The Space Marines
They are also known as the Adeptus Astartes and by the sobriquet "Angels of Death". They are the supersoldiers of the Imperium of Man whose use is the scalpel, compared to the sledgehammer of the Imperial Guard.
They are elite soldiers, specially chosen for natural ability, and have their innate superiority enhanced further by a combination of extensive training, mental conditioning and genetic alteration. Their dedication and steadfastness is a product of this superiority and indoctrination. Their structure and cultures are monk-like.
As befits such an elite force they are given equipment to match their abilities. They wear power armour to give them all-over protection and to survive in hostile environments, and are equipped with superior weaponry as well
Structure
The Adeptus Astartes is made up of approximately 1,000 Chapters each with a nominal fighting strength of 1,000 Space Marines. 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. [1]
A few of the Chapters have been described in detail especially those that differ significantly from the norm ("non-Codex"). The majority of the rest have been left undescribed and this allows a player to make up their own history and colour scheme for their army.
Each Chapter is made up of ten numbered Companies, each of the first nine containing one hundred Space Marines, led by a Captain. The First Company is made up of the most experienced Marines, with the second through ninth Companies being regular warriors. The tenth company is usually comprised of Scouts, new recruits into the chapter who lack the experience of the rest of the Chapter and are yet to be fully inducted and the Company size is flexible. This is not always the case, as some Chapters have more than 1000 Marines because they do not directly adhere to the codex. The Black Templars, for example, have many crusades and are rumored to have 6000 Marines.
They are a unique section in the Imperium in that they are independent of Imperial law. Like the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Adeptus Astartes are independent but they also have their own space transport and each chapter occupies its own homeworld or star fortress (and other equivalents). By comparison the Imperial Guard has to rely upon the Navy for transport; a deliberate move to curtail their power. Even Inquisitors, whose power and authority is considered unlimited, use discretion when dealing with Space Marines and generally ask for assistance instead of demanding. Because of this they are viewed as dangerous, although valuable allies.
History
The Legions
The First Space Marines were produced using genetic material of the God-Emperor's twenty Primarchs. These were exceptional individuals, with great and varied powers. There were twenty Legions each under the command of a Primarch. The Legions were incredible fighting forces, composed of Mankind's greatest warriors and armed with its most advanced weaponry and equipment. Each legion contained thousands of Marines.
During the Horus Heresy, in the 31st millennium, half of the Legions were corrupted by the forces of Chaos, and rebelled against the Imperium. The traitors were eventually defeated but it was decided to divide the loyal Legions into smaller groups, Chapters, so that so much power was never held in the hands of one group. Each Chapter has some history back to one of the original loyal Legions.
Loyalists
During the Horus Heresy 9 Legions remained loyal to the Emperor. After the defeat of Horus they were divided into smaller Chapters with different names, although one chapter kept the name of the parent legion.
Of the Legions, nine 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.
All the Traitor Legions' homeworlds were later destroyed or otherwise rendered uninhabitable (the Night Lords themselves destroyed their home world of Nostromo before the Horus Heresy). 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.
In addition there are two other unnamed and undescribed First Founding Legions. 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 developers to allow players to make up their own background on the missing Legions. A common misconception among fans of the game is that the Grey Knights and the Legion of the Damned are the two missing First Founding Legions. The Grey Knights originated from the Second Founding, and the Legion of the Damned are presumed to be the survivors of the Fire Hawks Chapter.
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 functional 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 and processes such as bone formation etc. They will thus fail or have no effect on adults, this became a major problem during the early history of some of the founding chapters as a number of veteran warriors under the service of the Primarchs could not join the ranks of the Space Marines because of it. There must be a level of compatibility between the recruit and the gene-seed, otherwise the implanted organs will fail. The implants are generally done in an extremely hostile environment, showing that if the recruit survives he is strong enough and worthy to be Space Marine. 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 (though corruption is still possible and a number of marines still fall).
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. 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 Marine
Gene-seed
Main article: gene-seed
Gene-seed is the foreign genetic material introduced into a human during his transformation into a Space Marine. 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 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.
The genetic modification is responsible for his physical changes. Gene-seed is a rare and precious resource for the Space Marines. 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 a fully functioning "Black Carapace" implant, which is vital as it forms the interface with their Power Armour, and "Progenoid Gland" implant, which copies the genetic information of the other various implants for future use. Should either implants become lost, the entire chapter will die out shortly after (as there will be no other way to produce more implants without the Progenoid Gland and the marines cannot interface with their Power Armour if they don't have the Black Carapace).
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
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. Some chapters do this differently, for example Space Wolves induct Neophytes into Blood Claw packs and their Scouts are instead more experienced marines who have a lone wolf style personality. Also because of their training regime Black Templars have no standing scout force.
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, 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. A Tactical squad typically has one assault weapon and one heavy support weapon, such as a flamethrower and a missile launcher.
Assault
Assault Squads are specialist hand-to-hand fighters, trained for rapid movement and vicious attacks on enemy positions. Assault Marines are equipped with close combat weapons and do not carry heavy support weapons. They are often equipped with jump packs which allow them to get close to the enemy as quickly as possible. The jump pack also allows them to reach normally inaccessible positions.
