Splinter Weaponry
Overview
Splinter Weaponry are the primary weapon type used by Dark Eldar forces. They all operate around the same general mechanism, splitting a larger metallic ammunition crystal up into thousands of tiny splinters and then launching them at incredible speeds towards an enemy.
Common Forms
The common forms of Splinter weaponry found in the battlefield would be the Splinter Rifle, the Splinter Pistol, and the Splinter Cannon. Each of these are used in massive amounts in the average Kabal.
Splinter Rifle
The most common Dark Eldar weapon in the armoury, the Splinter Rifle is used by nearly every citizen of Commorragh at some point in their lives. It's the standard weapon of choice for Warriors, as well as Hellions, although they have specialized versions called Hellglaives. The weapon is light-weight and usually sports monomolecular blades for added functionality in melee combat. It features a medium sized ammunition crystal to reduce weight while still maintaining a decent amount of ammo before the user needs to reload, and is usually impregnated with toxins for added lethality.
The gun houses an ammunition disintegration generator to break up the crystal into shards, along with a cyclic ammunition feeder to house the shards before firing. Once fired, it routes the energy used to disintegrate the ammunition crystal through a magno-electric impulse chamber that accelerates the crystal to supersonic speeds, rocketing it towards its intended target.
Splinter Pistol
The Splinter Pistol is the ranged weapon of choice for most the remainder of the Dark Eldar forces, finding frequent use in the ranks of Archons and Dracons, Wyches, Mandrakes, and most Sybarites. Usually paired with a Monomolecular Knife or Claw and used as a pair for added effectiveness in assaults. The Splinter Pistol uses the same ammunition and firing mechanisms as the rifle, although compacted and therefore less powerful, and with a smaller ammunition crystal to reduce the weight even further. Splinter Pistol crystals are therefore the most frequently impregnated with toxins, as they are the weapons that need the added effect most.
Splinter Cannon
The Splinter Cannon is the most lethal of the three, and much more expensive to produce, as it incorporates several additions to allow the user to fire this large, bulky weapon even while charging into assault.
The primary additions are a semi-liquid stabilization mechanism housed approximately in the center of the cannon, to provide a counterweight to the constantly fluctuating center of gravity on the weapon. Second, an auto-burst trigger will continue to fire splinters for four to five seconds after it has been pulled, in case the user loses his grip temporarily during the charge. Finally, and possibly most important, is the addition of magneto-impulse directional spines along the barrel, and a secondary power generator housed in the back of the cannon, to prevent stalling or improper functioning. These directional spines provide additional magnetic field stability, preventing the splinters from exiting the barrel traveling at an awkward angle or hitting the inside of the barrel and causing damage to the weapon.
The Splinter Cannon otherwise contains the same mechanism for loading and firing ammunition, and comes with a very large ammunition crystal to allow for extended use of the cannon regardless of its high rate of fire.
Other Weapons
There are a few other weapons in the Dark Eldar Armory that use splinter weaponry in them, primarily the Incubi's Tormentor Helm, and the Hellion's Hellglaive.
Tormentor Helm
The Tormentor Helm is the name of the helmet worn by Incubi warriors, and is easily recognizable by the scorpion tail-like gun protruding from the top of the helmet. This gun is actually a miniaturized Splinter Pistol, allowing the Incubi some form of ranged attack, as well as allowing for increased ability in melee combat. While the gun functions the same as a normal Splinter Pistol, the method with which the gun is fired has been replaced by a neural sensor embedded in the helmet. This sensor monitors the thoughts of the user, and triggers the firing of the weapon once the command is thought. This allows for completely hands-free operation of the Incubus' firearm, a necessary development due to the sect's focus on assaulting using their infamous Punishers.
Hellglaive
Hellglaives are used only by Hellions, and are a modified version of a Splinter Rifle. The weapon resembles a two-headed glaive, but the inside of the shaft has been hollowed out, and the mechanism from a Splinter Rifle has been modified to be housed inside it. With a push of a button, the Hellion can fire a barrage of splinter rounds out of the head of the shaft, allowing them to return ranged fire while swooping in for the kill on their fast moving Skyboards.