Sun Reaver

Based on what’s been teased so far, I think the Praetors of Ultramar have the potential to look really cool, though I may be a bit biased toward black-armored Space Marines. The Reborn, by comparison, feel like Ultramarines 2nd Company reskins.

Almost through Part 4 of The Dropsite Massacre, and I haven’t enjoyed a Heresy book this much in years. I burned myself out during the Siege. I’ve been stalled halfway through End and the Death Volume II for over a year, and I’m a Sanguinius fan, so maybe I’ve just been subconsciously delaying the inevitable. But this book pulled me right back to why I fell in love with the Heresy when I first picked up Horus Rising. @BlackChaplain's thoughts encapsulate how I generally feel about the book, but I wanted to share my two cents, as well. I know some people side-eye the idea of revisiting Istvaan V this late, after the whole series is already finished. Honestly, I think it was needed. The original presentation of the Massacre always bothered me. The Loyalist Legions walk straight into what looks, from the outside, like a painfully obvious trap. And across the early books, their perspectives were scattered across limited editions, audio dramas, and side arcs. It was “good enough” once everything finally got collected, but it never had the clarity or cohesion an event of this scale deserved. Candidly, it felt like a chore trying to pull all those pieces together. I think French fixed that for me. I finally understand why the fleets moved the way they did. It’s a real operational plan, argued over by primarchs who are trying to end a rebellion before it spreads, while still trying to process the fact that their own brothers have turned on them. The book gives shape to the confusion and the speed of the moment. You get why people made the choices they made. The pressure on Ferrus Manus feels is handled much better. He’s not an idiot, not a hothead, not a pawn. He’s trying to manage too much, too fast, in a situation no one in the Imperium has ever experienced on this scale. The shock and urgency is palpable. Things are headed out of control, and fast. For someone portrayed as so cold, I liked the vulnerability he showed when he questioned why he was propositioned by Fulgrim in the first place. I appreciated that depth compared to the "meltdown" it looked like he had in Fulgrim. I loved how fragile Horus' alliance felt. He's prepared, yes, but barely holding his brothers together. They're suspicious, resentful, and about two seconds away from tearing each other apart unless he gives them something to focus on. The knife-edge tension was great. It reminded me of the early Heresy books where the tragedy felt grounded, not cosmic. The book did what I wanted it to. It fills in the gaps and adds more color. I agree that it is essential reading moving forward. This book gives Istvaan V the narrative weight it always should have had. I’m not even done yet, and I’m already getting that old spark again. If it keeps this up, it’s going to end up being one of my favorite additions to the series. Plus, I love Ingo Pech so his scenes felt like the cherry on top.

Did someone say SWORDHAND?!?!?!

Now we know that first generation marines can indeed be transformed into Primaris.

Ah, all that makes sense, thank you for the clarification. I'll check out RoB tonight and see if I can come up with anything else. And no, it wasn't mean offensively. I appreciated the fact because everything you suggested worked perfectly and has made this process easier for me.

Thank you for the consideration and advice brothers. I will be going with Fel and Per. I also really like the gregarious personality type. I think it perfectly encapsulates the disarming and friendly vibe the marines tend to portray. Also a fan of the Swift as the Wind chapter demeanor. I think you may have just created my marine for me Steel. Is there a link to all the chapter demeanors? I have the core rule book and the two expansions (Rites of Battle and First Founding). Could I use any I deem fit? Thank you for the help so far fellow brothers of the watch!

Let's start with the +5 to two statistics. I have narrowed it down to the following: BS, T, Per, & Fel. Ballistic Skill seems like a bit of a selfish choice as I am playing a marine whose primary method of war involves a gun. However, my character could be a skilled shooter. The Emperor's Spears don't focus on assault or ranged specifically, they get the job done - hard and fast. Toughness makes sense in that even in the current timeline, the Emperor's Spears are stretched thin defending Elara's Veil. Having your chapter cover a region of space that was intended to be covered by 3 chapters can breed tough(er) warriors. Perception is more of a personal trait. I like to add a bit of myself to every character I play in role playing games, it adds to the fantasy and engagement. I'm an extremely perceptive individual, whether it is noticing things physically or understanding an underlying meaning. I pride myself on it. Lastly, there is fellowship. I think this one is a bit of me and a bit Emperor's Spear. Personally, another defining characteristic is that I am loyal. I would do anything for my friends and in turn, they would do the same. To help put things in perspective, I have had the same group of core friends since elementary school (k-5) and I am 26 now. The camaraderie and familiarity that the chapter shares with one another is quite similar. They prank each other, laugh, fight, make up, and would die for each other. And yes, other chapters may engage in similar manners but not like the Spears. The informality and personal connection they share with one another is truly something special. At the moment I am leaning towards BS and Fel. However, I would love your opinions. Any recommendations? Edit: clarification.

