[Odo The Brave]

So, pretty simple question: are Black Ships armed for battle?

This is about both Adeptus Telepathica and Inquisitorial Black Ships. I've looked on Lexicanium, but there's nothing definite. Thanks in advance!

[Wargamer]

Originally Posted by Odo The Brave

So, pretty simple question: are Black Ships armed for battle?

This is about both Adeptus Telepathica and Inquisitorial Black Ships. I've looked on Lexicanium, but there's nothing definite. Thanks in advance!

Hell yes! Black Ships are monstrous war-vessels capable of blowing the living hell out of lesser craft.

[Dark Adeptus]

I don't think so, as they're only meant to pick up and transport Psykers and are not meant to fight, or join in battle. IIRC I think they have some stealth system set up, so you won't see, nor sense (via Radar etc) the Black Ship, because the last thing you want, is a Black Ship to be detected, full of Psykers who'll be captured and used by Chaos for example.

[Wargamer]

Originally Posted by Kakashi Sensei

I don't think so, as they're only meant to pick up and transport Psykers and are not meant to fight, or join in battle. IIRC I think they have some stealth system set up, so you won't see, nor sense (via Radar etc) the Black Ship, because the last thing you want, is a Black Ship to be detected, full of Psykers who'll be captured and used by Chaos for example.

Have you any idea what Psykers can do? Alphas can destroy Titans with their mind! A single Alpha Psyker can wipe out entire armies!

Now, hands up who wants an Alpha to fall into enemy hands... didn't think so. Black Ships are not just transports, they are space-born Inquisitorial Fortresses. They have insane amounts of armour, firepower enough to obliterate entire fleets, and are astoundingly fast for their size. They have to be; their cargo is more dangerous than an entire Chapter of Space Marines.


Back when GW cared about Specialist Games, they posted up the Black Ship rules; they were absolute monsters.


Edit: Official Rules for the "Black Ship" now rest within This Compendium. It's a pretty good reflection of them, in my opinion. At least, the mid-range models; I'd wager there are Battleship sized ones out there as well.

[Dark Adeptus]

Hmm, I never knew Black Ships were Inquisitorial Fortresses, I just thought they were just ships, and not a gun totting Fortresses, probably because of some BL stories I've read, they've never described a Black Ship as a Fortress, thus why I assumed they were just like normal ships, well, thanks for letting us/me know Wargamer.

[Odo The Brave]

Thanks... You've just made my job even harder.

The question is no longer "Would someone capture a Black Ship for the Ship's military strength?" (Not just the psykers), now the question is "How the frak does one capture a Black Ship?!?"

[Anubis]

Black ships are primarily to find and transport psykers. They travel alone. They also aren't massively tooled up from what I have read of them. They carry sisters of battle on board, and are more resilient to the perils of the warp, due to the amount of psychic activity that is on board and the risks attached. However, I would imagine they can still deliver a good old punch with their gun batteries... but it wouldn't be along the lines of Imperial Navy standard. They are more designed for stealth and evasion I think.

[Wargamer]

Originally Posted by Anubis

Black ships are primarily to find and transport psykers. They travel alone. They also aren't massively tooled up from what I have read of them. They carry sisters of battle on board, and are more resilient to the perils of the warp, due to the amount of psychic activity that is on board and the risks attached. However, I would imagine they can still deliver a good old punch with their gun batteries... but it wouldn't be along the lines of Imperial Navy standard. They are more designed for stealth and evasion I think.

They have Bombardment Cannons; weapons used by Space Marine Battle Barges to pummel a planet into molten rock if surgical strikes won't succeed.

You do not get into a firefight against Bombardment Cannons...

[Zen]

Wargamer is right. Psykers is a very dangerous and unstable asset in the Imperium. The Imperium (especially the Inquisition) doesn't anyone or anything to get their hands on them. They would destroy the ship itself before they let anyone do that. Furthermore, the Inqusition has the best technology available to them i.e. Made in Mars.

Originally Posted by Odo The Brave

Thanks... You've just made my job even harder.

The question is no longer "Would someone capture a Black Ship for the Ship's military strength?" (Not just the psykers), now the question is "How the frak does one capture a Black Ship?!?"

The only reason you want a Black Ship is for the cargo, not the ship itself. Best Ships; you may want to prod the Adeptus Mechanicus for them.

[Wargamer]

The Mechanicus Explorator fleet proves how legendary the Ad-mech ships are.

Here's the rules, if anyone's interested.