his is a collection of my various 40K inspired concepts that I refer to quite often when I'm explaining how I see the universe actually working. My aim was to introduce a reasoned premise for the structure of the universe that reinforces the image and horror of the setting.

Over time I'll add to this list, if you wish to chip in something please post in this temporary guestbook here

The BL forum thread here (now closed, (consider it an archive of sorts) please use the Warseer thread below.)

The Warseer forum thread here

Notes: This is more 'Background Marine' or 'Movie Marine' - more over on theItalian and German GW sites - for some reason not the the UK GW site?

All VERY Unofficial

Armour Matchup

The image on the left is a modified (repositioned) Jes Goodwin sketch of a marine, and was given to me as a template of the correct proportions of a marine. My aim was to match a marine design as closely are possible to this template while maintaining a shape that would allow a suitable 'marine' body to fit inside. Some modification to the design had to be made to make the body look reasonably proportioned and suitably heroic (strong man), but I hope the feel of the marine has been retained.

Armour and Marine

[Notes: ]

Flesh vs NFB/ MW (Neuro-Fibre Bundle/ Muscle Wire)

[Notes: Muscle wire is incredibly powerful but uses tremendous amounts of energy to produce that power. This is a problem as the muscle wire bundles can drain far more energy than most portable systems can supply. While is is theoretically conceivable to build an android out of muscle wire (Iron Men) there would be no power system compact enough to run the android and keep it mobile (technology lost). Therefore relatively little muscle wire is used in power armour, and in marine armour the ratio of power and power system is carefully balanced and optimised.

The muscle wire is routed through the armour plates themselves. Each wire or wire bundle runs in a channel sandwiched between the inner and outer armour plating. The stops the wire slicing through the marines own flesh like a cheese wire. It also means that power armour can seem thin, as their is no underlying 'muscle suit' between the marine and the armour, the armour is self contained and the 'under suit' does not have any muscle wire (Black Carapace interface, sealed, hygiene, comfort, coolant).]

Marine diagram with skeletal and musculature overlay ['Rogue Trader' inspired armour style]

This diagram shows an overlay of the marine skeleton over flesh, which in turn is overlaid onto the armour. The armour is modified to my personal preference of the Rogue Trader style marines. The most notable change is in the design of the armour covering the legs, hip exo-supports and faulds (hip armour).

Muscle Mass Comparison

This chart is to give an idea of exactly how massive a marine is compared to a regular sized (real world western average) human. In full armour (far right) the marine is significantly more massive than the regular human on the far left. Much of the marines power is not 'magical' but due to sheer bulk and the increased muscle leverage due to the placement on the modified skeleton. The Marine's muscle leverage and resulting strength is strong in the same way a chimpanzee's or silverback gorilla's body is strong. It's not magical just damn powerful by design!

Power: Combined with their power armour a Marine would find it very easy to move a regular human, a shoulder barge would go though most 'blockers' and most doors! A punch would likely to take a regular human off their feet and hurl them several metres through the air. A Marine is massive enough to grab a regular human by the ankles and wield them like a cheap club to beat their way through a crowd (until the regular human disintegrated from the impacts, but in a crowd their are plenty of 'weapons'! - humans are 'bendy', so they are probably a bit like wielding Nunchaku in a round about way )

Growth and Maturity

Due to their rapid bio-recovery systems a marine is always in a constant state of rejuvenation and continues to grow for many centuries after completing scout training. Though their growth will eventually decline with age, it takes millennia for the marine bio-systems to reach a state of 'dynamic equilibrium'. Due to their work it is highly unlikely a marine will ever be in a state were age debilitates them. Even the great Lord Commander Dante, Chapter Master of the Blood Angels is still growing, but at a reduced rate. His healing bio-systems are still top notch and he could survive for many millennia to come. It is also notable that now he is 'mature' for a marine he is starting to develop minor psionic powers such as precognition and looking ever more like his beloved Primarch and the most holy Imperial Archangel: Sanguinius.

