History Characters / Warhammer40000AstartesChapters

'''[[Characters/Warhammer40000XenoRaces Xeno Races]]:''' [[Characters/Warhammer40000Eldar Aeldari]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000CraftworldEldar Asuryani]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000DarkEldar Drukhari]]) | [[Characters/Warhammer40000LeaguesOfVotann Leagues of Votann]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Necrons Necrons]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Orks Orks]] ([[Characters/Warhammer40000OrksCharacters Characters]]) | [[Characters/Warhammer40000TauEmpire T'au Empire]] | [[Characters/Warhammer40000Tyranids Tyranids]]]]-]]]

A chapter of the Cursed Twenty-First Founding, the Lamenters are successors of the Blood Angels. A fleet-based Chapter, the flagship of the Lamenters is the ''Mater Lachrymarum'' and they recruit from any feudal worlds they come across. Their Chapter Master at the end of the 41st Millennium is thought to be Malakim Phoros but rumours persist that he has been slain or has fallen to the Black Rage.\\

The Lamenters are thought by some to be an experiment by the Adeptus Mechanicus to remove the gene-curse of their parent chapter, and for the most part it appeared to have been successful. Unfortunately, the Lamenters are seemingly cursed by fate or by the Ruinous Powers with ill-luck and have suffered more unfortunate campaigns, accidents and disastrous tactical decisions than any other Chapter in the Imperium. The Chapter have been soundly defeated, almost wiped out, exiled, put on trial, distrusted, outright murdered, and deserted by their allies, and yet they still remain both loyal to the Emperor and to the people of the Imperium, who they will defend down to the last Marine. Towards the end of the 41st Millennium, the Blood Angels made numerous attempts to contact the Chapter in an attempt to investigate their apparent resistance to the Red Thirst but were unsuccessful, and the Chapter were the only Successor of the 9th Legion to not send relief forces to take part in the defence of Baal from Hive Fleet Leviathan. They have, however, been sighted fighting Hive Fleet Kraken a second time with their own Primaris Marines, giving hope they will one day rebuild back to their original glory.\\

During the Liberation of Slaughterhouse III the Lamenters managed to free over three million enslaved Imperium citizens from the Orks, which went well until the Orks responded by sending reinforcements via a mass fleet to take the planet and her citizens back. Refusing to abandon the citizens, the Lamenters planned to fight to the death, but the citizens knew it wouldn’t be enough. So they thanked their armored liberators the only way they could: having the Lamenters instead save as many women and children by fleeing the planet with them in tow on whatever ships they could find, whereas the remaining citizens would be bait for the Orks to perish by Exterminatus; a final middle finger to give their captors and to deny the Orks the planet’s resources. The Lamenters were very reluctant, but understood the pragmatic reasoning and agreed to the plan, which led to the [[BittersweetEnding destruction of Slaughterhouse III with only a handful thousands of the original citizen population]].

* BornUnlucky: If there is such thing as a curse in the setting, this chapter suffers from one. They have had more misfortune, betrayal, and loss than many of their Space Marine brethren.

* CombatPragmatist: While they are ''Codex Astartes'' compliant, their nature as a fleet based chapter that doesn’t always get the chance to restock supplies often means they’ve had to improvise in many battles. They also used clever maneuvering and other tactics to avoid killing other Spare Marines during the Badab War, up until they were forced to defend themselves against the Minotaur chapter who refused to hold their punches.
* CosmicPlaything: The Lamenters seemed to be the only Cursed Founding chapter to escape a crippling defect, and despite being a Blood Angels successor appeared immune to the Flaw. Then they suffered 80% losses in their first campaign when [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer their allies abandoned them out of superstitious fear]], got lost in the Warp for two hundred years, were dragged onto the wrong side of a civil war, and had to fight Hive Fleet Kraken as penance. By the time the Blood Angels tracked them down, the Lamenters were reduced to three companies and reeling from the sudden onset of the Red Thirst and Black Rage. To their credit, the Lamenters have [[IronWoobie maintained their loyalty to the Imperium despite their many trials]], and view their suffering as the noble result of trying to do good in a universe that seems to despise them.

* EscapedFromHell: Immediately after their involvement in the 9th Black Crusade, the few remaining Lamenters were thought lost when their fleet was struck by a freak Warp Storm. It took the Chapter two centuries to fight their way through the denizens of the Warp before they were able to make it back to the Material Universe. They also ended up surviving against Hive Fleet Kraken, though only barely.

* KnightErrant: As a fleet-based chapter, the Lamenters have used their mobility to seek out the Imperium's foes and have engaged in numerous crusades, both self-imposed and as punishment for transgressions, against the enemies of the Emperor.
* KnightInSourArmor: Many battle-brothers are noted as having some aura of depression about them, whether because of something wrong in their gene-seed or because of the terrible luck the Lamenters have.
* LastOfHisKind: Invoked by Chyron, a Lamenter dreadnought permanently attached to team “Talon” of the Deathwatch group, who believes his Lamenter brothers all perished to Hive Fleet Kraken while he had been called away to serve Deathwatch for a temporary mission, and thus believes he’s the last one [[AvertedTrope (despite the fact they lived)]]. This has made him grouchy and more than willing to disobey even an Inquisitor if it means he gets to kills more xenos, all to slake his thirst for vengeance against them, though his fellow squad mates refuse to abandon him.
* LastStand: It is thought that the Lamenters have taken part in more last stands and hopeless campaigns than any other Chapter in Imperial history.

* PetTheDog: Marneus Calgar is one of the few known members of the Imperium who not only doesn’t despise the Lamenters, he even sees them as upstanding Astartes for their work on Slaughterhouse III. As such, when the Lamenters turned down the Iron Halo he offered them in recognition of their hard work, he graciously understood, and when he learned there were others in the area looking down on the Lamenters for these actions he silenced the naysayers. Unfortunately for the Lamenters, it wasn’t enough to prevent their reputation from being further looking down on by their peers.
* ThePollyanna: Despite their cursed nature and string of poor luck, the Lamenters still hold on to Sanguinius' idealism.

* DarkSecret: The Throne of Glass isn’t only used to boost the entire chapter’s psychic potential, it’s been stated by several members that it’s vital to keep the Imperium as a whole alive. What the reasons are, no one other than the Death Spectres knows and will never tell outsiders, yet a great deal of the Imperium doesn’t even know the Throne of Glass even exists in the first place.
* DeathActivatedSuperpower: The Chapter Master of the Spectres is eternally enthroned on a special artifact known as the Throne of Glass that saps the life energy of the user, but vastly improves their psychic potential and is implied to essentially be a mini-Astronomican. Given how far out the Ghoul Stars are from the Imperial center it's tragic for this sacrifice to happen, yet it’s a vital part of their operations.

* PragmaticHero: Given the far distance from normal Imperium supply lines, the Death Spectres have had to improvise with what they have at hand, including make use of stealth tactics to fight their enemies — a running theme with many successors of the Raven Guard chapter.
* SuperBreedingProgram: Revealed to have one in ''Flayed'' due to the extreme distance between the Imperium, and the Ghoul Stars' colonized worlds. Anyone found to be not-corrupted or of exceptional skill, bravery or simple survival skill on worlds being torn asunder will be swiftly "saved" to these large Agri-Worlds to live out the rest of their days in relative peace.

The Flesh Tearers have been hit particularly hard by the gene-curse of Sanguinius often exhibiting mindless savagery far in excess of their brother Chapters, something that has placed them under near-constant Inquisitorial investigation for the past four millennia. Their reputation as near uncontrollable berserkers has led to few Imperial forces being willing to fight alongside the Chapter, and those that do rarely wish to repeat the experience. The high number of warriors falling to the Black Rage, coupled with the high casualty caused by their preferred close assault tactics, meant that the Chapter could barely field four full companies by the time they helped defend their parent Chapter’s home world from the ravages of Hive Fleet Leviathan. The introduction of Archmagos Cawl's Primaris Marines have given the Flesh Tearers some much needed reinforcements but without a cure for the Flaw, the Flesh Tearers could still be doomed to extinction in the long run.

* GoneHorriblyRight: In a way, they're basically a sanctioned, common sense, and publicly known second version of the Grey Knights that arguably do what the Grey Knights do better than even the Inquisition could've imagined. One source even suggests they are actually a successor chapter of the Grey Knights, the only one known if true.

The Ghoul Stars are at the very "Northeastern"[[note]]When viewing the galaxy from the top side up.[[/note]] edge of the Imperium of Man, and just at the edge of where the astronomican can realistically reach. It's also a place of extreme danger where Xenos the likes of which few have ever survived to talk about, to the point that they're described as "supernatural". But there are still humans out in the Ghoul Stars, and inhabited worlds. So a special chapter of space marines was created specifically to fight these horrors in the deep blackness of space; The Death Spectres. The Spectres' first Chapter Master, Corcaedus, was brought to the world Occuludus as a result of seeing a vision of the Emperor, and found deep underground the mysterious artifact known only as the ''Throne of Glass'', and from there he interred himself to better help his comrades fight the mysterious evils of these cold, unknown worlds bathed in cold, unflinching light.

