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A Nova Cannon is a weapon of great size and destructive power used by ships of the Imperial Navy which propels explosive projectiles close to the speed of light.¹

Overview

While some variation exists, the basic design of a Nova Cannon consists of an array of gravimetric impellers which accelerate a projectile to a fraction of the speed of light.^2a However Nova Cannons can only be mounted on large capital ships such as Cruisers and Battleships and in the ship's prow.^2a This is because the immense recoil of firing the weapon can only be compensated for by the vessel's engines.¹

The projectile itself varies in greater design and size, ranging upwards of fifty meters in diameter.³ However all share the common goal of causing immense destruction across thousands of kilometers of space. These can range from sophisticated plasma warheads which burn with the ferocity of a small star for a fraction of a second to implosion devices which exert destructive gravitational forces.^2a

Because of the destruction it can cause over a vast area, a Nova Cannon projectile is not armed until a fraction of a second after firing, though by that time it will have already traveled tens of thousands of kilometers through space.^2a Nova Cannons are also notoriously difficult to operate and inaccurate, which is why many Navy captains prefer to use traditional torpedoes instead. For those captains which do mount them, a well-used Nova Cannon can be a terrifying weapon and psychological tool.^2a

Models

Mars-pattern Nova Cannon

The Mars-pattern Nova Cannon is the most common of all Nova Cannon construction templates. Colossal weapons measuring hundreds of meters in length, they fire a gigantic shell at near relativistic velocities. The shell mirrors a conventional explosive shell, although on an extremely massive scale, and upon detonation will explode with more force than dozens of plasma warheads.^2b

Ryza-pattern Nova Cannon

The Ryza-pattern Nova Cannon replaces the explosive shell used by the Mars-pattern Nova Cannon with a highly unstable plasma-based macro-bomb. These weapons use much more power than a Stygies-pattern, but are thought to be more effective. Weaponising such a huge quantity of plasma however carries its own risk, as overheating systems can potentially cause damage to the weapon and the ship itself.^2b

Sources

• ¹:Battlefleet Gothic Rulebook, p. 22
• ²:Rogue Trader: Battlefleet Koronus
  • ^2a: p. 15-16
  • ^2b: p. 36-37
• ³:Warriors of Ultramar (Novel) by Graham McNeill, Ch. 5