# Power fists....the tragic flaw.



## Andemusprime (Feb 10, 2010)

So i know they is a obscure question considering the list of crazy things they have in the 40k universe(not to metion the bent logic of some), but does anyone else wonder how Ig and maybe even orks get double str from power fists? What i mean is the modles i have seen have the power fist conected to the elbow...maybe some wires and shit leading out.Even strakens cybernetics falls under my question. How does the bones and joint the power fist is conected to survive the stress of the load infront of it. I dont mean the weight of the power fist itself but the impact from the punch into the side of a tank, or the weight of trying to rip something off. Even if you have a robot arm its still conected to u and ur bones somewhere. How does it not through them off balance? Yeah yeah i know this is a dumb question, me and some friends have been arguing it and want a majority oppion on how it works.


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## hungryugolino (Sep 12, 2009)

It's Warhammer 40k. The tech is absurdly advanced, the science questionable best, and most of the premises ridiculous. It's just that the chainsaw swords and sheer overwhelming absurdity distract you from the above.

I suggest the MST 3k mantra.


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## countchocula86 (Sep 1, 2008)

For Orks its tough to say, because we can only speculate on their physiology and assume its identical to us.

Maybe the IG troops who get Pfs undergo special steroid treatments to build up muscle mass, and its conceivable that they are, overall, stronger and more durable than modern humans? Alternatively, maybe theres some cybernetics under the skin that we just dont see.


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## Tzeen Qhayshek (May 4, 2010)

In the instance of Commissar Yarrick, his right arm (I think?) was a power claw taken from a slain Ork warboss. I suppose that works.


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## SHarrington (Jan 7, 2010)

The older editions of 40k described power fists as just a close combat weapon that unleashes a huge blast of energy into a target when it strikes. Sort of like butting someone in the stomache with a rifle, and then pulling the trigger.

Take that reference and remove the explosive powders we use to fire our bullets and replace it with sci-magic 0-point energy of the 41st millenium.
(Thats energy that circumvents Newton's Third Law of Motion)


Or if you prefer a less psuedo science explanation...

Go stick a fork in a wall socket and then measure the actual physical damage done to the wall socket (outside of some scorching).


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## Tzeen Qhayshek (May 4, 2010)

The bottom of the answer is so - would you dare question the Immortal Emperor? To the stake with you!


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## hungryugolino (Sep 12, 2009)

There are repulsor systems built into the glove or something.

That, or the Tech-priests recited the litany of Easy Usage three times during their creation.


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## JackalMJ (Nov 12, 2009)

Sadly there are many things in 40k that make no logical sense. So its worth not digging to deep or you may never get out.

For example (oh god i'm digging) have you noted a Lighting Claw? Its a powerfist with blades.. but it does NOT give you double strength... just rerolled failed wounds. I... dont... see... the logic...

Lemun Russes look pretty shitty compared to a standard tank of today... but the game says its battle armor couldt ake a cruiser missle without a scratch. Just because... they say so..

Lascannons are one of the meatest and most powerful weapons the Imperium has access to... yet Lasguns (same tech here jsut smaller) are the worest crap avaible. All the cool stuff in between, bolters, plasma and metlas, pale to the awesome might of a super sized lasgun.

Land Raiders have turrets mounted on the side and not the top. No one has been smart enough to figure out this tactical error yet.

And that is but the iceing on the cake.


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## Aramoro (Oct 7, 2009)

They have mile long space ships

They fly hundreds of light years across the galaxy

They drop through atmosphere at terminal velocity or teleport onto the planet surface

They stab each other with swords......wait what?

40K doesn't make sense and doesn't need to really. We just assume that 40K years in the future they have a good reason to do whatever it is they're doing. 

Aramoro


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## effigy22 (Jun 29, 2008)

My answer to how it works - its fiction


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## genesis108 (Jul 29, 2009)

The answer to this is simple. Power Fists are bought by the Imperium from the Staples store on Mars. They push the Easy button.