The Death Spectres were first mentioned in ''Codex: Eye of Terror'', but received more comprehensive lore and rules in ''Codex: Space Marines 5th Edition'', and have been present and accounted for in nearly every edition since as a successor chapter for the Raven Guard. Individual marines from this chapter have also seen representation in books such as the ''Deathwatch'' novel and related short stories, and short stories such as ''Flayed''.

* CameBackStrong: The Death Spectres have both codified and weaponized this; Their aspirants must die and then return from death by willpower alone. Then they have to do this every time they get promoted.

* DeathActivatedSuperpower: The Chapter Master of the Spectres is eternally enthroned on a special artifact known as the Throne of Glass that saps the life energy of the user, but vastly improves their psychic potential and is implied to essentially be a mini-Astronomican. Given how far out the Ghoul Stars are from the Imperial center, it's a tragic, but extremely vital part of their operations.

* [[EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette Eerie Pale Skinned Bald Guys]]: The flaws in their geneseed are essentially similar to their progenitors; the Raven Guard.
* InTheEndYouAreOnYourOwn: The Spectres are unusual for an Astartes chapter in that they don't (or more accurately, ''can't'') rely on imperial supply lines thanks to how far out in space they are, and have to essentially control a mini-system of agri-worlds and breeding worlds just to keep their numbers up and to keep the humans they defend safe.

* StraightForTheCommander: Due to their skill in personal combat, the favoured tactic of the Silver Templars Chapter is to engage enemy leaders in a one-on-one duel to the death in an attempt to disrupt the command abilities of their foes and reduce their morale. Such is their belief in the superiority of this tactic, there have even been times when the Chapter have undertaking such attacks in defiance of direct orders from the overall commander of Imperial forces in the theatre of war.

'''[[Characters/Warhammer40000Imperium Imperium of Man]]:''' [[Characters/Warhammer40000ImperialFounders Founders]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Astartes Adeptus Astartes]] ('''Chapters''', [[Characters/Warhammer40000AstartesChaptersFirstFounding Chapters of the First Founding]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000AstartesCharacters Characters]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000PrimarisSpaceMarines Primaris Marines]]), [[Characters/Warhammer40000ImperialGuard Astra Militarum]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Sororitas Adepta Sororitas]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Inquisition Inquisition]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Mechanicus Mechanicus]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000CurrentImperialFactions Other factions]]\\

This page gives the tropes for ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''[='=]s individual Chapters of the [[Characters/Warhammer40000Astartes Adeptus Astartes]]. The heroes of the Astartes can be found [[Characters/Warhammer40000AstartesCharacters on their own page]].

'''[[Characters/Warhammer40000Imperium Imperium of Man]]:''' [[Characters/Warhammer40000ImperialFounders Founders]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Astartes Adeptus Astartes]] ('''Chapters''', [[Characters/Warhammer40000AstartesCharacters Characters]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000PrimarisSpaceMarines Primaris Marines]]), [[Characters/Warhammer40000ImperialGuard Astra Militarum]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Sororitas Adepta Sororitas]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Inquisition Inquisition]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000Mechanicus Mechanicus]], [[Characters/Warhammer40000CurrentImperialFactions Other factions]]\\

!!Chapters of the First Founding

[[folder:Dark Angels]]
[[quoteright:317:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dark_angels.png]]
[[caption-width-right:317:[[BattleCry "Repent, for tomorrow you die!"]]]]

->''A moment of laxity spawns a lifetime of heresy. Never forget, never forgive.''

The Dark Angels were originally the First Legion. Their Primarch is [[KnightInShiningArmor Lion El'Jonson]] and their current Supreme Grand Master is Azrael. They are based on the massive space-fortress Angelicasta (The Tower of Angels), more commonly known as the Rock, built from the remains of their destroyed home world Caliban.\\
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As the first Space Marine Legion founded, the Dark Angels are blessed with advanced plasma and anti-grav devices in their armory, technological relics from the Great Crusade. However, the chapter is better known for its secrecy, and for pursuing an agenda it keeps hidden from Imperial authorities. It is rumored this is related to the destruction of their home world at the end of the Horus Heresy, the small role the Legion played during that conflict, as well as why they and their successor chapters refer to themselves as the Unforgiven.\\
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The Dark Angels have been present in the ''Warhammer 40,000'' game since its 1st Edition with the Deathwing being the subject of one of the first short stories that Games Workshop published for the game. During 2nd Edition the Chapter was detailed in ''Codex: Angels of Death'' alongside the Blood Angels while 3rd Edition saw them receive an expansion codex for ''Codex: Space Marines''. The Dark Angels received their first full solo codex in 2007 during the 4th Edition of the game. The Dark Angels were the protagonists of the ''Storm of Vengeance'' campaign set for 2nd Edition[[note]]later updated for 4th Edition[[/note]] and were the Imperial half of the ''Dark Crusade'' starter for the 6th and 7th Edition rules. The 8th Edition rules for the Dark Angels can be found in ''Codex Adeptus Astartes: Dark Angels'' released December 2017 while additional rules were included in the January 2020 [[{{Sourcebook}} supplement]] ''Psychic Awakening: Ritual of the Damned''. For 9th Edition, the Chapter uses a combination of the rules published in October 2020's ''Codex: Space Marines'' combined with the ''Index Astartes: Dark Angels'' download, available free from the Warhammer Community website.\\
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To delve further into these warriors' secrets, see the ''Literature/DarkAngels'' novels and the Characters/HorusHeresyLoyalistLegions page.

