Space Marines (Warhammer 40,000)

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For Space Marines in the general science fiction genre, see space marine.

A squad of Space Marines from the Dark Angels chapter

The Space Marines are one of the major forces available in the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000. Also known as the Adeptus Astartes and originally as the Angels of Death, they are elite soldiers, enhanced further by a combination of powered armour, extensive training, intensive gene therapy, surgical modifications and hypnotic indoctrination.

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The Space Marines

The Space Marines are one of the most commonly played forces in the game of Warhammer 40,000. Each individual Space Marine is a hardy warrior, with superior firepower, close-range combat ability and baroque powered armour. They are considered to be the finest warriors of the Imperium of Man; elite supersoldiers who can be counted on to win almost any war.

The Space Marines are heavily inspired by earlier works of science fiction, especially the Mobile Infantry from the novel Starship Troopers, and the Sardaukar from the novel Dune - And seem to have inspired later supersoldiers; notably the Spartans from Halo and the Marines from StarCraft.

The Legions and Chapters

Originally, the Space Marines were divided up into twenty Legions, each Legion based on the genetic material of one of the God-Emperor's twenty genetic offspring. These offspring, the Primarchs, were exceptional individuals, with great and varied powers. However, the Emperor's plans were disrupted and they were scattered across the galaxy by the Chaos Gods. The scattered Primarchs were eventually located by the Emperor's crusading forces, and from their superior genetic material the Space Marine Legions were formed. The Legions were incredible fighting forces, composed of Mankind's greatest warriors and armed with its most advanced weaponry and equipment.

During the events of the 31st millennium, known as the Horus Heresy, fully half of the Legions were corrupted by the forces of Chaos, and rebelled against the Imperium. The traitors were eventually defeated in a great battle on Terra, but it was decided to divide the Legions still loyal to the Emperor into smaller groups of a thousand Marines. These Chapters were created so that control of so many powerful soldiers was not held by a few men.

Each Chapter is made up of ten Companies, containing one hundred Space Marines each. Individual Chapters have their own identity, heritage, fighting style and practice of beliefs. Most of the Chapters follow the tome known as the Codex Astartes, a treatise on the operations and procedures that should be followed by Space Marines, compiled during the Second Founding by the Ultramarines Primarch, Roboute Guilliman. It has variously been claimed that the Codex Astartes was composed by Roboute Guilliman, Leman Russ and Rogal Dorn. The contents have varied too: while modern Space Marine imagery makes almost no use of camouflage, this was originally held to be advised by the Codex Astartes (although ignored by many Chapters) and many contemporary Space Marines of the game's early years wore camouflaged armour.

The First Founding

The Space Marines were originally divided into a number of vast Legions. Each Legion was based on the genetic material of one of the original Primarchs. When the Primarchs were rediscovered during the Great Crusade, they became the leaders of the Legion created from their genetic material.

Loyalists

During the Horus Heresy these Legions remained loyal to the Emperor. After the defeat of Horus, they were divided into the smaller Chapters, one of which retained the name of the original Legion.