Stages and Height: Marine scouts are a minimum of 7', most tactical marines with a century or two under their belt are around 7'6”. After this the growth rate slows but doesn't stop and the chapter heroes who are many centuries old are around 8'. Very few grow past 8' (ignoring genetic anomalies)

Notes

Marine armour needs to be increased in size as the marine grows. Armour plates contain spacers between plates at joints (if you filed of the paint you could see 'growth rings' on the armour. A Marine who is 8' can be considered 'mature', but most will not make it to this age. The average marine is around 7'6", but ranges from around 7'3" to 7'9" for a tactical marine during their service. Most of their early and rapid growth is taken up during scout training (hence the scout style of armour (they could have used regular power armour like the technology interfaces used in the Sisters of Battle armour for training, but they grow so fast and die in such huge numbers)

Machine of Flesh

From an Adeptus Mechanicus point of view; a marine is a product, a machine like any other. Marines are classed as 'Servitors' by the Adeptus Mechanicus and even a Tech-Marine is not considered to be a real Tech-Priest. Marines are made and reprogrammed using similar technologies to common servitors, though the end product is far more advanced.

What sets marines apart from common servitors or the praetorian guard, it that they retain a portion of their personality and memories. These are retained to improve combat ability through emotional conviction and to allow for adaptability through inspiration and instinct, though after the Horus Heresy many within the cult now consider it a mistake.

Another aspect that is different from servitors is that men, in certain circumstances, choose to become a Marine.

So what are these circumstances?

Chosen World

The Imperium has millions of worlds for marine chapters to choose from. The most commonly targeted worlds for recruiting aspirants are the most violent barbaric and feudal worlds. In these lands the inhabitants grow tall and strong: often well over 6' 6" naturally (As Marines will grow to well over 7 feet tall it good to start with an aspirant who much larger than human average). Therefore it is usual for recruits to fall within the shallow end of the Ogryn cline, and to contain a high concentration of Dark Age artificial genes.

The Trails

Text (Ritual/ science and mumbo jumbo)

 The Trial of Desire

The selection process is enhanced with cultural manipulation of the legal systems. Those convicted of violent crimes (brigands, rage murderers) can demand ‘Ordeal by Combat'. In opposition the Executioner Champions are offered huge rewards to fight the most hardened, capable and blood thirsty of criminals. If two criminals want the Ordeal they may end up fighting each other!

If a criminal wins they are not executed but held in a cell to await judgment by a Chaplin of a Marine Chapter. If judged worthy (usually by not giving up after getting a good kicking) the ex-criminal becomes an aspirant (or dies).

Another aspect is that the executioner champions may also partition to become an Aspirant, though this is rare in comparison. However human curiosity and the drive for recognition often gets the better of even the greatest of men. Either way the Chapter takes those who they accept off-world for the next stage.

These are not the only methods used by the chapters by they are the most common.

Psalm Verse: Text I

The Trial of Fear (Phycho-conditioning)

Genetically re-engineered. The initiate is given a cocktail of Meganucleases (gene-cutters) that lengthens their Y chromosome into a new 'Z' chromosome, which then tricks the DNA's auto repair systems to convert the remaining X chromosome into another Z. this means the marine has two Z chromosomes (Z-Z), not like a man with X-Y or a woman with X-X. The process is not instantaneous and may take several days during which time the initiate will suffer a fever, sickness and hallucinations. Once the process is complete the initiate's sex chromosomes have been replaced with two Z chromosomes, however these new chromosome are not natural, and by design they rely on the first implant to orchestrate the whole conversion on continued running. The first implant is the Progenoids (used to be number 18), without this implant everything fails.

The initiate is fundamentally human and acts as a normal man*, however their body now produces a range of hormones and proteins that are mostly completely useless to the normal human body, and some that alter the perceptions of the initiate so they see things that aren't there and are prone to suggestion. These new proteins and hormones are designed to react with geneseeds, cultivated chimera cells that under the influence of the new hormones and proteins flourish into new organs that further modify the initiate's body.

[* If a marine attempts to have children, the child will inherit a single Z chromosome from the marine and an X from the mother. This combination is fatal to the developing foetus. The Z chromosome tries to convert the X chromosome during the early stages of development (as Z's have to be in pairs) and in so doing the whole bio-system suffers catastrophic cascade failure because their are no Progenoids to support and control the Z pair. This means a total lack of many fundamental hormones (no X or Y) important to foetal development, and a build up of alien hormones that a designed to affect and supercharge an adult body.]