* AcePilot: The greatest pilots of the Dark Angels are awarded with the Order of the Silver Talon and have their names engraved onto the Gate of Angels, the entrance to the Rock's largest launch bay. Only those pilots who have performed nearly impossible feats are awarded this honour, such as the lone Nephilim pilot who fought off wave after wave of Necron Doom Scythes for six hours.
* TheAlcatraz: The Rock has an extensive network of dungeons. One cell accessible only to the Grand Master contains Luther, the heretic who led the Fallen into treason. In another chamber, known only to the Emperor and the silent Watchers in the Dark, is the slumbering form of the Dark Angels' Primarch, Lion El'Jonson.
* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: Soon after the opening of the Great Rift, an army of Daemons invade the Rock while most of the Chapter was away. The fight between Dark Angels and Daemons takes up every dock, the most sacred halls and the deepest dungeon but soon the forces of Chaos disappear. The majority of Dark Angels celebrate it as a hard-fought victory that saved their base, but in the aftermath Grand Master Azrael learns that the true purpose of the attack was to free the traitor Luther.
* AloofAlly: The Dark Angels have gained a reputation for being capricious allies, arriving in a battlezone and assisting those Imperial forces present before disappearing again with no warning or explanation, whether victory has been assured or not. In many cases, unless involved in particularly important campaigns, the Dark Angels won't even openly communicate with their supposed allies, let alone coordinate on joint operations.
* ArchEnemy: Lion El'Jonson's legendary feud with Konrad Curze was passed down to his Legion. The Dark Angels absolutely despise the Night Lords and will be particularly bloodthirsty when going after them.
* TheAtoner: It's pretty much taken for granted that the Dark Angels are an entire ''Chapter'' of these, but what (or ''whose'') actions they're trying to redeem themselves for is, like pretty much everything about these guys, a closely guarded secret.
* BadassLongRobe:
** Dark Angels veterans and members of the Inner Circle stand out for wearing bone-colored robes over their power armor, [[InTheHood often with large hoods]]. This is said to represent their shame over the actions of the Fallen.
** The Dark Angel Relic known as the Shroud of Heroes is a sombre robe created from the death shrouds of some of the greatest heroes of the Chapter. Those who wear this revered robe claim that the spirits of these heroes protect the wearer from harm, something the 8th Edition rules represent with a negative hit modifier against any attacks targeted at the bearer.
* BerserkButton: Any other Imperial forces investigating the Fallen, or even coming into contact with them, is known to extort extreme reactions from the Dark Angels. In one instance a Dark Angels fleet even went so far as to briefly engage a Black Templars Strike Cruiser who had captured the mysterious “Voice of the Emperor.”[[note]]One of the aliases of the most sought after Fallen, Cypher.[[/note]]
* BlackKnight: Back during the Great Crusade, their armor coloration was primarily black and they acted as the Emperor's loyal strike force against targets that needed to be taken out swiftly regardless of collateral damage. They were effectively allowed to annihilate whole civilizations, species, and even planets if it meant accomplishing their mission, and enjoyed a lack of oversight from anyone who wasn't the Emperor or Lion El'Jonson. In the present day, they chafe against the restrictions placed upon them by the Codex Astartes and have to be much more careful in their operations now that they are without the allowances afforded to them by the Master of Mankind.
* BlackSwordsAreBetter: The Heavenfall blades borne by highest-ranked leaders of the Dark Angels are master-crafted power swords that are some of the Chapter's most prized relics. Each has a blade cut from a block of obsidian said to have been part of an asteroid that struck the Tower of Angels shortly after the destruction of Caliban.
* BrainComputerInterface: The Master of the Rock is the most honoured Techmarine of the Dark Angels and it is his duty to maintain the ancient technology of the Chapter's fortress monastery. To do this the Master of the Rock is permanently wired into the Rock's control nave where his mind merges with the machine spirits of the Tower of Angels.
* ACommanderIsYou: Elitist/Unit Specialist. The Dark Angels have a preferance for units in Terminator armour and on bikes, making them powerful and flexible. However they lack certain standard Astartes units and have a subpar aerial game.
* CoolHelmet: The Angel's Ambit[[note]]introduced by the late 8th Edition book ''Psychic Awakening: Ritual of the Damned''[[/note]] is an impressively crafted winged helm that has been fitted with superior vox units that allow them to deliver orders to their brothers with greater clarity, increasing the range of their in-game abilities.
* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: The ''Horus Heresy'' novels have shown that there were members of other loyalist legions that sided with Horus and the Great Scouring purge of all Chaos aligned marines following the Heresy is implied to have targeted these traitors alongside the traitor legions. One Fallen rebuked his Dark Angel captors by pointing out they could have simply outed their own traitors and joined the hunt, but instead they chose to try and cover it all up, leading to their current difficulties.
* DarkSecret: The Dark Angels and their successors have engaged in a ten-thousand-year effort to conceal the fact that a faction of their Legion rebelled out of confusion or [[GreenEyedMonster jealousy]], causing the loyalists to destroy their own home world in a fury. A warp rift scattered these Fallen Angels across time and space, and the Dark Angels are obsessed with capturing them, both to hide their shame and to grant the Fallen [[DeathEqualsRedemption absolution]] through [[ColdBloodedTorture vicious torture]], thereby restoring the chapter's honor. Ironically, there are a few tantalizing indications that the Inquisition or the Grey Knights knows about the Fallen, and simply don't blame the Dark Angels for their forebears' shortcomings. This would imply that those within the Inquisition who might be on the know are less concerned with the Dark Angels' secrets than they are about the Angels' actions to avoid their secrets from getting out (which are rather concerning).
** There are also some hints that this Dark Secret is ''itself'' a cover story and the real Dark Secret is something a whole lot worse and largely [[NothingIsScarier unnamed]].
* {{Determinator}}: For ten thousand years the Dark Angels have hunted down the Fallen in secret without giving up nor swaying from their course, even when it brings them into conflict with other Imperial agencies. They're all but guaranteed to have a rule by the name of "Grim Resolve" in each edition to reflect their unrelenting nature, and their 10th edition Unforgiven Task Force detachment rules allow them to resist the drawbacks of [[MoraleMechanic Battle-shock]] and even gain bonuses when Battle-shocked.
* ElectronicEyes:
** The Eye of the Unseen is an ancient relic of the Dark Angels that is bequeathed to heroes of the Chapter by the mysterious Watchers in the Dark. Those fitted with this bionic eye are able to fix their opponent with [[DeathGlare a malevolent gaze so unnerving that they can do nothing except drop to their knees and confess their sins]].
** The Arbiter's Gaze is a special-issue bionic eye[[note]]introduced by the late 8th Edition ''Psychic Awakening: Ritual of the Damned'' book[[/note]] powered by a fragment of the eldritch Stone Guardians of ancient Caliban. The piercing gaze of this artificial eye makes the wearer far more likely to hit its target, no matter how difficult the shot.
* FantasticRacism: In older editions the Dark Angels were known to be extremely intolerant of non-humans, even by Imperial standards, and were one of the few Imperial fractions who couldn't ally with the Squats or the Eldar. Later editions have downplayed this.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture:
** Caliban ([[DoomedHometown while it lasted]]) had a similar culture to medieval Europe during the height of chivalry, with the local population living in cities fortified with stone walls and protected by [[TheOrder orders of knight-like warriors]] against the hostile beasts that lived in the wilderness and forests.
** [[EarthShatteringKaboom After Caliban's destruction]], the Dark Angels went about recruiting from other worlds, including a feral world populated with {{Badass Native}}s who had a culture resembling the first nations of the great plains of North America. After repelling a genestealer invasion of that world, the Dark Angels' Deathwing company took to adopting some of their rituals and iconography, coloring their Terminator armor after ash and decorating it with crafts. This was actually dropped from later editions, opting to focus on the Dark Angels as Knights.
* HonorBeforeReason: The pursuit of the Fallen trumps virtually all else in the Inner Circle's eyes, and thus they will regularly abandon campaigns and other objectives to hunt them down, along with performing arguably more dishonorable acts in the pursuit of retribution. This fact isn't lost on their current Chapter Master Azrael, who admits that what they're doing is wrong, but that they have a millennia-old oath to fulfill.
* HumbleHero: While other chapters parade around in BlingOfWar and speak proudly of their deeds, the Dark Angels shun such ostentatious and grandiose armor and prefer to let their actions speak for themselves.
* {{Irony}}: The Dark Angels will go to extreme length to prevent Imperial authorities from discovering the truth about the fracturing of their Legion at the end of the Horus Heresy, yet some material suggests that the Grey Knights (and therefore presumably others in the highest levels of the Inquisition and Imperial government) know about the Fallen but don't care as long as the rest remain loyal to the Emperor.
* KeepingSecretsSucks: Much of the Dark Angels' actions are questionable, potentially treasonous even. Their obsessive need to keep the secret of the Fallen from getting out is at the root of all of it, and the few Dark Angels who know the truth are heavily burdened by it.
* KnightTemplar: Obsessed with hunting the Fallen above all else, and have been known to abandon their allies or even whole planets if it means recovering a priority target.
* LiesToChildren: While the truth of the Fallen is kept concealed until one earns the trust of the Inner Circle, the Dark Angels prepare their brothers so that when the truth is revealed, it is not as devastating as it might be. The teachers, chaplains, and heroes of the chapter tell stories to the more junior members filled with allegory about how important loyalty is, how reprehensible disloyalty is, and how important it is to bring traitors to atonement. The higher they raise in esteem, the more detailed the stories become, describing how a great host was betrayed by traitors they came home to, and how they must strive not to let that happen in the future. By the time a Dark Angel finally learns the truth, they will have been indoctrinated thoroughly against revealing it.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Anyone the Inner Circle deems unable to keep its secrets will never rise to join its ranks, no matter how skilled or experienced he may be. Entire units and companies may be held back just to avoid exposing anyone deemed untrustworthy to the Fallen. These brothers who are perceived to have divided loyalties, such as the Techmarines with their secondary allegiance to the Mechanicus or the Primaris Marines who many within the Inner Circle perceive as outsider, are also routinely kept in the dark about the true history of the Dark Angels. Any regular battle-brother who somehow learns of Chapter's hidden past will be made to join the Deathwing or Ravenwing immediately, mind wiped or simply killed depending on how they take the revelation.
* LoopholeAbuse: The Dark Angels follow the Codex pretty closely, keeping to Chapter-level strength. However, they maintain close links with their successor Chapters, often go on coordinated campaigns with them, and the Supreme Grand Masters of all the successor Chapters acknowledge the Dark Angels' Supreme Grand Master as their leader. This is so they can more efficiently hunt the Fallen, but it's drawn the Inquisition's gaze because it looks like they're subtly trying to build a Legion.
* LostTechnology: The Dark Angels' armoury contains archaeotech that is unavailable to other Chapters and even the Adeptus Mechanicus. These relics of past ages include a wide variety of plasma weaponry, unique patterns of Land Speeder and aircraft, and enough Terminator armour to equip their entire 1st Company.
* MeaningfulName: In keeping with the chapter name being a play on the poem "The Dark Angel", many characters' names are based on angels and demons from Judeo-Christian lore.
* MindRape: The Mind Worm psychic power essentially [[StupidityInducingAttack turns the target into a shambling, drooling idiot]]. In-game, a unit targeted by this power takes a mortal wound and is forced to be the last unit chosen to fight until the end of the turn.
* MysteryCult: Whereas other chapters are proud of their history, the Dark Angels parcel out information about themselves as their members rise through the ranks. It isn't until a member joins either the Deathwing or the Ravenwing's special Black Knights that they learn of Luther's betrayal and the Fallen Angels, and even then there are several more levels of trust to go through until they're told the entire story.
* NamedWeapon:
** Foe-Smiter is a highly ornate storm bolter forged during the Great Crusade and was wielded by the first Grand Master of the Deathwing. The weapon is considered to be the finest master-crafted weapon created by the Martian weaponsmith Fedorovich the Great with [[MoreDakka a rate of fire comparable to that of an assault cannon]].
** The Lion's Roar is a master-crafted [[DoubleWeapon combi-plasma gun]] that got its name from the distinctive sound it creates when fired. The Lion's Roar is traditionally gifted to those Dark Angels leading assaults on fortified positions or boarding actions due to its superior ability to be fired on the move.
** [[CarryABigStick The Mace of Redemption]] was specifically crafted to be the [[WeaponOfXSlaying bane of the Fallen]]. Former Supreme Grand Master Raphael once used this sacred power maul to capture a Fallen Daemon Prince who ruled over the Daemon World of New Caliban.
** The Monster Slayer of Caliban is an ancient power blade once gifted to the greatest warrior of the Order. Unfortunately, the weapon has become incredibly unreliable over millennia of use, its power systems having degraded beyond the ability of the Chapter's Techmarines to fix. In-game the battlefield effectiveness of the Monster Slayer of Caliban is determined randomly each turn.
* OminousFloatingCastle: The Rock, an asteroid bearing the Dark Angels' fortress monastery, is a type II. It was the only part of Caliban tough enough to survive the planet's destruction, so the Dark Angels hardened their fortress for void travel and added engines. Unlike a lot of other examples, it qualifies as DarkIsNotEvil... mostly.
* TheOrder: The Inner Circle is this within the chapter, recruiting those who show promise in tracking down the Fallen.
* PlasmaCannon: One of the Dark Angels' specialties is arming themselves with ancient weaponry from the dawn of the Imperium, especially plasma weapons. To represent this the Dark Angels had a number of unique plasma weapons added to their arsenal during the 6th Edition of the game, while 8th Edition includes the 'Weapons from the Dark Age' unique Stratagem that increases the power of a unit's plasma weapons for a phase.
* ProperlyParanoid: There were a modest percentage of the Fallen who were bonafide traitors and worshippers of Chaos from even before the Breaking, and their belief that their Primarch would approve of their frenzied hunt for these renegade Dark Angels is retroactively given some ground when the Lion's first instinct upon seeing a Fallen in ''The Lion: Son of the Forest'' was to attack him for his supposed treachery.
* PyrrhicVictory: The Dark Angels defeated the Fallen but destroyed their home world in the process, and the Fallen escaped through a warpstorm that occurred right as their home world was destroyed, making sure the Dark Angels would have to work long and hard at making sure their old shame never got out.
* SecretWeapon: For the privilege of being the First Legion, the Dark Angels had an arsenal of forbidden tech that not even the Adeptus Mechanicus possessed. These included the secret cache of captured A.I. rebuilt into the [[KillerRobot Excindio Battle-Automata]] which Lion used to slaughter an early Dark Mechnicus cult and a xenos infestation of the Khrave.
* ShaggyDogStory: The Dark Angels will go to great, sometimes objectionable, lengths to hide the existence of the Fallen but it's been hinted the Inquisition already knows and doesn't even care.
* SignificantWardrobeShift: After the battle with their traitorous brothers, destruction of Caliban and the apparent death of their Primarch in the Horus Heresy, the Dark Angels changed their colors from black to green, with only the Deathwing and Ravenwing retaining the original black. The Dark Angels are the only loyalist first founding chapter to have changed their colors.
* TheStoic: Even among Astartes, the Dark Angels have a reputation for being stern and grim. Most units in their army get the Stubborn special rule, but can never voluntarily fall back either.
* TheStrategist: Lion El'Jonson was a brilliant strategist and had one of the highest victory tallies of any of the Primarchs. Many of the Lion's gene-sons have inherited a measure of the Primarch's strategic genius, something represented in-game by the Brilliant Strategist Warlord trait that, in the 8th Edition rules, grants the Dark Angels player a once per battle re-roll and the chance of paining additional Command Points.
* SupernaturalFearInducer: In 8th Edition, one of the Dark Angels PsychicPowers is 'Engulfing Fear'[[note]]known as 'Seed of Fear' in previous editions[[/note]] where the Librarian heightens the fears of his enemies to make it more likely for them to fail a [[MoraleMechanic Morale test]].
* {{Telepathy}}: To assist with the interrogation of the Fallen, the Librarians of the Unforgiven have developed their own unique form of telepathy, Interromancy. This sinister mental discipline sees a Librarian insidiously invade their victim's mind to weaken their psyche, manipulate their fears and exploit the gaps opened in their mental defences. In all the versions of the game where the discipline is included, the PsychicPowers available to those proficient in Interomancy focus mostly on inflicting penalties to the opponent's abilities in addition to, or instead of, causing direct damage.
* TreacheryCoverUp: The Dark Angels have gone to extreme lengths to hide the treachery of the Fallen, mercilessly hunting down their former brothers and taking radical measures to ensure that the wider Imperium knows nothing of their ancient shame. Another theory suggests that the "loyal" Dark Angels were also traitors, in that they reportedly sat out the Horus Heresy to see who would win.

