The Evolution of the Psycannon

[Plasmablasts]

Having started a short discussion about the changing lore of the Psycannon in another thread, I thought I might pull together the references I had available which describe it to look at its evolution.

 

The earliest available to me is the Inquisitor rule book:

 

Using modified bolter technology, a psycannon is named after its special ammunition... [it] uses an anti-psychic substance (some say it is a by-product of the Golden Throne that sustains the Emperor) to cause serious injury to targets of a psychic disposition.

 

Of note, the Psycannon at this point appears to have been no larger than a bolter.

 

Codex: Daemonhunters

 

[Placeholder until I find my copy!]

 

In this edition, the Psycannon was essentially a S6 Heavy bolter with an alternative half-range assault profile.

 

Codex: Grey Knights (5th edition)

 

This book doesn’t specifically describe the nature of a Psycannon, mentioning only iota scarcity and the need for its wielder to “activate the psychically-charged payload.” The section on Deimos alludes to the production of “ammunition for psycannons”, implying that the output of the Psycannon is not purely psychic. Psybolt ammo is also introduced, as “silver-tipped, psychically charged shells, used in stormbolters and similar weapons.”

 

Within the game, the Psycannon became effectively a S7 assault cannon, with the option for non-TDA clad models to treat it as an assault weapon with half the shots. Psybolt ammo granted +1 strength, making an assault cannon with psybolt ammo equivalent to a Psycannon. One could reasonably extrapolate therefore that Psycannons themselves used psybolt-like ammunition.

 

This edition also introduced the Heavy Psycannon, which was the same as the standard weapon except for using a large blast template.

 

Psilencer weapons are also introduced but are portrayed as being based on highly unusual, probably alien technology and fire a beam of focused psychic energy.

 

Codex: Inquisition (7th edition, ePub only)

 

The Psycannon is available to Inquisitors but the description is only a truncated version of that in C:GK 5E.

 

[unfortunately, I missed getting the 7th edition Codex: Grey Knights]

 

Codex: Imperial Agents (7th edition)

 

The brief description in this book matches that in the Inquisition eCodex.

 

Psycannons are extremely rare weapons found only in the hands of those who possess sufficient strength of will to activate their psychically-charged payloads.

 

The Psycannon preserved its strength, AP and range characteristics but became a salvo weapon, with the Heavy variant being able to select between salvo and blast profiles.

 

Codex: Grey Knights (8th edition)

 

In the inset text, “Psi Weaponry”, page 42, the Psycannon and Psilencer are described together.

 

Bpth psilencers and psycannons are triggered by the wielder sending a jolt of psychic energy into the weapon’s containment core. The payload released is a focused beam of force that shreds physical matter and saturates the air with burning psychic resonance.

 

Oddly, the section on Deimos preserves the phrase “ammunition for psycannons”.

 

In line with the change in weapon profiles between 7th and 8th edition, psycannons revert to being heavy weapons and the Heavy Psycannon loses its blast option.

Edited January 1, 2018 by Plasmablasts

[Gentlemanloser]

There's mention of Psycannons in the original slave to darkness. The Inquisitor HQ could have one. They were the size of a bolter or bolt pistol.

[Capt. Mytre]

IMO, I'd like to see a rework of both weapons in game, as well proper fluff for them. Also the return of psybolt ammunition as a points upgrade, however it not applying to either the psycannon (assumed to use it already) and the psilencer (doesn't fire bolt ammunition).

 

Make one anti-MEQ/TEQ and the other anti-tank/monster. Stormbolters fill out the anti-GEQ. Lose the "heavy" status for these weapons, as they are fired by the mind and being heavy doesn't synergise with the GK constant movement and low range.

 

I imagine psycannons to be similar to recoilless rifles. The psychic treatment of the rounds turn them from regular bolt rounds into potent anti-tank weapons.

 

Eg: Psycannon 24" Assault 2 S8 AP-4 Dmg 2D3.

Heavy Psycannon 24" Assault 4 S9 AP -4 Dmg 2D3

 

Psilencers, as described above fire a "focused beam of force that shreds physical matter". They should have a significant AP value, and potentially ignore invuln saves due to their psychic nature, or maybe additional mortal wounds on a 6. I prefer ignoring invuln saves as I find mortal wounds are far to prevalent.

 

Eg: Psilencer 24" Assault 6 S4 AP-2 Dmg D2. Invulnerable saves cannot be taken against this weapon.

Gatling Psilencer 24" Assault 12 S5 AP -2 Dmg D2. Invulnerable saves cannot be taken against this weapon.

[Soder]

7th edition codex says:

Psycannon's are extremely rare weapons found only in the hands of those who possess sufficient strength of will to activate their psychically-charged payloads.

 

A Psilencer fires nothing less than the focused and amplified psychic might of its wielder. Psilencers do not have triggered mechanisms; they are activated when the Grey Knight sends a bolt of psychic force into the weapon's containment core. This pulse is then fired as several energy beams that destroy both flesh and soul.

 

Could be a neat idea if the psycannon was stronger in the hands of an HQ vs PAGK? Or if the better the models psychic prowess is the better their ranged weapons become? Cost more points though. I'm just brainstorming out loud here. Also fluff wise the psilencer needs to do something on a hit/wound roll of 6 to represent their soul being destroyed! Lol. Agreed tho, they need to lose the heavy rule. I started collecting GKs when we only had our 5th edition codex, only for 7th edition to come out shortly thereafter. But in 7th edition terminator armor could bypass the heavy rule. Could it in 5th? Why would they get rid of this? Didn't seem like an unfair advantage to me.

