Below are four most common gene-stock purity types: Even the most noble of Chapters with the most glorious of histories can suffer instabilities in their gene-seed. were already deliberately expunged from all known Imperial records and archives before the onset of the Horus Heresy in the early 31st Millennium. The construction of a Chapter's fortress-monastery may be one of the greatest undertakings of all, drawing on the genius of the Imperium's most accomplished military architects. Thus, a Chapter of the Twenty-Sixth Founding could actually have a "purer" genetic inheritance than one of the Sixth, for example, depending on which Progenitor or Successor provided the gene-stock. In general, the Successors of any given Progenitor share a core body of beliefs and practices, but even this is not always the case. At the launch of 8th edition all previous codices were replaced with index books due to a major rules overhaul (as of November 2019 these indexes are no longer produced). In addition, the size and status of the Space Marine Chapters fleet should also be considered. No homebrew Chapter shall have a home world on a Cardinal World, Forge World (or any other world governed by the Adeptus Mechanicus) or a Daemon World. This has both its advantage and disadvantagesenemies find it extremely hard to assault a fortress in such an environment, but the Chapter will most likely have to look farther afield for recruits. The extreme hatred the Iron Hands hold for the weaknesses of the flesh is believed to gloss over an underlying psychological fear of their physical form. After this incident, the Space Wolves would forever remain the sole inheritors of the legacy of Primarch Leman Russ. Some Chapters deviate in character as much as organisation and tactics, such as the savage yet gregarious Space Wolves, while others break some fundamental principle of the Codex, such as the Black Templars, whose total numbers are thought to greatly exceed the 1,000 stipulated by Guiliman. After the resurrection of the long dead Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman from his deathless slumber, the Avenging Son immediately set out on his Terran Crusade, to seek and audience with his father, the Emperor of Mankind. They maintain recruitment-chapels on various worlds spread throughout the Imperium. When attacking, Space Marines specialising in siege warfare commonly form the spearhead of the assault, bringing a formidable weight of power to bear on the weakest point in the enemy defences and cracking it open no matter the cost, allowing lesser forces to consolidate before moving on to the next objective. Born of the gene-seed of Sanguinius, these Chapters all bear the curse of their forefathers to varying degrees. Those who fall victims to the Darkness are left in the care of the Chapter's Reclusiarch, or senior Chaplain, offering the victims of the Darkness a spiritual treatment that either cures them or ultimately results in their deaths. Most alien races require no reason to make war other than their essential nature; for such races as the Orks and the Tyranids, war is fundamental to existence, and requires no rationalisation whatsoever. Whilst company colours are typically displayed on the trim of a Space Marines shoulder pauldrons, they can also be displayed on helmets, chest Aquilas, knee plates or even on the squad markings. As far as possible, the Salamanders follow the example of their Primarch in forging their own weapons, and while most Battle-Brothers are skilled enough to create a finely-wrought combat blade, the most experienced take great pride in hand-crafting their own ammunition on the eve of battle, blessing each and every round with the Rites of Battle. They often make use of a device called the "Pain Glove", which encases the whole body and stimulates its pain neurons. In a galaxy-spanning empire that harnesses the most powerful of technologies, the spear and the axe remain perhaps the most common weapon, for masses of worlds fall into this category, perhaps even more than any other type. Some possible combat doctrines are presented below. The battle-brothers of the Raven Guard Chapter launching a lightning assault. Communities living in the midst of a death world jungle, for example, rely on total and constant cooperation just to go on existing another day and none are ever out of the sight of another. In most cases, the predators in question are autochthonic beasts native to the world, but sometimes they have been deliberately introduced in order to retard the culture's development, ensuring that their every moment is a fight for survival and cultivating the most promising recruits possible. Many other Chapters use similar methods as well, including the Dark Angels and their Unforgiven Successor Chapters. The Chapter holds the Emperor as the ultimate object of its devotions. The Iron Hands Chapter is one of the better-known practitioners of this doctrine, who