Devastator
Devastator Squads are specially trained to provide fire support. The squad is typically equipped with a larger number of heavy weapons (such as heavy bolters or missile launchers) than a tactical squad and fulfill a support role, using their heavy weaponry to eliminate enemy vehicles and/or infantry.
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
Veterans of the First Company frequently take to the field as Tactical Squads acting in support of other companies of the Chapter. Normally only one squad is present in any force. In some chapters Veterans fight in other configurations, for example Dark Angel veterans only fights as terminators (The Deathwing) while Blood Angel veterans fight as assault squads.
Terminator Squads
Main article: Terminators
Veteran Squads may take to the battlefield wearing the rare suits of Tactical Dreadnought Armour. The heavily armored and well equipped (typically storm bolter and powerfist) suits make the Terminator squads a powerful spearhead for Space Marine attacks.
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. TechMarines, Apothecaries, and Librarians begin their training during the neophyte stage of their indoctrination for showing technical, medical or psychic skills, respectively. Certain members are also inducted into the Deathwatch Chapter should they possess a certain skill useful against the vile xenos. The most famous of these alien hunting marines are the Tyranid Hunters of the Ultramarines.
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.
Though Apothecaries at first appear as the saviours of the Marines, some are more than meets the eye. Apothecaries are not always charged with only administering combat surgery and harvesting gene-seed. Some Chapters order their apothecaries to conceal certain mutations seen as beneficial to the Chapter. Apothecaries also carry out various unspeakable surgeries to augment the Chapter, often causing Inquisitorial scrutiny.
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. Their power armour is mostly-black and the helmet has a skull mask faceplate. Most Chaplains wield a power mace called the "Crozius Arcanum." They are also equipped with a "Rosarius", given to the Chapter by the Adeptus Ministorium as a sign of the (sometime tenious) link between their two faiths
Chaplains of certain chapters have unique duties in addition to those laid out in the Codex Astares. These are related to the chapter's background and traditions. In the Blood Angels, Chaplains are tasked with seeking out signs of the Black Rage and leading the Death Companies into combat. Chaplains of the Dark Angels are tasked with interrogating captured 'Fallen' and forcing them to repent before killing them. The Iron Hands have the "Iron Fathers", a role that combines the duties of chaplain and tech marine. The chaplains of the Space Wolves are known as "Wolf Priests", and perform a role that appears analogous to that of both chaplain and apothecary.
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 hood's 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. In fact because of this some marine chapters do not have Librarians at all.
Chief Librarian
Each Chapter has a Chief Librarian, the strongest psyker in the entire chapter. One often becomes the Chief Librarian by some astounding feat or simply be an extremely powerful psyker. Currently these are the named Chief Librarians:
Chief Librarian Tigurius - Tigurius is the Chief LIbrarian of the Ultramarines and is rumored to be the most powerful of all Adeptus Astartes psykers, as it is said that Tigurius touched minds with the Hive Mind of the Tyranids.
Chief Librarian Mephiston - Mephiston of the Blood Angels not only survived the Black Rage, but also greatly benefited from it. His gaze is so terrible even the most disciplined heroes would quiver in his wake.
Ezekiel, Grand Master of the Dark Angel Librarians - Ezekiel is the greatest of all Dark Angel Librarians and has the ability to transverse the minds of his enemies, predicting their moves before they think of it.
Ahriman of the Thousand Sons - Although not a Librarian of the Loyalist Chapters, Ahriman was infamous for his journeys throughout the galaxy, taking any artefacts he could get his hands on. This caused many custodians paranoia and has resulted in the destruction of many artifacts. Ahriman is also responsible for turning the entire Thousand Sons legion into mindless automations with his famous/infamous Rubric of Ahriman.
Chief Librarian Sarpedon - Sarpedon is the chief librarian of the Soul Drinkers, currently excommunicate. He possesses the unique power known as "The Hell" along with a physical mutation allowing him extra appendages, manifesting in the form of chitonous spider legs.
Techmarines
Those who show an aptitude for machinery and technology are often selected to undergo the training to become a Techmarine, honourary 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 artefact 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. 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. Brother Captains are also sometimes referred to as Force Commanders.
Chapter Master
At the head of the Chapter, commanding the Space Marines as well as their ancillary staff and possibly also the entire planet is the Chapter Master. As a warrior with unparalleled experience, he must be also a master tactician responsible for the decisions that can affect battles.
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. Chapter Masters all have access to ancient artefacts that make their power almost unthinkable (such as the Gauntlets of Ultramar and the Death Mask of Sanguinius).
The title of Chapter Master is not consistently used throughout the Adeptus Astartes. A common alternative is "Grand Master" but there is also the "High Marshal" of the Black Templars and the "Great Wolf" of the Space Wolves. The Ultramarines prefer the term "Lord Macragge" instead of Chapter Master or Grand Master. Blood Angels also use either "Lord of the Blood Angels" or simply Commander as a substitute, as this is the current title of Dante, Chapter Master of the Blood Angels.
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 ever produced.
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