Powered weapon

A Space Marine using a power sword^[30]

Power weapons are a type of advanced hand-to-hand combat weapon taking several forms but utilising the same basic technological principles. When activated the blade of the weapon becomes sheathed in a field of energy which disrupts solid matter, allowing the weapon to easily tear through armour, including even Terminator Armour.

The basic power weapon type (commonly taking the shape of swords and axes) is in use by several races including humans, while specialized types see more exclusive use.

Imperial and Chaos

• Astartes Executioner Axe:^[16] A set of twelve of these large, heavy-bladed two-handed power axes are contained in the armouries of Watch Fortress Erioch.
• Astartes Power Falchion:^[16] A heavy power weapon found commonly among those Space Marines of the White Scars aboard Watch Station Erioch.
• Astartes Power Claymore:^[16] Massive, two-handed swords, nearly as long as an average Space Marine is tall.
• Astartes Power Spear:^[16] A power weapon that requires two hands to use and is rarely seen amongst the Space Marines of the Deathwatch. Some Space Marines of the Iron Snakes Chapter have donated these weapons to the armoury of Watch Fortress Erioch.
  • Phoenix Power Spear
• Carsoran Power Weapons: A type of power weapon used by the Sons of Horus.^[25]
• Crozius Arcanum:^[11][10] A short staff with a power field, used by Space Marine Chaplains as a badge of office and a melee weapon, usually sculpted in the form of an Aquila or some other religious icon.
  • Accursed Crozius:^[5] A Crozius Arcanum used by Dark Apostles of the Chaos Space Marines Word Bearers Legion.
• Gauntlets:^[21] A power weapon with a built-in power system, giving the user a huge strength boost.
• Jawsnapper Knuckleduster - Brass Knuckles that have been augmented to discharge a disruption field on contact. Used by the Enforcers of Alecto.^[22]
• Lightning Claw:^[11][10] A heavy gauntlet armed with long talons, surrounded by a power field; commonly and effectively in pairs but an individual lightning claw may be wielded in a single hand for tactical flexibility.^[35]
• Naval Power Ram - Enormous ship-mounted rams used by the Imperial Navy.^[31]
• Power axe: An axe with a built-in power field.^[13]
• Power Blade: A delicate dagger with a built-in power field.^[35]
  • Battle-automata Power Blade — A Legio Cybernetica weapon.
• Power Falchion^[33]
• Power fist^[1]: A large gauntlet that gloves the user's hand, with a power field that delivers a huge boost to the user's strength, at the cost of speed.^[35]
  • Chainfist:^[1] A power fist with a chainblade attachment, usually for dealing with heavy armour and boarding actions; far too heavy for a Space Marine to wield without Terminator Armour.^[35]
• Power Halberd - Used by Sisters of Battle Celestian Sacresants.^[24]
• Power Hammer
• Power Knife: A knife or dagger with a built-in power field.
• Power Lance^[18]: A purpose-built power weapon used by the White Scars Space Marines for use on Space Marine Bikes.
• Power Lash
• Power maul:^[2] The intensity of the power field can be adjusted, allowing the user to simply knock out a victim, or smash a hole through a wall.
• Power Pick
• Power Sword: A sword with a built-in power field.
  • Relic Blade^[12]: A large, two-handed power sword, glaive or axe that were specially crafted (often during the Horus Heresy) to give a strength bonus that, while not as powerful as that of a power fist, allows the user to strike at normal speed.
  • Sentinel Blade
• Power Scourge — A Chaos Space Marine weapon.
• Power Scythe: A scythe with a built-in power field.^[35]
• Power Stake
• Power Tetsubo
• Sollex-Aegis Energy Blade^[28] - A very rare form of power weapon. Rather than a physical blade with an energized field, it is a blade of coherent high-energy plasma,^[15][29] similar to the Plasma Blade's used by the Kin. It is classified as a power weapon.^[29]
• Phoenix Pattern Power Weapons - A type of power weapon used by the Emperor's Children.^[27]
• Omnissian weapons - Bespoke devices that are far more than mere weapons, bestowed upon the most loyal servants of the Omnissiah^[34]
  • Omnissian Axe^[34]
  • Omnissian Glaive^[34]
  • Omnissian Rod^[34]
• Thunder Hammer^[11][10]: A large, heavy hammer which gives off a huge burst of energy when it impacts.

