Class (planet)
Planets of the galaxy are classified by their primary function even if they serve more than one purpose. Class can change over time and is not set in stone, though it is unlikely to change without a serious event precipitating it.
Uncontrolled/Unsettled Worlds
Dead World
A δ-class (delta class) or Dead World is an airless and completely sterile world, totally devoid of an atmosphere, ecosystem and native natural life, and unsuitable for supporting any life. With the possible exception of Imperial facilities such as Research Stations based on the planet, its population is otherwise nonexistent.
Most such planets have always been dead worlds; others were originally habitable worlds, reduced to dead world status through apocalyptic events, such as exterminatus, Tyranid consumption or destructive internecine war.
A dead world's Tithe Grade is aptus non ("not applicable").
This classification is not to be confused with Death Worlds, which are planets with dangerous environments hostile to human life.
Death World
A δτ-class or Death World (sometimes spelled as Deathworld) is a planet in which the native flora and fauna has evolved into naturally aggressive and dangerous forms. These eco-systems are finely balanced between continual destruction and lightning-fast reproduction. Death worlds take many forms, ranging from jungle-covered hell-holes with carnivorous plants and animals to barren, volcanic wastelands racked by ion storms. The most famous and notorious Death World is the hellish planet of Catachan.
Some worlds can be turned into Death Worlds, like what occurred on Indiga after numerous captive giant predators escaped from their zoos. When this happens, these worlds are labeled as Man-Made Death Worlds.
Humans can, and do, live on these worlds, but it is a never-ending struggle. On many death worlds it is as if the entire bio-mass of the planet were consciously motivated against human settlement - concentrating forces against intruders to destroy them. Death worlds with human settlements or colonies can have populations of 1,000 to 15,000,000.
Death worlds are not usually inhabited, and are nearly impossible to colonise but still need to be explored, which means the establishment of outposts and other support facilities. Some planets have rich mineral wealth, animal life, vegetables or gases, so tithes might range from Solutio Tertius to Solutio Prima.
Some Imperial ledgers refer to a Death world as In Articulo Mortis — "at the moment of demise". The planet Caliban was referred to as such prior to its destruction.
Gas Giant
Gas Giants are worlds composed largely of gases, that surround a solid core. Their gasses are harvested by both the Imperium and Tau Empire through the use of their ships. The Imperium will also place permanent installations in the orbits of Gas Giants to make it easier to harvest and refine their gasses. Some Gas Giants have breathable upper atmospheres, which allows the Imperium to use Anti-grav Mining Platforms and its atmospheric aircraft.
Forbidden World
A Forbidden World, also called a Quarantined World, is a planet that has been declared off-limits to contact with Imperial citizens by the government of the Imperium of Man, usually by the express order of the Inquisition.
The existence of Forbidden Worlds is rarely made obvious to Imperial citizens but there are many of them throughout Imperial space. Travel to these worlds is forbidden except for the most well-informed and heavily armed expeditions, and even then only with a very good reason.
Death Worlds, alien empires or planets where the creatures of the Warp have broken through into realspace are all examples of Quarantined Worlds, as are planets wracked with plague. Some worlds are quarantined because no one can fathom the origins of what has been found there, be it mysterious artefacts or ancient alien cities -- it is thought better to live in ignorance of what lies on such worlds than risk it becoming a threat.
Other worlds are quarantined because every Imperial expeditionary mission there has failed to return. Planets are often quarantined by the pronouncements of the Inquisition, especially if they have uncovered some Warp taint or xenos infestation that cannot be cleansed.
Many Forbidden Worlds possess great resources that would be extremely valuable to the Imperium if they were properly explored and exploited, but there are enough tales of ancient horrors awoken on sinister alien worlds that few Adepts would try to defy a planetary quarantine, particularly one backed by an Inquisitorial warrant.
Quarantined Worlds are marked as forbidden for visitation, settlement, or contact of any kind. Some might be seemingly benign verdant spheres, others might be foreboding rocks, but the Imperium has determined there is some terrible threat that outweighs any possible usefulness they might contain.