replace entire limbs with bionic equivalents. Because of this, a Blood Ravens BattleBrother is more characterised by the nature of his Chapter and its doctrines than the line from which he is descended. The Raven Guard is one of the original First Founding Chapters of the Space Marines and was originally the XIXth Space Marine Legion before the Second Founding and the adoption of the Codex Astartes. Veteran Sergeants typically wear both colours, incorporating a white stripe down the centre of their helm. This section describes the many and varied trials that Aspirants are expected to overcome before being accepted into the ranks of a Chapter's Neophytes. Most Chapters maintain sufficient stocks of armoured transport vehicles such as Rhinos and Razorbacks to transport entire companies, and some have become masters of the mechanised assault, the Battle-Brothers taking objectives with terrifying speed or bearing down on an entrenched foe before he even has time to mount a defence. War in the 41st Millennium is not subject to moral laws or strategic logic; it is a matter of faith, and faith is the one thing for which men will willingly die. Codex: Drop Troops. Although there have been cases where certain Chapters have a lower incidence of these twin flaws compared to the Blood Angels or their fellow Successor Chapters, the cure for these genetic deficiencies are nigh impossible, and even eluded Sanguinius himself when he was still alive. In many cases doing so would deprive the Imperium of a truly invaluable asset, for Feral worlders are by definition amongst the toughest and most accomplished it is possible to recruit. Established GW canon has already stated that the IInd and XIth Legions It is said that in the dark days of the Horus Heresy, the mighty Space Marine Legions were able to field entire companies of Predator battle tanks and other vehicles, yet since that time this has not been possible. Such Chapters may still deviate from the Codex in matters that do not relate directly to tactics and unit organisation. the Emperor in his darkest days. Another common variation of this Trial is exposure to pain. Some Chapters have become a little too skilled in this tactic for their own good, and are so willing to bring about such devastation that their aid is not sought in the liberation of captured cities. It is a hatred which simmers in the heart of every Howling Griffon battle-brother but one which can spill over in times of madness and consume them and their every thought. Any foe foolish enough to resist further is likely to be the subject of such a devastating bombardment that no stone is left standing upon another, and very little remains for the ground troops to engage. Dead worlds are those that millennia ago harboured signs of life, but which have long since become lifeless, arid rocks. 94. The Blood Angels suffer such a fate, for their own flaw is at once the source of their nobility and drive for perfection in all things, and the curse that forces them to relive the dying moments of their beloved Primarch in the heat of battle. This is not to say that you couldn't imply that your Chapter might display lupine traits within their gene-seed. Many are based on a single homeworld and recruit solely from that populace, setting trials and tests for prospective candidates to weed out all but the strongest and the most faithful. The Battle- Brothers of some Chapters are focused and relentless in close combat, while others are frenzied and nigh uncontrollable. Not to mention, that in the 32nd Millennium, during the First Battle of the Fang, the Thousand Sons Primarch Magnus the Red destroyed the Space Wolves gene-labs within the Fang, and killed the only Wolf Priest who understood the secrets of the Canis Helix within his Chapter's gene-seed. Such punitive wars are normally intended to be sharp and short, and to bring about a specific set of strategic circumstances. Some even seek out such challenges, seeming to prefer life in the wild to that in their Chapter's fortress-monastery or aboard a vessel within a fleet-based Chapter. Plenty of Chapters use more generalised icons such as the Imperial aquila, skulls and wings, combined in various forms. To feel what Dorn felt. The sort of cultures that spawn people able to reach maturity in such a place are amongst the most valuable recruiting grounds for the Space Marines, for the mere fact of surviving to adolescence marks an Aspirant as amongst the toughest Humanity is capable of producing. Veteran Squads display Maltese Cross, Tactical Squads use an arrow vertically pointing upwards, or an older variant of a horizontal double-pointing arrow, Assault Squads use four perpendicular arrows pointing outwards in the shape of a letter 'X', while Devastator Squads use an inverted letter 'V'. Enemy positions are thoroughly reconnoitred, their status communicated by ultra-secure cipher wave to the main force hidden nearby. Expansions