Name	Primarch	Primarch's World	Current Base of Operation	Comments
UltramarinesIn Rogue Trader the Ultra-Marines are not a true First Founding chapter, and are explicitly stated as having had their chapter designation altered to that of a First Founding chapter following the Heresy. It therefore follows that Roboute Guilliman either did not exist or was originally the Primarch of a different chapter. The Ultra-Marines are a fairly unorthodox chapter, having an Astropath for a Lieutenant Commander and were gifted with a barren dust world after having been initially based in a space fleet. It is possible that this deception is still canon in later editions of the game as the presented history of the Chapter would have been altered from that point. In this case the most logical assumption is that the Ultramarines' current world was the one gifted to them.	Roboute Guilliman	Macragge	Macragge (Fortress of Hera)	Famous for their costly victory against Hive Fleet Behemoth in the First Tyrannic War, which devastated the Chapter's veteran 1st company. The Ultramarines are rigid adherents to the Codex Astartes, and are the canonical space marine chapter from whose genetic material most new foundings are drawn.
Blood Angels	Sanguinius	Baal Secundus	Baal Prime, Secundus	The Blood Angels and their successor Chapters suffer from various gene-seed flaws, resulting in what is known as the Black Rage. The Blood Angels Legion participated in the epic defense of the Emperor's Palace during the Horus Heresy, and excel at close combat and assault tactics.
Dark Angels	Lion El'Jonson	Caliban (Destroyed)	The Rock (asteroid base)	The first Legion to be created by the Emperor. The Dark Angels and their successors refer to themselves as the Unforgiven. Highly secretive, they hunt the "Fallen" Angels who sided with Chaos during the Horus Heresy.
Space Wolves	Leman Russ	Fenris	Fenris (The Fang)	The Space Wolves are fierce in the extreme. Though their loyalty is unquestioned, they are infamous for their fierce anti-authority attitudes.
Imperial Fists	Rogal Dorn	Holy Terra	Fortress Monastery "Phalanx"	The Imperial Fists are charged with defending Terra itself. Instrumental in the final defense of the home planet during the Heresy. The Imperial Fists are experts at siege warfare, equal to the Iron Warriors traitor legion in this aspect.
White Scars	Jaghatai Khan	Chogoris	Chogoris(Quan Zhou)	The White Scars have a Mongolian-inspired culture and fast-attack doctrines. The Chapter makes extensive use of bikes
Iron Hands	Ferrus Manus	Medusa	Medusa	All new Iron hands recruits have the left hand removed and replaced with a cybernetic model. The Chapter's warriors display a high incidence of cybernetic modifications to their bodies.
Salamanders	Vulkan	Nocturne	Prometheus (moon of Nocturne)	Technically-adept warriors with a preference for short-ranged combat, the Salamanders employ heat-based weaponry and energized hammers (Thunder Hammers).
Raven Guard	Corax	Deliverance (originally named Lycaeus)	Deliverance (Ravenspire Tower)	The Raven Guard specialise in hit-and-run assaults using jump packs and extensive use of scout marines.

Traitors

These Legions sided with Horus and the forces of Chaos during the Horus Heresy. After their defeat they fled into the Eye of Terror, becoming the Chaos Space Marines.

Name	Primarch	Primarch's World	Current Base of Operations	Comments
Luna Wolves	Horus	Cthonia	Eye of Terror	The Luna Wolves were renamed to Sons of Horus by the Emperor in honor of Warmaster Horus before the Horus Heresy erupted. After Horus’ death they became the Black Legion, after Abaddon the Despoiler expunged Horus' name for his failure to defeat the Imperium of Mankind. Of all the legions, the Black Legion are the most dedicated to overthrowing the Imperium.
Night Lords	Konrad Curze/Night Haunter	Nostramo	Eye of Terror	The Night Lords specialise in raids and terror tactics, taking special interest in psychological warfare.
Word Bearers	Lorgar	Colchis	Eye of Terror, Maelstorm	The Word Bearers are strongly religious in mindset; their Chaplains are known as Dark Apostles.
Alpha Legion	Alpharius	Unknown	Eye of Terror	The Alpha Legion adopted the hydra as their motif. Subtlety and covert operations are this Legion's forte.
Emperor's Children	Fulgrim	Chemos	Eye of Terror	The Emperor's Children are hedonistic devotees of Slaanesh
Iron Warriors	Perturabo	Olympia	Medrengard (Eye of Terror)	The Iron Warriors are siege and trench warfare specialists. They favour heavy weaponry and fortifications.
World Eaters	Angron	Unknown	Scattered since Skalathrax	The World Eaters are the chosen ones of Khorne. They favour close combat. In the current revision of the game the Legion have devolved into mindless bloodthirsty fanatics with no organised command structure.
Death Guard	Mortarion	Barbarus	Plague Planet (Eye of Terror)	The Death Guard are plague-ridden devotees of Nurgle who are driven to spread plague and pestilence across the galaxy to please their god.
Thousand Sons	Magnus the Red	Prospero	Planet of the Sorcerors (Eye of Terror)	The Thousand Sons are favoured by Tzeentch and value knowledge, especially arcane and old knowledge. In the current game revision the majority of the Legion have been rendered incorporeal and fight as walking suits of armour, led by the Legion's Sorcerors.