Such threats range from biological agents to xenos species infiltration, and even to possible Warp-taint and other unholy threats. Whatever the catastrophe, potential or historical, it is viewed as a far greater risk than any reward it could bring.
Once the edict is given, the Imperial Navy provides the military and defense systems the situation requires, from message buoys at the outskirts of the system to patrolling ships and orbiting weapons platforms. No unauthorized craft is allowed anywhere near the space and any found are generally destroyed without question.
In case of extreme risk to the sector, the Human population is often annihilated to prevent any potential escape attempts. Regardless of whether anyone survives this culling, no one is allowed to set foot on those planets without proper authorization. To be discovered breaking a writ of quarantine is a death sentence.
Imperial World Classifications
Capital World
Capital World is the term given to an Imperial planet, that is the capital of its System, Subsector, or Sector. Normally a hive world though any type of world could be the capital.
Hive World
A η-class (eta class) or Hive World is a category of Imperial planet distinguished by vast, continent-spanning cities, often built high into the sky and deep beneath the earth. Hive Worlds are estimated to comprise between 10-25% of the total quantity of Imperial planets. The exact number is difficult to establish due to the bureaucratic features of the Imperium itself. The population of every Hive World is enormous, and almost all food needs to be imported. A Hive World rendered temporarily inaccessible through Warp space will suffer a devastating famine within a very short space of time. It will become a vast catacomb of lunatics driven to excesses of anarchic, urban savagery by starvation and claustrophobia. Hive Worlds are dangerous, being too large to monitor safely, and their citizens are typically unbalanced, if not utterly crazed. It has been known for the Adeptus Arbites to cull these planets in order to bring their populations down to manageable levels.
Billions of people can live crowded together in a single Hive city. Each of these Hive Worlders is a potential soldier for Imperial forces, including the Imperial Guard and the Space Marines. Hive Worlds contribute the vast bulk of the recruits for the Imperial Guard. The violent gangland lifestyle which most residents are forced to live means they are already hardened and experienced in warfare. Almost every recruit will already know how to handle a gun. Hive Worlds also serve to populate newly discovered planets. Imperial citizens are gathered from various Hive Worlds (willingly or unwillingly) and shipped off to distant colonies. An example of this would be Medusa V. Hive Worlds have huge import/export ratios, exporting a vast range of materials, and relying on imports of food and water. In common with most other Imperial worlds, Hive World society has distinct classes, with a ruling class and a working class. Invariably the lower classes inhabit the lower and more decayed and polluted levels of the Hive.
There are approximately 32,380 Hive Worlds in the Imperium.Most consist of various enclosed Hive cities or Hive clusters surrounded by wasteland, jungle, ice, plains, etc. In the most extreme examples the Hive World has developed beyond the point of separate Hive clusters - the planet's surface instead is completely urbanised with hundreds of stacked layers of arcologies, covering the entirety of the planet. Holy Terra is an example of this "city-planet". The sheer numbers of workers in a Hive makes them hard to control. Gangs grow up and control sections, fighting among themselves and millions subsists on scraps. Further up power reaches the ancient lighting system, while even further up, air circulation systems clean the air for those rich enough to afford it. It is a hierarchical system, and a ruthless one, but given sufficient forces to keep the populace down, it is a very efficient way of housing billions of people. If each person had a house on the ground, the entire planet would be overrun with living quarters and no room for production facilities.
Hive Worlds are important due to their output. They don't reach anywhere near the production of a Forge World, but the number of workers give out a huge quantity of materials. Hive Worlders, being just as brutal and savage as those on Feral Worlds also provide the best fighting material to the Imperium.