Ork Powered Weapons

• Da Golden Fixa^[26]
• Power Klaw^[9]: a huge weapon, considered to be the Ork version of the Power fist, used primarily by Warbosses or Nobz.
  • Snagga-Klaw: A variant of the power claw used most commonly by warbosses mounted on the Deffkilla Wartrike.
• Power Stabba: Used by Nobz^[23]

Eldar Powered Weapons

Eldar Power Sword^[17]

• Diresword^[7][8]: A power weapon that increases its damage the more it hits the target. It is used exclusively by Dire Avenger Exarchs.
• Executioner^[7][8]: A two-handed power weapon that increases the user's strength. It is used exclusively by Howling Banshee Exarchs.
• Powerblades^[7][8]: Power weapons that are attached to the arms of the wielder, and used in conjunction with any other close combat weapon. They are used by Warp Spider Exarchs.
• Scorpion's Claw^[7][8]: A powered weapon with the same damage potential as a Power Fist, and a built in Shuriken Catapult. It is used exclusively by Striking Scorpion Exarchs.
• Power spear/Power Glaive^[3]: A powered weapon in the shape of a spear used by Farseers, Warlocks, and Dire Avengers, Corsairs.
• Dragon Axe: Used by Fire Dragons^[32]
• Paragon Sabre: Used by Shining Spears
• Star Glaive: Used by Autarchs

Dark Eldar Powered Weapons

• Agoniser
• Djin Blade
• Demiklaives
• Electrocorrosive Whip
• Husk Blade
• Punisher: A two-handed power weapon used by Dark Eldar Incubi.^[6]
• Klaive: A two-handed power weapon used by Dark Eldar Incubi.

Necron Powered Weapons

• Hyperphase Sword
• Rod of Covenant

Tau Powered Weapons

• Equalizer: a potent power weapon that serves primarily as a ceremonial weapon, used by the Ethereals in pairs.
• Honour Blade: A power axe used mainly by Ethereal Guards.
• Onager Gauntlet: An experimental power fist used by Tau battlesuits.

Other

• Forearm Powerblade: A defensive wide blade attached to the forearm and built for the primary purpose of parrying other power weapons. This is often seen used by xenos.^[36]
• Power Discus - archeotech of possible xenos origins.^[36]

Unique Power Weapons

• Imperial Guard:
  • The Axe of Chalcydon: Borne by Saint Jason during his crusade against the Eldar on Huale.
  • The Claw of the Desert Tigers: A unique power sword carried by Tallarn Imperial Guard Captain Al'rahem.
  • The Sword of Heironymo: An exceptionally strong power sword, and an heirloom of the city of Vervunhive on Verghast. It is said that whoever leads Vervunhive's forces in battle must wield this weapon. After the death of most of Vervunhive's leadership - military and administrative - during Heritor Asphodel's invasion in 769.M41, the sword was given to Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt, the senior Imperial commander in Vervunhive (all of the others either dead or imprisoned). The sword remained in Gaunt's possession after the battle, gifted to him for his actions in the defence of Vervunhive during the Heritor's siege. A deadly weapon, it rarely leaves Gaunt's side^[19].
  • Liberatus: a powered sabre gifted to Warmaster Slaydo by the High Lords of Terra, at the outset of the Sabbat Worlds Crusade. In the cataclysmic battle at Balhaut, Slaydo defeated Archon Nadzybar in melee combat. The sword was saved by one of his bodyguards, and later presented to Slaydo's successor, Macaroth^[20].