Working with the sickness induced by the new hormones, the initiate is put through the ringer of madness until utterly broken. Then they are rebuilt and taught how focus, how to deal with pain. As they learn these lessons they are injected with geneseeds, which as they grow, the use the hormones and this in turn lifts the madness, restoring metal functioning. The initiate is then thrown into the Trial of Solitude.

Implants: Secondary 'Heart' geneseed implanted, Ossmodula geneseed implanted.

Psalm Verse: Text II

The Trial of Solitude (Implanting the Ossmodula and other implants)

On activating the Ossmodula (bone growth) organ a marine is bound into a automated traction cage his bones are cut and joint sockets are quartered and lined. As time passes the traction cage pulls the bone sections lengthen the gap between the cuts. New bone grows at the ends of the cuts constantly trying to make up the distance between surfaces. The ends of joints swell into the new socket linings, and planer and saddle joints are broadened. Any defects in growth are corrected with cultured replacements, such are the hip joints.

During this time the marine is in immense pain while on the 'rack' and are denied any type of pain relief drugs. To further stress the initiate they isolated from other marines and kept in total perceived solitude. Even in the case of surgery they are injected with a neural blocker and can't see or hear the surgeons, but the blocker doesn't stop all brain sensations they can feel is the pain as they are cut open and parts replaced. The only way to combat the excruciating pain and isolation is via the pain psycho-indoctrination techniques they learn as an initiate and this period in a marine's development enforces these methods of mind and pain control.

When the marine emerges, often many months or even years later they are in a very sorry state appearing to be no more that a stick man, the flesh they had on entering the trial being stretch to splitting to cover their vastly larger frame.

Implants: Secondary Heart continues to grow but is not operational (grows like a cancer), Ossmodula activated, Biscopea geneseed implanted.

Psalm Verse: Text III

Trail of Strength (full activation of the Biscopea) [Do not serve]

Once out of the trail of solitude the marine is physically weak all energy he absorbed during the trail was primarily converted to bone. Once out he can't even stand, it is then that the Biscopea is activated to start the rebuilding process and to bulk up. They are reunited with other marines and relentlessly trained, they pack on muscle as an alarming rate, and as they do so their aggressive and competitive instincts are nurtured to fuel the desire to succeed. It is then the marine understands the full magnificence of he new body, and he wants to test it to destruction.

Implants: Text

Psalm Verse: Text IV

The Trial of Skill [Serve as the Nameless]

As they reach maturity the training shifts more towards skill and the teaching of technique. During this time marines get to fight veterans and they see that even though they may be young and powerful the veterans show them the means of true power, the power of skill. As they learn with the veterans they are tested in various situations both real and simulated for their skills but also their mental capabilities. They learn more and more that their body means nothing and that it is their mind that is the true weapon.

Though they do not leave there Chapter's home world they do serve as guards of the Fortress Monasteries. There is an exceptionally high turn over of Neophytes of this level and the Fortes Monasteries are very well guarded!

Implants: Text

Psalm Verse: Text V

The Trial of Experience [Scouts]

They are put into scout units to get used to fighting as part of the marine force and to test their abilities in action. Those serving as Scouts are not full marines as the lack the Black Carapace. The scout units regularly take 'suicide' missions, and act as the chapter's eyes and ears. Lead by a Veteran Sergeant, a chapter hero of great renown, these scout learn first hand what it is to be an angel of the Emperor.

Implants: Text

Psalm Verse: Text VI

The Trial of Wisdom [Marine]

Once they have served as part of the scouts and achieve distinction of proved themselves beyond all doubt they undergo the final procedure and are implanted with the Black Carapace. The Black Carapace is the control interface for the Marines Power Armour, that allows them to function as though it where a second skin. These new Marines are put into the full marine units to replace losses, though usually they are transferred into the lower companies and work their way up through the ranks. It here that the undergo the continuing and never ending Trail of wisdom. This trail does not cease until they are dead or put deemed worthy at the end of their time and interred into a dreadnought. The dreadnought has completed all trials.

Implants: Text

Psalm Verse: Text VII

40K Threads of interest

Can Space Marines have kids?

Corresponding thread in the Anargo archive 'Marine geneseed'

Space Marines and their 'weapons'

Do Space Marines Fall In Love

3rd Lung question

The Last Three

Not all marines will complete these.

