Ground Vehicles

Rogue Trader: Drake Dynasty
GM
Adam
Dynastic Power
Character Level: 31,250 XP / Rank 8
Profit Factor: 43𝖕
Command Crew
Lord-Captain Drake Navigator Primus Mordecai Arch-Millitant Winter Astropath Solarus
House Drake Fleet
Aurea Albion Hound of Albion • Abhorrent Fortuitous Purpose • Penance of Iocanthos
Drake Trade Empire
Damaris • Scintilla • Kulth Svard • Dross • Aurum Sepheris Secundus • Tennenberg Killian's Rest
Drake Expeditions
Open Missions
Grand Endevours
Personnel
Magistrates • Retainers Militants Svard 1st • Stormtroopers House Drake Expeditionary Army
Assets
Materiel Aerospace Craft • Ground Vehicles
Armoury Wargear • Relics and Artifacts
Other Estate Secrets and Contacts • Awards and Honors
The Galaxy
Locations Calixis Sector Koronus Expanse • Periphery Subsector Personalities Peers of the Imperium Rival Rogue Traders
Utilities
Rogue Trader Timeline House Rules Guide and Lore

Chimera

Imperial Guard Chimera Armored Personnel Carrier

The Chimera is a rugged, well armed APC produced across thousands of worlds in the Imperium. Unlike the Rhino, the Chimera STC is a dedicated military vehicle, serving as the chassis for transports, artillery and support vehicles. The vehicle is fully enclosed, sealed environment capable of protecting the crew and passengers inside from chemical and biological weapons, nuclear fall out or even the open Void. In addition, the crew and passenger compartments are sealed separately, allowing properly equipped passengers to disembark without endangering the crew. In normal atmosphere conditions, the passengers can also open the top hatch for air or to use as a fire point. The passenger compartment also has six mounted lasguns in it on sealed swivels, but provides the passengers no way to aim them without opening the top hatch. The Chimera has a top speed of 70 kph (45 mph), though some of the artillery variants are slower due to the heavy load.

Command Variant

The only external difference between the normal and command versions of the chimera is the inclusion of a whip arial or (in the case of House Drake's) an orbital uplink dish. Internally, a large amount of the free cargo room in the passenger compartment has been replaced with communications gear, tactical readouts, maps projectors and a cognator. Although still technically able to hold twelve still, the comfortable maximum is closer to nine.

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Trojan

Trojan Recovery Vehicle

The Trojan version of the chimera removes the turret and refits the passenger compartment as a cargo compartment, complete with internally or externally controlled loading crane. In addition to it's own cargo capacity, it includes a towing hook for the attachment of one or more supply trailers, allowing it to pull entire supply trains. It operates with a crew of two, the commander taking over the gunners position. Given the trojan's non-combat role, this is rarely a liability. House Drake owns two of these.

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Leman Russ

The main battle tank of the Imperial Guard and the mainstay of armored regiments across the Imperium, the Leman Russ is produced in the millions on Forge Worlds and in Hive factories across the Imperium. While slow in comparison to other Guard vehicles and lacking in advanced technology, its ruggedness and reliability are the tank's defining attribute.

The Leman Russ' armour is not the most sophisticated but is practical and rugged, allowing it to weather the harshest environments or enemy fire. A reinforced cast plasteel hull and turret with ferro-steel armour plating combine to make it proof against all but the most deadly attacks. This armour is thickest on the tank's front, with decreasing thickness along the sides and rear, to prevent the engine from overheating or over-straining the transmission.

The sturdy, efficient engine which powers the Leman Russ can run on practically any type of fuel and keep the vehicle moving even in the most hellish conditions, while secondary systems such as life support and electrics are powered by internal generators. While a slow vehicle the tank's track arrangement means it exerts a low amount of ground pressure which, combined with fine regenerative steering, allows it to perform almost balletic maneuvers.

A minimum of four crew are required to operate the Leman Russ, with two more needed to man the sponson weapons if mounted. The sponson gunners are the most junior members of the crew. Above them is the loader, responsible for loading the main gun and, as needed, manning the hull-mounted weapon. The driver is next in seniority. When stationary the driver can man the hull-mounted weapon, though this practice is discouraged by most since it leaves the tank immobile. The gunner is tasked with firing the tank's primary weapon, and also functions as the tank's second-in-command. The tank commander directs the other crewmembers and is responsible for maintaining an overall picture of the battle, keeping in contact with other tanks through external communication equipment. In case of personnel shortages, Commanders may also take over gunner or loader positions.

Main Battle Tank

Leman Russ Main Battle Tank

The Main Battle Tank variant of the Leman Russ is armed with a turret-mounted Battle Cannon, a 120mm smoothbore gun who’s APHE shells are equally decimating enemy infantry and tanks. Aiming the weapon is done through a dedicated periscope with a 45° field of vision. The tank also mounts a Lascannon in the forward hull mount with a 90° field of fire. Like all of the Crusade-pattern tanks recovered from the Light of Terra, the Leman Russ Main Battle Tank is fully NBCV sealed.

