Changes

{{AstraMilitarumPortal}}

[[Image:IG5EBasilisk.jpg|thumb|200px|right|A battery of Basilisks firing.]]

The '''Basilisk''' is the main line artillery piece of [[Imperial Guard Regiment]]s throughout the [[Imperium]], designed to provide medium to long-range fire support. Among the most numerous and well-known of the Guard's artillery the Basilisk is based on the [[Chimera]] chassis and mounts an [[Earthshaker Cannon]] for direct and indirect fire.{{Fn|1}}{{Fn|2a}}{{Fn|3}}{{Fn|4}}

While many regiments will have a mix of other artillery, including [[Manticore (Tank)|Manticore]]s, [[Griffon]]s and [[Bombard]]s, and each one will have its own role to fill, it is the Basilisk which is the most common and most often to be called upon to bombard the enemy. These self-propelled artillery pieces are most effective when used in massive batteries of hundreds of guns to deliver devastating barrages on the enemy's position, while their mobility allows them to keep pace with infantry advances.{{Fn|1}}{{Fn|2a}} This indirect fire will be directed by their parent [[Astra Militarum Company|company's]] forward observers or other [[officer]]s trained to direct artillery,{{Fn|3}} and while not particularly accurate it allows the Basilisk to remain out of harms way as it blasts concealed enemy positions or fortifications from long range.{{Fn|2a}} Besides these sustained bombardments the power and range of the Earthshaker Cannon allows for other type of artillery missions: counter-battery fire to suppress enemy guns, box barrages to isolate enemy units and prevent their reinforcement, harassing fire, and destructive fire of selected targets.{{Fn|5}} Most missions use high explosive rounds, but to Basilisks are often issued other more specialized rounds, such as smoke shells, incendary shells and illumination shells for lighting up a battlefield at night.{{Fn|3}}

The powerful shells fired by the earthshaker cannon are capable of smashing apart the enemy lines with ease and are designed to cause catastrophic damage at the impact zone. Targets at the epicentre of such a detonation are immolated immediately, while those in the vicinity are pulverised by the deadly shock wave. The unmistakable shriek of the Basilisks’ incoming ordnance is rightly feared by the enemies of the Emperor.{{Fn|6}} Shells fired by the Basilisk are a metre long{{Fn|16}} and can create blast-zones many kilometres across.{{Fn|17}} The shells can blast a crater fifteen metres in diameter into the ground on impact.{{Fn|16}}

|Height=4.38m{{Fn|3}}

|Ground Clearance=0.45m{{Fn|3}}

|Max Speed - on road=35kph{{Fn|3}} or 60kph{{Fn|18b}}

|Max Speed - off road=21kph{{Fn|3}} or 45kph{{Fn|18b}}