Powered weapon

A Space Marine using a power sword.

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

• Crozius Arcanum²: 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 Crozius⁷: A Crozius Arcanum used by Dark Apostles of the Chaos Space Marines Word Bearers Legion.
• Gauntlets¹¹: A power weapon with a built-in power system, giving the user a huge strength boost.
• Lightning Claw²: A heavy gauntlet armed with long talons, surrounded by a power field; they are used most commonly and effectively in pairs.
• Power maul⁵: Also called a shock maul, a baton used by Adeptus Arbites shock troops; 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 fist³: 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.
  • Chainfist³: A power fist with a chainblade attachment, usually for dealing with heavy armour.
• Power Lance¹²: A purpose-built power weapon used by the White Scars Space Marines for use on Space Marine Bikes.
• Power sword: A sword with a built-in power field.
  • Relic Blade⁹: 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.
• Sollex-Aegis Energy Blade ¹⁰: A weapon, the blade of which takes the form of coherent high-energy plasma.
• Thunder Hammer²: A large, heavy hammer which gives off a huge burst of energy when it impacts.

Ork Powered Weapons

• Power Klaw⁴: a huge weapon, considered to be the Ork version of the Power fist, used primarily by Warbosses or Nobz.

Eldar Powered Weapons

• Diresword¹: A power weapon that increases its damage the more it hits the target. It is used exclusively by Dire Avenger Exarchs.
• Executioner¹: A two-handed power weapon that increases the user's strength. It is used exclusively by Howling Banshee Exarchs.
• Powerblades¹: Power weapons that are attached to the arms of the wielder, and used in conjuction with any other close combat weapon. They are used by Warp Spider Exarchs.
• Scorpion's Claw¹: 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.

Dark Eldar Powered Weapons

• Punisher⁸: A two-handed power weapon used by Dark Eldar Incubi.
• Klaive: A two-handed power weapon used by Dark Eldar Incubi.

Unique Power Weapons

• 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 Fist of Dorn²: 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 Ultramar²: 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 Talons²: 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 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 has never left Gaunt's side⁶.
• Blood Crozius: Assumed to be the weapon that was once wielded by the very first Blood Angels High Chaplain, Lemartes now possesses the master crafted relic after it was given to him by Astorath the GrimTemplate:C
• The Executioner's Axe is the weapon of choice for Astorath the Grim when in battle and when ending the life of his battle-brothers that succumbed to the Black RageTemplate:C
• The Axe Mortalis is a master crafted power wepaon wielded by Dante, the Chapter Master of the Blood Angels.Template:C

• The Talassarian Tempest Blade^9a: The power sword that always accompanies Ultramarines Captain Cato Sicarius into battle.

Sources

• ¹Codex: Eldar (3rd Edition), Codex: Eldar (4th Edition)
• ²Codex: Space Marines (4th Edition), Codex: Space Marines (3rd Edition)
• ³Warhammer 40,000: Wargear
• ⁴Codex: Orks (3rd Edition)
• ⁵Warhammer 40,000: Battle Manual
• ⁶Necropolis by Dan Abnett
• ⁷Codex: Chaos Space Marines (3rd Edition)
• ⁸Codex: Dark Eldar (3rd Edition)
• ⁹Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition):
  • ^a: p. 85
• ¹⁰Dark Heresy: The Inquisitor's Handbook
• ¹¹Dawn of War: Dark Crusade - Commander screen; Wargear section
• ¹²Index Astartes I, p. 46
• ¹³Codex: Blood Angels (5th Edition)
  • ^a: p. 43
  • ^b: p. 45
  • ^c: p. 53

Related Articles

• Close Combat Weapons
• Fractal Edged Weapon
• Space Marine Armoury