Rogue Trader

I was originally holding this section back until the AoD was finished, but it's become relevant to the onging story line (in particular the intro to Round Four), so here we go... +++ Jarrett groaned involuntarily as he futilely tried to shift the huge weight pinning his crushed arm. The Sorcerer

+++ Jarrett racked the under-slung grenade launcher attached to his bolter and fired, sending a grenade arcing high over the traitor's head. It struck the base of the only wall still standing and exploded with a sharp crack! He smiled as the already weakened rockcrete groaned in protest, and slowly collapsed inwards. The Chaos Marine crouched, twisting and raising a spread hand towards the falling wall. A blue glow surrounded his outstretched arm and the collapsing wall shuddered and stopped, hovering above the Night Lord's head. A Sorcerer! The traitor was a damned Sorcerer! Swearing under his breath, Jarrett knelt, flicked the selector switch on his boltgun to full-auto, and opened fire. +++ Xamot stifled a giggle as the Legionnaire sprayed explosive bolts at him. He lived for these moments - the raw energy of the warp flowed through him, arcing across his armour and filling his veins with white hot power. Every nerve in his body was on fire, every sense so sharp it was almost too much to bear. Nothing in the universe could harm him now, most certainly not the feeble weapons this puny servant of the Corpse carried. With a leisurely flick of the wrist Xamot waved the bolts aside, hearing them spatter the rubble behind him. Another gesture sent slabs of rockcrete flying through the air at the Legionnaire, slamming him to the ground, smashing the weapon from his hands and glancing off the weeping eye emblazoned on his shoulder pad. Waving a massive block of rockcrete into the air, Xamot sent it spinning through the air towards the prostrate Grief Bringer. He held it over the Marine for a few moments before releasing his mind's grip and letting it fall, crushing the Marine's outstretched right arm... +++ Rhadamanthys slowed from his headlong pursuit of the Raptor as a strange feeling washed over him. Kruitzfeldt had mentioned there might be some temporary side effects from the psychic cleansing the Librarian had given him after the mental and spiritual assault in the gardens of the Governor's mansion. He'd been sensing things - things he couldn't quite find the right words to explain. It was almost as though parts of another reality was overlapping with this one - he couldn't quite see or hear them, but they were definitely there and he could feel them somehow... Right now, the hairs on the back of his neck were rising. A sense of building pressure - of murderous intent - was emanating from the direction of the Night Lords' ambush, back the way he had just come. The young Brazen Claw hesitated, torn between pursuing the Raptor and the sense of urgency pulling him back towards the ambush site. He looked up, scanning the sky; there was no sign of the Raptor's trail, so it looked like the decision had been made for him. Carefully slotting a new magazine into his treasured bolt pistol, Rhadamanthys turned and began to retrace his steps. +++

About time to finish this, since we started it back in 2004 :lol: For those of you who can't remember what's happening (all of you, I expect!), there's a handy catch up guide at the start of this post. +++ Whumpf! The distinctive sound of a meltabomb – the tight, inwardly directed explosion – echoed across the rooftops, followed moments later by a deep, ominous rumble. Jarrett watched in disbelief as the building across the alley disappeared from view, to be replaced by a rapidly expanding cloud of rockcrete dust. Moving cautiously to the edge of the parapet, Jarrett looked down at the pile of rubble, then back up at the fast vanishing Raptor – there was no way he'd be able to keep up now, not by the time he'd made his way to ground level and back up to the rooftops of the Manufactorum the other side of the ruins. The crash of rubble moving drew his attention down again, to see a Chaos Marine pushing his way out from under the fallen masonry. Jarrett glanced round the rooftop, spotting an ancient rusted stair that led to ground level. The Emperor must be smiling on him - he’d be descending hidden from the traitor’s view by the corner of the building, and be in a perfect position to surprise the Night Lord… +++ Xamot Hell smirked as he pulled himself free of the remains of the building. There was no way Cain’s devices could have survived that! Still, it wouldn’t do to gloat too much – not yet anyway – as the darkened city was still crawling with the accursed Legionnaires and, as indomitable as Xamot knew his own mighty powers to be, he didn’t want to run into any of those black-clad