Drop pods (40k)
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Drop pods (40k)
Just a couple of brief questions..
Are drop pods re-usable, or are they treated as disposable, like a missile?
If they're recovered, how is this usually done? Just pick them up later with Thunderhawks?
Secondly, do they have acceleration compensators in them? Since Imperium ships have artificial gravity, I imagine the technology exists.
Are drop pods re-usable, or are they treated as disposable, like a missile?
If they're recovered, how is this usually done? Just pick them up later with Thunderhawks?
Secondly, do they have acceleration compensators in them? Since Imperium ships have artificial gravity, I imagine the technology exists.
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Re: Drop pods (40k)
There's a hole mess of different surface to space craft in the Imperium. Anything large enough to carry drop pods as cargo could do that. Some of them as definitely designed to be disposable (I'm thinking of the Deathwind pods in particular).Cykeisme wrote:Just a couple of brief questions..
Are drop pods re-usable, or are they treated as disposable, like a missile?
If they're recovered, how is this usually done? Just pick them up later with Thunderhawks?
Some Imperial ships can manage accelerations in hundreds of gs. Acceleration compensation technology is widely used.Secondly, do they have acceleration compensators in them? Since Imperium ships have artificial gravity, I imagine the technology exists.
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Re: Drop pods (40k)
Depends on the pods, some of them are big enough to be worth recovery, especially the heavy pods like the dreadnought and squad size pods.Cykeisme wrote:Just a couple of brief questions..
Are drop pods re-usable, or are they treated as disposable, like a missile?
If they're recovered, how is this usually done? Just pick them up later with Thunderhawks?
Secondly, do they have acceleration compensators in them? Since Imperium ships have artificial gravity, I imagine the technology exists.
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Re: Drop pods (40k)
I'm fairly sure Connor has found several pieces of evidence to suggest accelerations in the thousands of gees for Imperial capital ships.Imperial Overlord wrote:Some Imperial ships can manage accelerations in hundreds of gs. Acceleration compensation technology is widely used.Cykeisme wrote: Secondly, do they have acceleration compensators in them? Since Imperium ships have artificial gravity, I imagine the technology exists.
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Oops, I suppose the various forces across the Imperium use a variety of sizes and models of drop pods and craft to recover them; I had Space Marine ten-man drop pods in mind specifically, but that pretty much answers my questions, and more. Thanks!
"..history has shown the best defense against heavy cavalry are pikemen, so aircraft should mount lances on their noses and fly in tight squares to fend off bombers". - RedImperator
"ha ha, raping puppies is FUN!" - Johonebesus
"It would just be Unicron with pew pew instead of nom nom". - Vendetta, explaining his justified disinterest in the idea of the movie Allspark affecting the Death Star
"ha ha, raping puppies is FUN!" - Johonebesus
"It would just be Unicron with pew pew instead of nom nom". - Vendetta, explaining his justified disinterest in the idea of the movie Allspark affecting the Death Star
There are some heavy weapon drop pods that may be considered disposable. They look just like a normal drop pod, but when the 'petals' open up to let out the troops, there are no troops. Just a pair of heavy bolters on autofire.
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5 assault cannons, more like
IIRC, the dreadnought pods are the same size as the regular troop pods (which hold 5 men, not 10. You need a pair to drop a whole squad).
IIRC, the dreadnought pods are the same size as the regular troop pods (which hold 5 men, not 10. You need a pair to drop a whole squad).
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I can't see why the deathseed pod wouldn't be recoverable - sure, there's the cost of lifting it into orbit again, but presumably that and the cost of ammunition is lower than the cost of building a new one and shipping it to the front.
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Recoverable, yes, thought I meant 'disposable' in a similar vein to expendable. A deathseed is a rather attractive target, given the fact that it's immobile and spitting shooty death. So Marine commanders may be more inclined to drop them into spots that may full well result in their destruction, if only for the carnage they can wreak on the enemy.NecronLord wrote:I can't see why the deathseed pod wouldn't be recoverable - sure, there's the cost of lifting it into orbit again, but presumably that and the cost of ammunition is lower than the cost of building a new one and shipping it to the front.