• Chaos:
  • The Talon of Horus: a Lightning Claw formerly wielded by Warmaster Horus, now by Ezekyle Abaddon.
  • The Tyrant's Claw: a Power fist with a built-in Heavy Flamer attached to Huron Blackheart's bionic arm.
• Space Marines:
  • The Axe Mortalis is a master crafted power weapon wielded by Dante, the Chapter Master of the Blood Angels.^[4c]
  • Blood Crozius: Assumed to be the weapon that was once wielded by the very first High Chaplain of the Blood Angels. Lemartes now possesses the master-crafted relic after it was given to him by Astorath the Grim^[4a]
  • The Executioner's Axe is the weapon of choice for Astorath the Grim, High Chaplain of the Blood Angels, when in battle and when ending the life of his battle-brothers that have succumbed to the Black Rage^[4b]
  • The Fist of Dorn^[11][10]: A master crafted Thunder Hammer with a fist shaped between the hammer and blade. It is a relic of the Imperial Fists Chapter, currently carried by First Company Captain Darnath Lysander.
  • The Foehammer: A master crafted Thunder Hammer with a built-in teleportation device that allows its owner, Arjac Rockfist of the Space Wolves, to throw it and have it return to his hand almost instantly.
  • The Gauntlets of Ultramar^[11][10]: A pair of huge Power Fists with built-in Bolters. Relics of the Ultramarines Chapter, they are wielded exclusively by Chapter Master Marneus Augustus Calgar.
  • Libertas: the power sword wielded by Death Guard Captain Nathaniel Garro;
  • Morkai: a Great Weapon and Power Axe wielded by Logan Grimnar, Chapter Master of the Space Wolves.
  • Raven's Talons^[11][10]: A pair of Lightning Claws said to have been forged by Corax. A relic of the Raven Guard Chapter, currently wielded by Captain Kayvaan Shrike.
  • The Talassarian Tempest Blade^[12]: The power sword that always accompanies Ultramarines Captain Cato Sicarius into battle.

• Tau Empire:
  • Dawn Blade: A mysterious Power weapon used by Commander Farsight^[14]

See also

• Close Combat Weapons
• Fractal Edged Weapon
• Imperial Guard Weaponry (List)
• Space Marine Weaponry (List)

Sources

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• 1: Warhammer 40,000: Wargear, ^[Help]
• 2: Warhammer 40,000: Battle Manual, ^[Help]
• 3: Warhammer 40,000 6th Edition Rulebook, pg. 59
• 4: Codex: Blood Angels (5th Edition):
  • 4a: pg. 43
  • 4b: pg. 45
  • 4c: pg. 53
• 5: Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition), ^[Help]
• 6: Codex: Dark Eldar (3rd Edition), ^[Help]
• 7: Codex: Eldar (3rd Edition), ^[Help]
• 8: Codex: Eldar (4th Edition), ^[Help]
• 9: Codex: Orks (3rd Edition), ^[Help]
• 10: Codex: Space Marines (3rd Edition), ^[Help]
• 11: Codex: Space Marines (4th Edition), ^[Help]
• 12: Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pg. 85
• 13: Codex: Space Wolves (5th Edition), pg. 60
• 14: Codex: Tau Empire (4th Edition), pg. 33
• 15: Dark Heresy: The Inquisitor's Handbook, ^[Help]
• 16: Deathwatch: Rites of Battle, pg. 139
• 17: Imperial Armour Volume Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara, pg. 135
• 18: Index Astartes I, pg. 46
• 19: Necropolis (Novel), Chapter Fifteen
• 20: Regicide (Short Story)
• 21: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade, Commander screen; Wargear section
• 22: Aberrant (Short Story) - No Good Men (Anthology), pgs. 24-28
• 23: Codex: Orks (8th Edition), pg. 83
• 24: Warhammer Community: Warhammer Fest Online: Day 2 – Warhammer 40,000 (posted 05/04/2021) (last accessed 05/04/2021)
• 25: Campaigns of the Age of Darkness: The Siege of Cthonia, pg. 211
• 26: Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade - Founder Store - Ork Add-ons
• 27: Liber Hereticus (2nd Edition), pg. 154
• 28: Dark Heresy: The Inquisitor's Handbook, pg. 135
• 29: Codex: Leagues of Votann (9th Edition), pg. 33
• 30: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
• 31: Rogue Trader: Battlefleet Koronus, pg. 38
• 32: Codex: Aeldari (10th Edition), pgs. 42-43
• 33: Warhammer 40,000: Darktide Veteran Loadout Power Falchion
• 34: Imperium Maledictum: Adeptus Mechanicus Player's Guide, pg. 76
• 35: Black Crusade Core Rulebook, pgs. 162-163 - Power Weapons
• 36: Rogue Trader: Into the Storm, pgs. 124-125 - Power Weapons