!!The Deathwing
[[quoteright:328:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/deathwing_9.png]]
->''Where they stand, none shall pass.''
-->-- '''Grand Master Belial'''

The Deathwing are the Dark Angels' First Company. Clad exclusively in bone-white Terminator Armor, they have the distinction of not only being the chapter's most elite veterans, but the key to admittance to the Inner Circle and thus becoming fully aware of the Dark Angels' most hidden secrets, including knowledge of the Fallen.

* TheArtifact: While the Deathwing are no longer heavily-themed after Native Americans in contrast to the European monks and knights that Dark Angels are modeled after, some parts of their current visuals still reference this past theme with their bone-white armor and sparsely-used feather decorations.
* BadassLongRobe: Deathwing Knights, the company's most elite members, wear hooded green robes over their armor.
* CarryABigStick: The traditional weapon of the highly experienced Deathwing Knights is the mace of absolution. This highly ornate power mace has a censor built into its head that emits an eerie mist and is said to increase in power when in the presence of heretics. Some editions of the game represented this by giving the mace a bonus when used against Heretic Astartes.
* DifficultButAwesome: It's possible for a Dark Angel player to field an all Deathwing army. Such an army is difficult to play because its small size means it can't afford to take many losses, but it's very impressive when used right.
* EliteArmy: Due to the secrecy surrounding the hunt for the Fallen, the Deathwing are far more likely to operate independently than the veterans of other Chapters. In some editions of the game this was represented by special army selection rules specific to the Deathwing that allowed a player to take an entire strike force of elite choices while in 8th Edition the Vanguard Detachment, one of the default Detachments available to all armies, allows the player to do the same.
* EpicFlail: Deathwing Knight Masters are equipped with a flail of the Unforgiven, multiheaded, barbed flails that are capable of stripping both armour and flesh from the bodies of the Master's foes. In game these weapons increase the wielder's Strength characteristic and can cut through all but the thickest armour. Additionally, in the 8th Edition rules, the wounds caused by the flail are able to affect [[HerdHittingAttack multiple models]] in the target unit as the Master attacks with great sweeping swings.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Deathwing Knights are trained to link their storm shields together to form an impenetrable wall against their enemies' attacks. In previous editions of the game, this was represented by a special rule that boosted the Knight's Toughness characteristic while in base contact with other members of their squad. The 8th Edition rules meanwhile has the 'Fortress of Shields' Dark Angels Stratagem that makes it more difficult for enemy attacks to wound a Deathwing squad equipped with storm shields, something Deathwing Knights are equipped with as standard.
* MoreDakka: Deathwing Terminators are trained to take maximum advantage of the surprise of their arrival when deploying via teleporter by unleashing a massive storm of firepower against their foe.
* ReforgedBlade: The Halberd of Caliban, wielded by the Company Champion of the Deathwing, was created from one of the Blades of Caliban[[note]]ancient power swords dating from before Lion El'Jonson came to Caliban[[/note]] that was shattered many years ago. The Halberd is inscribed with the names of every Champion to wield it and incorporates a censer that burns the ground finger bones of the Fallen.
* TokenMinority: In some versions of the background material, the Deathwing will be the sole Native American-themed company of the Dark Angels, even though their actual members still have the appearance to the European monks they're based off of. Contrast with the Raven Guard who have the theme AND look the part (aside from chalk white skin).
* UniquenessDecay: Being able to field an all Terminator army was initially something unique to the Dark Angels, but as new editions came on, other Space Marine armies gained the ability to field an all Terminator army as well, the Grey Knights being infamous for having Terminators as troops as a standard without requiring any special characters to unlock them.
* WreckedWeapon: {{Invoked|Trope}} with the Deathwing's company badge, which is a red variant of the Dark Angels' symbol with the sword's blade broken to symbolize the fracturing of the Legion.

!!The Ravenwing
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ravenwing_7.png]]
->''The enemy have been sighted. I am going to engage. In the name of the Emperor: Ravenwing -- attack! Attack! ATTACK!''
-->-- '''Grand Master Gideon'''

The Ravenwing are the Dark Angels' Second Company, specializing in mobile warfare revolving around bikes and unique versions of planes and Land Speeders. Their true purpose is to hunt the Fallen, working in tandem with the Deathwing.