A combat squad of Marines, on the other hand, is hardly expendable by any means.
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Since 4th Ed, there have been drop pods that hold 10 power armoured Space Marines, or five Terminators.andrewgpaul wrote:5 assault cannons, more like
IIRC, the dreadnought pods are the same size as the regular troop pods (which hold 5 men, not 10. You need a pair to drop a whole squad).
"..history has shown the best defense against heavy cavalry are pikemen, so aircraft should mount lances on their noses and fly in tight squares to fend off bombers". - RedImperator
"ha ha, raping puppies is FUN!" - Johonebesus
"It would just be Unicron with pew pew instead of nom nom". - Vendetta, explaining his justified disinterest in the idea of the movie Allspark affecting the Death Star
"ha ha, raping puppies is FUN!" - Johonebesus
"It would just be Unicron with pew pew instead of nom nom". - Vendetta, explaining his justified disinterest in the idea of the movie Allspark affecting the Death Star
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They are all going to be recoverable, the entry for the Thunderhawk transporter mentions one of its roles is recovery of drop-pods, I expect the Landing craft is used for the same, or any number of utility craft.
Deathwind pods aren't inherently more disposable, but I imagine they tend to get blasted on the ground more often, what with the heavy weapons and all.
Mind you, the new plastic pod has a built in stormbolter now, which is nice.
Marine pods certainly have some method of compensating for the effects of acceleration, but descriptions tend to point out that the marines themselves, as well as their armour don't really require as much, which is why its such a trial for people without either power armour or augmentation to use an astartes pod.
Deathwind pods aren't inherently more disposable, but I imagine they tend to get blasted on the ground more often, what with the heavy weapons and all.
Mind you, the new plastic pod has a built in stormbolter now, which is nice.
Marine pods certainly have some method of compensating for the effects of acceleration, but descriptions tend to point out that the marines themselves, as well as their armour don't really require as much, which is why its such a trial for people without either power armour or augmentation to use an astartes pod.
Makes sense, I'd figure the equipment used to project complete acceleration compensation into the pod interior and the power source it would need would make the pod considerably heavier and affect its performance, and so Astartes pods would be equipped with a bare neccessary minimum.
Are there any instances of a normal human surviving the trip? I'd even imagine the stresses from the ride might kill an ordinary person.
Are there any instances of a normal human surviving the trip? I'd even imagine the stresses from the ride might kill an ordinary person.
"..history has shown the best defense against heavy cavalry are pikemen, so aircraft should mount lances on their noses and fly in tight squares to fend off bombers". - RedImperator
"ha ha, raping puppies is FUN!" - Johonebesus
"It would just be Unicron with pew pew instead of nom nom". - Vendetta, explaining his justified disinterest in the idea of the movie Allspark affecting the Death Star
"ha ha, raping puppies is FUN!" - Johonebesus
"It would just be Unicron with pew pew instead of nom nom". - Vendetta, explaining his justified disinterest in the idea of the movie Allspark affecting the Death Star
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well in the Horus Heresy books it's decribed that even a successfull drop pod, drop throws the people around quite alot even it ends (and these are marines in Power Armor and/or Terminator Armor), if they weren't strapped in.
but then Dark Angels had normal (though not un augmented just not Astrades level) humans in their ranks.
but then Dark Angels had normal (though not un augmented just not Astrades level) humans in their ranks.
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I think Cain mentions that he went on one drop in a Reclaimers drop pod, and that it was a hellacious experience for him. I don't recall whether or not Cain has any notable augmentations, but if I'm remembering right and he did go through with a drop, that would tend to point towards drop pods having at least enough compensation to prevent a 40k human from going kerrsplat or any of that nasty business. I'm sure it's still an incredibly uncomfortable experience, either way.white_rabbit wrote:Marine pods certainly have some method of compensating for the effects of acceleration, but descriptions tend to point out that the marines themselves, as well as their armour don't really require as much, which is why its such a trial for people without either power armour or augmentation to use an astartes pod.