for Warhammer 40,000 provide alternative ways to play the game. It should be noted that these Demeanours are on the whole not as "extreme" or detailed as those presented as part of a full set of Chapter rules. It is only those Civilised Worlds that maintain the most rigid military traditions that are likely to appeal to the Adeptus Astartes as s source for Aspirants. Those Chapters who are descended from the gene-seed of Sanguinius, suffer from the twin genetic flaws known as the Black Rage and the Red Thirst. All White Scars are watchful for this necessary yet insidious savagery, and it is only with great discipline, humble introspection and often the watchfulness of their Battle-Brothers that they can hope to master themselves. It's best to occlude a Chapter's origins and keep it mysterious, as this is much more inventive and makes your Chapter much more believable and interesting. 3rd Edition was released in 1998. Although the Emperor and the Primarch are likely to be fully acknowledged, this hero is regarded as an intersessional figure who sits at the right side of the Emperor. is not always transferred over in a pure form. The XIII Legion, the Ultramarines, led by Roboute Guilliman, became the largest of all the Astartes Legions as a result of Guilliman's tactical mastery and a steady flow of new recruits from the Realm of Ultramar. A Battle-Brother that underwent a Blood Duel Trial before being accepted into the ranks of their Chapters Neophytes have reason to be supremely confident in their ability to accept any challenge and face any foe. He will undoubtedly still bear the scars of the duel, and by them others will know of his ferocity and skill. In practice, they take no hand in the affairs of their subjects. The Imperium simply lands as much of its forces as possible in one concentrated mass, and moves immediately to enact a breakout so that enemy reserves cannot be brought to bear on the vulnerable landing point. Yet he is counted amongst the most noble and charismatic of the Chapter's leaders, in no small part because the Chapters own identity is so established and ingrained that even the most extreme of outside influences has little or no effect on it. But keep in mind, generally humans DO NOT trust xenos, simply because it has been hammered into them for millennia by the Imperium and the Ecclesiarchy, that 'Thou shall not suffer a xenos to live'. The Space Wolves shelved their plans to create any further Successor Chapters after the disastrous failure of their previous attempt, but in the 32nd Millennium, a Wolf Priest named Thrar "Wyrmblade" Hraldir believed he was close to a breakthrough. In addition, the Chapter's gene-seed is generally held to be the purest of all the Adeptus Astartes, and it is so stable that even 10,000 years after its inception, mutation is well within tolerable limits. Although the Chapter worships the Emperor as the ultimate creator of the Legions and themselves, it is towards the Primarch that the bulk of its devotions are turned. The Chapter's history of zealous loyalty to the Emperor and the inability of any Inquisitor to find evidence supporting the claims of unusually high standing troop numbers has spared the Black Templars from further revelation of their true numbers. With literally thousands of custom Chapter that exist online at any given time throughout the realm of the internet, many readers will notice common story lines and clichs that tend to permeate many fan-made Space Marine Chapters. Should the home world face invasion, the Space Marines may revert to direct rule for the duration of the emergency, or at the very least have the power to issue grand strategy to the worlds indigenous armies. Again, they may not know the exact nature of that reward, but to be chosen is the greatest of honours a young man can aspire to. Established GW canon does not permit you to expand upon the Grey Knights. None know the roots of this practice, which for many Imperial Fists becomes an obsession they must indulge every hour they are not fighting or training. With each Primarch the Emperor re-discovered during the Great Crusade, He gave command of the Space Marine Legion created from their genetic material back to them. This is both the genetic blessing of the Sons of Dorn's Primarch and a curse upon his sons. Inevitably, in such an environment large sections of the population fall to destitution and anarchy, and while the forges and manufactoria are ruthlessly managed, vast areas of these cities are often abandoned to misrule and neglect as new ones are built. The chart below provides a random list of implants that do not function for the created Chapter: During the Great Crusade in the late 30th Millennium, the Space Marines were originally organised into 20 Legions each of which was further divided into companies. They also possess a well-deserved reputation for merciless slaughter. While most Chapters take little part in the