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Plague Knife
In the Warhammer 40,000 setting, Plague Knives are bladed weapons used by Plague Marines.
They are similar in form and function to (though smaller than) Plagueswords. A particularly large and potent Plague Knife is Puscleaver.
Codex: Chaos (1996)
Plague Knife
Plague Marines of Nurgle are armed with rusty, dirt encrusted blades which have been blessed with some of the Lord of Decay's most purulent diseases. A deep cut from a Plague knife will fester and become gangrenous within moments, poisoning the victim's blood and rotting away their flesh.
Special Rules: A Plague knife drips with virulent slime. A wound from this weapon will kill mortal creatures outright on a D6 roll of 6 regardless of how many wounds the target can sustain normally; on a roll of 1-5 the knife just inflicts 1 wound. Only mortal creatures are vulnerable to the Plague knife, not daemons.
| Short Range | Long Range | To Hit Short | To Hit Long | Str | Dam | Save Mod | Armour Pen |
|---|
| Close combat only | As User | 1 | As User | Var |
Codex: Chaos Space Marines (1999)
Plague Knife: Dripping with venomous slime, a wound from a Plague Knife will kill mortal creatures outright on a D6 roll of 6, regardless of how many wounds they have. On a roll of 1-5 it merely causes 1 wound. Note that this only applies to mortal foes, not to other Daemons, vehicles, Talos, Avatars or Wraithguard.
Imperial Armour 7: The Siege of Vraks, part 3 (2009)
A corrupted 'Plague Marine' encountered during the later stages of the Vraks campaign, affiliation unknown, although its ancient pattern of armour indicates a connection to the Death Guard Traitor legion or one of its sub-factions, most likely the Apostles of Contagion.
4. Contaminated Blade
Of unknown origin and design, the Plague Marine carries a 'cleaver' type combat weapon of the sort often, and not inaccurately, named a "Plague Knife" by Imperial observers. Wielded with the superhuman strength and speed of these creatures, these unpowered blades can pierce most forms of body armour, and can breach the protection of ceramite powered armour if a vulnerable location is struck. If the skin of a victim is cut, the contaminated and necrotic slime that covers the blade will almost invariably infect the wound and poison the bloodstream, leading to a slow and agonising death in over 90% of cases. Even the augmented metabolism of the Astartes is not entirely immune to this effect. As yet the Adeptus Biologis have no antidotes that have any effect on the toxins. Rumours persist that some of these weapons are further empowered by the dark taint of the Warp against which no flesh can be spared. Only the Ordo Malleus know the truth.
Mark of the Xenos (2011)
Plague Knives
Corroded and diseased blades that have been blessed by the great Nurgle, plague knives are sure to deliver their blighted corruption to any who are even scratched by them. These are one of the ways the dreaded Plague Marines deliver their "benedictions" across the galaxy.
Codex: Chaos Space Marines (2012)
The long, pitted knives used by the Plague Marines are encrusted and dripping with the most virulent of viruses. Their wielders believe that they are each blessed by Nurgle himself, for the rot they carry and spread is so powerful that it can lay low even the most monstrous enemies in seconds.
| Range | S | AP | Type |
|---|
| - | User | - | Melee, Poisoned (4+) |
The Tome of Decay (2014)
Plague Knife
Seen in the hands of dreaded Plague Marines, the Plague Knife is a long, thin blade caked with grime and dripping with disease. Small cuts can transform into raging infections within seconds, and the blade can fell even the largest of creatures with a single swipe.
A Plague Knife is a one-handed Legion Weapon.
Table 2-2: Exotic Melee Weapons
| Name | Class | Range | Damage | Pen | Special | Wt. | Availability |
|---|
| Plague Knife† | Melee | - | 1d10 R | 2 | Felling (4), Toxic (3) | 2kg | Extremely Rare |
†This weapon has additional rules. See full rules for more details.