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## Cocakoala (Apr 27, 2009)

I think there would just be something in the fist to stop the opposite forces from ripping appart the user. In 40k there is alot of currently impossible technology. Faster then light travel, anti-gravity, anti-inertia, Invisibility and phsychic powers to name a few. Something like that doesn't seem that impossible to me in 40k.


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## buckythefly (Mar 16, 2009)

I can answer for the ork Power Klaw, they don't actually slug nothin' with it, at least not much, Mostly they just grip on and cut things apart with it, like a super-powered reversed jaws of life....errr...jaws of death....or something... Also orks believe its dead killy, so it is. Lol.


As far as space marines, I can believe their powered armor takes care of the shock, it takes care of leaping and landing crazy for assault marines, and other external related stresses of the non-kill you variety.


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## Justindkates (Apr 30, 2010)

JackalMJ said:


> Sadly there are many things in 40k that make no logical sense. So its worth not digging to deep or you may never get out.
> 
> For example (oh god i'm digging) have you noted a Lighting Claw? Its a powerfist with blades.. but it does NOT give you double strength... just rerolled failed wounds. I... dont... see... the logic...
> 
> ...


Yeah this hitting the nail on the head with these... I haven't see a tank with a side sponson since WW1 but 38,000 years in the future they have them.

The Leman Russ does look like am M1 would rip it to shreds on a modern day battle field. 


1918
http://gallery.photo.net/photo/2029970-md.jpg

40,000
http://www.minivault.com/images/Land Raider.jpg


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

I've been asking this question since I first watched the Bionic Man all those years ago. Sure, the arm could lift a car, but in the process it should rip itself out of Steve Austin's shoulder. Same goes for 40k power fists and bionics, and thunder hammers. The output of power from a TH would be even more explosive, and should blast the user nearly as bad as the victim.

Thank God for the ability to suspend disbelief.


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## Malgron (Jan 6, 2010)

JackalMJ said:


> Land Raiders have turrets mounted on the side and not the top. No one has been smart enough to figure out this tactical error yet.


I didn't look at the instructions when building my landraider and mounted the lascannon turrets where the access points were supposed to go. My thinking was: who wound want to run out in front of the sponsons?

My guess is that PF and LC generate some kind of vibration field that breaks up elements. Powerfists can crush things (I like to picture popping heads) by squeezing while the vibration breaks it up, or focusing a one hit concussive blast on contact. LC generate the field around the blades to cut though things, and multiple blades to ensure wounds. The multiple blades cause the field to be much stronger than an ordinary powerweapon, requiring the same PF chassis to protect users hand. The difference is just how they spend their power.


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## MidnightSun (Feb 10, 2009)

Pistol whipping someone hurt just as much as slicing them with a chainsaw. Go figure.

Midnight


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Power fists are surrounded by an energy field, and it is this field that does the damage - the power of the swing doesn't have anything to do with it. The force of the punch doesn't change, you just have a disintigrator field type thing surrounding your fist.

Re. Iron Man, we assume he has metal pistons and servos that "read" his muscle movements, and do all the lifting for him, in the same manner as terminator armour.

It's never really explained, but I would suggest that the power field surounding a fist is the same as that surrounding a power weapon - but the field generator is both stronger and much bulkier. Compare the little powerpack thing on the back of a power sword to the size of a 'fist and you'll see what I mean. That accounts for the double-strength. The wielder isn't double strength, the field is.

That's my take, anyway.


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## Svartmetall (Jun 16, 2008)

*posting from work*



JackalMJ said:


> ...have you noticed a Lightning Claw? It's a powerfist with blades.. but it does NOT give you double strength... just rerolled failed wounds. I...don't...see...the logic...


OK, this one _almost_ makes sense if you think of the powerfist as a big slab of armour - i.e. heavy - with a strong powerfield generator in it, as opposed to the lightning claw being a much more slender affair with long blades on it. One is a bludgeon, the other is a scalpel. Sort of thing.



