Shadowsword var addthis_config = {"data_track_addressbar":true};

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Imperial Guard Portal

A standard Shadowsword

The Shadowsword is an Imperial Guard titan-hunter super-heavy vehicle. It is designed on the same technology as the Baneblade with the exception of its armament; a Volcano Cannon. Much of the tank is taken up with the internal capacitors required to fire the weapon and is also equipped with advanced logic engines and targeting systems to make each shot count. Each shot is sufficiently powerful to shear off a Titan's arm or leg but requires a good deal of time to recharge. Because the Shadowsword can do such a damaging blast, it is only produced on Forge Worlds where Titans are built. Each super-heavy tank is sent to an armored regiment where fighting enemy Titans is a large possibility.

For defence, the Shadowsword has the sponson armament of Twin-linked Heavy Bolters/Heavy Flamers as well as two Lascannons. In addition to this, many crews install pintle-mounted Storm Bolter/ Heavy Stubber, an extra Twin-linked Heavy Bolter and/or hunter-killer missile. Finally, all Shadowswords are equipped with Smoke Launchers to increase survivability, and with a Searchlight for night-fighting.⁴

Several Swadowswords are known to swap the sponson weaponry for improved side armour. On others, the sponson Lascannons are replaced with targeters to ensure that Volcano Cannon shots will not go to waste. Finally, some Swadowswords maximise firepower with 2 extra sponsons (4 in total).⁴

The Shadowsword's capacitors take energy directly from the main engine. An overseeing Enginseer must disconnect the main engine and connect a generator in its place. A single shot will drain the capacitors of all energy and can only be fired when the vehicle is stationary and the main engine is disengaged.

It has difficulty operating alone due to the slow rate of fire for its primary weapon, and as such is usually deployed with lighter vehicles for defence. These other vehicles can also be used in an assault on a Titan, for example drawing off fire and draining the Titan's void shields before the Shadowsword delivers the killing blow.

Like the Baneblade, a "true" Shadowsword will have its own number and name and all of its deeds shall be recorded on Mars.

Shadowsword

Technical Specifications

Vehicle Name:	Shadowsword2	Main Armament:	Volcano Cannon
Forge World of Origin:	Mars, Lucius, Estaban VII, Triplex Phall	Secondary Armament:	4 Heavy Bolters
Known Patterns:	I-VII	Traverse:	2 degrees
Crew:	Commander, Driver, Main Gunner, Remote Gunner, Comms-Operator, Engineer	Elevation:	From -2 to 12degrees
Powerplant:	M507 V18 Multi Fuel	Main Ammunition:	Unlimited
Weight:	316 tonnes	Secondary Ammunition:	1600 rounds
Length:	13.5m	Armour
Width:	8.4m
Height:	6.3m	Superstructure:	220mm
Ground Clearance:	1.2m	Hull:	210mm
Max Speed - on road	25kph	Gun Mantlet	200mm
Max Speed - off road:	18kph	Vehicle Designation:	0427-658-0212-SS120
Tranport Capacity:	None	Firing Ports:	n/a
Access Points:	n/a	Turret:	N/A

Known Shadowswords

• Creed's Vengeance - Cadian 12th
• Duty's Honour - Palladius 53rd Regiment
• Alpha Three - Morian 3rd Heavy Tank Company
• Castigatus - 8th Pardus Armoured Regiment¹
• The Iron Saint³
• Angel of the Apocalypse - Command tank of Cadian 81st Armored Regiment. Destroyed on Golgotha by Ork Bombers⁵

Miniatures

Warhammer 40,000

• 

  An Arkurion pattern Shadowsword

• 

  The interior of a Shadowsword

Epic

• 

  A Games Workshop Shadowsword for Epic

• 

  A Forgeworld Shadowsword for Epic

Sources

• 1: Honour Guard (Novel) - Gaunt's Ghosts: The Saint (Omnibus) by Dan Abnett, ^{[Needs Citation]}, p. 57
• 2: Imperial Armour Volume One - Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy, p 91, 92
• 3: White Dwarf 352 (AU/NZ)
• 4: White Dwarf 351 (AU/NZ) pp. 28-29
• 5: Gunheads (Novel) by Steve Parker: Chapter Twenty
• 6: Imperial Armour - Apocalypse