Shrine World
Shrine Worlds (or Shrineworlds and Cathedral Worlds) are Imperial worlds devoted to a Saint of the Imperium and are often named in their honour. These worlds are ruled directly by the Adeptus Ministorum and attract huge amounts of pilgrims from all over the Imperium. There are also the dark mirrors to these places of Imperial devotion - fallen worlds where the inhabitants offer up ceaseless prayer to the Dark Gods. These places of obscene sacrifices and bloody rites are not suffered continued existence for long. Often Shrine Worlds are places of eternal rest for holy men and women of the Imperium and the entire surface of these sacred planets are given over to the hallowed crypts of sainted and great monolithic cathedra.
Most shrine worlds usually fall into another category - for example, Hagia is an agri world while Herodor is a Hive World. They have a strong relationship with the saint in question, such as being the world of his or her birth or martyrdom.
Agri-World
An Agri-World (Agricultural World or Farming Planet) or α-class (alpha class) is one devoted to food production. The majority of its surface is given over to producing food for other worlds reliant on such imports - the food itself forms part of the planet's required tithe. Governors of such planets are required by the Adeptus Terra to protect the harvest and meet the quotas placed on them. Often inter-commander rivalry leads to attempts to destroy or steal crops and livestock and then blaming them on pirates or raids.
Worlds with 850 parts per 1000 of the planet's surface covered with crop cultivation, hydroponics, animal fodder or animal husbandry are classed as Agri-Worlds. The population usually ranges from between 15,000 to 1,000,000 - which is widely spread across the planet. The tithe grade of such worlds range from Exactis Prima to Exactis Particular.
Feudal World
A μ-class, feudal world or medieval world is a classification of world existing in a technologically medieval state. The most advanced such worlds possess black powder weaponry. The tithes from these planets are slightly more than those of Feral Worlds (generally from Solutio Prima to Solutio Extremis), thanks to the development of agriculture. A feudal world typically has a population of 10,000,000 to 500,000,000 people.
Feudal worlds are self-sufficient, and due to dependence on agriculture, a large part of the populations of these worlds are peasants, usually ruled by warrior aristocracies. Feudal worlds are of relatively little use to the Imperium; the true position of their place in the universe may constitute something of a culture shock to the inhabitants, making them poor material for Imperial service - although the warrior nobilities are often a source of recruits for the Space Marines.
Feral World
A Feral or φλ-class World is a classification given to the most primitive human worlds of the Imperium. The populations of feral worlds have long ago regressed to primal savagery, often over very long periods of isolation. The technological level of these worlds remains pre-black powder or even Stone Age. Often the population consists of hunter-gatherer societies using primitive tools and weapons, and in almost all cases human culture is based around the interactions of various tribes, gangs or creeds.
The harsh conditions which feral world populations have adapted to makes them ideal recruitment sources for the Imperial Guard and Adeptus Astartes. Occasionally the inhabitants of feral worlds have been pressed into the Imperial Guard when their world lay inside a war zone, and the chosen warriors been given rudimentary training in the operation of laser or stub-weaponry. It is more common, however, for feral world natives to be selected for the various Adeptus Astartes recruitment programs. Feral world Guardsmen are usually tribal warriors tithed to the Imperial Guard by the elders of their particular clan. They are sometimes trained en masse in vast drill camps or ship holds, whilst others are merely shown a lasgun and trusted to get on with it. Also, there are those instructed by members of their tribe, using rote-learned rites and religious rituals.
Like all Imperial worlds, feral worlds are ruled over by a Planetary Governor, although the nature of feral worlds makes this position somewhat different from that of Governorship of planets of other classes. The Governor of a feral world almost always lives apart from the natives, often living in a single city inhabited by outsiders or taking residence in orbit, only interfering to keep psyker and mutant "head counts" down. Religious heresy is also a regular concern on feral worlds, especially amongst warrior-cults; constant vigilance and regular belief-modification enacted by agents of the Ecclesiarchy are a necessity. Governors and permanent staff on such worlds are themselves kept under close scrutiny, in an effort to avoid the phenomenon of "going native", especially in situations where the inhabitants' belief systems have been manipulated into casting the Governor as a "god".