marines right now, no, that wouldn’t do at all. It occurred to the Sorcerer that, whilst demolishing the building was the only certain means to preventing the idiot Cain’s surveillance of him, it might also have attracted attention from any servants of the corpse god that might be in the area. Xamot squinted at the surrounding streets, seeing no sign of life, but that tickling sensation at the back of his skull wouldn’t fade. Closing his eyes, he unleashed his wyrd-sense, searching for any flicker of light in the darkness that would indicate a living soul. The rats scurrying through the sewers below were like miniature torches, spluttering and spitting with the latent psychic energy all living organisms shared. Extending his senses towards the awaiting shuttle he could feel the retreating Night Lords, their soul-lights polluted and oily. There was the bright shining light of the Legionnaire – the Brazen Claw - who had been chasing the Raptor through the streets, turning back now, unable to keep pace with his quarry. There was a squad of Legionnaires, too far to be any problem, and there was… Xamot’s eyes snapped open, his hands grasping at his weapons as the Legionnaire stepped round the corner of the building, his boltgun levelled… +++

Nope that's the Imperial Navy's job. Space Marines most likely in the evac situation would make it their job to hit the areas where the Tyranids were overwhelming the defenders positions. Actually, that's not at all true - there is a long history of Marine Chapters carrying out boarding actions on Tyranid vessels in space, as far back as the 'nids have been around. :o

Sounds an awful lot like SCC's take on the Brazen Claws :P

By the same token, you don't have to blow it out of proportion ;) It is only the name of a tank, and it could very well just mean Iron Destroyer, but it never hurts to throw the idea out there and knock it about a bit, see what interesting spin it might give you on the ideas you already have :P

Useless fact for War Bearers: The Whirlwind Hyperios attached to the first company is called 'Ferrus Annihilatus' [from Imperial Armour: Vol II] Not so useless conclusion: Could they be successors of the Iron Hands, hence the reference to Ferrus (manus)?

Leaving Aurelius' excellent 13 hours ahead flash forward, we return to the current 'now' of the Legio's battle on Alcmene... Gritting his teeth against the pain, Jarrett forced himself into a shambling run across the darkened rooftop. It was ten feet across the alleyway to the next building, maybe a shade less - normally no problem for a warrior of the Adeptus Astartes. But now, every step sent white-hot shards of pain up through his aching joints, and his battered armour's servomotors whined in protest as he build up speed. Reaching the parapet bordering the roof, Jarrett hurled himself from the edge, stretching out to the building on the far side of the alley. He made the distance - barely - and landed badly, his left knee buckling under him. Raising his eyes to the night sky, he could just make out the jump pack flares of the retreating traitors. They were pulling away, leaving him struggling to keep them in sight, but keep them in sight he must, if Cain was to be stopped. +++ The Raptor leapt from rooftop to rooftop, his twin pistols holstered, his empty hands outstretched. For ten thousand years he had fought the Long War. He had killed servants of the Corpse God on countless worlds, stalked endless battlefields. Yet nothing, nothing in all those years, gave him the same exhilaration that he got from flying. The jerk of the harness as the jump pack kicked, the sudden weightlessness, the rush of the air on his face - he would never wear a helmet, never be denied the cold sting of the air, the tears forced from his eyes... Glancing over his shoulder mid-leap, he caught a glimpse of an armoured shape racing through the streets below, the sunburst of muzzleflash in the darkness. The brief incandescence of the bolt igniting revealed black armour, a claw emblazoned on one red and blue shoulderpad. It was one of those accursed Legionnaires; a brother of the Brazen Claws if he remembered the insignia correctly. He'd be easy enough to lose, there was no chance a marine on foot in the maze of streets below could keep up with a jump-pack equipped Raptor on the rooftops. The important thing right now was the experience - the rush of the air, the flare of the attitude jets as he came in for his landing... the Raptor cursed, that execrable wyrd was standing right in his landing zone staring vacantly into space. +++ Xamot Hell started violently as one of Cain's minions narrowly missed slamming into him before leaping in to the air towards the next building. The idiot Raptor barely seemed in control of his jump pack, typical