Warhammer 40,000 Codex (plural "codices", but "codexes" is also occasionally used) is the name of a source book for Warhammer 40,000 armies and factions containing background information, pictures, and rules. As the terrible encroaching darkness descended upon the galaxy, the Primarch enacted his ultimate contingency plan, which had long been put into motion by Guilliman 100 standard centuries past. This plot device is often used to rationalise a bad idea or as an unimaginative way to explain a potentially interesting Chapter characteristic. The Ultramarines themselves follow the codex to the letter, and this is true of other Ultramarines Successors who strive to follow their example. Female Marines come up every so often, frequently like buses in batches. This is largely because Chapters with such a set have been around for a long time or have something exceptional about them that sets them apart from the bulk of Chapters and calls for a set of unique rules. Oftentimes the finished scrimshaws are worn as jewelry and ornamentation, particularly by the Chapter's officers. Warhammer 40k. 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. a Forge World (or any other world governed by the servants of the Omnissiah. In surviving the Blood Duel, the Battle-Brother was truly gifted by fate, for dozens fell on the bloody field so that he might take his place as a Neophyte. 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. However, with subsequent Foundings, the High Lords of Terra have always favored the Ultramarines' gene-seed and created many new Codex Chapters from their proud lineage. The Space Wolves' dream of emulating the Ultramarines, Imperial Fists and the other First Founding Chapters in the creation of a legion of Successors seemed close at hand. They wear specially painted black Power Armour, and are often led by the few Chapter officers, notably Blood Angels Chaplains, who are still able to communicate orders to the insane troops and who are still obeyed by them, perhaps because Chaplains directly represent the authority of the Emperor. Battle-Brothers that underwent a Hunting the Hunter Trial before being accepted in the ranks of their Chapter's Neophytes are utterly relentless when hunting their foes, and will continue a hunt long after others might give up on ever locating its target. Countless races have erected settlements that have in some cases grown to encompass entire continents. The Black Templars, for example, excel at close combat at the expense of long-range capacity. Abe Apfel. Below is a list of some of the most common deeds of legend accomplished by your Chapter's most venerated heroes: The Imperium utilises a a classification system that determines the types of allegiance that is shown by each individual Chapter. A divergent Chapter is one that strays from the Codex Astartes, but not by a huge degree. For true aggression and nigh-psychotic killer-instinct, however, few recruits can best the murderous city-scum that roam the darkest pits of the Imperium's many Hive Worlds. When the Chapter has less need of new material, the Trials may continue until only one battered and bloody challenger remains, the corpses of his enemies carpeting the ground before him. There are plenty of Chapters that prefer to maintain their secrecy and isolate themselves from nearby populations. Many worlds with thick forest growth also qualify. Space Wolves exhibit a fierce sense of loyalty to their comrades in arms and this is on occasion extended to their compatriots in other branches of the Imperium's military. Though the Imperial Fists are the best known practitioners of this type of Trial, many other Chapters use it too, especially those that recruit from feral societies with strong shamanic tendencies. Gene-seed plays little role in defining the character of a Chapter, so creating your own Primarch will only lead to your chapter losing credibility. Ice-bound Fenris, the home world of the Space Wolves Chapter, is a frozen waste riddled with active volcanoes, and produces some of the hardiest Aspirants in the Imperium. The categorisation "Civilised World" describes a wide range of societies and technology levels, but in general such worlds will be a functioning part of a larger sector, with trade links to nearby worlds. There are approximately a thousand Chapters spread across the galaxy and only the priests of the Adeptus Terra have anything approaching a complete catalogue of these units and their heraldry. This is both insulting and highly unlikely. 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. The Successors of the Legion maintain especially close relations, their officers all being members of the Inner Circle. All 7th Edition expansions were superseded by 8th Edition. The only exception to this rule would be the creation of a newly Founded Ultima Founding Primaris Space Marine Chapter, as Archmagos Belisarius Cawl, the primary creator of the Primaris, was able to derive gene-seed from every First Founding Legion, which includes the lineage of Russ. One must be careful to not make these rivalries too heavy on strife between the various Chapters. Gene-seed cultured in haste is wont to degrade or mutate, and a myriad of other factors might lead to the entire process going awry. If you would like to expand upon the Grey Knights, you could write about a special detachment within the Chapter or something equally interesting. This can cause them to go insane prior to or during battle and feel the rage that Sanguinius himself felt during the Battle of