Edited January 2, 2018 by Soder

[Gentlemanloser]

The old Daemonhunters Psycannons ignored Invulnerable saves.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

One nice flavour part of the 7th edition incarnation was it being a Force weapon. So you had the synergy of activating 'Force' as a psychic power, but instead of being purely for melee, your psilencer also became stronger. As much as I like consistency (force weapons are all just D3 weapons now) in 8th, I did like that interaction.

 

Nothing I've seen contradicts the description of psycannons being Dark Age of Technology relics, and psilencers being alien in origin (or at least supposed). If they've changed that, its a pretty significant departure from previous descriptions. Also, I believe the isotope rounds are still being made. Ammo was never the issue, it was the weapon itself being irreplaceable.

 

Should reiterate regarding the 'old' psycannon meaning versus the more recent 'psycannon', psycannon used to mean 'MIU linked shoulder cannon'. So its a bit confusing with older lore, because it doesn't distinguish between the two well. If you read Ravenor for example, it's just a machine gun he can mentally control, I don't believe it uses special ammo or is psychically charged.

[Capt. Mytre]

One nice flavour part of the 7th edition incarnation was it being a Force weapon. So you had the synergy of activating 'Force' as a psychic power, but instead of being purely for melee, your psilencer also became stronger. As much as I like consistency (force weapons are all just D3 weapons now) in 8th, I did like that interaction.

 

Nothing I've seen contradicts the description of psycannons being Dark Age of Technology relics, and psilencers being alien in origin (or at least supposed). If they've changed that, its a pretty significant departure from previous descriptions. Also, I believe the isotope rounds are still being made. Ammo was never the issue, it was the weapon itself being irreplaceable.

 

Should reiterate regarding the 'old' psycannon meaning versus the more recent 'psycannon', psycannon used to mean 'MIU linked shoulder cannon'. So its a bit confusing with older lore, because it doesn't distinguish between the two well. If you read Ravenor for example, it's just a machine gun he can mentally control, I don't believe it uses special ammo or is psychically charged.

 

Kind of disappointing how little info there is in the new codex. They could easily dedicate a whole page for all of the heavy weapons, but they give it a paragraph. They are weapons that, for the most part, don't feature anywhere else - why wouldn't you flesh out the lore for them.

[Beams]

Honestly, making psilencers AP ignore invuln saves would make them pretty decent against Daemons, and with the -1 AP strategen it could even hurt the occasional Invuln save reliant heroes, like Krazymov.

[Plasmablasts]

 

Should reiterate regarding the 'old' psycannon meaning versus the more recent 'psycannon', psycannon used to mean 'MIU linked shoulder cannon'. So its a bit confusing with older lore, because it doesn't distinguish between the two well. If you read Ravenor for example, it's just a machine gun he can mentally control, I don't believe it uses special ammo or is psychically charged.

Actually, Covenant’s shoulder-mounted gun is listed as an MIU-linked Psycannon in the Inquisitor rule book, so uses the special ammunition, as described in the psycannon’s entry (as in my opening post). I haven’t read the recent Covenant stories (by John French?), so not sure how it’s described there.

 

For interest, the ammo for the Psycannon is described as using the same arcane anti-psychic material as psyk-out grenades in Inquisitor.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

IIRC in the recent novel it's just a shoulder mounted machine gun. No mention of any psychically charged ammo.

 

Abnett (speaking of Ravenor here) kinda does his own thing anyway, so not surprising he doesn't mention any specific stuff about the psycannon in his novels.

 

Thing to remember is our 5th and 7th edition codex both mention the psycannon being a rare irreplaceable technology. So while there might be other psy-ammo cannons around (MIU linked or otherwise), the ones the Chapter use can't be manufactured or replaced. Psybolts themselves (and even the isotope rounds the psycannon uses) are of course able to be made in small quantities (psybolt ammo in particular has to be dipped in psyker blood, same with aegis armour). But as far as I know, the gun itself is only found in Titan's armoury.

 

Inconsistencies are kinda par for course with GW ;) it's hardly surprising really.

[Gentlemanloser]

Can't C&P (at work, some browser issue) but check V's sticky on the history of the GK.  It has the original incarnation of the Psycannon.

 

It was originally a "long elegant handgun".

 

Not a cannon really, and nothing you would shoulder mount.

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Weird, I guess that's what a bot pistol with psybolt rounds would be now?

[Gentlemanloser]

Yup.  a Hand-cannon. ;)

[jeffersonian000]

I first came across the Psycannon while play Space Marine (epic 40k). Psi-Titans were equipped with a Psycannon that fired bolts of psychic energy which bypassed armor and would rip the souls from the crew of any vehicle hit. That alway stuck in my mind as “OMG, that’s F’ing Cool!”. The Grey Knight/Inquisition version was actually kind of a let down.

 

SJ

[Reclusiarch Darius]

Psi-Titans are back in 30k ;) and they're so cool. You should check them out. Sinistrum Tenebrae is bonkers.

 

Yeah I miss ignoring invulnerable saves. It automatically made the weapon excellent at murdering Daemons, no need for strategems/Rending or Preferred Enemy etc. Also, hilarious in 4th the jink save on Bikes turned their armour to an invul, so you could massacre them when they tried that :P