of the fools that cretin Cain surrounded himself with. That would certainly change when he became Lord of the 17th Legion of Fear, oh yes... he would pick only the very best warriors from the ranks of the Night Lords to be his Lieutenants. Well... not the very best, of course, that would be foolish, for they would surely covet control of the Legion just as Xamot himself did... No, the very best would be sent out to face the strongest enemies he could find, and hopefully get themselves killed in the process, thus neatly removing two problems with one deft stroke of his masterful intellect. Yes, that was the way - select those bright enough to appreciate how masterful he was, but not so bright that he wouldn't be able to foresee their ill-planned attempts at treachery. Oh no, he wouldn't make the same mistake Noctus had... Xamot sniggered to himself, then glanced round suspiciously. An imbecile dolt Cain might be, but the Lord of the 17th Legion of Fear had spies everywhere. Xamot was good at spotting them though, yes, he could spot them easily. He squinted, carefully surveying every inch of the rooftop, examining every shadow, every piece of architecture, looking for Cain's emissary. There! He'd almost missed it the first time, but yes... yes! He could see it now - it was so obvious once you knew what to look for - every other chimney on the roof was broken or shattered, but this one, oh, that fool Cain had slipped up this time, yes, this one was perfect, intact, untouched by the battle. It doubtless contained vox- and pict-corders, planted there by one of Cain's lackeys in an attempt to catch Xamot out. Xamot pulled a frag grenade from his belt, looked at the chimney then clipped the grenade back in place... No, a frag grenade might leave some of the spy-eyes intact, and that wouldn't do at all. He reached under his robes, pulled out a meltabomb, and stood weighing it in his hand and looking at the chimney with a speculative gaze. Yes, this was better, a meltabomb would do the trick nicely. Xamot sniggered again as he carefully attached the device to the chimney. He paused, and retrieved another meltabomb from the depths of this robes - one would do the trick, but two... yes, two would make sure there was none of Cain's spy-eyes left... +++

Glad you're enjoying it angel of darkness - must say I'm enjoying writing it again :( +++ Danvers hauled himself up, seeing the melta gun pointed in Castor

+++ Jarrett dropped to the ground as the world exploded around him. The sound of weapons fire was abruptly muffled as his armour

Make sure it pleases you, not us :)

As anyone who has ever decided to create their own DIY Chapter knows, the hardest part is finding something original, characterful and that hasn't been done a million times before. This list is intended to help DIY creators, old and new, to avoid some of the pitfalls and cliches that have grown up over the years and create characterful chapters that integrate into the 25 years of established fluff since, after all's said and done, that's what makes WH40k the game it is today. The list is not intended to be hard and fast rules, rather, to paraphrase Captain Barbosa: "...it's more what you'd call 'guidelines' than actual rules." ;) In fact, there are occasions when breaking some of the 'fluff laws' of 40k can actually prove to be worthwhile, and result in the creation something truly unique... I'd like to thank all the members of the B&C who made useful contributions to the original discussion that led to the formulation of this list - it can be found in the Frateris Librarium here +++ List updated 22/04/05 - Aurelius Rex +++ The Do's of DIY Creation. As before, these are not actual rules, rather, more what you'd call 'guidelines'. That said, the two Golden Rules are the closest you'll come to hard and fast rulings... Golden Rule no 1: Do be as original as possible. It?s often said that there are no original ideas, someone, somewhere will always have thought of the exact same thing you have. But, that doesn?t meant you can?t have an original DIY chapter. It?s fine to be inspired by an existing official chapters, a book, a film, a period of history, a culture or whatever. Do try not to copy the idea wholesale; add something, take something away, twist it about a little, you might surprise yourself with what the end result is... Golden Rule no 2: Do be prepared to accept criticism of your ideas, and to revise your IA accordingly. Liber Astartes is all about the feedback. The whole point of this forum is to share your fledgling idea for a DIY with other people who are in a similar situation, and thereby to get as many different views on your work as possible. You don?t have to take all the advice you?re given, you don?t even have to like it, but there?s really no