* BadassBiker: The bike mounted battle-brothers that make up the majority of the Ravenwing are incredibly highly trained assault troops who use their speed and skill to tear the heart out of an enemy force and then fall back before their foe can retaliate.
* BornInTheSaddle: Ravenwing outriders are known for leaving the saddle of their bikes only when they need to use the latrine or to participate in chapter rituals. They otherwise spend virtually all their time there, either fighting, hunting the Fallen, or training to do those things.
* DeathFromAbove: The Dark Talon and the Nephilim Jetfighter are jet planes unique to the Ravenwing that are used for targeting ground-based and airborne enemies, respectively. The Dark Talon is also equipped with a stasis crypt which is used to transport captured Fallen back to the Rock.
* DropTheHammer: The most elite members of the Ravenwing, the merciless Black Knights, wield heavy spiked hammers known as corvus hammers. These brutal weapons were designed in imitation of the monster-slaying weapons of knights of pre-Imperial Caliban, and are capable of smashing bone and crushing heads with a single swing.
* {{Magitek}}: The Ravenwing Darkshroud is equipped with statues from the Rock that have become enchanted through exposure to the Warp. The Dark Angels found that they can weaponize the statues by mounting them on land speeders and connecting cables that siphon the magical energies from them.
* StillWearingTheOldColors: The Ravenwing is the only company in the Dark Angels that has retained the Legion's original black armor scheme to the present day, as the Deathwing changed from black to their current bone white at some point after the other companies went to their current green.
* SymbolicWings: Ravenwing bikers typically sport one or two ornamental wings attached to their saddles, giving them a visual appearance similar to the historical Polish Winged Hussars. These wings often incorporate the biker's teleport homer so that they can call in the Deathwing once their quarry has been run to ground.
* TargetSpotter: Introduced in the 8th Edition of the game, Talonmasters are the Ravenwing's version of a Lieutenant and ride in specially adapted [[HoverTank Land Speeders]] outfitted with advanced auspex scanners and vox-links. The Talonmasters use these targeting mechanisms to direct the fire of his fellows, ensuring that there is nowhere for the Ranvenwing's quarry to hide. In game terms the Talonmaster increases the accuracy of nearby Dark Angels and allows Ravenwing to ignore any cover their targets are sheltering behind.
* TimeStandsStill: In order to take their prey alive, the Ravenwing use a number of stasis weapons, such as the stasis bombs dropped by Dark Talon aircraft and the [[TrickBullet stasis shells]] fired by Ravenwing Grenade Launchers, that freeze time in the area that they hit. How this works in game depends on the edition with the 7th Edition rules reducing the close combat abilities of units hit (representing them being briefly frozen in time) while the 8th Edition rules deal [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] to represent the model being frozen for the rest of the battle.

!!The Watchers in the Dark
[[quoteright:244:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/watcher_in_the_dark.png]]

Mysterious robed beings who were native to Caliban, the Dark Angels' lost homeworld. Little is known about their origins, nature or appearance save that they oppose Chaos, and that they appointed themselves as aides and guides to the Dark Angels. After the destruction of Caliban during the Horus Heresy, they continued to inhabit the Rock, the planet's last surviving fragment. They were the guardians of Lion El'Jonson during his long slumber, and now aid him however they can.
----
* AntiMagic: The Watchers in the Dark exhibit a mysterious ability to counter the powers of daemons and enemy psykers. In the ''Legacy of Russ'' series of short stories the presence of a single Watcher was enough to force [[{{Doppelganger}} the Changeling]] to give up its plans to free those imprisoned in the bowels of the Rock while in the 8th Edition of the game some Deathwing Squads can be accompanied by a Watcher who gives the squad the once per battle ability to stop an enemy power from effecting them[[note]]previous editions attributed this ability to the relic that the Watcher carried[[/note]].
* Expy: Though they make lack their StickyFingers, the Watchers being tiny hooded figures whose faces are always concealed by shadows makes them dead ringers for Jawas.
* InTheHood: Their faces are perpetually concealed by deep, shadowy hoods.
* TheSpeechless: They never speak aloud, and it's not particularly clear if they even can. Subverted in that it turns out they actually can, as they speak to Lion El'Jonson as they guided him after his return. They just never spoke to anyone on the Rock.
* TheSpook: The Watchers in the Dark are diminutive, perpetually-robed-and-hooded figures who never speak and are immune to psychic probing. It's hypothesized that they might be aliens or even non-daemonic natives of the Warp, all that's certain about them is their almost guaranteed to not be human. All that is known about them is that they aid certain Dark Angels as weapon bearers, but never directly contribute in battle, until the return of the Lion, whereupon they assist him in battle in a supportive role.
* UndyingLoyalty: Implied to be the case towards the Lion. They watched over him for 10,000 years while keeping him alive and in shape, all the while assisting the Dark Angels as much as they could. When the time came to awakne the Lion, they acted as his guides, then as his support.

[[folder:White Scars]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/white_scars_biker_4911.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[BattleCry "For the Khan and the Emperor!"]]]]

->''Warriors of Chogoris! Brothers of the Great Tribe! The star hunt calls you, do you not hear it? The battle's red edge is your home, the respect of your kinsmen your hearth. Plunge into the enemy's breast like a blade, cut out his heart, and you will know fulfillment. The Emperor has given us strength. In return, we give him victory!''
-->-- '''Jaghatai Khan''', the Last Charge of Galathamar

The White Scars, originally known as the Star Hunters in some sources, were the Fifth Astartes Legion and their Primarch is [[LightningBruiser Jaghatai Khan]]. The Chapter's home world is Chogoris, known as Mundus Planus to the Administratum, and their fortress monastery is the mountain fastness of Quan Zhou. At the dawning of the Era Indomitus, the Chapter Master of the White Scars, known as the Great Khan, is Jubal, a once great warrior now confined to a life support cradle in his inner sanctum due to the injuries inflicted upon him by the Red Corsairs.\\
\\
The White Scars draw their recruits from the fierce steppe horsemen of their home world, and have adapted their traditional method of mounted warfare to a modern mechanised army. The Chapter is famous for their use of bikes, aircraft and armoured transports to perform lightning-fast offensives that leave the foe outmanoeuvred and striking at shadows, while the White Scars pick them apart at range or crush them in decisive close combat. The barbaric look and brutal tribal traditions of the White scars have resulted in many in the Imperial bureaucracy and military considering them to be nothing but savages but those who have fought alongside the Chapter greatly respect them for their ruthlessly methodical style of warfare and their noble spirit.\\
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Immediately prior to the opening of the Great Rift, the Yasan Sector came under massive attack from a massive Red Corsairs armada with the White Scars' Chapter Planet itself being invaded. After much bloodshed, the piratical renegades and their daemonic allies were driven from Chogoris, but not without the Chapter suffering horrendous casualties. After being reinforced by Primaris Marines brought to them by an Indomitus Crusade Fleet, the White Scars have made it their mission to purge the Yasan Sector of the heretical forces that infest it and they will stop at nothing until they have succeeded in this task.\\
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The White Scars have been a part of the ''Warhammer 40,000'' games since 1st Edition where they received rules in the ''Warhammer 40,000 Chapter Approved -- The Book of the Astronomican'' sourcebook. From 2nd Edition onward the White Scars were mainly counted as a regular Astartes Chapter with a focus on bikers but have receive supplemental rules in a number of editions, such as in 3rd Edition's ''Index Astartes I'' and 7th Edition's ''Codex Supplement: Angels of Death''. The Chapter also played a large role in 7th Edition's ''War Zone Damocles'' campaign books against the T'au Empire. In 8th Edition, the White Scars used the basic Astartes rules printed in ''Codex: Space Marines'', released in August 2019, alongside the Chapter specific rules in ''Codex Supplement: White Scars'' released at the same time. For 9th Edition, the Chapter uses a combination of the rules published in October 2020's ''Codex: Space Marines'' along with the previous edition's Codex Supplement[[note]]with free downloadable errata[[/note]].

