Gothic Cruiser
The Gothic Class Cruiser is a common sight amongst the battlefleets of the Imperium, second only to the Lunar Class Cruiser. It is also used by the Basilikon Astra.[4]
Overview
Its usage is similar to that of the Apocalypse Class Battleship in that it is designed to use its lances to directly damage a ship, rather than to cut through shields. Due to this, it is often paired with a Lunar Class or Dominator Class Cruiser. The second cruiser blasts down the shields, leaving the hull unguarded against the Gothic's lance decks. However, if caught alone, without support, the Gothic is more vulnerable than any of the other cruisers in the Imperial Navy. This is because, whilst lances are devastatingly powerful, they are also slow, and a lone Gothic cannot deal the damage fast enough to force an attacker to withdraw.[1]
As a lance ship, the Gothic has lances down the port and starboard sides of the ship. These lances are effective at short to medium range, and most captains will use the weapons at stand-off ranges to avoid the possibility of being boarded. The ship has the distinctive armoured prow of the Imperial Navy and the standard six torpedo tubes of an Imperial cruiser. The class is as fast and manoeuvrable as any other Imperial cruiser type, with equally good shield and turret coverage.[1]
Notable Gothic Class Vessels
- Dreadchild[6]
- Emperor's Wrath[1]
- Invincible[1]
- Pallas Imperious[2]
- Righteous Fury[1]
- Shield of Jupiter[5]
- Sword of Orion[1]
- The Gethsemane[7]
Technical Specifications
- Dimensions: 5 km long, 0.8 km abeam at fins approx.[7]
- Mass: 28 megatonnes approx.[7]
- Crew: 98,000 crew; approx.[7]
- Accel: 2.5 gravities max sustainable acceleration.[7]
Sources
- 1: Battlefleet Gothic Rulebook, pg. 111
- 2: BFG Xenos Fleets, pg. 66 (accessed 2010.11.12)
- 3: Battlefleet Gothic: Armada (Video Game)
- 4: Fanatic Online #92 - Vessels of Mars: Ships of the Adeptus Mechanicus, by Nate Montes, Robert Henderson, and Ray Bell.
- 5: White Dwarf 272, pgs. 42–47 - Destroy the Tombship!
- 6: Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War - Part Two, pg. 36
- 7: Rogue Trader: Battlefleet Koronus, pgs. 64-65