Thank you for all the feedback and wisdom brothers. I will be playing as Battle Brother Aodhan, Tactical Marine from the 5th Warhost of the Emperor's Spears.

So many options! Hmm, I’m thinking either a tactical marine or an apothecary. Would I be able to work my way up to a Chaplain if I chose the latter? Due to the unique role of Druids in the chapter, I’m thinking being an apothecary and not a techmarine doesn’t make much sense. If that ends up being the case, as I’d like to not over complicate things, my choices then boil down to either a tactical marine or asssult marine, despite the fact that we got plenty of the second option already.

Steel Company is bang on. I’ve also read ADB’s latest book on them so I have a strong understanding of their organization and chapter culture. They hail from the ocean planet, Nemeton. The people of their planet and the marines interact quite regularly though they hide their sons from the marines as they are afraid of their sons being taken. They hide their sons from the marines and instruct them to avoid their gaze. Most parents with sons are openly uncomfortable and make signs of warding or even spit on the ground. My favorite part is they view being selected by the marines as a curse rather than an honor. The planet has 12 tribes and all have had their young sons join the chapter at some point. When the marines communicate with one another, they call each other the name of the tribe from which they hail. It’s also a greeting in a way. For example, if a brother who originally hailed from the Vargantes tribe walked into a room, another brother could respond with ‘Hail Vargantes.’ The marines are also quite direct and frequently insult one another in a fraternal manner. Imagine a bunch of your closest friends in a room taking shots at one another. It’s all in good sport and quite humorous. They also seems to dislike the Ultramarines and their more stringent successors. They refer to Guilliman as fake and a monster pretending to be their dead primarch. Their chapter master is High King Arucatas (might be incorrect spelling, going off memory) and their companies are called Warhosts. Members of their first company are called Paragons, they have given up their right to ascend the ranks and focus on being the best fighters in the chapter. Their librarians, technarines, chaplains, and apothecaries roles are combined into one and refered to as Druids. In the novel, both Druids mentioned have both the tools of an apothecary and techmarines. One of them held a crozius while the other had a psychic hood and force weapon. They are aggressive, but not foolhardy. They specialize in rapid orbital deployments and air to ground warfare. They often redeploy quickly during engagements. Their battle cry means ‘redden the earth.’ The chapter uses red markings and tattoos to symbolize their deeds. Could be other meanings as well. The marines also have pelts, trinkets, scales hides, and other paraphernalia that have been gifted to them from the people of Nemeton. They are part of the Astartes Vaelarii which consists of the 3 space marine chapter sworn to protect the region known as Elara’s Veil. The other two chapters are the Celestial Lions and the Star Scorpions (now deceased). Hope that helps!

Brothers, been reading through the thread and man this stuff is awesome. If there is room on the squad, I would love to join. Hoping to represent a marine of the Emperor's Spears - I can fill any role required. Skovakarah uhl zarûn!

Back after quite the hiatus - can someone explain the phenomena known as 'Captain Smash'?

So in order to get these out more regularly, I will be going into less detail but still will ensure the major points are covered. Truthfully, I haven’t been able to put the book down - I kind of read a bunch of chapters at once lol. Chapter 4: A greater darkness

Sorry for the delay but as promised, as I read the chapters, I will summarize them for those who have not gotten the chance to pick up the book or can’t. As a side note, it has been really hard to not click on these spoilers tags lol. Also low key upset that the new successor chapter introduced in chapter 3 is extremely similar in name and color scheme to my home brew in the Liber .....

Seriously though, I really don’t mind. I’ve dedicated Saturday to reading it anyways :D