Even though high powered lasers and plasma weapons scour the battlefields of the 41st millennium close combat remains commonplace – sieges, city fighting, boarding actions and tunnel warfare are noted more for the ferocity of the fighting than any strategic nuances. Seasoned warriors always bear a deadly array of clubs, knives, frag grenades and bayonets for close-quarter fighting.
Assault troops will be even more fully equipped, taking pistols, swords and axes into battle with them. Most deadly of all are the power weapons that are sheathed in disruptive energy fields of crackling blue bale-fire. Power weapons splinter ceramite armour plates and melt plasteel in the blink of an eye, smashing through even the toughest armour like paper.
Specialised weaponry can give troops a real edge in close combat. Some of the most common close combat weapons and special attacks are listed below. Note that models with special close combat attacks can always choose not to use them and attack normally instead — if you're wondering why you might want to do that, read the Power Fist entry below! Sometimes a model might be equipped with more than one type of special weapon, a power fist in one hand and a power axe in the other for example. In this situation the player can opt to have the model strike in initiative sequence with the power axe counting the power fist as an additional close combat weapon, or strike at initiative 1 with the power fist counting the power axe as an additional close combat weapon.
Important Note: Unless noted otherwise, only models in base to base contact with the enemy can use their special close combat attacks.
Power Fist or Claw
A power fist or claw is a powered, armoured gauntlet surrounded by an energy field that disrupts solid matter. It is an awesome weapon most commonly seen fitted to Space Marine Terminator armour.
A power fist or claw doubles the user's Strength up to a maximum of 10 and ignores armour saves. Only the user's basic strength is doubled — any additional bonus for special abilities is added after strength has been doubled.
The only drawback is that a power fist is slow and cumbersome to use, so a model armed with a power fist or claw always strikes at Initiative 1 no matter what its bearer's Initiative is (including any bonuses for special rules, cover, grenades or wargear – power fists always strike at Initiative 1 no matter what!).
Lightning Claws
Lightning claws are commonly used as matched pairs. They consist of a number of blades extending from a housing on the wrist and back of the hand. Each blade is a mini-power weapon in its own right and if they hit, one blade or another is likely to wound. Lightning Claws ignore Armour Saves and may re-roll any to-wound dice that fail to wound, once each. The only weapon that can provide an additional close combat weapon attack bonus for a model with a Lightning Claw is another Lightning Claw.
Power Weapons
A power weapon (typically a sword or axe, but more rarely a glaive, halberd or mace) is sheathed in the lethal haze of a disruptive energy field. When a blow is struck a crackling blast of energy tears at the target, eating through armour, flesh and bone with ease.
A model armed with a power weapon ignores armour saves. Note that some power weapons may provide the attacker with bonus strength in addition, or wound on a fixed dice score regardless of the enemy's Toughness characteristic. These will be detailed in the appropriate army codex.
Close Combat Weapons (chainswords/swords/axes/pistols etc)
There is a bewildering array of close combat weapons ranging from simple clubs and axes to hand flamers and chainswords. These weapons confer no bonus to the strength or hitting power of combatants. However, as a model with a weapon in each hand gains an additional attack against an enemy in base-to-base contact, swords and pistols (or similar hand weapons) remain a useful combination for hand-to-hand fighting. A plasma pistol, like other pistols, can be used as a close combat weapon. It confers no strength bonus or particular armour penetration advantages though.
Poisoned Weapons
Poisoned Weapons are particularly feared and can include everything from normal weapons daubed in venom to hypodermic claws. They do not rely on a comparison of strength and toughness to wound but will normally wound on a 4+. Some venoms are so lethal that the merest drop can kill — these will wound on a 2+; weapons with this type of lethal venom are described in the appropriate army codex.
Heavy Close Combat Weapons
Heavy close combat weapons are similar to close combat weapons but are particularly massive and are used to batter through an opponent's defences. Examples include the Ork Choppa and the mighty Chainaxe used by Berserkers of Khorne. There is no armour that can completely protect its wearer against a direct blow from such a weapon and the best hope is to dodge, to turn it into a glancing blow. Against a heavy close combat weapon, better armour provides sharply diminishing rewards — the maximum armour save that applies against Heavy Close Combat weapons is 4+ and any model with a better save will only save on 4+.
Rending Weapons
Rending weapons is a category that includes the sharpest edged and pointed weapons. Whilst not massive or excessively powerful, a well-placed blow from a rending weapon can tear through any armour and make a mockery of flesh and bone. Any roll to hit of 6 with a rending weapon will automatically cause a wound with no armour saving throw possible. Against a vehicle any penetration roll of 6 allows a further D6 to be rolled and the result added to the total score.
Force Weapons
Force weapons are potent psychic weapons that can only be used by a trained psyker such as a Librarian. They are treated as a power weapon, but can unleash a psychic attack that kills an opponent outright. Roll to hit and wound as normal, taking any Invulnerable saving throws. Then, as long as one wound has been inflicted, make a single psychic test for the psyker against one opponent wounded by the weapon. The normal rules for using psychic powers apply, and you may not use another psychic power in the same turn. If the test is passed then the opponent is slain outright, no matter how many wounds it has (but count the actual number inflicted for determining who won the assault). Force weapons have no special effect against targets that don't have wounds, such as vehicles.
Frag Grenades
Fragmentation grenades can be thrown at opponents in cover to force them to keep their heads down during a charge. The lethal storm of shrapnel from exploding frag grenades will drive opponents further into cover for a few precious moments while the attackers close in. Troops armed with frag grenades that are charging enemy in or behind cover fight with Initiative 10 so they strike blows simultaneously with the defenders.
Plasma Grenades
Rather than the crude fragmentation grenades used by other races, the Eldar employ advanced Plasma grenades to stun their enemies when they charge into close combat. The effects of cover on close combat are negated by plasma grenades, so all fighting is done in the standard Initiative sequence as the Initiative 10 bonus for being in cover is lost.
Monstrous Creatures
A monstrous creature is so huge and powerful that its attacks make a mockery of armour — foes are not so much wounded as hideously mangled and crushed.
A monstrous model (Carnifex, Greater Daemon etc) ignores armour saves.
When attacking vehicles a monstrous model rolls 2D6 for armour penetration and adds them before adding their strength.
Special Close Combat Attacks vs Different Armour Saves
If special close combat attacks come into play against a unit with different armour saves, use the method of making majority saves noted in Suffering Wounds & Removing Casualties but applying all special close combat attacks as early as possible. For example the Black Templars squad noted there suffer four power weapon hits and four normal hits in a single Initiative step. The six Neophytes with a 4+ save are in the majority so they suffer the four power weapon hits with no save allowed. Two more hits can be saved against however and one is made, resulting in one more casualty on the unfortunate Neophytes; the remaining two hits spill over and now the Initiates take saves using their armour save of 3+.