The Trial of Leadership [Sergeant]

Text [Command] progress to Terminator

Psalm Verse: Text VIII

The Trial of Faith [Terminator]

Text [Teleport] 1st Company initiation

Psalm Verse: Text IX

The Trial of Undeath [Dreadnought]

Text [Interred]

Psalm Verse: Text X

Adeptus Mechanicus

Text

Tech Primer Link

Armour (exoskeleton)

An Adamantium (CerMet) jointed superstructure, with inner skin (second hull) Plasteel bracing with MWB anchors, and Ceraform (ceramite) ablative armour plates. The Marine's armour is superior in effectiveness to modern day APC/ IFV. APCs like the M113 which have 12-28mm aluminium alloy armour, whereas the marine's armour is more akin to Cobham Armour found on main battle tanks (but thinner. The shoulders are up to 4" /100mm thick, (a T34 has 70mm, Tiger 100mm), so a marine has similar protection to a single seat humanoid medium tank!

This advanced armour allows the marine to endure tremendous volumes of fire, even heavy autocannon hits (25mm chaingun 'Bushmaster') in order to close and engage the enemy. Marines are incredibly tough to take down, and most weapons that can do the job are too clumsy to hit a fast and relatively small marine. Combined with the Bolter weapon system, the marine the toughest infantry in 40K!

MWBs (under-suit)

Text (Biology/ Muscle Wire Bundles)

Text (Input/ power)

Text (Attaching to exo)

Text (Gel/ self clean)

Text (Backpack Interface)

Covenet ['Auto-Sense'] (control interface)

Sense: The Covenet collects information form artificial sensors located around the armour, such as visual information from the 'eyes' of the helm, sound via the ear pieces, echolocation in the grill for dark space navigation, gravity sensors for orientation, and information from linked in subsystems such as the Bolter's vid feed. All these sensors are completely isolated from the marines own senses which are bypassed and fed directly to the Covenet to be processed and then pumped directly into the marine's mind.

Text (Black Carapace link up)

Covenet: See Bolter

Visions of God:The Covenet can implant ‘notice icons’ in 3D space, manipulation the reality of the marine. Instead of an ‘game’ icon popping up over an injured marine like a little ‘skull and crossed bones’, the Covenet puts in a fully rendered ‘angel of death’ or ‘Grim Reaper’ over the marine. This is a visual cue for the psycho-conditioning that all marine go through, and enhances performance by stirring religious fervour (imagine a Christian crusading knight seeing a real angel on the battle field). Instead of being nasty vision, I imagine something more like Sanguinius! The Primarch would be a living ‘angel’.

‘Lo, the angel of death is upon brother Markus!' or;

‘Lo, the angel of blood is upon brother Markus!’

This system be expanded, so that marines can see visions over important areas of the battle to alert them to act: golden rays of light streaming down from the heavens upon marines performing heroic deeds, fire and brimstone over where the enemy is breaking through, and the accessional divine visage of the Emperor himself!

This is all handled by the Covenet. This system. along with the associated psycho-conditioning, means that a Marine is never fazed when they see a real daemon, because they see ‘daemons’ and angels all the time.

Weapon systems Link

Backpack (Eco-Pack/ Terra-Pack/ Biome-Pack/ Vita-Pack/ LS*-Pack (* Life Support))

An ecosystem in a pack. The micro plasma core provides the ‘sun’ in a complex artificial environment that reprocesses all the waste generated by the marine providing full life support for extended missions. The back pack has to be quite large in order to offset the waste produced by the marine, and as the marine is quite a compact and advanced bio-system there is little scope to further reduce the size of the backpack eco-system.

Artificial bio-crystal organs are pumped full of photons form the core to expose micro cells full of autotrophic genetically engineered Algae/ Chloroplasts to photosynthesise waste air and water into starch, proteins and oxygen. The by-products are further processed and fed through two circulatory systems into the marine via back ports. The air to the lungs, and the vascular system carries the liquid food into the digestive track via the Preomnor implant.

Misc-Subsystems

Text (Vox)

Peripherals

Iron Halo: These ancient devices are part of the Iron Halo honours awarded to those who exemplify marine virtues. All leaders have this award, though there is a limit to the number of Iron Halos a chapter's artificers can embedded into armour, so not all marine will have the device.