> _Leman Russes look pretty shitty compared to a standard tank of today... but the game says its battle armor could take a cruise missile without a scratch. Just because... they say so.._


Well that, and the fact that its armour is made from purest Fictionium  As with so many things in the Grimdark, the power and survivabillity of things can change a lot dependent on the narrative. Sometimes to ridiculous levels, like a Leman Russ dropping a Titan*...oh _please_...



> _Lascannons are one of the meatiest and most powerful weapons the Imperium has access to... yet Lasguns (same tech here just smaller) are the worst crap available. All the cool stuff in between, bolters, plasma and meltas, pale to the awesome might of a supersized lasgun._


Well...a really powerful laser _is_ one hell of a weapon. Easier to generate and control than plasma, better against armour than any practical bolter, way better range than the microwave gun that is a melta...it does actually kind of make sense. 



> _Land Raiders have turrets mounted on the side and not the top..._


Because anyone who pointed out to the Mechanicus that this wasn't too smart a piece of tank design got burnt at the cyberstake for being a heretic. STC > anyone else's opinion, as far as the cogboys are concerned.




* IG Codex, Pask's entry. How that got past the Fluff Police is beyond me...

_____


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## gen.ahab (Dec 22, 2009)

Svartmetall said:


> Well...a really powerful laser _is_ one hell of a weapon. Easier to generate and control than plasma, better against armour than any practical bolter, way better range than the microwave gun that is a melta...it does actually kind of make sense.


It makes sense.... until you consider the fact that your average IG doesn't wear any eye protection. lol


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## Blue Liger (Apr 25, 2008)

Expanding on what Sethis has said from what I recall reading and being told is that the power field around the fist making it a power fist and not just fist disrupts the materium around it.

Much like a magnet can change the way the neutrons and protons (or wahtever) line up inside of metal to change it's strength the filed of power from a powerfist manipulates the it's closest surroundings or things it comes into contact with and weakens the armour or ruptures flesh and steel


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## Andemusprime (Feb 10, 2010)

so even if you could solve the porblem of the human joint on the other side of the power fist you still have other problems to solve. I will compare it to a forklift. A fork list has to double the weight of the make load it can lift or it will tip.....so if you can make the joint survie the weight how do you keep the model from tiping? Im a gaurdsmen with a power fist, i weigh 180pnds, i can lift a 4 ton turret over my head in one hand and rip it apart, but how do i not fall over in the process. I acknowledge its a mute point, i just wondered if anyone else sees the issue with this, and what their explanation was


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## gen.ahab (Dec 22, 2009)

It is a Scifi game. If you get hung up on the shit science you will have no fun. Just live with it or forget about the game.


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## Sethis (Jun 4, 2009)

Andemusprime said:


> Im a gaurdsmen with a power fist, i weigh 180pnds, i can lift a 4 ton turret over my head in one hand and rip it apart, but how do i not fall over in the process.


I don't recall reading anything about that... You don't lift things with powerfists, you punch big holes in them. Against a tank you'd be more likely to be ripping tracks off and punching through the firing ports/hatches than picking it up...


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## Lord Reevan (May 1, 2008)

Yeah Rarely Have I ever seen any person, in the books or codices or anything, pick up giant parts of tanks or debis apart from terminators and techmarines and they have the whole suit working for them, the servo harness or artificer armour of the tech marine could have supports that dig int othe ground that allow him to no topple over when lifting big ass tracks of vehicles for example...


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## bloodbunny67 (Jul 8, 2009)

Blue Liger said:


> Much like a magnet can change the way the neutrons and protons (or wahtever) line up inside of metal to change it's strength the filed of power from a powerfist manipulates the it's closest surroundings or things it comes into contact with and weakens the armour or ruptures flesh and steel



Impossible to affect Neutron trajectory or energy with magnets, as they lack an electromagnetic charge. 

...... just sayen :grin:


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