All the Traitor Legions' homeworlds were later destroyed or otherwise rendered uninhabitable. Each of the Chaos Legions, except the Alpha Legion, has since claimed a world within the Eye of Terror as a new homeworld. It is assumed that all of these new homeworlds have long since been transformed into Daemon Worlds, as all of the surviving Chaos Primarchs became Daemon Princes long ago.

Unknown

There are two other First Founding Legions, of which all records have apparently been lost or destroyed. Official lists of the First Founding Legions simply say that all records have been lost or destroyed by an unknown agent. Games Workshop has officially stated that they have been intentionally left unknown by the Warhammer 40,000 developers simply to allow players to make up their own background on the missing Legions.

A popular misconception among fans of the game is that the Grey Knights and the Legion of the Damned are the two missing First Founding Legions. This is incorrect; the Grey Knights originated from the Second Founding, and the Legion of the Damned are the altered survivors of the Fire Hawks Chapter. In older fluff the Valedictors were a First Founding Legion but this was later changed.

One popular idea in the late 1990s is that one of the missing Primarchs originally landed on the planet of the Warhammer Fantasy Battle setting, and became known as Sigmar, founder of the Empire. While original WFB history shows Sigmar as the son of a warchief, Sigmar did "vanish" in the time period as the other Primarchs. Other fans suggest that the character "Ulric" in the same setting is the wolf-like Primarch Leman Russ.

Later Foundings

In subsequent millennia, the Imperium has also created new Chapters of Space Marines, using gene-seed sampled from existing ones. Many of these successor Chapters follow the beliefs and doctrines of the Chapter their genetic material originated from, while maintaining their own methods of operation and battle. According to Codex: Space Marines, the vast majority of new chapters are founded using the Ultramarines geneseed, as they have the most stable geneseed and still have all 19 fuctional implants.

There are approximately a thousand Space Marine Chapters in existence, most of which follow the teachings of the Codex Astartes, but the exact number is not known.

An extensive list of canon Space Marine Chapters, including those of later Foundings, can be found at "List of Space Marine Chapters".

Progression of a Space Marine

A Space Marine is a vastly superior warrior when compared to a normal human. This is due to a series of genetic modifications, psychological conditioning, and heavy training. The end result of creating a Space Marine produces a soldier with abilities that are so superior to those of an average human that they are best described as superhuman.

The procedure detailed below is that described in Codex: Astartes, which is followed to a greater or lesser extent by all Chapters. A notable exception to this are the Space Wolves, who employ a different system.

Recruitment

Different Space Marine Chapters follow different recruiting processes. Most recruits are drawn from the Chapter's homeworld. These worlds are often at a primitive or feudal level of development, creating a hardy human population, which in turn ensures only the toughest of candidates are selected. Only a small percentage of candidates may be recruited, and not all recruits will survive the initial rigors of training and treatment one must undergo to become a full-fledged Space Marine.

The selection of recruits must abide by certain criteria. First and foremost, a potential candidate must be male, as the gene-seed and zygote are synchronized to work with male hormones. They must be of adolescent age preferably between ten and sixteen, as the implants are designed to coordinate with and increase the effectiveness of natural growth hormones. There must be a level of compatibility between the recruit and the gene-seed, otherwise the implanted organs will fail. Also, the mental state of a potential Marine must also be susceptible to the various training and psycho-conditioning regimes of the Chapter, and cannot be tainted by Chaos.

These criteria bar all but a minuscule percentage of people within the Imperium from becoming Space Marines. If all tests prove successful, the recruit is accepted into the Chapter as a Neophyte. At this stage, implantation, psycho-conditioning, and physical training begin. Each step in this stage has its own dangers, ensuring that only the truly worthy become Space Marines.