point posting in the first place if you aren?t willing to at least consider some the ideas generated by the community. In general, most members are trying to help by providing feedback, so try to remember that. By the same token, I expect anyone who does provide feedback to make an effort to provide constructive criticism rather than simply labelling an idea as poor or worthless... Your DIY is your baby, we all understand that ? we?ve all been in the same situation :) But it?s important to try not to get stuck on an idea long after it's potential has faded - don't be afraid to abandon an idea or rework it to fit at a later date. At worst you can always use the idea for your next DIY. A good IA will grow as you write it, taking on a life of it's own, don't be afraid to let it grow up... Do have a definite theme for your DIY chapter, and follow it through The hardest but most vital thing about creating a DIY Chapter is theming it, giving the Chapter a unique identity or purpose, and then weaving this theme into every aspect of their character. Once the chapter theme has been identified, then you can consider how every aspect of your Chapter from name, homeworld, history, combat doctrine, organisation, relationships and battlecry can be tied into it. By doing this, the chapter becomes more realistic, and in fact easier to write, rather than being just a collection of disparate ideas thrown together. Similarly, if you have an idea that you love, but it simply doesn't fit into the 'storyline' of your chapter, then put it aside for use later. Its time will come in another project. Do read as much background material as you can get your hands on. This is obvious, but the more you read, the more you will come to understand what is and isn?t possible within the framework laid down by GW for the 40k universe, and thus you will be able to write a chapter background that is not only plausable, but fluffy as well, and there?s no better feeling than creating a polished IA that fits seamlessly into the 40k universe. Do specific research related to your chapter. Find out all you can about the sector you?re basing your chapter in. Find out what events occurred in that sector, what planets there are, what enemies your chapter is likely to face? Find out about the geneseed of the original Legion your chapter is using, is there anything unusual about the geneseed ? a minor mutation to one of the organs (Raven Guard), or organs missing (Imperial Fists)? Do a rough outline of your ideas first Creating a good IA is a holistic process, and as one part develops, it may inspire ideas that directly affect other areas of the IA. To this end it?s better to try and develop the IA as a whole, rather than spending time perfecting, say, the Homeworld section before moving on combat doctrine, only to find that you have an idea whilst writing the tactical summary that requires changes to the homeworld? It never hurts to get the basics down to start off with: - What geneseed are they? - What founding were they? - What is their chapter symbol/colour scheme? - What is their Homeworld like, and what is the culture of the homeworld? (ie is it a Hive World, a Feral World, a Death World etc) - Where in the Imperium are they based? (It may help define the kind of enemies they face most often.) - What is their Combat Doctrine like? (do they prefer Close Combat or ranged fighting?) - What is their Organisation like (do they follow the Codex or are they a bit different?) - What is their Belief System? Do keep it simple You can?t beat simple ideas. A simple idea that is well written is infinitely preferable to a less well concieved and executed concept. In addition it's actually easier to write about a simple idea which is a nice bonus. You may also find that once you have the simple basics down, the ideas start to grow of their own accord into something more complex. Do let the fluff dictate the traits, not vice versa. Write your IA, then decide which traits fit into the fluff afterwards. It?s vastly preferable to do it this way round than trying to fit the background of your chapter to your favourite traits ? you?ll end up with a skewed version of your original vision of the chapter as you try and twist the fluff to fit. The last thing you want to do is put the time and effort into writing a comprehensive IA, just to find that you?re really not that happy as it doesn?t match up with what you originally wanted? Do use a stable geneseed Established fluff dictates that 2/3rds of chapters are created using UM geneseed, with the Imperial Fist geneseed being second most common. White Scar, Salamander and Iron Hands are all used regularly, whereas Raven Guard and Blood Angel are rarely used due the genetic abnormalities inherent in their gene seed. Similarly, the Dark