Fluff Masters Clan

[Xerxes]

aside from the possibility that Black Ships aren't a singular class and thus the number of Psykers aboard could vary between vessels.

That's quite likely, actually. I doubt the Blackships are regulated by many apart from the Inquisition, so ship designs probably vary wildly. Which makes my hunt for the spec from Battlefleet Gothic (which does exist somewhere) somewhat moot. But there's no mention anywhere of them being lost or taken over by their "cargo" (probably a better description of their treatment than "passengers", given average Imperial opinion of psykers), which I would have thought would happen occasionally unless huge precautions were taken. They're probably covered in vast amounts of hexagrammic wards and such.

And now I think about it, a Blackship being taken over by the psykers would be a great story, although it would probably wind up being a retelling of Event Horizon.

[Grey nut]

And now I think about it, a Blackship being taken over by the psykers would be a great story, although it would probably wind up being a retelling of Event Horizon.

Lol. that movie actually left me feeling uncomfortable. But that is my point how are they restrained. Are there Blanks everywhere?Ward shaped containment chambers. Do they store them one to a room/cell?
Does the ship have a built in self destruct to ensure that if anything goes wrong .... Do they have troops patrolling the corridors? Do you get restraining colors for each prisoner?

I guess the difference is also based on the strength of the psyker an alpha level would be a big difference from someone who is just "lucky" at dice.

[Deadstar_MRC]

Some of this is actually covered in the story I was referring to earlier - again, depending on whether you regard Black Library stuff as absolute cannon, you might need to take this with a bit of salt. There isn't much, but some psyker countermeasures mentioned in the story are;

Sisters of Silence (They also mention crew-serfs - I'm not sure if anything special is done to them to make them Psyker resistant or not, though?)
Spherical shields made of Phase-iron (which is apparently Psi-toxic)
And a last resort failsafe in the form of a 'Life-eater' bio-weapon which is supposed to kill pretty much everything in the dungeon decks when released.

There's also mention of a molecular furnace, which they put dead psykers in. Apparently all psykers that come aboard a Black Ship are tested; some don't survive the process, some are deemed to dangerous and are executed, and any that do wind up dead get reduced to atoms and shot into a sun, or something like that?

Also while looking that up, found this quote; "The exact number and disposition of Black Ships ... purposefully remained an unknown"

Once again, all this is based on info from the story "The Voice" which is written by James Swallow and appears in a compilation of short stories entitled 'Tales of Heresy,' Edited by Nick Kyme & Lindsey Priestly, and released in 2009. Maybe see if you can track it down somewhere, I've quite likely missed some stuff that you might find useful.

[Grey nut]

Tales of Heresy- i have got my hands on a copy and will begin to read asap (prob this weekend). thanks for the info.

[Deadstar_MRC]

No problems!

Oh, something else that I meant to mention but forgot... That GW role-playing game Inquisitor, there used to be a website out there somewhere that had all these pdfs for classes that weren't in the core rule book, and I think there were a few that covered the Sisters of Silence. Might be another resource you could look in to, if you can find it! GW doesn't seem to like giving out too much free stuff these days...

[Alaric 14]

Hey guys, I have a few questions for you. I apologize if there are any repeat questions, but seeing as there are over 150 pages of Q&A, I feel justified in not reading ALL of them before asking my own.

I am a relatively new player in the 40K universe, but I'm a definite fan of the Space Marines. I'm working on my own chapter, but before I begin writing out all of my fluff, there are a few things I want to be sure of.

1. What is the age range for Space Marine initiates? Is there a maximum age before they become "unusable"?

2. Is it feasible that a Chapter would include Imperial Guard units from their home world as "honourary members" (for lack of a better term) due to massive amounts of casualties/strong ties to said IG units/both?

3. At what time does a Chapter become extinct? How few members must be listed as active before the Chapter is considered lost? I know the Celestial Lions have only 96 living Marines, is it possible that a chapter could have less and still be considered an active chapter?

Thank you so much for your time, I look forward to your answers!

[Xerxes]

1. What is the age range for Space Marine initiates? Is there a maximum age before they become "unusable"?

The implants used in the creation of an SM are noted as being reliant on the body's own natural growth processes to function properly. So if the subject is past puberty, the implants won't work.

2. Is it feasible that a Chapter would include Imperial Guard units from their home world as "honourary members" (for lack of a better term) due to massive amounts of casualties/strong ties to said IG units/both?

As support in battle, but not as honourary members. SMs are proud of their heritage and status, and most are unlikely to muddy the chapter's name by accepting mere guardsmen as members. Most would die from the recruitment processes, for starters.

3. At what time does a Chapter become extinct? How few members must be listed as active before the Chapter is considered lost? I know the Celestial Lions have only 96 living Marines, is it possible that a chapter could have less and still be considered an active chapter?

I don't think there's an actual number, but a chapter is dependent on its apothecaries and the progenoid organs to provide newly-implanted recruits. If it ever runs out of either, it's pretty much extinct.

[Alaric 14]

Thanks a lot! That was extremely helpful, even if it seemed quite mundane!

[waddywoos]

I had a thought last night and of course this is the perfect place to ask, apologies if its been aked before but as Alaric said above, 150+ pages are alot to look through!

Are there any records of brothers becoming space marines in the same chapter and serving together? If there aren't, is there any reason this couldn't happen?

Further onto this question, do deathwatch squads sometimes incorporate two members of the same chapter into a squad? And by that reasoning is it possible to have two space marines from the same human mother in a deathwatch kill team?

Thanks, this is a great service you guys provide to the community

[pilot00]

Since the rules allow non members to answer too,ill point to the blood angels omnibus.The protagonist has his brother serving with the blood angels too.Though in the time of the stories taking place they werent serving together.Though i believe they did once.

The death watch book makes no statement regarding any prohibition to members of the same chapter or lineage serving in the same squad.