Terra. Keep in mind, High Gothic is basically pseudo-Latin, so there isn't an exact translation per se. Targets are selected so as to cause maximum disruption of enemy command and control nets, with precision strikes called against leaders and communication nodes so that once coherent armies are reduced to disparate masses of uncoordinated and utterly demoralised mobs. It is often said that in the dark future of the 41st Millennium there is only war. The simplest and most common names feature an attributive adjective, followed by the noun (such as "Dark Angels" or "Crimson Fists"). The events an Aspirant experiences during that trial will live on in their hearts and minds for the rest of their lives. The only exception to this rule, is when a Chapter is forced to make such an alliance, it shall only be with Craftworld Eldar or the Tau Empire. At the conclusion of a Trial in which a prisoner is taken, it is common for the Aspirant to be required to slay his captive, often before his people in a highly ritualised deed akin to a ceremonial sacrifice. When fighting in defence, the Space Marines identify the point the enemy is most likely to assault, and hold it come what may. This is an oft-used, lazy plot device that is commonly used by new writers in one of two ways, either to make a Chapter skip a few centuries, to avoid centuries worth of backstory and campaigns to write about, as well as to explain away why one of their Chapter's companies split from their parent Chapter, to eventually become their own separate Chapter. They still chant Catechisms of Hate as they go into battle, and they will still kill anyone or anything that opposes the will of the Emperor. The members of the Death Company are then sent out to perform the most dangerous assaults, hoping for a quick and honourable death in combat. The exact opposite of those who revere the purity of the human form, there are those Chapters that believe that the flesh is weak and that only steel can withstand both time and the rigours of eternal war. Although unwavering in their faith in the Emperor of Mankind and His dream of human unity as embodied in the Imperium of Man, the Iron Hands also believe that human flesh is weak and easily corruptible, and strive to replace their organic bodies with more "pure" bionic substitutes, thus closely emulating the faith of the Adeptus Mechanicus' Cult of the Machine. When the Chapter's genetic curse manifests in one of its Battle-Brothers, it usually progresses in three stages. Codex Supplements have their parent faction noted in brackets. Because they tend to recruit from a variety of sources, Fleet-based Chapters are more unlikely than any other type to inherit the ways of the communities it recruits from. The right pauldron displays the Squad Specialty Badge, which indicates the specialty of the squad (Tactical, Assault, Devastator or Veteran) the individual Astartes belongs to as well as the number of his squad within his company. Those who fail may be lucky to even survive, for many trials take the form of ritual combat, the hunting of a great beast, or the performance of incredibly dangerous feats of strength and bravery. 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. Warhammer 40K Codex Supplement: Deathwatch. many years. They can look out across an ocean of seething alien monstrosities and not experience a single moment's doubt, for they have faced such odds before, and emerged victorious. Where the Space Marine Legions had once served as the Imperium's primary frontline military forces, that role was given over to the newly created Imperial Guard, which had been created from the remains of the Imperial Army in the wake of the Heresy. The population of a Medieval World is organised into relatively stable nation states, with complex webs of vassal obligations linking extended groupings. While Rogal Dorn was lost to the Imperium in the years following the Horus Heresy, his legacy remains amongst the strongest of all of the Primarchs', and thus, next to the valiant Ultramarines, possess some of the most Successor Chapters to carry on Dorn's legacy of courage, valour and supreme sacrifice. They just aren't nice. Inside this book, you'll find: - The history of the Space Marines, with a look at how these genetically engineered warriors annihilate the enemies of the Emperor with terrible . 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. Warhammer 40K: Is GW Secretly Working On A Traitor Guard Army? Chapters such as the Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Space Wolves and White Scars utilise different organisational structures, idiosyncratic terminology, specialised ranks, as well as maintaining long-ingrained traditions of their own individual cultures. The Imperial Fists engage in ceaseless duels against one another, sometimes to settle a point of honour but more often to test themselves and their swordsmanship. When possible, many Space Marine assaults are precluded by a bombardment staged by strike vessels or battle barges in orbit over an enemy position, softening up the resistance and hampering the foe' swill and ability to fight. 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. Known and feared throughout the Imperium of Man for their highly mobile way of war, the White Scars are considered the masters of the lightning strike and hit-and-run attack and are particularly adapted to the use of the Astartes Assault Bike as their mechanical steeds and their forces contain an unusually large number of Bike Squads compared to other Chapters.