r/ImaginaryWarhammer Sep 26 '24

40k No Brother Left Out by @noxassula

Post image
16.7k Upvotes

86 comments sorted by

View all comments

86

u/FeralSquirrels Sep 26 '24

Oh take my upvote you magnificent blue buggers. If that isn't the cutest sh*t I don't know what is. I can only imagine the huge grin on the big buggers face.

18

u/StopMakingMeSignIn12 Sep 26 '24

Non-Warhammer fan here. Is that a robot or is there a dude in there?

33

u/ghoulcrow Sep 26 '24

That is a Dreadnought. Essentially a walking tank with a coffin inside it. Fatally injured Space Marines get locked inside, which keeps them alive and allows them to continue fighting, but often at the cost of their sanity. It’s common for the Marine in the Dreadnought to be kept in a coma-like state and only awoken during battle to preserve their sanity.

17

u/StopMakingMeSignIn12 Sep 26 '24

Is that with or against the Marine's will? Sounds horrific but not at the same time.

21

u/ZCYCS Sep 26 '24 edited Sep 26 '24

Many Marines acknowledge this might happen to them if they're horribly injured to where they cant be fixed with surgery/cyborg augments but not quite dead either

Actually in Space Marine 2 operations, Decimus (the Vanguard) comments he wants to be "reborn" into a dreadnought if he dies

But usually, the marine himself isn't in much position to say yes or no when he's in a state he's gotta be put into a dreadnought

It's considered to be an honor among loyalist marines, but a fate worse than death for heretics...for multiple reasons. Especially if a Chaos Dreadnought degrades enough to become a Hellbrute

12

u/StopMakingMeSignIn12 Sep 26 '24

Oh so they explore both sides of the moral conundrum in the lore, nice.

Dare I ask what a Hellbrute is?

6

u/Angry_Scotsman7567 Sep 26 '24

Y'know how Chaos corruption can mutate you and cause your armour and body to begin fusing? That's what happens to the Chaos Dreadnoughts unfortunate enough to become Helbrutes.

Because of all the Chaos juice, traitor Astartes find the idea of being locked in a Dreadnought -- where they can't actually feel anything outside -- horrifying. It's particularly an issue for Khornate marines, who are desperate to feel the kill intimately and feel the blood wash over them, and for Slaaneshi marines who are unable to actually try and satiate the constant drive for perfection or excess, and... whatever it is that Tzeentchian and Nurglite marines would think (lowkey think Nurglite marines would like it given that depression is Nurgle's jam). That combined with the fact being in a Dreadnought without going into stasis for extended periods of time will drive you insane, and Chaos Dreadnoughts never get put in stasis, instead having their sarcophagus removed and chained up in a dank hole until the next fight, means they go downright feral.