* AbnormalAmmo: Designed to kill the monstrous predators of the mountains of Chogoris, the rare stormwrath bolts used by the White Scars and their Successor Chapters are unique bolt shells that are laced with the electrified [[FantasyMetals fulgurite]]. When such a bolt penetrates its target, the shell releases the [[ShockAndAwe energy of Chogoris' lightning storms]] within the target itself. The 8th Edition rules represent this by allowing the model with these bolts to upgrade a bolt weapon to have superior Strength and Armour Penetration. The bolts also give the weapon a greater Damage characteristic when used against Monsters.
* AmplifierArtifact: The Mantle of the Stormsteer is a relic of the White Scars' Librarius. This ancient psychic hood is able to channel storm spirits that enhance the Stormseer's psychic abilities, represented in the 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: White Scars'' rules by giving the wearer a bonus when attempting to manifest a psychic ability.
* ArchEnemy:
** Of all the xenos they have fought, the White Scars have a particular loathing for the [[SpaceElves Aeldari]] raiders known as [[TheFairFolk Drukhari]]. This enmity dates back to the Drukhari slave raids that plagued Chogoris and the Yasan Sector while the majority of the Legion was away fighting in the Great Crusade, the Horus Heresy and the Scouring. In addition to this, the role that the Drukhari played in the disappearance of the Primarch Jaghatai Khan inflamed the White Scars' hatred of the xenos breed even further.
** Since their invasion of Chogoris and the surrounding systems at the end of the 41st Millennium, the White Scars have harboured a cold hatred for the Red Corsairs, and their leader Huron Blackheart. Those warriors recruited in the aftermath of the invasion are particularly eager to fight the [[SpacePirate piratical raiders]] and enact vengeance for the despoilment of their home world.
* BadassBiker: The White Scars have combined the savagery and tactics of their home world's barbarian {{Horse Archer}}s with the discipline, technology and superhuman abilities of the Adeptus Astartes to become the some of the most talented bike-mounted troops in the Imperium. Their 8th Edition rules reflect this by giving them a number of different abilities, Stratagems and Tactical Objectives that are particularly useful for, if not exclusive too, bike mounted units.
* BattleTrophy: The White Scars continue the tradition of taking trophies from defeated enemies that they originally learned as members of the barbaric tribes of Chogoris. [[OffWithHisHead Severed heads]] are a particularly prized trophy; the roads to their fortress monastery are lined with the silver-covered heads of the Chapter's greatest enemies. The 8th Edition rules represent the practice of trophy taking with the Headtaker's Trophies Special-Issue Wargear, a trophy rack of grisly trophies that reduces the [[MoraleMechanic Leadership characteristic]] of nearby enemies.
* BornInTheSaddle: The native tribes of Chogoris, which the White Scars draw their recruits from, are nomadic horsemen with a strong [[SpaceRomans Mongol theme]]. As with many Chapters, the White Scars have inherited many elements of their home world's culture including a preference for mobile warfare, only [[MyHorseIsAMotorbike replacing horses with bikes]] and transport vehicles.
* CarFu: The White Scars are masters of using their bike's weight and momentum to cause damage to their enemy when they charge into combat. How this is represented in-game depends on the edition with those rule sets that use the Hammer of Wrath rule often giving the White Scars bonuses when using that rule, while the 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: White Scars'' includes the Chogorian Thunderbolts white Scars Stratagem that gives White Scars Bikers a chance of causing [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] against an enemy when they charge.
* TheChooserOfTheOne: The Librarians of the White Scars, known as Stormseers, are responsible for overseeing the recruitment of each new generation of aspirants from the hardy Chogorian tribes. Every ten years these warrior-mystics observe the battles of the nomadic tribesmen, choosing those who show exceptional skill and bravery and taking them to the fortress monetary of Quan Zhou where that are given the chance to join the Chapter. In addition to this, the Stormseers also choose who shall serve as Chapter Master after the death of the previous Great Khan, putting those who wish to take on the role through a series of mysterious challenges that few survive.
* CoolBike: The unique Space Marine Bike Wrath of the Heavens is a relic of the White Scars created for the former Master of the Hunt Khantak Khan. Faster than any other Bike in the Chapter's Armoury, Wrath of the Heavens is fitted with [[HoverBike grav-impellers]] that allow it to make short gravitic hops across the battlefield. In all editions of the game, wrath of Heaven has superior speed to a regular bike and special rules that allow it to cross terrain, and other models, with ease.
* CoveredWithScars: The White Scars have inherited a culture of scarification from the nomadic horsemen that they draw their recruits from and have numerous rituals, rites and customs that leave numerous scars upon their bodies. The Chapter's members also wear the scars they receive in battle, and during [[DuelingScar duels with their battle-brothers]] with pride, seeing them as honour scars and signs of bravery.
* CulturedBadass: Despite their reputation as barbaric {{Horse Archer}}s, the nomads of Chogoris have a deep and rich culture that includes beautiful craftsmanship, poetry and calligraphy, and even after they join the Chapter, White Scars battle-brothers continue such pursuits. The White Scars' fortress monastery of Quan Zhou is a good example of the Chapter's dual nature. A city-sized fortress of beautifully wrought marble that contains forests filled with game, glistening streams and vast libraries of lore, Quan Zhou still sports near impregnable armour, immense weapons batteries and its approaches are lined with the severed heads of the Chapter's greatest foes.
* ElectronicEyes: One of the White Scars' relics is the Hunter's Eye, a highly advanced bionic eye constructed in honour of the {{horse archer}}s of Chogoris, which allows its wearer to [[EnemyScan pinpoint the weak spots]] in his enemy's defences. The 8th Edition rules for the Eye represent this by allowing the wearer to [[TargetSpotter direct the fire of a nearby model]] so that their ranged attacks ignore enemy cover.
* FastAsLightning: The White Scars are famous for their speed and LightningBruiser style of warfare. The Chapter is also closely associated with lightning by incorporating a lightning bolt into their iconography, having lightning-based [[ShockAndAwe psychic abilities]] and Special-Issue Wargear, and lightning named Stratagems.
* FateWorseThanDeath:
** Many White Scars consider the idea of being [[ManInTheMachine interred within the sarcophagus of a Dreadnought]] to be truly horrific due to their wish to remain free, to feel the wind as they hunt and to travel in the afterlife when it is their time. At best the fate is considered to be a noble self-sacrifice, while at worst a living hell. As such the White Scars field far fewer [[MiniMecha Dreadnoughts]] than many other Chapters. This was taken to the extreme during the 3rd Edition of the game where the Chapter's ''Index Astartes: Lightning Attack'' rules barred White Scars armies from taking Dreadnoughts entirely.
** Since his capture and torture at the hands of the Red Corsairs Jubal, the Chapter's Great Khan, has been confined to a life-support cradle within the inner sanctum of his quarters. While Jubal continues to command the Chapter with his prodigious intelligence and tactical skill, many White Scars believe that it would have been better for the Great Khan to have succumbed to his wounds as even those confined within the shell of a Dreadnoughts, a fate many within the Chapter are loathed to experience, are still able to experience the thrill of battle.
* {{Fictionary}}: The White Scars speak Korchin, the language of Chogoris, a language consisting of various words taken from Chinese, and other Asian languages, with the addition of a number of vaguely East Asian sounding words. No full sentence structure or syntax for Korchin has been revealed, just a few words to add to the White Scar's East Asian/Mongolian theme.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: While in lore the White Scars are vaunted masters of bike combat, matched only by the Dark Angels Ravenwing reconnaissance company, some editions of the rules fail to represent this on the tabletop, with their early 8th Edition rules actually benefit their [[JumpJetPack Jump Pack]] infantry the most. The ''Codex Supplement: White Scars'' {{sourcebook}} attempted to rectify this by giving the Chapter a number of Stratagems and a Warlord Trait specifically intended for Bike mounted troops.
* HitAndRunTactics: The White Scars are masters of mobile warfare, striking with vicious, lightning quick attacks and then withdrawing before the enemy can retaliate. How this is represented in-game varies depending on the edition with their 3rd Edition ''Index Astartes: Lightning Assault'' rules allowing White Scars Bikers to choose to retreat from combat (something that wasn't allowed normally at the time), while the second version of their 8th Edition ''Codex: Space Marine'' rules, and their supplement, gives them the means to Fall Back and still charge or shoot respectively.
* InitiationCeremony: The 2nd Company of the White Scars, the Firefist Brotherhood, get their name from their initiation ritual that involves a prospective battle-brother descending, unarmoured, into the crater of the burning pit known as the Mouth of Fire to retrieve a pearl of molten crystal with their bare hands. The ritual inevitably leaves the battle-brother with a permanent scar that marks them as a Firefist for the rest of their lives.
* LightningBruiser: The White Scars preferred battle doctrine focuses on speed, fluidity and lightning assaults that hit the enemy as quickly and as hard as possible. Unlike some forces that focus on speed, however, the White Scars are no more fragile than any other Chapter of Astartes as their equipment, enhanced physiques and natural ferocity make them as tough as their more conventional brethren. The White Scars’ focus on this style of warfare is one of the reasons that they adopted the lightning bolt as their Chapter symbol. The 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: White Scars'' rules represent this by giving the Chapter a number of unique Stratagems that revolve around movement.
* LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Some Khans go into battle carrying a small buckler. Not as large as the more common combat shields and storm shields, those skilled in the use of a buckler can, nonetheless, use it to deflect enemy melee attacks. The 8th Edition represents these small shields by giving those equipped with them a bonus to their armour save while fighting in close combat.
* MasterSwordsman: The lore for the Chapter mentions that the warriors of the Tulwar Brotherhood, the White Scars' 4th Company, are renowned for their skills with the traditional Chogorian blades after which they are named, with their leader, Joghaten Khan, being one of the greatest swordsmen in the entire Chapter. Despite being a combined-arms Battle Company, the brotherhood prefers rapid and bloody assaults that allow them to utilise their combat prowess to the fullest. [[GameplayAndStorySegregation This isn't reflected in the rules]], however, where the 4th Company is no different from any other White Scars force.
* MoreDakka: The Equis-patter bolt pistols are a variant of the standard bolt pistol created by the Techmarines of the White Scars and their Successor Chapters. These pistols have had their rate-of-fire dramatically increased so that they can unleash a flurry of bolts at the enemy. The 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: White Scars'' represents these pieces of Special-Issue Wargear by giving them one of the highest rates-of-fire of any Pistol type weapon used by the Adeptus Astartes.
* MultinationalTeam: The people of Chogoris live in separate tribes that regularly war against each other for resources and honour. While this high level of conflict produces ideal recruits for the Chapter, old grievances and tribal enmity can linger, even after the modifications and indoctrination that Astartes initiates go through. To combat this, the White Scars attempt to organise their squads so that individuals from many different tribes serve together as brothers once they become full-blooded Marines.
* MyHorseIsAMotorbike: As modern motorised Mongols, the White Scars' traditional method of warfare and visual style can be described as motorbike-riding {{Horse Archer}}s, using their speed and manoeuvrability to surround and wear down their enemy, before charging in to deliver the killing blow.
* NamedWeapon:
** The power lance known as the Glaive of Vengeance is an ancient relic of the White Scars once wielded by the Great Khan Kyublai. Many within the Chapter believe that the former Chapter Master's spirit still resides within the weapon, enhancing its power with his desire for vengeance against the enemies of the Imperium. The 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: White Scars'' rules represent this mighty spear by giving allowing it to use the Strength, that a normal khan's spear gives only when charging, to all its attacks
** Forged in the style of the tulwars used by Chogorian tribesmen, the Scimitar of the Great Khan is said to be the greatest power sword ever created by the Chapter's artisans and was blessed by the Primarch himself during the Purging of Daikeos. In-game, the 8th Edition rules, the Scimitar a superior profile to a regular power sword and gives the wielder a chance to cause double Damage.
* SpaceRomans: The White Scars draw primarily on the look, history and culture of the Mongol HordesFromTheEast, with some additional influences from other historic East Asian cultures. Their [[SuperPrototype Primarch]] was even named [[MeaningfulName Jaghatai]][[note]]an alternate spelling of Chagatai, one of Genghis Khan's sons[[/note]], while he and all subsequent leaders hold the title of [[UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan Great Khan]] while Captains are known as Khans.
* PirateNinjaZombieRobot: The White Scars are a cross of HordesFromTheEast and BadassBiker.
* SpeedDemon: The White Scars adopt this attitude as a matter of doctrine. Moving fast, hitting hard, and back to moving fast are how they wage their campaigns, and if they're not moving fast then they're not maximizing their effectiveness.
* StraightForTheCommander: A favoured tactic of the White Scars is to take out enemy commanders and champions to destroy their foes' morale and strategic coordination. The 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: White Scars'' rules encourages this on the tabletop with the Claim Their Heads White Scars Tactical Objective that gives the player bonus victory points when they take out enemy Characters.
* TheStrategist: Although the current Great Khan is no longer able to take to the field of battle himself due to his injuries, Jubal is still a masterful general with great tactical skill, issuing commands to the Chapter through his closest battle-brothers. Some amongst the Chapter even believe that Jubal's strategic abilities have been enhanced by his confinement to his quarters as, now that he is freed from the distraction of personally leading warriors in the field, he is able to plan campaigns on a Segmentum-wide level.
* TargetSpotter: The Cyber-Eagle Helms used by the White Scars and their Successor Chapters links its wearer to a cybernetic hunting bird that circles high above the battlefield. Fitted with advanced auspex scanners, the bird transmits everything it sees back to the Helm where it is [[{{HUD}} projected onto the wearer’s field of vision]], giving them enhanced targeting data that can be past onto their battle-brothers. In the 8th Edition Codex Supplement: White Scars rules for this piece of Special-Issue Wargear, this extra targeting data allows a unit close to the wearer a greater chance of hitting when firing Overwatch at a charging enemy.
* TokenMinority: With their [[HordesFromTheEast Mongol Horde]] theme, the White Scars are the only one of the nine loyalist First Founding Legions not to be strongly based on a European culture.
* TrialByCombat: While rare, the fiery passions of the White Scars can lead to bitter arguments between battle-brothers. When such instances happen, some background material indicated that the White Scars involved may petition their Khan to be allowed to duel with ritual tulwar combat blades in order to settle the dispute.
* WeatherManipulation: The shamanic [[MagicKnight Librarians]] of the White Scars are known as Stormseers and use their psychic abilities to manipulate the elemental forces of nature and alter the weather itself. While most editions of the game treat Stormseers the same as the Librarians of any other Chapter, the 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: White Scars'' {{sourcebook}} allows them to take powers from the Stormspeaking Psychic Discipline so that they can [[BlowYouAway invoke a windstorm]] to slow down their enemies, strike foes with [[ShockAndAwe lightning]] or even surround himself with the fury of a hurricane.

