An autocannon is an automatic, self-loading, heavy ballistic weapon that fires a high velocity hail of solid shells, and is used by the military forces of the Imperium of Man and the Leagues of Votann.
It is an ancient weapon, dating back to the 2nd Millennium during the Age of Terra, but has nevertheless remained a widely-used piece of wargear throughout the Imperium's history. These rapid-firing weapons can lay down a burst of fire to cover advancing troops, or strafe enemy-held positions.
Autocannons are considered ideally suited for attacking enemy vehicles and fortifications from long range. Though they lack the heavy punch of a Lascannon, they can fire more rapidly and are less prone to overheating. However, the need to carry large amounts of ammunition is a distinct disadvantage. This weapon is also very large and ungainly. This bulk, combined with the serious recoil it creates, often restricts an autocannon to a vehicle mounting or to use by dedicated Heavy Weapons Squads.
Though autocannons are designed to be fired from a standard pattern bipod with a steel glacis, in extreme situations it is not unknown for some of the physically stronger troops to carry them into battle slung from a suspensor harness, though this "gung-ho" method of firing an autocannon is unusual and not encouraged.
Surprisingly, the autocannon is almost ignored as a weapon by the warriors of the Adeptus Astartes. While their transhuman physique and power armour-augmented strength allows a Space Marine to carry and fire an autocannon with ease, the large majority of Loyalist Chapters favour either ranged weapons with a much higher rate of fire, like the Heavy Bolter or Assault Cannon, or ranged weapons packing more killing power with each individual shot, like the Lascannon or Multi-melta.
As such, the autocannon is a rarely-fielded weapon for the Space Marines. However, the Heretic Astartes who have thrown in their allegiance with the Ruinous Powers do make ample usage of the autocannon, as it is a simple and sturdy weapon requiring very little of the heavy maintenance that most Chaos Space Marine warbands now lack the resources to execute.
Autocannon shells once contained an explosive charge similar to that of a bolt (only far larger) though the means of producing this charge has been lost to Imperial science and now the rounds fired by an Autocannon are less powerful than they once were. However, the autocannon is still more than capable of eliminating heavily armoured infantry or light vehicles, and is employed by Astra Militarum fire support weapons teams due to their versatility and reliability.
It’s up to you to decide whether a character has proficiency with a firearm. Characters in most D&D worlds wouldn’t have such proficiency. During their downtime, characters can use the training rules in the Player’s Handbook to acquire proficiency, assuming that they have enough ammunition to keep the weapons working while mastering their use.
This weapon has the following mastery property. To use this property, you must have a feature that lets you use it.
Slow. If you hit a creature with this weapon and deal damage to it, you can reduce its Speed by 10 feet until the start of your next turn. If the creature is hit more than once by weapons that have this property, the Speed reduction doesn’t exceed 10 feet.
Notes: Damage: Piercing, Range, Two-Handed, Ammunition (Firearms), Burst Fire, Reload, Slow
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