Angel gene seed is rarely used, and the Space Wolf gene seed has never been used since the creation of the Wolf Brothers in the 2nd Founding. Do remember that ambiguity in the right place can be a good thing Ambiguity, conjecture, conspiracy theories... when done in the right way it can lend an air of mystery to your chapters history. It is a way of inserting a juicy plot-hook into the story to tickle the reader. For instance, people still ask about the missing two legions, there is conjecture about Inquisitorial / Assassin involvement in the Celestial Lions downfall during the Third War for Armageddon and the destruction of the Crimson Fists Fortress-Monastery, and those metal hands that Ferrus Manus got - were they from fighting a C'Tan? Like a magician, don't reveal all your secrets. Do obviously make them heroic, but still make them believable. Your chapter is the focus, the 'heroes' if you will, and clearly their deeds and battles have to be portrayed in a positive light, but always make sure you keep it believable. If you say that they annihilated a traitor legion force of vastly superior numbers for virtually no losses, and then beat up Abaddon, gave him a wedgie and stole his Daemon-Sword, then you have failed to maintain the suspension of disbelief, and expect 'Yeah, right!' to be the response. ;) Do use a GW chapter if you want to GW creates countless chapters and often never touches them again, providing the ideal opportunity for the novice DIY?er to take up the reins. These chapters can be broken down into two types: The ?established chapters? - those where a name, colour scheme and some fluff exists ? the White Consuls for example) and the simple ?name and colour scheme? chapter (like many of those in Insignium Astartes or this online directory for example). One important caveat when taking up an ?official? GW chapter is to be prepared for the fact that GW might one day 'resume transmission' for your Chapter, fleshing them out and throwing all your hard work straight out the window. If that?s something you?re prepared to risk, then developing one of these chapters can be a truly rewarding experience. The Don't's of DIY Creation Gene-seed Don?t claim your chapter is founded from traitor gene seed. There?s simply no reason to do this, the Imperium has plentiful stocks of loyalist gene seed, and although they have stocks of the traitor gene seed, they are kept under time locked stasis seals. Of course there?s no reason you can?t have your chapter unaware of the origin of their gene seed (through loss or destruction of chapter records, for example), and instead hint (but without ever explicitly stating) that maybe they might have been created using a traitor geneseed? Don't use Space Wolf gene-seed for your chapter. This goes along the lines of using Traitor legion gene-seed for foundings. Only one other chapter to use the SW gene-seed, the Wolf Brothers, and they are no longer in existence. After this, the use of SW gene-seed was forbidden. The only fluffy way you can get away with SW gene-seed is by creating a Cursed (21st) or Dark (13th) Founding chapter, but it is highly unlikely that they would know who their gene-seed is from. It's easier to use the SW rules and come up with some other explination for their rules. Rename equipment and come up with a new idea why they have the rules they do. Don't claim your Dark Angels successor chapter hunts the Fallen. The established fluff clearly states that only the Unforgiven chapters (the DAs and their second founding chapters) are aware of the Fallen's existence. None of the 3rd founding or later chapters are aware of the Fallen. Your chapter is no exception. If you use the DA rules, there are plenty of reasons to provide an alternative fluff explanation for the ?Hunt the Fallen? rules. Just be creative. [edit] Since the publication of the 4th Ed Codex: Dark Angels, all DA successor chapters now hunt the Fallen (a 180o turn around from previous fluff, so disregard the above suggestion :huh: RT [/edit] Don?t mix or tamper with gene seeds. Mixed/combined geneseed is a bad idea, those few occasions where manipulation of the geneseed has occured have resulted in bad thing happening to the Chapter in question (look at the Relictors or Lamenters, for example). Gene seed is the holiest of holies, it is part of the Primarch himself which is implanted into a Marine and makes him truly superhuman. To dilute or manipulate holiest remnants of the Primarch is surely the highest heresy possible. The only real occasion you can get away with combined geneseed is by creating a Cursed (21st) or Dark (13th) Founding chapter, and even then, I?d recommend against it. Don't say that your Chapter has solved the Curse of Sanguinius. The Sanguinius geneseed affects its recipients more