The culture shock associated with interaction with outsiders is an issue on feral worlds. Removing a feral worlder from their planet and exposing them to such things as warp travel can be disconcerting and even result in madness. Feral worlders within the wider Imperium often retain their superstitious and tribal idiosyncrasies, which may prove to be social hindrances, such as an obsession with bones of dead comrades or the mixing and regular application of noxious-smelling war paint. Other habits, such as manic distrust and aversion to 'witchcraft' may be seen as useful and sensible in the Imperium.
The Tithe Grades assigned to feral worlds are low, and are given as Solutio Tertius. The population can range from 100,000 to 5,000,000.
Pleasure World
A pleasure world or paradise world is a class of planet characterized by its outstanding natural beauty. Its natural conditions are perfect for human habitation. They have little, if any, industry and low populations. Instead of populating or industrializing these rare planets, some are retained in their natural state and used as recreational bases for important Imperial servants. On these planets, warriors may train their bodies and minds for war, studying arcane battle-philosophy and practising martial arts.
The garden world is a sub-classification of civilised class.
Penal World
Penal Worlds is a classification given by the Imperium, to worlds that are used to house Human convicts who have broken its laws.
Mining World
A Mining or Ю class World is a classification for worlds rich in materials what manufactorums and forge worlds are looking for. Enslaved and penal workers harvest these worlds of their mineral riches, whether they are gas, ore or any other mineral demanded by the Imperium. Many of these worlds are inhospitable to humans.
Forge World
Φ-class or Forge Worlds are the worlds of the Adeptus Mechanicus — worlds totally devoted to industry and to the Cult Mechanicus's own occult worship. The majority of a Forge World's solid ground surface is covered in thousands of years of built-up, massive industrial complexes: great machine factories, production centres, huge volcanic furnaces, skyscraping chimneys, abyss-like quarries and the great workshop-fortresses of the Collegia Titanica. No other world can match the quality and quantity of a forge world's output.
The Adeptus Mechanicus possesses a monopoly on the advanced technological knowledge of Terra's past; consequently, Forge Worlds are the sole producers of the Imperium's more unique and advanced equipment: high-end personal weapons, spacecraft, war machines such as tanks, fighters, and even Titans, as well as more mundane but vital and advanced equipment.
The population of a Forge World is invariably immense, the majority directly involved in the industry of the planet, laboriously working in factories and involved in heavy mining. The result of the planet's complete industrialization means its ecosystem has been completely destroyed. The air is saturated with toxic gases and rivers flow with toxic run-off from factories. In many cases, even seas and oceans have been dried up to make room for more factories. However, the output of forge worlds is absolutely vital to the Imperium as a whole.
A Forge World is directly controlled by the Adeptus Mechanicus. All are completely dedicated to the manufacture of the various machines of the Imperium, the pursuit and preservation of humanity's ancient scientific knowledge and the worship of the Machine God. Ancient pacts between the Adeptus Mechanicus and other worlds and institutions of the Imperium oblige the various Forge Worlds to supply other worlds and the various military arms of the Imperium, such as the Imperial Guard. Based on most forge worlds are the Titan Legions; these are supported by legions of Skitarii, the Mechanicus's cybernetically-enhanced soldiers, who also serve as the forge worlds' military forces. Equipment produced by forge worlds are constructed according to the individual forge world's own design-standards or "patterns".
Cemetery World
Cemetery worlds are somewhat alike to Shrine worlds, where in cemetery worlds large areas of the planet are given over to care for the dead. Cemetery worlds may mark the site of a huge battle, or they may be covered in gigantic mausoleums, each dedicated to a particular Imperial noble. In contrast, rare cemetery worlds may be covered in fields of endless modest plots containing the remains of the inhabitants of a nearby hive world.