Gene-seed

The term gene-seed describes the foreign genetic material introduced into a human during his transformation into a Space Marine, which is both directly and indirectly responsible for his physical changes. Gene-seed is a rare and precious resource for the Space Marines; since while they possess the technology to create new gene-seed, the process is prohibitively slow, and the majority of it must be passed down from dying warriors.

Gene-seed is best described as DNA cultivated from one of the twenty Primarchs, the children of the Emperor. The genetic material is used to form nineteen implants, which are responsible for the physical transformation and abilities attributed to the Space Marines. These implants are surgically installed into a recruit (Neophyte) over a period of years. One of the implants creates copies of the various implants during the maturation of the Space Marine, which are removed shortly before or after death, for future use.

A full list of the implants and their functions can be found in the gene-seed article.

Since the first founding, the Space Marines have lost the ability to make new implants and some no longer have all 19 implants within their Chapter's genetic repositories. The "purest" chapters in this respect are the Ultramarines, who still have all 19 implants and no significant mutations or defects in the geneseed, this being the reason that the Ultramarine geneseed is the one most often selected to create new Chapters.

All Space Marine chapters still have the Black Carapace, as without it they could not interface with the Power Armour correctly.

Neophyte

Once the recruit passes the battery of tests and challenges set by the Chapter, and the initial gene-seed implants have taken hold on his body, he is accepted into the Chapter as a Neophyte. These Neophytes will be trained in the history of the Chapter and the edicts of the Codex Astartes, while the remaining implants and modifications are made to his body.

Once a Neophyte begins his training and genetic modification, he is no longer permitted contact with his home or family, sworn to serve the Emperor and the Chapter until his death. The creation of a Space Marine is a dangerous process, and it is accepted that many will die during their indoctrination.

Certain Chapters take different approaches to the training of Neophytes. Most will be inducted into the Tenth Company where they are trained and educated by veteran Marines, serving the Chapter as a light reconnaissance force. Some Chapters, most notably the Black Templars, apprentice their Neophytes to a more experienced Space Marine, the Neophyte acting as a servant, and learning by example.

Scouts

See main article: Space Marine Scouts

The Neophytes gain experience in the ways of warfare by serving the Chapter as scouts, providing reconnaissance to the Chapter, while capable of acting as an infiltration or commando force. They can be equipped with a variety of equipment and weaponry, and on certain occasions have access to the Chapter's combat motorcycles. It is a dangerous baptism of fire, but provides valuable experience and hands-on training in the art of battle. Scouts do not wear power armour, but instead wear a lighter suit of non-powered segmented armour plates called Carapace Armour. This is both because their Black Carapace is not yet fully developed, but also because they must earn the privilege of wearing the Power Armour by proving themselves as Space Marine Scouts first.

Initiates

Once the Neophyte's period of training is complete, and all nineteen gene-seed organs have been implanted and verified, the Neophyte will often be sent on a final challenge to prove his worth. Upon the completion of this challenge, the Neophyte will become a full member of the Chapter (known as an Initiate or Battle-Brother), and will be assigned to one of the eight Battle or Reserve Companies.

The Initiate is presented with a boltgun and a set of power armour, the maintenance of which is his responsibility. Depending on the talents an Initiate demonstrated during his training, he will be assigned to one of three different squad types.

Tactical

The main fighting force of a Chapter, the Tactical Squads are versatile fighters, able to adapt their equipment and tactics to suit almost any situation. Tactical Squads make up the bulk of each Company, and specialists within each squad are trained to utilise various heavy and support weapons.

Assault

Assault Squads are specialist hand-to-hand fighters, trained for rapid movement and vicious attacks on enemy positions. Assault Marines are often equipped with jump packs, which allow them to close with enemy squads as quickly as possible, and to reach normally inaccessible positions to take out protected artillery emplacements or command centres.

In addition, the Marines assigned to Assault Squads are trained in the use of the Chapter's combat motorcycles, and when the situation requires, may deploy in five-man squadrons using these. The use of a Bike Squadron provides a rapid assault force that can quickly adapt to the changing situation in battle.

