A Sicaran Venator believed to have belonged to the Alpha Legion
The Sicaran Venator is a variant of the Sicaran Battle Tank and was designed near the end of the Great Crusade, just before the outbreak of the Horus Heresy in the early 31st Millennium, as a purpose-built tank destroyer for the Space Marine Legions.
The Sicaran Venator was highly valued by the Legiones Astartes for the combination of mobility and protection provided by the Sicaran Battle Tanks' chassis, and the potent firepower it could unleash in the form of its compact Neutron Laser Projector.
The Neutron Laser Projector is a formidable anti-armour weapon whose particle beam is capable of penetrating any known armour. Current Imperial records do not indicate whether or not the Sicaran Venator, or even the standard Sicaran Battle Tank, is still in use by any of the Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes or the Traitor Legions in the late 41st Millennium.
History[]
An ancient pict-capture of an Iron Hands Legion Sicaran Venator firing its Neutron Beam Laser
The Sicaran Venator is a variant of the Sicaran battle tank which saw extensive use in the opening battles of the Horus Heresy. The Sicaran Venator replaced the turret-mounted Accelerator Cannon of the standard Sicaran with a powerful Neutron Beam Laser. When coupled with the Sicaran Venator's ferocious speed, the Sicaran Venator was an ideal tank hunter, slicing apart armoured hulls with casual ease and blasting internal compartments and crew with atomic fire.
Conceived in the fires of war, the Sicaran Venator was the result of all the knowledge gleaned from the unnumbered battles of the Great Crusade. Its advanced Neutron Laser was specially designed to provide the Legiones Astartes with superior firepower, enabling it to destroy any and all xenos threats that might be encountered by the expanding armies of the nascent Imperium.
At the time Horus began his rebellion on the black fields of Istvaan V, the Sicaran Venator had only just entered full production and only limited numbers had inducted into the various Legions. Despite the relative rarity of these vehicles, their combination of durability, speed and firepower ensured that they proved pivotal in a number of battles, surviving where lesser Predator or Vindicator tanks did not.
Armament[]
A Sicaran Venator of the Word Bearers Legion
The Sicaran Venator replaces the standard Sicaran Battle Tank's turret-mounted Accelerator Autocannons and hull-mounted Heavy Bolter with a hull-mounted Hadyxis Pattern Neutron Beam Laser. This weapon turns the Sicaran Venator into a formidable anti-armour vehicle that is capable of engaging nearly any target, as a Neutron Laser weapon's particle beam is capable of penetrating all known types of armour.
The vehicle is also armed with a single pintle-mounted, remote-controlled Heavy Bolter to engage infantry that gets too close and two sponson-mounted weapons, which can be either Heavy Bolters or Lascannons. The Sicaran Venator can also be outfitted with a Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher, Extra Armour Plating, a Dozer Blade, an Auxiliary Drive system, Extra Armour Plating, a Searchlight, or Smoke Launchers.
Unit Composition[]
- 1 Relic Sicaran Venator Tank Destroyer (41st Millennium Only)
- 1 Legion Sicaran Venator Tank Destroyer (31st Millennium Only)
Wargear[]
A Relic Sicaran Venator is armed and equipped with:
- Neutron Laser Cannon (Neutron Pulse Cannon)
- Heavy Bolter
- Smoke Launchers
A Relic Sicaran Venator can also take one of the following additional pintle-mounted weapons:
A Relic Sicaran Venator may also be armed with the following sponson weapons:
Relic Sicaran Venators may also have vehicle equipment such as:
Horus Heresy Wargear[]
During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy the Sicaran Venators of the Legiones Astartes featured different weapons loadout options than those still found during the 41st Millennium.
A standard Legion Sicaran Venator is armed and equipped with:
- Hadyxis Pattern Neutron Beam Laser
- Heavy Bolter
- Searchlight
- Smoke Launchers
- Extra Armour Plating
A Legion Sicaran Venator also take one of the following additional pintle-mounted weapons:
A Legion Sicaran Venator may also be armed with the following sets of sponson weapons, two weapons per set:
Legion Sicaran Venators may also have a variety of vehicle equipment such as:
- Dozer Blade
- Hunter-Killer Missile Launcher
- Armoured Ceramite Plating
- Auxiliary Drive System
Adeptus Mechanicus Technical Specifications[]
| Vehicle Name: | Sicaran Venator | Main Armament: | Fixed Hull-mounted Neutron Beam Laser |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forge World of Origin: | Unknown | Secondary Armament: | Two Sponson-mounted Lascannons |
| Known Patterns: | Unknown | Traverse: | 0 degrees |
| Crew: | 1 Driver, 1 Gunner | Elevation: | 0 to 22 degrees |
| Powerplant: | Uncodified Open Core Plasma Ioniser | Main Ammunition: | Unlimited from Generator |
| Weight: | approx. 65 Tonnes | Secondary Ammunition: | Unlimited cell |
| Length: | approx. 8.2 metres | Armour: | |
| Width: | 7 metres | ||
| Height: | approx. 4.85 metres | Superstructure: | 80 millimetres |
| Ground Clearance: | 0.32 metres | Hull: | 70 millimetres |
| Max Speed On-Road: | 74 kilometres per hour | Gun Mantlet: | 80 millimetres |
| Max Speed Off-Road: | 58 kilometres per hour | Vehicle Designation: | Unknown |
| Transport Capacity: | None | Firing Ports: | None |
| Access Points: | N/A | Turret: | N/A |
Sources[]
- Imperial Armour Index: Forces of the Adeptus Astartes (8th Edition), pg. 14
- The Horus Heresy - Book Three: Extermination (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 21, 90, 157, 240
- The Horus Heresy - Book Five: Tempest (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 1, 53
- The Horus Heresy - Book Six: Retribution (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pp. 52-53, 194, 248-249
- The Horus Heresy - Legiones Astartes: Age of Darkness Army List by Alan Bligh, pg. 72
- Forge World - Legion Sicaran Venator
Gallery[]