affairs of the population of their home world, some involve themselves to varying degrees. In other cases the Chapter may earn its name in the years following its founding, fighting battle after battle until an appropriate title presents itself. A divergent Chapter is one that strays from the Codex Astartes, but not by a huge degree. As they become unstable, they begin to mimic the sullen nature of their Primarch before his mysterious disappearance. The dour and resolute battle-brothers of the Iron Hands Chapter. Having originally been given their own Codex to act as "the default" for Space Marines in second edition Warhammer 40k, for the past five editions the Ultramarines have been part of the standard Space Marines Codex. Initially only released digitally, it covers rules for playing the forces of the Inquisition in conjunction with any other Imperial army, as well as for forging more loose alliances with several xenos race, such as with the Eldar. Throughout all the background we are given, from codices to Black Library books to artwork, there has never been a mention or an image of female marines. These forces might feature large numbers of rhino-borne squads, and sometimes the vehicles will have been modified to afford additional speed or range. As with a duel, this type of Challenge Trial can often prove deadly. They are the God-Emperor's Angels of Death, and they know no fear. Secondly, writers should really be creating their own Chapter not to gain a suite of abstract advantages over other Chapters but to indulge their creative urges and foster more opportunities for rewarding imaginative writing. It is to know the possibility -- for even a second -- of an Imperium without the Emperor. As the so-called "Angels of Death," the Space Marines' very existence is defined by their ability to slay their foes. Established GW canon has already made this clear - there are NO Space Wolves Successor Chapters! Space Marines, Adepta Sororitas, Adeptus Mechanicus, Imperial Guard, Chaos, Xenos, daemons, planets, ships, weapons, anything related to warhammer40k. Other Chapters use Thunderhawks to deliver Assault Squads to the front line, the jump-pack equipped warriors leaping from the troop bays at a great height and descending directly on to the foe with chain swords howling and bolt pistols blazing. Primarch's Curse: The Strong are Strongest Alone, Things NOT to Do When Creating a Homebrew Chapter, Do NOT claim your Chapter was created from Traitor Legion Gene-Seed, Do NOT say that your Chapter is a Space Wolves Successor Chapter, Do NOT claim that your Chapter has cured the twin-flaws of Sanguinius, Do NOT say that your Chapter is one of the Lost Legions, Do NOT claim your Chapter was created from a lost company, Do NOT claim your Chapter was created whole from another Chapter, Do NOT claim your Chapter was secretly created by a Primarch, Do NOT say that your Chapter is a Grey Knights Successor Chapter, Don't claim your Chapter was created by an unknown twenty-first Primarch, Do NOT have your Chapter fulfill the role of another Imperial organisation, Do NOT say that your Chapter was Founded by someone other than the High Lords of Terra, Do NOT claim your Chapter is a Gue'vesa Chapter or Xenos-Aligned, Do NOT Claim your Chapter are allies with the Legion of the Damned, The use of Deus Ex Machina, or the 'Magical Rogue Inquisitor', Do NOT say your Chapter was 'Lost to the Warp', Do NOT claim your Chapter was central to any of the major campaigns, Bolter & Chainsword forum's "Guide to DIYing" by Aurelius Rex, Bolter & Chainsword forum's "Clichs and Lazy Plot Devices" by Rogue Trader, This Founding occurred several standard decades after the climax of the catastrophic events of the War of the Beast - the massive Ork WAAAGH! While most Chapters avoid establishing their Fortress-Monasteries too close to an extant, functioning urban sprawl, several have made their home amongst the ruins of fallen cities, and become peerless experts in every aspect of warfare in such an environment. Their taciturn nature and stubborn refusal to accept anything other than total victory over their foes has served the Unforgiven well. The most experienced and long-serving Imperial Fists sport numerous duelling scars all over their bodies, each a reminder of a hard-won victory, or a salutary defeat. They are highly suspicious of outsiders and often appear unreasonably aloof and intransigent. An Exposure Trial in such a place would force the Aspirant to go out into the jungle alone and face the terrors of the wild with only himself to rely upon for the first time in his life. The Codex Astartes teaches a balanced approach to war, and so any Chapter sired by the Ultramarines or their line is unlikely to pursue one form of combat doctrine at the expense of others, but there are a thousand Chapters and more, and no two are identical. For instance, it is not uncommon for a Salamander to serve as a clan leader