Devastator

Devastator Squads are specially trained to provide fire support for their fellow Space Marines, with half the squad bearing a variety of anti-personnel and anti-tank weapons into battle. Although sacrificing some of the manoeuvrability of a Tactical Squad, the Devastators make up for it through the quality and quantity of firepower they can bring to a battlefield. They are typically called into action when the threat of enemy armour is present, or there is a need to break open fortifications or bunkers. They use heavy bolters, lascannons, missile launchers, multi-meltas and plasma cannons.

Veterans

Exceptional and experienced members of the Space Marine Chapter are promoted to Veteran status, and are provided access to various pieces of specialist equipment. Veterans usually remain with their Company, leading squads of their fellow Initiates into battle, but the Marines that have most proven their worth to the Chapter are inducted into the elite First Company.

On occasion, a less experienced Initiate will be honoured with a position in the First Company, in response for an act of exceptional courage or tactical intelligence.

Veteran Squads

First Company Veterans are often fielded in the same manner as Tactical Squads. Multiple squads of Veterans are not fielded en-masse; instead a single squad will be assigned to assist another Company as an extremely flexible tactical reserve.

Terminator Squads

See main article: Terminators

When the situation calls for it, Veteran Squads may be equipped with the rare suits of Tactical Dreadnought Armour, and fielded as a powerful spearhead for Space Marine attacks. They are heavily armoured, and able to carry a variety of potent heavy weapons.

Specialists

At any point during their long careers, a Space Marine may be called upon to train in a specialist field, to better support the Chapter in both combat and non-combat roles.

Apothecaries

The purity of a Chapter's gene-seed is one of the greatest concerns displayed by the Imperium, for if corruption is able to root itself within a Space Marine Chapter, it may well fall to Chaos. The Apothecaries are charged with maintaining the health and genetic purity of the Space Marines. Their skills and equipment, when combined with the added organs and resilience of a Space Marine, allow an Apothecary to perform battle surgery with a good chance of success.

However, sometimes even the skills of an Apothecary are not enough to save a Marine. In this case, it is the Apothecary's responsibility to commit euthanasia, known as the Emperor's Peace, and harvest the two Progenoid glands implanted in the unfortunate Marine's body, allowing for the gene-seed material to be cultivated and re-implanted in another Neophyte.

Chaplains

The Chaplains are the spiritual leaders of a Chapter, warrior-priests that minister to the spiritual well-being of the Space Marines, instilling in them the values and beliefs of the Chapter along with promoting the worship of the Emperor.

In battle, the Chaplains will be at the forefront of the Chapter, rousing their fellow Marines through their words and actions.

Librarians

The Chapter is continually vigilant to ensure that recruits will not taint the gene-seed of the Chapter through mutation. However, the psyker mutation is often encouraged, and these Marines are inducted into the corps of Librarians. These psychically-charged warriors are trained to use their abilities in the field of battle, as both weapons and tools of precognition. Off the field of battle, the Librarians are responsible for maintaining and adding to the records of the Chapter, attending to the Chapter's annals and the collective knowledge built up over millennia of service. The Librarians use a psychic hood to suppress their enemies' use of psychic powers; the hoods' wires tap into the brain and act as an extension of the wearer's consciousness and allow him to tell when a being taps into the warp. It detects the manipulation of the warp and focuses the Librarian's will to disrupt it through a series of augmentic crystals.

The path to becoming a Librarian is a difficult one, as they must not only be strong enough to survive their training, but possess enough mental discipline to fend off the daemons and entities of the Warp, as these creatures see the enhanced form and mind of a Librarian as a strong prize. Also, the Librarians are often isolated from the rest of the Chapter, as they carry with them the abilities the Space Marines are expected to abhor and purge in all other beings.

Techmarines

Those who show an aptitude for machinery and technology are often selected to undergo the training to become a Techmarine, honorary members of the Adeptus Mechanicus and priests of the Machine God. The aspiring Techmarine will be sent away to train on Mars, learning the correct rites of activation and maintenance of the Chapter's equipment. They also learn how to rouse or placate the machine-spirits that inhabit many of the Chapter's vehicles and equipment.