than any other type. As well as their great longevity, they are cursed by the Black Rage and Red Thirst which has thwarted their Apothecaria for ten thousand years. While the ill-advised geneseed splicing of the Cursed Founding moderated the effects, it had its own serious side effects. Blood Angels successors are most suited to Blood Angels Codex rules rather than traits unless you have a really good explaination of how they have defeated the Curse of Sanguinius. Chapter Origin Don?t claim that your chapter is one of the missing legions. Part of the charm of the 40k Universe is that we don't know everything, we don't know what happened to the two missing legions, we don't even know why all records of the two legions were destroyed. That's good though, and GW knows better than any of us that if they told us every little detail, and didn't keep some mysteries, people would lose interest pretty quickly. Don?t claim your chapter is a loyal remnant of a Legion that turned traitor in the Heresy. It?s a safe bet that any remnants of a traitor Legion that showed up in Imperial space today would be met with all guns blazing, and wouldn?t last long enough to have the chance to convince anyone they were still loyal? Don?t claim your chapter is from the 2nd founding. GW have the 2nd Founding locked down ? the only leeway is with the UM 2nd Founding chapters ? the Apocrypha of Skaros claims 23 successor chapters were formed from the UM, but GW has only named about 15 of them. Chapters are not formed from lost/forgotten companies. Any company or detachment of a chapter lost or forgotten by the parent chapter does not get to create their own chapter just because they paint their armour a different colour and change their name. A company of Dark Angels separated from the Chapter for however long, are still Dark Angels, and would simply be reabsorbed when they made contact with the Rock.. Don't claim your Chapter was created whole from another Chapter. Having a cadre of Marines from Chapter X form the command nucleus of Chapter Y is reasonable, but a Chapter building up to the point where 1000 Marines break off to form another Chapter just isn't going to happen... Don?t claim your chapter was created by (fill in your favourite Primarch here) in secret before the Heresy. It just wouldn?t have happened. Before the Heresy, marines were formed into Legions. Why would any Primarch choose to dilute his power rather than simply add more men to his Legion? More to the point, with 20 Legions in existence, there was no need for ?secret? chapters, there was more than enough manpower available. Don?t claim to have your chapter created from a secret 21st Primarch. There were 20 Primarchs. No more, no less. Don?t try and rip up 25 years of fluff by creating your own secret Primarch, it?s just stupid and pointless. When creating a DIY, you can define the chapter?s character however you want, and when it comes down to it, gene seed plays little or no role in this. Creating a new Primarch and gene seed line does nothing but ruin any credibility your chapter may have. Along much the same lines, don't claim the Emperor proivided your chapter's gene seed - only the GKs can claim this, and even then, it's only a rumour... Don?t try to make your chapter fulfil one of the role of another Imperial organisation. This usually turns out to be the Officio Assassinorum, for some reason. The role of Marines is not to assassinate enemy leaders, or hunt down heretics, or police a planet or any of the other roles fulfilled by other organs of the Imperial machine (Officio Assassinorum, Ordo Hereticus, Adeptus Arbites in case you were wondering!). Space Marines are the Emperor?s Angels of Death ? they are a surgical strike force of near unstoppable bio-engineered killing machines. Whilst they may be called in when the situation escalates beyond the abilities of other Imperial Organisations, they deal with the problem then leave. They don?t suddenly decide that having pacified a rebellious planet (for example) that they will take over the duties of the Arbitrators on that planet. There are one million planets in the Imperium and only a million marines to guard them. Marines are too valuable to be wasted on roles that can be fulfilled by lesser men. Don?t claim your chapter was founded by anyone other than the High Lords of Terra. Only the High Lords of Terra (speaking on the Emperor's behalf) can order the founding of a new chapter. End of Story. Based on the established fluff it is extremely unlikely that any Inquisitor (or AM renegade or whoever) could obfuscate the AM sufficiently for them to embark on the creation of a new chapter (which would undoubtedly be a significant undertaking even for the AM) One way past this is to have your group (=][=, AM or whoever) lobby