Bionics by rank question

[Blood Shadow]

I have always liked the Iron Hands but being rather poor at converting i have never tried to build an army, now i have some unmarked marines and i would be happy just to paint some marines in IH colours but i still would like to stick as close as possible to how the army would look so i have a question. I know the IH replace their left hand upon induction but where does it go from there? i have a few marines unhelmed that have bionics and a few that dont, those that dont are 3 centurion assault marines, a couple of tactical's and a librarian. Would it be accurate to paint these as IH still or would they likely have undergone the process of adding facial bionics by the time they get to their positions? Also how do the Iron Hands feel about librarians? are they used? I know this has been asked before but I cant find the post

[Iron Father Ferrum]

On the topic of Librarians, yes, the Chapter makes use of them.

 

On bionics, they aren't awarded for ranks.  They are used to replace limbs and organs that are mangled or otherwise lost in battle.  Sometimes, they replace perfectly good organs and limbs as well due to a genetic tic, a compulsion of sorts, that only "resets" whenever another piece of flesh is replaced with bionics.  As a result, the older an Iron Hand gets, the more bionics they will accrue.  There's no set order of augmentation.

 

Also, while most Space Marines don't wear battle plate over their bionics, it's not unheard of.  Just because a model has no physical augmentations doesn't mean it doesn't have bionics under the armor.

[Blood Shadow]

The bionics under the armour things is what i was going to go for, as it has always seemed strange to me that they wouldn't protect their limbs even if they aren't organic anymore.

​On the replacement of limbs i'd always thought they were more like the mechanicum, good to know that is not the case and my models will be usable. I will be glad to join the tenth, thank you

[Iron Father Ferrum]

There's actually an interesting bit in the Horus Heresy novel Master of Mankind where a Techpriest converses with a Blood Angel with bionics about why Space Marines don't generally armor their bionics.  I can dig up the specific passage if you're interested.

[Blood Shadow]

I would indeed be interested if its not too much trouble, thanks

[Iron Father Ferrum]

Found it.  From The Master of Mankind: War in the Webway by Aaron Dembski-Bowden.

 

 

 

 

"The truth is that I've always wondered about legionaries and their bionics," Land elaborated, evidently warming to the subject.  "You often leave them unarmored, yet reverently sheathe the rest of yourselves in ceramite.  Even statues of your kind show unarmored augmentation.  I can't say I've been interested enough until now to truly look into it.  I'd always assumed it was something pertaining to how bionics fail to interface with power armor."

 

"Primarily," Zephon agreed.  He felt the conversation getting away from him and wasn't certain he wished to catch up.  Of all the conversations to have, in all the places, with all the people who he might speak with.

 

"Primarily?" Land pressed.

 

"There is also an element of inspirational pride to the practice.  To present us as invincible, enduring warriors to the Imperium and its enemies.  To show that we overcome our wounds and fight on in the Emperor's name."

 

Land gave a wry sneer.  "Such cheap propaganda.  Like the legends of warriors that fought naked so as to show their courage before their allies and their fearlessness to their foes."

 

"There is perhaps an element of that as well," Zephon confessed.  "But as you said, it is largely a matter of interfacing with our armor."

 

 

 

And for the Iron Hands, the inspirational quality is probably the more important concept.  Even if their bionics could interface perfectly with their armor, they would probably still carry them about unarmored as a show of pride in just how mechanized they've become.  Within the Chapter, that's a huge mark of pride and respect.

[Blood Shadow]

how do those rare few that wear armour over their bionics function then if they cant interface with the armour? I know a marine can sill move in powerless armour though with difficulty, perhaps by the strength of the augmetic?

[Iron Father Ferrum]

Probably.  And besides, if any Chapter has developed a means to interface bionics with their armor correctly, it's the Iron Hands.  You also have to remember the most important rule of 40K fluff: the Rule of Cool.

[Blood Shadow]

The greatest rule of all. Thanks for the help