P-field emitters are embedded in a loop around the neck armour and project a power field that covers the whole of the head. This allows the marine to forsake a helm in battle, yet suffer no ill effects. The power field is exceptionally tough, far stronger than the standard helm, and can survive direct hits from heavy weapons fire and sniper rifles (and sniper cannon). All auto-sense external sensors are moved to outer armour locations, the auto-sense system still creating a virtual reality and pumping it straight into the marine mind (it also collects data from other marines nearby, to build a far more detailed VR, and allows the wearer to see where all his troops are by ghosting walls etc.)

In all resects the marine is still isolated within the Iron Halo's field and can see out as light can not enter the field from outside, however light can pass from inside out and the inside of the field is illuminated with lights around the base of the neck, and the glow from the field give ample illumination of the face, so those outside can see the marine's expression and grim determination.

The field can trap air and is considered air tight.

Tactics [notes on idea]: Not only is it inspiring for marines to see the resolve etched into their commander's face, the living embodiment and true personification of marine ideas, but it also serves a tactical purpose: bullet magnet (!). It is often the case that marines deployed in areas where guerilla warfare is prevalent are taking on forces with inferior weapons. These weapons have a hard time penetrating marine armour, and many insurgents will simply run and hide, which makes hunting them down a real challenge (as they will not engage). This is a real problem because the marine's have a restricted timeframe, and most insurgent figure they just have to run and hide in order to 'win', because the marines can never stay (in most situations).

However when a freedom fighter/ terrorist sees the commander with a 'bare' head, the temptation to decapitate marine command (literally) is often so great that many will take a shot and expose their position. The same holds true of snipers. The shocking reality is that a marine is fast enough and accurate enough (even after being hit in the 'face' with a .50 caliber round) to counter-fire on a sniper taking a shot, his auto-sense can even tack incoming bullet trajectories and transmit that to other marines to zero in on the location.

This seemingly minor tactic of the Iron Halo can give an edge against an elusive enemy especially in 'diplomatic' situations. If someone wants to assassinate a marine commander or marine hero (Iron Halo) they will snipe the marine who has 'arrogantly' and 'contemptuously' forsook his helm. This exposes the truth of the situation to the marine.

Chapter Home Worlds

Once a world has been claimed by a chapter, and the claim approved by the High Lords of Terra, it comes under the chapters custodianship. The world is then completely separated from the usual command structures of the Imperium, and becomes an annex to the Imperium via the chapter. The world is still part of the Imperium but via the chapter, and the chapter is an autonomous army which is allied to the Imperium (Terra) and the Adeptus Mechanicus. The safety of the world from then on is the sole responsibility of the chapter.

Under a chapter rule, the marines are often portrayed as 'Demigods' (similar to old Greek myths of Hercules) due to their enhancement by the Emperor and vested with ultimate power of the state (similar to the Royal Prerogative). Though marines are quick to state they are not gods, the populations of their worlds continue to view them as such (and being secretive about the marine process doesn't help).

Text

Text

10 companies

Each chapters is made up of 10 companies.

Marines

Each Marine Chapter is made up of 1000 marines. Of these 900 are divided among the 9 of the chapter's 10 companies. The remaining 100 are made up of command units, Tech-marines, Apothecaries, Librarians, and act in support roles, leading scout units or train recruits back on their home world.

Scouts

The 10th company is made up of scouts. The scouts are not counted toward the 1000 marine total as scouts are not full marines (not having received the Black Carapace implant). A chapter can have any number of scouts as long as the are lead by a full marine (which limits the size). However, depending on the chapter and their activity there can be far more than 100 scouts in the 10th company. Often the scout company will be around 120-240 strong lead by 30 vets, but in prolonged campaigns with heavy losses this can increase to many hundreds. In these cases vet may lead up to 20 scouts each (30 vets = 600 scouts). Indeed the scouts can be considered a guerilla force/ army in their own right, and some chapters like the Black Templars have hordes of scouts and neophytes in the field, with regular marines take scouts into battle (seconds and such).

Armoured Personnel Carrier

Rhino: Light APC (Marine's M113)

Land Raider: Heavy APC (Marine's Combat Vehicle 90 (two welded together!)

Scout

Bike: Text

Land Speeder: Text

Main Battle Tank

Thunderhawk: Text (Marine's Challenger 2) Rapid response heavy tank, and heavy APC.

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