among the Nocturneans and live with them when Chapter business does not require him to remain at the Chapter's Fortress-Monastery on Nocturne's moon of Prometheus. "Drop Trooper's don't die - they just go to Hell to regroup". There are plenty of Chapters that prefer to maintain their secrecy and isolate themselves from nearby populations. This also goes for having a Chapter aligned with any other xenos species or empire. This book started as a D&D 40k homebrew mash up thing i was working on but i realized there was not allot to be used for 5E rules in regards to the Warhammer 40k universe so with a bit of adjustments to and already growing project and countles more hours of additions . A map of the 40k galaxy I created as a commission for a friend's personal Imperial Guard/Astra Militarum Regiment Codex, which the planet callout box in the bottom left relates too. Vast populations grow or are imported to service the industry that such resources spawns. Also covers rules for other "standard" Space Marine armies. Launching his Indomitus Crusade, Guilliman gifted thousands of Primaris Space Marines to help alleviate the losses suffered by several existing Chapters. The Salamanders as a Chapter are unusually concerned with civilian casualties compared to most other Space Marines and believe that one of their most important duties is to protect the lives of the Emperor of Mankind's innocent subjects whenever and wherever possible. A Hive World, for example, may be an ash-blasted wasteland or its rearing spires might form islands of plasteel amidst an endless sea of jungle. Sometimes the flaw is linked to a nigh-catastrophic genetic malfunction, but just as often it is tied to the essential nature of the Progenitors Primarch, the stock from which they recruit or to some other, inexplicable factor. To begin, please ensure that you have read the Site Policy rules and the article quality policy. Should an exceptional source be discovered, some Chapters establish small facilities in order to watch over the population and test Aspirants, as is the case with the Black Templars Chapter. Warhammer 40k 5E by Killbodies0313 - Created with GM Binder. Chapters are established at the order of the High Lords of Terra, but the process by which the order comes about is a subject discussed only within the sealed chambers of the Senatorum Imperialis. In the more than 10,000 standard years that have passed since the First Founding of the 20 original Space Marine Legions by the Emperor of Mankind, there have been 25 subsequent Foundings of new Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes; with the most recent, the 26th Founding, occurring in the year 738.M41, approximately 250 years before the current year, which in the Warhammer 40K universe, is 999.M41. But unknown to the Space Wolves, their ambitions was also known to their ancient enemy, the Daemon Primarch Magnus the Red of the traitorous Thousand Sons Legion. This is where you start to link the various elements and build an overall picture of your custom Chapter. Although the Imperial Fists have a preference for long-range engagement and specialise in siege warfare, they are also well-known for their passion for dueling, a tradition thought to date back to the earliest days of the old Legion, before it even left Terra on the Great Crusade. The Codex offers a lot of leeway on many subjects, offering not a single solution to a given problem, but many potential courses of action. All 7th Edition expansions were superseded by 8th Edition. The fun is in joining up these disparate points, or changing them as you see fit to create a Chapter you can be proud of. Mixing several sources in a single intake of Neophytes provides its own set of challenges, but ultimately, produces a wide range of skills and qualities that serve the Chapter well wherever it serves. This is a guide for those who wish to create their own Homebrew Space Marine Chapter. Enables hyper-rapid clotting to staunch wounds almost immediately. This has bred an inherent distrust of anything NOT human. Therefore, you cannot say your Chapter is an ally of such enigmatic Astartes. At the conclusion of the trials, those few Aspirants that have been deemed worthy are taken away, invariably never to see their people again. Space Marine Chapters with a home world are its ultimate masters, with total control over their domain and any peoples living there. It is unclear from where this fear may originate, though many in the Adeptus Mechanicus believe that the source is a flaw in the gene-seed of the Chapter that originated some time after the death of their Primarch on Istvaan V. This flaw seems to be controlled or at the very least made moot by the increasing mechanical augmentations Iron Hands Astartes undergo. If the Chapter conducting the Trial has need of a large number of recruits, the Trial may be ended when a set number of Aspirants are left. Listed below are the most