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As I recall the last time I read about an inquisitor riding down with marines in a drop pod, it nearly killed her.white_rabbit wrote: Marine pods certainly have some method of compensating for the effects of acceleration, but descriptions tend to point out that the marines themselves, as well as their armour don't really require as much, which is why its such a trial for people without either power armour or augmentation to use an astartes pod.
The selfsame intro also has a tactical squad of Astartes with heavy weapons making the first move to jump out of cover, to charge into close combat with Orks, so while the rendering is beautiful, I take it all with a pinch of salt.andrewgpaul wrote:The pods in the Dawn of War intro movie fire retro-rockets, and drop the last few dozen metres relatively gently.
This from a chapter known for their taciturn well-planned tactics tuned to maximize their probability of victory (as opposed to Black Templars or Blood Angels).
From descriptions of drop pods (just over a minute from orbit to door flying open), the rendition of the drop pods in-game seems more consistent: braking only at the last moment, and still slamming into the earth in a trail of fire with significant force.
That's the actual reason I had initially asked if drop pods have acceleration compensation, in fact.. trying to figure out which of the two portrayals is more likely.
It's entirely possible the violence of the drops can be varied based on the planet's atmospheric conditions, the terrain, and the exact degree that the drop zone is secured.
Maxentius wrote: think Cain mentions that he went on one drop in a Reclaimers drop pod, and that it was a hellacious experience for him.
Those crazy Commisars and Inquisitors!Darwin wrote:As I recall the last time I read about an inquisitor riding down with marines in a drop pod, it nearly killed her.
Regardless, it's worth noting that even when they're not augmented by bionics or Astartified, some of those 40k humans tend to be tough motherfuckers, e.g. the quote in the Dark Heresy rulebook about an Arbites who took half a dozen slugs in the gut and still apprehended his target.
I'd expect if this sort of folk barely survive those rides, it would kill something like >95% of the populace.
"..history has shown the best defense against heavy cavalry are pikemen, so aircraft should mount lances on their noses and fly in tight squares to fend off bombers". - RedImperator
"ha ha, raping puppies is FUN!" - Johonebesus
"It would just be Unicron with pew pew instead of nom nom". - Vendetta, explaining his justified disinterest in the idea of the movie Allspark affecting the Death Star
"ha ha, raping puppies is FUN!" - Johonebesus
"It would just be Unicron with pew pew instead of nom nom". - Vendetta, explaining his justified disinterest in the idea of the movie Allspark affecting the Death Star
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To be fair to those Marines, they thought they were assaulting half a mob; no-one told them about the 'uge mob of Orks behind the hill. Plus didn't they need to take that hill from the Orks? They were under reasonably heavy fire at the time, and had lost their tank; beating up half a dozen boyz in melee looked like a better option at the time.
"So you want to live on a planet?"
"No. I think I'd find it a bit small and wierd."
"Aren't they dangerous? Don't they get hit by stuff?"
"No. I think I'd find it a bit small and wierd."
"Aren't they dangerous? Don't they get hit by stuff?"
Yes, Drop Pods do in fact have retro-thrusters. They can be seen on the models, too.
On the Imperial model, they're at the edges of the parts between the doors.
The Dreadclaw has them ringing the bottom opening.
They probably fire them to slow down the descent a bit, but I think they depend just as much on the people inside being really, really tough. Thus, why the Imperial Guard doesn't use them.
On the Imperial model, they're at the edges of the parts between the doors.
The Dreadclaw has them ringing the bottom opening.
They probably fire them to slow down the descent a bit, but I think they depend just as much on the people inside being really, really tough. Thus, why the Imperial Guard doesn't use them.
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They definitely have retro thrusters, no one's saying they don't. The fact that they aren't red hot and don't leave a huge crater in the ground upon impact pretty much shows that.
The question is what kind of velocity they have when they touch down.
The question is what kind of velocity they have when they touch down.