[[folder:Space Wolves]]
[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/space_wolf_marine_logo_3777.png]]
[[caption-width-right:320:[[BattleCry "For Russ and the Allfather!"]]]]

->''Listen closely Brothers, for my life's breath is all but spent. There shall come a time far from now when our Chapter itself is dying, even as I am now dying, and our foes shall gather to destroy us. Then my children, I shall listen for your call in whatever realm of death holds me, and come I shall, no matter what the laws of life and death forbid. At the end I will be there. For the final battle. For the Wolftime.''
-->-- '''Leman Russ''', final words

The Space Wolves were originally the Sixth Legion. Their Primarch is [[RaisedByWolves Leman Russ]], their Chapter Master, known as the Great Wolf, at the time of Abaddon's 13th Black Crusade is the long-serving Logan Grimnar, and their home world is the death world of Fenris.\\
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The Space Wolves (also known as Sky Warriors to the natives of Fenris and, in some background information, the Vlka Fenryka[[labelnote:Translation]]Wolves of Fenris[[/labelnote]]) are a prideful and anti-authoritarian chapter that has always refused to adopt the tenets of the ''Codex Astartes'', stubbornly maintaining the customs and force organization instituted by their Primarch. Highly aggressive warriors and cunning hunters, the Space Wolves fight like heroes of legend to defend humanity and to add to their own epic saga. Despite their barbaric appearance, the Space Wolves also maintain a highly developed code of honour, leading them to reject the methods of the more uncompromising Imperial organisations such as the Inquisition and the Ecclesiarchy. Towards the end of the 41st Millennium, the Space Wolves suffered both joy and sorrow in equal measure, with the return of the lost brothers of their 13th Great Company being quickly followed by an all-out invasion of Fenris by the hated Thousand Sons that caused massive death and destruction. Despite their losses, the Space Wolves remain unbowed and remain some of the fiercest and most loyal warriors in the Imperium.\\
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The Space Wolves have been a part of ''Warhammer 40,000'' since the 1st Edition of the game and in 1994 they were the first ever faction to receive a codex sourcebook. In 2016, the Chapter were the focus of the ''War Zone Fenris''[[note]]consisting of the ''Curse of the Wulfen'' and ''Wrath of Magnus'' books[[/note]] campaign as part of the material that advanced the setting's background considerably in the lead up to the release of the game's 8th Edition. The 8th Edition rules for the Space Wolves can be found in ''Codex Adeptus Astartes: Space Wolves'' released in August 2018, with additional rules published in March 2020's ''Psychic Awakening: Saga of the Beast''.For 9th Edition, the Chapter uses a combination of the rules published in October 2020's ''Codex: Space Marines'' combined with the ''Codex Supplement: Space Wolves'' book, released November 2020.\\
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For the Black Library series of novels, see the ''Literature/SpaceWolf'' page.

