Penitent Engine

[Falaris]

Looking at this thing...

https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/2011980/ss_f87b8d11855225fcbeeef0d4eade5330d77ff6c6.1920x1080.jpg?t=1669902503

This is, I think, a penitent engine. The guy is piloting the thing. Sort of.

He's also fed a diet of chemicals that both offer excruciating pain on the level that he frantically seeks death, and also keeps them alive - for a while - despite injuries that would kill.

Cheerful thing. Very Warhammer.

Isn't it a tad impractical? If you have a frontline war machine, wouldn't having it piloted by a more rational, protected pilot be better?

I feel like this is an example of warhammer being a bit... too grimdark. Grimdank?

I guess we'll see wether it's actually effective in a week. :)

[Grinch]

Practicality isn't the point, it's a brutal form of propaganda to keep dissenters in line while also "giving them a chance to redeem themselves by dying in battle against the enemies of Mankind"

[Falaris]

Originally posted by Garf:

Practicality isn't the point, it's a brutal form of propaganda to keep dissenters in line while also "giving them a chance to redeem themselves by dying in battle against the enemies of Mankind"

To be fair, looking at the engine... it doesn't look very expensive to make. So it's not like it's a huge expensive war machine, like a dreadnaught or such. Still... graphic punishment is one thing, but I wouldn't want to fight anywhere near one of those things; it's bound to be a bit indiscriminate in target selection.

[Prof_Nekko]

yeah teh whole point of the Penitent engine is that the person inside is meant to be kept in constant pain and to fight constantly until you redeem yourself in death, and while the person is in constant suffering they are also mostly kept in check by the belief that enduring the suffering and fighting to the bloody end will redeem them in the emperor's eyes/

And then you have the Mortifiers for those who are deemed not worthy of redemption, and get the same setup as the Penitent engine but are also locked in a neigh indestructable steel coffin that is constnatly providing additional life support to them and are in such a state of pain and suffering that they are basically just dropped on the battlefield and kept a distance til they either kill everything or somehow manage to die

[Rg66]

I’m not seeing it listed as an available unit. Mortifier is listed but no penitent engine

[Falaris]

Originally posted by Rg66:

I’m not seeing it listed as an available unit. Mortifier is listed but no penitent engine

Kind of the same thing, though. A mortifier has more dakka, more torture, and less melee. Pilot's still exposed, but is a dishonored sister (Who fled from battle) rather than any old prisoner. The points I raised about it seems still relevant.

What Nekko is thinking about is Anchorites, I think, that's the torture coffin with guns.

[Rg66]

Cool - thanks for the units clarification 👍