Wraithcannon & D-Scythe

Lore & history

Even among a race whose mastery of technology borders on sorcery, the Craftworld Aeldari regard Distortion weaponry—commonly known as D-weapons, and personified by the Wraithcannon and D-Scythe—with solemn dread. Rather than burning, piercing or exploding a target in realspace, a Wraithcannon tears open the barrier between the material universe and the Immaterium at the point of impact. Whatever lies caught within that momentary miniature Warp-vortex—be it the turret of an Imperial Baneblade, the chest of a Space Marine Terminator, or the head of a Chaos Titan—is wrenched violently out of reality and scattered across the Warp.

Because operating such reality-fracturing machinery places a perilous strain upon living minds and risks drawing the gaze of She Who Thirsts, the Craftworlds entrust handheld Wraithcannons and D-Scythes almost exclusively to the Ghost-Warriors of the Wraithguard. Guided by Spiritseers and animated by the spirit stones of fallen Aeldari heroes housed within impervious wraithbone shells, Wraithguard advance silently through enemy fire to unleash short-range rifts that erase entire squads and battle tanks from existence.

Design, mechanism & battlefield effect

Grown from dense, psycho-conductive wraithbone and powered by spirit-matrix capacitors, a Wraithcannon projects a focused gravitic-and-warp harmonic beam that collapses local space-time into a temporary micro-warp rift. Any solid matter straddling the event horizon of the imploding rift is sheared apart by infinite tidal forces as half the target is sucked into the Immaterium while the remainder collapses inward.

The closely related D-Scythe fires no physical projectile or visible beam at all; instead, it projects a sweeping, invisible wave of dimensional distortion that severs the animus—the living soul—directly from its mortal body without leaving a single mark on the victim's armour, or hurls the entire target bodily into the Warp.

Patterns, variants & doctrine

The infantry-portable Wraithcannon and short-range D-Scythe are carried by Craftworld Wraithguard, especially the vast ghost-hosts of Craftworld Iyanden. Scaled up for anti-Titan warfare, the Heavy Wraithcannon is mounted in pairs on towering Wraithknights, while the Distort Cannon (D-Cannon) is deployed on gravitic support weapon platforms and Cobra super-heavy tanks.

Notable patterns & relic examples

• Wraithguard Wraithcannon: The compact Warp-rift projector carried by the Ghost-Warriors of Craftworld Iyanden and its kin.
• D-Scythe: A terrifying short-range distortion projector that rips souls from mortal bodies in a silent, sweeping cone.
• Heavy Wraithcannon: Titan-killing distort cannons carried by Wraithknights and mounted on Hemlock Wraithfighters.
• D-Cannon Support Platform: Gravitic artillery piece capable of lobbing Warp-rifts over hills and fortress walls.

Wielded & Fielded By

Characters (4)

• 
  Eldrad Ulthran · High Farseer of Ulthwé
• 
  Prince Yriel · Autarch and High Admiral of Iyanden
• 
  Maugan Ra · Harvester of Souls
• 
  Asdrubael Vect · Supreme Overlord of Commorragh

Units (5)

WraithknightDark ReapersWarp SpidersDeath JestersScourges

Related weapons & vehicles

LascannonHeavy BolterShuriken Catapult & Shuriken PistolSinging Spear & WitchbladeSnazzgun, Deffgun & Big ShootaRailgun & Heavy Rail RifleHeavy Mining Laser, Seismic Cannon & Rock Cutter

Primary Faction

Craftworld Aeldari