potency of a Terminator squad has been toned down since then, they are still considered a formidable part of a Space Marine army. At the time, the shoulder armour of the terminators was bulkier and there were checkerboard patterns on its storm bolters and assault cannons.[1]

The Terminator model was revamped during the mid-1990s and again in 2004 but the current design is still mostly similar to the previous one. Releases during the second edition of Warhammer 40,000 included a generic (Ultramarines or Blood Angels) plastic box set of a 5-man terminator squad, consisting of three terminators with the regular storm bolter and powerfists, one with heavy flamer and powerfist, and the sergeant with storm bolter and powersword. There was also the Dark Angels Deathwing metal box set (replaced one powerglove with a chainfist, also had Deathwing ornaments), and the Space Wolves Wolf Guard metal box set (replaced two powergloves with chainfists, replaced one storm bolter with assault cannon, also had Wolf Guard ornaments). There were also metal blister packs for individual Terminators as well, not only for specialized weapons (lightning claw, thunder hammer, cyclone missile launcher, chainfist, assault cannon) or chapter-themed (Deathwing, Wolf Guard), but also for generic terminators (duplicating the plastic models).

In the third and current (fourth) editions of Warhammer 40,000, Terminators will take up an Elite choice in army selection. Terminators are now released as five-man plastic boxed sets which are not specific to any chapter, with some minor changes from the previous version. There is either the standard/ranged squad (containing extra parts for the assault cannon, cyclone missile launcher, heavy flamer, and chainfist) or assault squad (contains enough parts to equip Terminators with either all claws or all hammer/shield). Deathwing and Wolf Guard Terminators are no longer sold in most stores though they are still available from the online store.[2][3] However, the Dark Angels Veterans boxset and the Black Templars Upgrade pack both contain plastic replacement parts for Terminators to make them Chapter-specific. Forgeworld also sells a line of Conversion sets(usually just a set of resin Shoulderpads, but sometimes entire torsos) for several chapters.

Terminators also appear in Relic's real time strategy game, "Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War", as heavy assault infantry. There are two variations, Normal and Assault Terminators, and they are acquired through the 3rd tier of the Stronghold, and placing an Orbital Relay on the field. They are then purchased at the Chapel Barracks and delivered via drop pod at any point on the map the player can see.

[edit] Earlier Terminator Armour Design

In the "Visions of..." books, as well as the Horus Heresy CCG, an earlier variant of Terminator armour was shown. Apart from having lighter armour on the arms and legs, as well as much broader shoulder guards, which consisted of a pair of overlapping plates, this version of the armour was quite similar to the current design, which Games Workshop introduced around the mid-1990s. This older 'mark' of Terminator armor usually sported a Storm Bolter in one hand and a battle axe in the other, and the lower half of the helm was concealed by a wedge of sorts akin to an upside-down cowcatcher that afforded greater protection to the neck area. Many deviations in the design of this armour were seen, such as that worn by some Thousand Sons Space Marines, and the Terminator armour worn by the Adeptus Custodes, the latter possessing armor being more akin to the more modern Terminator variant in that they wielded a Power Fist and a Storm Bolter whose barrels were arranged vertically instead of horizontally.Custodes Terminator armor also bore lightning bolt designs and were primarily colored gold.

[edit] Deathwing Army

In the 3rd Edition and 4th Edition of Warhammer 40,000, the Dark Angels are unique among the Space Marine chapters as they can field an all-Terminator army.

The entire army is composed of Terminators and Dreadnoughts, with Land Raiders and Land Raider Crusaders being used for transport. As well, the army also has access to standard characters such as Chaplain, Force Commander, and Librarian. This is because the army is drawn from the ranks of the Deathwing Company of the Dark Angels and unique among Marine chapter first companies is the Deathwing is an all-Terminator company. Other first/veteran companies typically have a mix of Terminators and Marines in Power Armour.

The Deathwing is also unique among Terminator squads in that they are able to field mixed squads containing both support weapons and assault weapons. For instance, a squad may contain four lightning claw-armed terminators and one armed with assault cannon. Other chapters' terminator squards are either assault (all lightning claws and thunder hammers/storm shields) or tactical (storm bolters, power fists/chainfists, and one support weapon).

Previously in the third edition Deathwing armies had to forgo the other options of the chapter such as scouts and Ravenwing squads. With the new, stand alone 4th Edition Codex Deathwing armies are allowed to include more than just Land Raiders, Terminators and Dreadnoughts. With the correct troops one can even make a mixed army, with one half as Deathwing and the other half as Ravenwing.

Dreadnoughts somewhat makeup for the lack of variety in ranged weaponry, while Land Raiders and their Crusader variants fill the transport gap (though they are expensive). Though Deathwing is more flexible than in its previous edition, it's still just as challenging as before. This is mostly due to the army being made up of slow, heavily armoured troops. The size of the army can also be frustrating for some, as Deathwing armies are usually half the size of another army of the same point cost.

[edit] References

  • Index Astartes – Volume IV. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-580-5. 
  • Hoare, Andy; and Troke, Adam (April 2005). "Rise of the Marines – A Brief History of Terminators". White Dwarf: Australian Edition (304). ISSN 0265-8712. 
  • McNeill, Graham (April 2005). "Index Astartes – Deep Strike". White Dwarf: Australian Edition (304). ISSN 0265-8712.