The Techmarines are often called upon to make repairs that are beyond the training of a Space Marine, even in the midst of battle. Should a vehicle or artifact of technology be lost to the enemy, the Techmarines are at the forefront of the effort to retrieve it, often fighting as hard for their mechanical charges as they would for their biological brethren.

Leadership

After hundreds of years of service to the Chapter, elite Marines may be called upon to take up one of the leadership positions within the Chapter.

Brother-Captains

A Brother-Captain leads each of the ten Companies within a Chapter. Each is the foremost warrior in his Company, and will rarely meet their match in battle. In addition to leading their brethren, the Brother-Captains will often be called upon to fulfill other roles, most often in charge of an aspect of the Chapter, including the armoury, supplies, or the Chapter Fleet.

Notable Brother-Captains include Gabriel Angelos of the Blood Ravens' Third Company, Brother-Captain Tycho of the Blood Angels (now deceased), Ragnar Blackmane of the Space Wolves, Captain Shrike of the Raven Guard, Captain Lysander of the Imperial Fists (also now deceased), Captain Cortez of the Crimson Fists, and Uriel Ventris of the Ultramarines.

Chapter Master

Foremost of a thousand Space Marines, the Chapter Master is the leader of a Chapter, a warrior with centuries of experience on the battlefield. He is also a master tactician, a devout follower of the Codex Astartes, and the man responsible for the thousands of decisions that can affect battles on the far side of the galaxy.

The Chapter Master is often the one who teaches the recruits the history of the Chapter, and he is responsible for keeping the secrets and following the traditions of the Chapter. He is often the ruler of the Chapter's homeworld, and is responsible for maintaining the oaths and allegiances of the Chapter to outside worlds and organisations. The office of Chapter Master was originally held by the Primarchs, during the time before the Second Founding, and it is their examples and actions that each Chapter Master must adhere to.

Notable Chapter Masters include Supreme Grand Master Azrael of the Dark Angels, Marneus Calgar of the Ultramarines, Commander Dante of the Blood Angels, Great Wolf Logan Grimnar of the Space Wolves, and High Marshal Helbrecht of the Black Templars.

Weapons and Equipment

As the most elite fighting organizations of the Imperium, Space Marine Chapters are equipped with some of the best weapons and equipment the Imperium has access to.

Space Marines in Warhammer 40,000 fiction

In the novels and stories published by the Black Library (Games Workshop's fiction publishing division), the Space Marines are portrayed as being far more powerful than their tabletop equivalents. Many players are drawn to the superhuman potential of the Space Marines in the fiction, only to be disappointed when they begin to play the wargame.

The reason behind this has been explained as to maintain game balance; all armies are on an equal enough footing that the skill, tactics and luck of the individual players have a greater effect on the results than any fictional stereotype.

However, a set of rules was created by Pete Haines, published in White Dwarf 300 in early 2005. Titled "The Movie Space Marine List", these rules strove to match the Space Marines portrayed in the fiction, resulting in 'armies' of ten or less Space Marines that were more than capable of taking on 1,500pt armies from other Codexes. These rules were made completely unofficial, and players were warned to be careful when using them against opponents.

Computer games

The Space Marines have featured in a number of Warhammer 40,000 based computer games. These include:

Space Crusade (1992)
Space Hulk (1994)
(1996)
Final Liberation (1997)
(1998)
(1999)
(2003)
(2004), and its expansion pack, Winter Assault

Footnotes

References

External links

[Imperial Literature] — Leading fiction and gaming site with discussion forum
[Bolter and Chainsword] — Space Marines discussion board
[The Realm of Inisfail] — Space Marine articles
[Liber Astartes] — Space Marine chapter listings
[40K Online] — Space Marines at 40K Online.

Warhammer 40,000 Articles
Main Armies Chaos \| Daemonhunters \| Dark Eldar \| Eldar \| Imperial Guard Ork \| Necron \| Space Marines \| Tau \| Tyranid \| Witch Hunters \|

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