and petition the High Lords of Terra for the Chapter to be created at the next founding, thereby keeping them official but with the option of including outside influences. Assorted Clich鳠and Lazy Plot Devices Don?t get your chapter lost in the warp. For one simple reason ? it?s old, boring and so overused. It adds nothing to your chapter?s history or character ? there are so many other, better ways to lose your chapter for a few hundred years if that?s really what you want you do. Don?t claim your marines are female. Marine organs are keyed to male hormones. They don?t work in women. Feel free to read more on this debate here. The ?Rogue Inquisitor? Deus Ex Machina Resist the temptation to cover over the holes in your plot with the sudden and out-of context appearance of a rogue / Radical Inquisitor. The plot device of a rogue inquisitor who appears from no-where, waves his wand to magically explain away inconvenient problems like why your chapter has female marines / is a loyalist traitor offshoot / are subject to gross mutation before disappearing from the story is lazy storytelling. It smacks of either of an unimaginative way of explaining a potentially interesting Chapter characteristic, or a desperate attempt to rationalise a bad idea. Either way, it is a lazy plot device that it would be best to avoid! Don't mistake codex deviations and GW precidents for originality and character. The distinctiveness of a chapter is defined by how and why it does things differently from other Chapters, but do not fall into the trap of loading your DIY Chapter up with flashy deviations from codex organisation and the latest gimmick of the week GW precidents like spliced geneseed in the belief that it is the same as originality and character. Just because there are precidents for a thing to happen, does not necessarily mean that it advances your chapters storyline. Such 'deviations' require more explaination to integrate into your Chapter background than a throwaway 'But the Relictors / Space Wolves / Grey Knights can do it!' Why did this incredibly rare event strike your chapter, and more importantly how has this momentous thing affected every aspect of how the Chapters existence. While one or two such 'deviations' could be integrated into your chapter theme, or might itself become the chapter theme, if you have to integrate too many of these events then the Chapter will inevitably lose it's central identity and will be weakened as a result. It is remarkable what can be achieved within the 'constraints' of normal geneseed and codex company organisation. In fact, it is much more satisfying, and takes more imagination and flair to do the same kind of things within these boundaries than it does to fall back onto the lazy plot devices of geneseed mixtures, gross variant company structures and rogue Inquisitor 'Deus ex Machina' plot-hole fillers. Don't take the easy way out. You might like what you can achieve when you stretch yourself and your imagination. Don?t claim your marines are ?nice?. They aren?t. Marines are bio-engineered killing machines. Fair enough, chapters like the Salamanders may have a humanitarian streak, but they doesn?t make them cuddly and nice. They still chant Catechisms of Hate as they go into battle, and they will still kill anyone or anything that opposes the Emperor?s will. There is a big difference between helping out distressed refugees (for example) when there?s no fighting to be done and choosing to ignore the approaching tide of Greenskins in favour of picking up a little girl?s teddy bear out of the mud. The Imperium is a harsh place, and nice people don?t live long. On the same note, a Chapter of 1000 Marines doesn?t become ambassadors or negotiate, they don?t form alliances with Xenos species. They kill them. End of story. Don't claim your chapter was central to any of the major campaigns. GW have many of their pivotal campaigns locked down. For example, The Battle for Macragge was the UM vs the ?nids. No other chapters were present. This means your chapter wasn't there, however much you want them to have been. The more recent major campaigns - Armageddon, EoT etc are ideal for us DIY-ers ? they allow vastly more leeway for DIY chapters to play a "supporting role" - perhaps arriving as reinforcements or mopping up after one of the named engagements, or playing a role on a named planet that didn't feature heavily in the official fluff for the conflict. However, claiming your force played a pivotal role in turning the tide of the most decisive and well documented battle of a campaign is never a good idea... RT's final thought: The most important thing to remember is that in the end, it's just a game. They're your models, you paid for them, you can do what you like, just as long as you have fun!

