Ordnance of the Ashen Promise

Hunter-class Heavy Scout Frigate, 813th Expeditionary Fleet

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Primary Battery Decks

The ship's broadside armament is heavy for an Escort-type vessel, but nowhere near heavy enough to duel with even the lightest cruiser.

• 10 macrocannon turrets per side (20 total), arranged in a 5×2 matrix across two gun decks.

• Each turret mounts triple-linked mass drivers, able to hurl multi-ton penetrator shells or plasma-sheathed ordnance at relativistic velocity.

• Turrets are powered by gravitic accelerators and magnetic rails — far beyond the crude muzzle-loading image most voidsmen imagine.

Flavors of ammunition include:

• Armor-Piercing Penetrators – adamantine-jacketed slugs for brute kinetic impact.

• Plasma-Incendiary Shells – unstable plasma cores to sear through armor.

• Submunition Cluster Shells – good against small craft or dispersed targets.

• Voidbreaker Charges – destabilize shields for a few seconds.

Crew/Servitor Balance:

• Servitors ram shells and manage breach seals.

• Humans handle fire control, targeting algorithms, and power distribution.

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Lance Batteries

The ship's main long-range anti-ship firepower is its lance batteries. Unlike smaller Escort Frigates, the Hunter-class has a full array of demilances.

• Five dual-turret lances: three dorsal (top), two ventral (bottom).

• A “lance” is a directed energy projector — think of it as a particle/laser hybrid:

  • Builds charge in a massive capacitor.

  • Fires a sustained beam of fused plasma-photon energy that scythes through armor.

• They are slower to cycle than macrocannons but terrifyingly accurate at range.

• In naval doctrine, lances are “ship-killers,” while macrocannons saturate volume.

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Torpedo Tubes

Torpedoes are heavy anti-ship missiles with extreme range and killing power. The Hunter-class has a slightly above-average-sized torpedo spread, with 8 tubes to the more standard 6 for escorts.

• Eight forward tubes, ventral prow.

• Torpedoes are more like miniature spacecraft than “missiles”: armored, shielded, with onboard augurs and cogitators.

• Standard loadout:

  • Krak-class warheads (anti-ship).

  • Plasma-class warheads (wide-area energy release).

  • Boarding torpedoes for Astartes.

  • One Vortex warhead (special issue, rarely touched).

Rate of Fire:

• Torpedoes are slow to reload, but devastating when loosed in a spread.

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Orbital/Drop Ordnance

Orbital munitions include:

• Gravitic bomb racks located ventrally, replacing what could have been a third lance emplacement.

• Can drop:

  • Grav-bombs for planetary bombardment.

  • Seismic charges against hardened bunkers.

  • Astartes drop-pods (same racks serve both roles).

• Practical: keeps the ship flexible as both warship and troop carrier.

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Small Craft

This is not a carrier, but it maintains a modest wing:

• 1 squadron of Fury Interceptors (12 craft) – void superiority, anti-bomber.

• 4 Thunderhawks – 2 gunships, 2 heavy lift variants.

• Personnel Landers (6) – troop ferries for Auxilia.

• Heavy Cargo Shuttles (4) – vehicles, supplies, heavy gear.

• Gun cutters/pinnaces (2) 

• Utility/Service Craft (20)

Primary launch bays are located aft of the gun decks, adjacent to barracks and cargo holds. This keeps troop movements and launch ops tightly integrated.

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Point Defense

• Dozens of emplacements across the hull:

  • Autocannon turrets for close-range saturation.

  • Laser clusters to intercept missiles and bombers.

  • Counter-missile pods (anti-missile missiles).

• These systems are slaved to cogitators but overseen by human officers, with servitors forming the “muscle” of the network.

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Defensive Systems

• Void Shields: multi-layered defensive envelopes. Can absorb incoming fire until they overload. Vulnerable to lance strikes and saturation bombardment.

• Armor: Plasteel and adamantium belts protect the ship, but they are thin for her size.

  • The Promise can shrug off raiders and light escorts.

  • Against true line ships, she cannot endure prolonged engagement.

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Performance Profile

• Speed: Exceptional for her displacement; one of the Hunter-class’ trademarks.

• Handling: Highly responsive, designed to cut and run or pursue fleeing targets.

• Endurance: Efficient plasma drives and advanced reclamation systems allow years of independent operation.

• Sensors: Advanced augur suites give her superior targeting and scouting ability—vital for hunting and exploration.

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Tactical Character

The Ashen Promise fights like her name:

• Strike role: She cripples escorts, overwhelms raiders, or slashes into the flanks of larger foes.

• Support role: She delivers her Astartes payload with drop-pods or boarding torpedoes.

• Weakness: If caught in a line battle, her shields will fail and her hull will not stand.

She is a predator, not a brawler.