Biochemical Weapon

Biochemical weapons are weapons which utilize chemical and/or biological agents. Many nations have either imposed limits on or have outright banned the use of biochemical weapons, especially against civilian targets, due to the suffering they cause.

Fire
Incendiary munitions are the oldest and most widely used biochemical weapons due to their many applications, such as clearing fortified positions, deforestation, burning crops, and destroying materiel. Incendiary chemicals can be deployed from explosives and propelled from flamethrowers. Most modern weapons utilize napalm or napalm-like substances which adhere to their victims and burn for as long as possible. This has allowed napalm to remain effective even against targets wearing power armor, as the heat can turn the armor into an oven, slowly cooking the target alive. Fire can melt through armor plating, though it is not as effective as most energy weapons. Energy shields are an effective defense, but if the fire is deployed from an explosive device, the shock wave can potentially break the shield, leaving the user defenseless.

Incendiary Dust
Incendiary dust is a highly combustible airborne compound which resembles black smoke. The dust adheres to most surfaces, and because it is naturally inert, bypasses energy shields. Once ignited, the entire cloud will spontaneously combust at temperatures capable of burning through metal. Air filters are wholly ineffective against incendiary dust as the filter serves only to accumulate dust, clogging the filters and, if ignited, mortally burning the victim. Incendiary dust can be stored in pumps, shells, and specialized weapons.

Poisons
A myriad of poisonous substances can be found across the galaxy. Many more can be produced in laboratories and in staggering quantities, making poison weapons a cheap and abundant tool for those willing to employ them. The effects and lethality of a poison can be easily manipulated depending on the substance, allowing for a fair degree of versatility; certain poisons are designed to simply incapacitate a target so that they are easier to detain, while others kill their targets within moments of exposure. Poisons can be employed via airborne gas, most projectile weapons, and some bladed melee weapons. Airborne gasses can be nullified by air filters, though some particularly potent gasses can slowly eat through most filters.

Germ
Deadly microorganisms, much like poisonous substances, can be found across the galaxy and be produced artificially. Though pathogens can be designed to quickly kill their victims, most germ weapons instead balance lethality with communicability. This leaves germ weapons best suited for prolonged engagements such as sieges and battles of attrition, but less effective for fast-paced maneuver warfare. Germ weapons can also be covertly deployed prior to an invasion so as to weaken the target. Germs can be employed via airborne gas, most projectile weapons, and some melee weapons.

Environmentally-sealed armor and air filters are an effective countermeasure against germ weapons, necessitating that the target's defenses be broken before they can infect the target.

Corrosive
Corrosive weapons are made up of various compounds designed to severely disfigure or outright melt the armor and flesh of a target upon contact. Such compounds may also produce noxious fumes dangerous to those without proper breathing equipment. These compounds can be stored within ballistic weapons, propelled from acidthrowers, or deployed from explosives, all of which are lined with corrosion-resistant materials.

Acid's primary benefit is its ability to bypass energy shielding as it does not utilize either thermal or kinetic energy, though high-powered acidthrowers can trigger shielding from the force of the stream's impact. This means that even if a bullet or shell is stopped by a shield, the acid will splash unto the target, gradually wearing down their armor before their shield even breaks. Infantry using corrosive ammunition will often utilize weapons with a high rate of fire so as to quickly coat a target. However, while acid is effective against infantry and can be used to clear fortifications in much the same way that fire can, acid is less effective against armored vehicles unless it is used in very high quantities.

Corrosive weapons are sometimes compared to plasma as both are used predominantly for their effectiveness against armor. Plasma is undeniably stronger than acid and has a much more immediate impact on a target, but acidic munitions can have a longer range and are more effective against shields. Many nations have nevertheless forgone the use of corrosive weapons in favor of other alternatives, while those who do employ corrosive chemicals almost exclusively deploy them as support weapons.

Marganite
Main Page: Marganite

Marganite is the toxic crystalline substance used throughout Margan that can be made into a wide variety of weapons.

Biomatter
Main Page: Biomatter Swarms

Several organizations over the years have attempted to weaponize the Biomatter either by attempting to control them, concocting poisons and pathogens from biomass, or by intentionally seeding planets with spores so as to trigger an infestation. Such practices are almost universally banned the use of Biomatter in any capacity, and anyone caught attempting to utilize the swarms is liable for immediate retaliation, especially following the Necraal Schism.

Cryo
Cryo weapons use a concoction of chemicals that instantaneously freeze upon contact with their target, potentially encasing them in ice to the point that movement is rendered impossible. Such chemicals can be deployed either through explosives and propelled out of icethrowers; both devices store the chemicals in a specialized container so as to prevent the weapon itself from freezing. Flash-freezing can cause frostbite, turns some metals brittle, prevents machinery from functioning, and when aimed correctly, can prevent a soldier from breathing, causing asphyxiation. Cryo weapons, much like fire, will trigger energy shielding due to the instantaneous change in temperature and is not any more or less effective against shields than fire.

Few armies field cryogenic weapons due to a combination of their low range and the fact that they are considered either redundant or outright inferior to most other options. Cryogenic weapons are instead widely used in the containment of marganite, which requires thermal energy to grow.