Time for some thread necromancy, I think....Rise! Rise, my pretty! :ph34r: Thanks as always to Rex, Joker and SCC for feedback... +++ Jarrett squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out the insistent flashing of the red warning icons. He gasped out the litany of stillness, as memories from the ten decades of his life rose in a series of strobing images inside his eyelids… …Lacrymata, his home world…polluted and decaying, the claustrophobic network of tunnels and chambers that made up the only habitable place on the ash-smothered prison planet… …The gut-wrenching fear as The Dimmetaar led him out of the warren-like caves to the surface, led him away to become a Space Marine... …The first initiation test, the endless trek across the polluted ash wastes, half blinded by the tears that streamed from his eyes, the ash vultures circling overhead, waiting for him to stumble… …His first mission - V’run – watching Raines falling to the ground, run through by the Ork chainsword, as Ramius bellowed at him to move… …His chest cleaved from collar to navel, as the precious progenoid glands carrying the geneseed of Dorn were integrated into his body… …Smashing the alien sword aside and slamming the combat knife into the gut of the Eldar Warlock, cutting through robes and wraithbone, twisting the blade for maximum damage… …Stalking the darkened streets of Tharaciau Prime, hunting the leader of the Chaos coven that plagued the peaceful planet… …Chapter Master Bale’s quarters - he had been selected to join the fabled Legio Bolter and Chainsword… …Training aboard the Divine Hunter, knocking Rhadamanthys to the ground, only for the young marine to sweep his legs from under him… …The dark figure atop the spire, red eyes glaring from the grinning skull… …The plasglass bottle of promethium falling, the hand still wrapped tight around it, and the sigh as the fuel caught… A rapid clicking snapped Jarrett’s head up, his hand reaching for his sidearm as decades of training overrode the pain. The rictus grin of a death’s head mocked him, just out of reach. A shock of fear and anger raced through him - Cain! The traitor was here! Jarrett raised the bolt pistol and squeezed off a shot… The roar of the pistol was deafening as Jarrett watched the grinning skull drift lazily to one side to avoid the bolt. Wires and cables swayed gently, hanging like a mockery of a spinal cord below the disembodied braincase. Jarrett blinked, noticing the metal lens clamped over one empty eye socket; the medical implements that jutted from the temporal bones. Aerials sprouted from the occipital bones and emblazoned upon its forehead was the skull and crossbones insignia of the Legio... +++ Jarrett paused at the archway leading from the temple, and scanned the icons flickering in his faceplate. The servo skull had interfaced with the narthecium in Jarrett’s power armour, stabilising the erratic rhythm of his secondary heart - for now, at least. The full extent of the damage would be determined in the apothecarion upon his return to the Strike Cruiser… assuming he made it back alive. The ‘skull had also injected a fusing agent into his blood stream that even now was knitting together the fracture in his rib plate. The avenue outside was dark, silent, as Jarrett moved soundlessly out from the archway, blending effortlessly into the deeper shadows that ran along the street as he slowly made his way after the other members of his squad… +++ C'mon guys, time for the OL to get back in gear... :lol: RT

+++ Rhadamanthys sprinted up the aisle, and glanced back to see Jarrett still standing in the nave, a strange expression on his face,