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Exterminator Tank

Leman Russ, Exterminator variant

The Exterminator variant of the Leman Russ replaces the turret weapon with a pair of accelerated autocannons, each capable of putting half again as many shots in the air as the standard, chimera mounted counterpart. This, combined with the superior recoil compensation and targeters nearly doubles the weapons effectiveness. To compliment it’s anti-infantry main gun, the Exterminator also mounts heavy bolters in the hull mount and both sponsons. Like all of the Crusade-pattern tanks recovered from the Light of Terra, the Leman Russ Exterminator is fully NBCV sealed.

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Demolisher Tank

Leman Russ, Demolisher Variant

The Demolisher variant of the Leman Russ replaces the turret weapon with an even larger bore Demolisher cannon. Demolisher rounds utilize less propellant then battle cannon rounds, but pack in a miniaturized plasma charge making them among the most powerful direct fire weapons in the Imperial Armory. With a range comparable to a lasgun, however, the Demolisher is typically only used in dense terrain, such as jungles or urban warfare. This particular model has a heavy bolter in the hull mount, forgoing sponsons for heavier armor along the sides and rear to help defend against ambush assaults. Like all of the Crusade-pattern tanks recovered from the Light of Terra, the Leman Russ Demolisher is fully NBCV sealed.

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Bombard Artillery

The Bombard variant of the Leman Russ is a radical departure from the standard tank, preserving little more than the drivetrain. Nearly every other ounce of weight has been stripped from the tank to allow for the mounting of a heavy Bombard cannon. The Bombard cannon is the largest mobile artillery cannon in the Imperial armory, and the largest weapon in the Drake arsenal not mounted on a voidship. The standard ammunition, which House Drake is currently stocking, creates a blast not unlike that from a demolisher cannon, but slightly larger and with much greater range. The nature of the bombard, including shells too heavy to be lifted by people, prevents any onboard munitions storage. Typically a Bombard will be followed by a Trojan carrying it’s ammunition and optionally a sentinel to move around said ammunition. Like all of the Crusade-pattern tanks recovered from the Light of Terra, the Leman Russ Bombard is fully NBCV sealed.

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Rhino

Astartes Rhino Armored Personnel Carrier

The Rhino is a tracked armoured troop produced by the Imperium of Man, its use entrusted to only the most loyal of soldiers: the Space Marines, Sisters of Battle, Adeptus Arbites and the Inquisition. The Rhino has been in service throughout the history of the Imperium. As an Standard Template Construct vehicle, the Rhino dates back to the distant time of Mankind's initial colonisation of the galaxy. Originally named "RH-1-N-0 Tracked Exploration and Multi-Purpose Defense Vehicle," it was used to explore newly colonised worlds.3 First field-tested on Mars, the Rhino as it came to be known was a success, thanks to its extreme dependability and capability of being produced from any locally available material, as well as make use of any semi-combustable fuel source.

MkIIC Transport

At its most basic level the Rhino MkIIC is an armoured carrier with large tracks designed to cope with any terrain and protect its passengers from harm. It is such a basic design, constructed from almost any material and powered by any semi-combustible material, that little has changed throughout its 10,000 year history. Such is its resiliency that damaged sustained in battle can often be repaired in the field by the crew themselves.

Sentinel Walker

A Sentinel is a bipedal, all-terrain walker used by the Imperial Guard for a number of missions including reconnaissance and search-and-destroy. The Sentinel achieves movement with a pair of articulated legs, which allow for both maneuverability in dense environments and bursts of speed on open terrain. They are fitted with advanced gyro-stabilizers to improve their balance, and their powerplants include noise-reduction technology for stealthy operation.

The first Sentinels produced had open canopies, although modifications to up-armour the vehicle also became commonplace. These Armoured Sentinels have recoil compensators in place of additional gyro-stabilizers which allow them to fire heavier weapons, as well as Auspex arrays to assist in its hunter-killer mission. The standard Sentinel's weapon load has always been a rapid firing weapon, which was originally an Assault cannon. Later models however show a divergence in armament, with the Multi-laser being the most common, while other weapons include a Heavy Flamer, Autocannon, Missile Launcher, Lascannon or Plasma Cannon.

Besides the addition of more armour or different weaponry, Sentinels can be modified in a multitude of ways. The most common include adding Camo Netting, a searchlight, smoke launchers, and/or a Hunter-Killer Missile. Other adaptations can be made depending on where the Sentinel operates, such as servo-driven claw spikes for a better grip when walking over glacial planes.

Powerlifter Sentinel

Sentinel Walker with Powerlifter

Sentinel Powerlifters are a rear-echelon variant used primarily for loading and unloading equipment and supplies. These Sentinels are equipped with large hydraulic claws, also known as a Powerlifter, easily capable of crushing a man to death, along with a counterweight mounted on the rear to prevent it from tipping over. In the Imperial Guard, they are a common sight on airfields, space ship flight decks, and artillery positions, but will only be called upon to defend their position as a last desperate measure. For House Drake, they primary use is loading and manuvering heavy cargos onboard voidships.