common types of worlds from which a Chapter makes their home world. Chapters such as the Black Consuls, Genesis Chapter, Hammers of Dorn, Novamarines, and the Red Scorpions are strong examples of those Chapters that vehemently follow the dictates of Guilliman's treatise to the letter. Codices for particular armies were introduced for the second edition of the game. Listed below are the allegiances and how they work: Example: Fidelitas Sine Recurso - Fidelitas mean 'Fidelity' or 'Faithful' in Latin, while Sine means 'Unaccompanied' and Recurso means 'To Return'in other words, a Chapter that is faithful, but often strikes out on their own (unaccompanied) but always returns. When it comes to weaponry, the Salamanders favour above all else the application of heat and flame. This often occurs in the form of having a 'magical Inquisitor' who happens to make a dramatic entrance at exactly the right moment to save the day. This expression of duty can become exaggerated in members of the Chapter after long periods in combat, especially against numerous and unrelenting foes like the Ork hordes of a WAAAGH! The Imperial Fists are one of the most valiant of all Chapters, held as paragons of the principles set down in the Codex Astartes and exemplars of everything to which a Space Marine is heir. This curse has thwarted all attempts by the Apothecarion of the Scions of Sanguinius for ten millennia, and most likely will continue to remain elusive. overwhelming force, from such an unexpected quarter, that no defence is possible and the enemy is smashed aside and utterly defeated. Thomas / Goatboy. As far as the Imperium at large is concerned, these 'bush wars' are insignificant to the larger strategic situation, unless of course they interfere with the rendering of tithes or the raising of new Imperial Guard regiments. One of the few notable exceptions to the typical "1,000 Astartes only" rule, would be the Black Templars Chapter. The complete and utter erasure of all records of the IInd and XIth Legions is considered by Imperial historians as the most successful Edict of Obliteration ever carried out in Imperial history. many years. Such places are steeped in dread and enshrouded by cosmic horror, such that only Space Marines, or those capable of becoming one, can survive there without succumbing to gibbering insanity. Planets once blessed by verdant forests are reduced to ashes, enemies clashing amidst the skeletal remains of the trees. After enough gene-seed had been collected in the vaults on Terra, the High Lords of Terra authorised the 4, This Founding occurred somewhere between ca. The Salamanders and their people as a whole are also defined by their adherence to a variation of the Imperial Cult called the Promethean Cult. The vast majority of Space Marine Chapters are descended from the Ultramarines, and as such adhere to the dictates of the Codex Astartes. In some cases, a culture's traditional festivals and rites of passage are in fact well-disguised Trials, established generations ago and watched over in secret by Chaplains or senior Chapter Serfs. Some may construct their base at the very highest levels of the hive-city, in rearing spires, but most are likely to claim an isolated region far out in the polluted wastes. Feral worlds are those planets colonised eons ago, long before the Age of Imperium, which subsequently regressed to atavistic barbarism due to extended periods of isolation or other, less predictable factors. This genetic curse usually comes in three stages: The Marines Errant never refuse the call to arms or the chance to join a crusade against the enemies of the Imperium. The two tables presented below provides some ideas for the various elements of the name should you need some inspiration. The only reason this has been permitted is due to the fact that most people outside the Chapter's hierarchy are clueless to the Black Templars actual size. They just aren't nice. It is a pride, however, that can sometimes blind them to reality and make them arrogant and uncooperative when the battle would dictate they work with lesser warriors. Some Chapters have honed this ability to such a degree that the mere appearance of their vessels in system space is sufficient to bring about the enemy's total collapse. While the Salamanders have no known Successor Chapters, there a few that are highly suspected (though unacknowledged). To their detractors, it made them more beasts than men. It is seen as a way to practice mental discipline, focus, and attention to detail. Only 1 left in stock - order soon. The scars of these battles would change them, as would their reunification with their Primarch Lion El'Jonson and the introduction of fresh blood from his adopted world of Caliban, a Death World dominated by warlike, feudal society of techno-barbarians. Those planets used by the Space Marines as recruiting worlds are observed closely by the Chapter's Apothecaries and Chaplains.