power weapons are strange as they are given the same name to several unrelated weapons, the one im mentioning is the molecular destabilised, found in sword axes and picks
Power Weapons are rare and greatly coveted personal close combat weapons that are used on the battlefields of the 41st Millennium by many different intelligent, starfaring species including the
Imperium of Man, the servants of
Chaos, the
Orks, and various kindreds of the
Aeldari.
Among the
Humans of the Imperium, few members of the
Adeptus Mechanicus retain the knowledge necessary to make these deadly weapons, and those that are in existence are often hundreds or even thousands of standard years old.
Only the most powerful and influential warriors of the Imperium possess a power weapon as a result of their rarity.
Inquisitors and high-ranking
commissars or
Astra Militarum officers tend to possess them, as do members of various
noble families with potent political clout and wealth. The
Space Marines make use of many of the power weapons in existence, as is their right.
Power weapons generally exude a hazy field of bluish energy that wraps around the primary impact region of a melee weapon, be it a sword's blade or warhammer's head, which is capable of disrupting the molecular bonds of matter when it strikes. These weapons may be constructed to appear as a primitive, simple melee weapon, with the power field generator concealed within the hilt or haft of the weapon.
Once the power field is switched on, however, the obvious humming sound given off and the blue light emitted gives the secret of the weapon's true nature away. There are special variants of these "traditional" types of power weapon, such as Inquisitor
Gregor Eisenhorn's
power sword, which had no actual metal blade, just a hilt that projected a blade of pure energy.
Another such variant is the
Eviscerator, an enormous
chainsword where the
adamantium chain blade emits a weak power field.
The most notably effective use of a power weapon is the
chainfist, which is a combination of a
power fist and a chainsword which usually protrudes from the back of the hand, just above the knuckles. This weapon is capable of cutting through even the toughest of armour on battle tanks or starship bulkheads.
Chainfists are so massive and encumbering (limiting their effectiveness against enemy troops), not to mention energy-inefficient, that they are normally only ever seen on Space Marines equipped with
Terminator Armour.
The most potent known standard power weapon is the massive power fist mounted on a
Dreadnought. It is more powerful than its infantry equivalent since the Dreadnought is unencumbered by its weight and is able to strike quickly, while it is also just as effective as the chainfist when used against heavily armoured vehicles.
A
Power Pick is a simple tool used for mining and construction activities on many
Imperial worlds. Power Picks are simple enough in design. They bear a low-quality molecular disruption field powerful enough to shatter even
ceramite like glass.
Because their members are so often concentrated on mining and industrial worlds, Power Picks are often used as a melee weapon by the warriors of the
Genestealer Cults. They are particularly favoured by the Genestealer hybrid mutants known as
Aberrants.
Power Spear
An Astartes Power Spear
Throughout history, the spear has consistently proven itself a deadly and efficient weapon, and the Imperium of Mankind honours its legacy of bloodshed through various creations such as the explosive-tipped hunting lance and the power spear.
Officers in certain
Astra Militarum Rough Rider regiments prefer to wield power spears over weapons like cavalry sabres, or even wield them as a secondary weapon for use after a hunting lance charge.
This is a one-handed melee weapon.
Power Sword
Adeptus Astartes Power Sword
A
Power Sword is a power weapon that has been shaped into a sword of varying lengths and designs crafted from one of any number of different materials, though usually
adamantium.
When its power cell is activated, often by touching a control located on the hilt, the blade is sheathed in a lethal corona of disruptive energy.
This energy field allows the blade to carve through flesh, bone and most forms of armour plate alike, making a power sword a highly effective Imperial close combat weapon. Power Swords are used by all members of the Imperial armed forces, including the troops of the
Astra Militarum and the Space Marines of the
Adeptus Astartes.
Relic Blade
A
Relic Blade is a large, two-handed power weapon often resembling a sword, axe or glaive that is surrounded by the same matter-disrupting energy field as other power weapons. They are large and unwieldy in combat and are required to be wielded two-handed.
The Relic Blades are almost equivalent in quality to
Artificer Armour for power weapons. Many were constructed during and just after the
Horus Heresy. As a result, only a
Space Marine of great and faultless service may wield one. They provide a strength bonus that is not as great as a power fist's but makes up for it by being faster than the unwieldy power fist.
Relic Blades are only used by Space Marines, the most famous being
Vulkan He'stan with the
Spear of Vulkan,which is actually a highly ornate and well crafted Relic Blade.
Space Marine
Honour Guards use Relic Blades the most (in some instances whole squads wield them), due to their long and distinguished military careers. Certain Space Marine
Veterans and
Captains have also managed to earn the right to wield a Relic Blade.