Frontier World
Frontier Worlds are recently settled worlds which may not be totally explored or have a fully established government in place. Often they are havens for those escaping the harsh rule of the Imperium, or more often escaping the judgement of the Imperium, and as such often have a lawless reputation.[1]
Special
Special worlds or objects are locations that do not fit into a standard classification. On Imperial maps, controlled Special locations are marked differently than uncontrolled Special locations, but either may classify anything that doesn't meet another standard.
Civilized World
A γ-class or civilised world is a classification of planet type in the Imperium.
Of all the types of settlement in the Imperium, civilised worlds are the most common (although the term "civilised" here refers to their urban landscapes rather than to any pretence of social decorum.) On these self-sufficient worlds, the main population centres tend to be large cities or other urban environments that are supported by the planet's own agricultural production. The state of development both technologically and socially varies, but is most commonly around the current Imperial norm. Most adjuncts of the Imperial state will normally have a presence on the planet. By the classification guidelines, a civilised world has a population from 15,000,000 to 10,000,000,000 and pays tithes between Solutio Extremis and Exactis Tertius.
Industrial World
Industrial Worlds (also known as Manufactory Worlds) are factory worlds where the whole planet is devoted to manufacturing or mining. The populations are sparse as most of the labor is carried out mechanically. In the case of industrial mining worlds they must be considerably mineral-rich in order to justify the logistical and development efforts.Despite the fact, that an Industrial World may have ties to the Adeptus Mechanicus, they don't own these worlds, like they do with Forge Worlds.
Station
The station classification can refer to everything from small refueling posts to massive plasteel station-fortresses.
Other
War World
War worlds are classed as war zones, in the Imperium there are a great many worlds that can be classed as war zones.
The Imperium is constantly at war and in those wars whole planets can burn. Massive campaigns can envelop dozens of systems and hundreds of worlds, many of which are utterly devastated by orbital bombardments and artillery in planet-spanning battles that last decades. Long-term war zones are hellish places where death comes quickly. The Imperium can field truly immense armies of millions of men, grinding their way across a devastated planet and reducing cities to rubble. Mercenaries flock to such places, hoping to leave soon after with their ships loaded with pay. Deserters and escaped prisoners form bands of pirates, preying on any ships unable to defend themselves or roam the war-torn planets in feral packs stealing and killing. The Administratum sends colonists from overcrowded worlds to populate war-torn worlds after the fighting has ended but the wheels of the Imperium grind slowly and a world can lie devastated for centuries before any effort is made to resettle it. These places can be some of the most ghastly in the Imperium, with ravaged environments, cracked planetary crusts, burnt-out cities and plains covered in the bones of the fallen.
Unclassified
Unclassified worlds are distinct from Special worlds, in that no effort has been made to properly catalogue them. Generally administratum records will show name only, though this does not preclude life or battles being present.
Special
Special worlds or objects are locations that do not fit into a standard classification. On Imperial maps, controlled Special locations are marked differently than uncontrolled Special locations, but either may classify anything that doesn't meet another standard.
Xenos World
Xenos worlds are non-human and non-Imperial worlds inhabited by alien races. Most alien races occupy only a single world or a small group of worlds. The majority of aliens are comparatively primitive, peaceful or powerless, and of little interest to humanity. Only a few alien races are powerful, aggressive and possess technology which rivals that of the Imperium. Of these, the most common are the Orks, Eldar, Necrons and Tau.
Fortress World
A Fortress World is a category of Imperial planet where the entire populace is immersed in warfare. They are created as bastions against some threat. The most well known fortress world was Cadia, which was guarding the Cadian Gate at the entrance to the Eye of Terror. In bureaucratic matters classifications of Research Stations and fortress worlds overlap, both being ρ-class.
Since the establishment of the Indomitus Crusade, many Fortress Worlds are being converted into Hub-Fortresses to support the war effort.
Volcano World
Volcano worlds are brutal worlds covered in magma and volcanic activity. Human settlement is limited to isolated posts dedicated to mining or research, though these are high risk settlements that often end up covered in the very magma they study.