"..history has shown the best defense against heavy cavalry are pikemen, so aircraft should mount lances on their noses and fly in tight squares to fend off bombers". - RedImperator
"ha ha, raping puppies is FUN!" - Johonebesus
"It would just be Unicron with pew pew instead of nom nom". - Vendetta, explaining his justified disinterest in the idea of the movie Allspark affecting the Death Star
"ha ha, raping puppies is FUN!" - Johonebesus
"It would just be Unicron with pew pew instead of nom nom". - Vendetta, explaining his justified disinterest in the idea of the movie Allspark affecting the Death Star
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Yeah, however if we are thinking of the same Inquisitor, she somehow manages to survive jumping out of a crashing Thunderhawk while being carried by a Deathwatcher. The Deathwatchers make craters in the ground when they hit, so I'm not sure how the hell she survived either incident!Darwin wrote:As I recall the last time I read about an inquisitor riding down with marines in a drop pod, it nearly killed her.white_rabbit wrote: Marine pods certainly have some method of compensating for the effects of acceleration, but descriptions tend to point out that the marines themselves, as well as their armour don't really require as much, which is why its such a trial for people without either power armour or augmentation to use an astartes pod.
Of course we have the contrasting example of Inquisitor Silas Hand, but he rolls with his own custom suit of Pimp-Armour, so there we go
Well, there are various examples, some have them setting down rather gently, others have them "liquifying" hundreds of Nids when they hit...The question is what kind of velocity they have when they touch down.
I suppose it depends on how psychotic the Marines are feeling at the time.
Got the name of the female Inquisitor?
I'm curious, need to see if I can find any references to the incident(s).
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I'm curious, need to see if I can find any references to the incident(s).
Sounds about right.white_rabbit wrote:Well, there are various examples, some have them setting down rather gently, others have them "liquifying" hundreds of Nids when they hit...
I suppose it depends on how psychotic the Marines are feeling at the time.
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"..history has shown the best defense against heavy cavalry are pikemen, so aircraft should mount lances on their noses and fly in tight squares to fend off bombers". - RedImperator
"ha ha, raping puppies is FUN!" - Johonebesus
"It would just be Unicron with pew pew instead of nom nom". - Vendetta, explaining his justified disinterest in the idea of the movie Allspark affecting the Death Star
"ha ha, raping puppies is FUN!" - Johonebesus
"It would just be Unicron with pew pew instead of nom nom". - Vendetta, explaining his justified disinterest in the idea of the movie Allspark affecting the Death Star
It's in Warrior Brood, by C.S. Goto, and best ignored.
Fortunately, we have similar events with which we can compare drop-pods with. Most notably, in Death or Glory, Ciaphas Cain and Jurgen are riding a savior-pod with compromised retros (20-30% effectiveness, IIRC) to the surface of a planet, and impact the surface with enough force to wipe out the nearby Ork encampment, bounce at least once, then gouge out a glass channel in the sand. Cain and Jurgen are strapped into crash-webbing and remain concious through all of this, though Jurgen gets hit on the head by something and the pods power systems are fused by the impact. Other than Jurgen's head injury, both are physically fine, though understandably a bit shaken.
We should also keep in mind that at this point, Cain doesn't have any augmetic parts; he's fresh out of the Schola and attatched to the 12th Valhallan Field Artillery.
Fortunately, we have similar events with which we can compare drop-pods with. Most notably, in Death or Glory, Ciaphas Cain and Jurgen are riding a savior-pod with compromised retros (20-30% effectiveness, IIRC) to the surface of a planet, and impact the surface with enough force to wipe out the nearby Ork encampment, bounce at least once, then gouge out a glass channel in the sand. Cain and Jurgen are strapped into crash-webbing and remain concious through all of this, though Jurgen gets hit on the head by something and the pods power systems are fused by the impact. Other than Jurgen's head injury, both are physically fine, though understandably a bit shaken.
We should also keep in mind that at this point, Cain doesn't have any augmetic parts; he's fresh out of the Schola and attatched to the 12th Valhallan Field Artillery.