* ThirteenIsUnlucky: The Space Wolves' 13th Great Company had a disproportionate number of warriors suffering from the Curse of the Wulfen, and disappeared at the end of the Horus Heresy when they pursued the fleeing traitors into the Eye of Terror. They were considered lost and became a taboo topic among the Space Wolves, only to make [[TheBusCameBack a surprise reappearance]] hounding the heels of Abaddon the Despoiler's 13th Black Crusade.
* AbnormalAmmo: The rare Morkai's Teeth Bolts[[note]]introduced by the late 8th Edition book ''Psychic Awakening: Saga of the Beast''[[/note]] are tipped with strange unmelting Fenrisian ice that, it is believed, draw the eye of the death wolf Morkai to all those that they strike, dealing a [[UnblockableAttack mortal wound]] and making it more likely for subsequent attacks to cause damage.
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: The Chapter Relic known as [[NamedWeapon the Krakenbone Sword]] is a mighty blade carved from the sternum of a great aquatic monster by Fenrisian tribesmen and reforged by [[TheBlacksmith Arjac Rockfist]]. The weapon has never required sharpening an is able to carve through armour as easily as a [[AntiArmor multi-melta]].
* ArchEnemy: The Thousand Sons legion, a grudge dating back to the Horus Heresy and the Space Wolves' sacking of Prospero.
* AnimalMotifs: Wolves, referencing the SavageWolves that roam their homeworld and the themes of ferocious Germanic barbarism the chapter evokes.
* AntiMagic: The talismans and charms worn by the warriors of the Space Wolves are said to ward against the Evil Eye and protect their bearers from malign sorcery. The 8th Edition rules represent this with the 'Talismanic Shield' Space Wolves Stratagem that give a Space Wolf Character a chance to stop enemy PsychicPowers.
* BadPowersBadPeople: Space Wolf Librarians or Rune Priests believe their power comes from Fenris because anyone who draws their power from the Warp is bad. ''Wrath of Magnus'' [[spoiler:confirms that they were right. The powers of the Rune Priest comes from the spirit of Fenris itself, remaining somehow independent of the Warp.]]
* BarbarianTribe: While countless Chapters recruit their warriors from barbaric tribes, most become more civilized after their recruitment and training. The Space Wolves, however, retain their barbarian mentality and aesthetic, and are [[SpaceRomans based on]] [[HornyVikings Vikings]], sporting [[BarbarianLongHair wild hair]] and [[BeardOfBarbarism beards]], coupled with a reputation for reckless courage and ferocity. The Chapter is also considered to be one of the more [[NobleSavage heroic]] factions in the setting, considering things like [[WouldNotShootACivilian shooting civilians]] and needless cruelty to be dishonourable.
* BeardOfBarbarism: The Space Wolves are one of the few chapters where facial hair is commonplace, usually as full beards which can get quite long. They owe it to their Fenrisian heritage, as a full beard provides another protection against the cold on the planet and the Space Wolves tend to keep their beards long and thick out of habit.
* BerserkButton:
** Suggest shaving or haircuts, or, if you're an Inquisitor, declare Exterminatus within earshot. Much like the Salamanders, murdering innocent civilians is a '''huge''' no-no for the Space Wolves, as Chapter Master Seth of the Flesh Tearers found out the hard way. Treachery and breaking oaths will also enrage them, as chapter master Joros of the Grey Knights found out in an even harder way.
** There is a Chaos Space Marine warband called Skyrar's Dark Wolves that is rumoured throughout the Imperium to be traitor Space Wolves. As you'd expect, if a Space Wolf hears anyone mention Skyrar and his warriors, they're liable to go hunting.
* TheBerserker: Some Space Wolves fight with a bestial fury, tearing apart their enemies like a Fenrisian Wolf ripping apart its prey. The 8th Edition rules represent this with the Saga of the Savage Warlord Trait for the Space Wolves Stalker Pack Specialist Detachment[[note]]introduced in the ''Imperium Nihilus: Vigilus Defiant'' [[{{Sourcebook}} campaign book]][[/note]] that increases the Warlord’s Attacks characteristic and gives him a chance of increasing the Attacks of nearby Space Wolves.
* BloodKnight: There are two reasons why the Space Wolves will ignore an Exterminatus order: one such reason is that it would deprive them of a chance to fight an enemy strong enough to justify such an extreme order.
* BodyCountCompetition: Space Wolves will often compete with the other members of their pack see who can score the most kills in a particular battle.
* BoisterousBruiser: As Belial of the Dark Angels put it, "Fenris breeds heroes like a bar breeds drunks - loud, proud and spoiling for a fight."
* BraidsOfBarbarism: Whether it's by choice or a side effect of their geneseed, the Space Wolves generally have very long hair, which is often partially or fully braided. [[http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/24576/codex-space-wolves-english.jpg Their 7th edition codex]] gave a good depiction.
* CanisMajor: The Fenrisian Wolves that accompany some Space Wolves into battle are the size of tigers, while the ones that serve as Thunderwolf cavalry are even larger.
* ACommanderIsYou: Elitist/Brute. The Space Wolves hhave access to powerful HQ choices, unique wargear that no other Astartes chapter can use, and fast and powerful Thunderwolf Cavalry, deadly in close assault.
* CurbStompBattle: During the Great Crusade, the Space Wolves were used when the Emperor generally wanted something completely crushed. They (and especially Leman Russ) were so good at this that the Legion became known as "the Rout."
-->'''Thar Ariak Hraldir, Wolf Priest''': We were made to destroy. Our whole being is destruction. Such was the will of the Allfather. He made us not to construct empires, but to murder them. We were bred to perform the tasks that no other Legion could, to fight with such extravagance that even our brother warriors would shrink from treachery in the knowledge of what we, the Rout, would do to them.
* DeathSeeker: Lone Wolves are the {{Sole Survivor}}s of their packs, and hurl themselves at the most formidable of foes in an attempt to either redeem themselves or join their brothers in death. The ones who survive are generally elevated to the Wolf Guard.
* DeathWorld: Fenris is a world that is exclusively GrimUpNorth, with a very elliptical orbit that takes twice as long as Terran standard. Its long winters freeze almost the entire planet, while its summers bring lava flows and tidal waves. The land is constantly changing, making permanent settlement impossible, and its resources are so meager that its population must war amongst itself to survive. Other claims to fame include kraken, dragons, and wolves the size of tanks. The Space Wolves are quite proud of their home world's lethality and warlike population.
* DependingOnTheWriter: One of the most egregious non-retcon examples in the setting. The authors at Games Workshop can't seem to decide if the Space Wolves are a chapter of headstrong {{Boisterous Bruiser}}s who love fighting, particularly [[BloodKnight against worthy opponents]] or a chapter of grim, battle-hardened warriors who look at fighting and protecting the weak as their solemn, sworn duty. The Horus Heresy books have thrown yet another layer of confusion into the mix by painting the Space Wolves as the Emperor's executioners, to be dispatched to kill off ''anyone'' who needs killing, regardless of whether they are ally or friend (which seemingly goes against the Space Wolves' long-established love of honesty and honourable fighting). Different sources also either paint the Space Wolves as fanatically loyal to the Imperium, or as having little tolerance for the Imperium as an entity, but still believing in their duty to humanity. Also, in the novels they tend to be honorable barbarians with Nordic titles that happen to use Wolf totems a lot in their heraldry; in their codexes and campaign books they use the word wolf in the names of ''absolutely everything'' and lead packs of wolves into combat while riding bigger wolves.
* DropTheHammer: Iron Priests traditionally wield large, two-handed hammers[[note]]thunder hammers in older editions; tempest hammers from late 7th Edition onward[[/note]] instead of the axes used by the [[TheEngineer Techmarines]] of other Chapters. This difference gives the Iron Priest a look closer to that of a techno-blacksmith rather than an engineer.
* DwindlingParty: Packs are never reinforced when they take losses or when Blood Claws are reassigned, so their numbers go down as they evolve from Blood Claws to Grey Hunters to Long Fangs.
* DyingRace: [[spoiler:With their civilian population ravaged by the combined attack of Magnus and purging by the Grey Knights, the Wolves have almost no recruitment base anymore. They may very well go extinct. Even with reinforcements from the Primaris Marines, their survival is still up in the air.]]
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: During 3rd Editions the Space Wolves were able to take Leman Russ Exterminators as Heavy Support Choices, explained as being in honour of their Primarch who the tank was named after. These vehicles never really fitted with the rest of the Space Wolves armoury and were dropped for later editions.
* FangsAreEvil: Subverted, despite their borderline bestial appearance.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Werewolf HornyVikings. Early on there were attempts to bring in other European barbarians like the Celts, but nowadays the Wolves are pretty Norse.
* FreezeRay: Their 7th edition codex introduced Helfrost weapons, powerful lasers focused through a rare glimmerfrost crystal that instantly freezes the target area to near absolute zero.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: In the 5th Edition, despite being a chapter noted in lore for close combat, the Space Wolves functioned better as a shooting army due to their cheaper source of special and heavy weapons than vanilla Space Marines.
* GlorySeeker: Blood Claws are reckless young warriors out to make a name for themself through feats of battlefield daring. In-game, unless a Wolf Guard squad leader or other character is around to keep them in line, they're obligated to charge any foes they can reach, and get so excited that they can't shoot in the Shooting Phase beforehand.
* HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic: Space Wolves avoid wearing their helmets whenever they can, partly because their hair and/or beards make it awkward and partly because the helmets muck with their senses, especially smell and hearing. If a Space Wolf is wearing his helmet, you can bet he's grousing about it.
* HidingBehindTheLanguageBarrier: In the novels, Space Wolves have a habit of talking amongst themselves in Fenrisian, even while amongst other Imperium members. Most of the time it's for planning and/or discussing chapter secrets, other times it's to insult incompetent allies.
* HotBlooded: The aptly-named [[MeaningfulName Blood Claws]], the youngest of the full Marines who are bounding with aggressive energy, eager to earn their place among the chapter. They are almost all full on enthusiasm and light on discipline.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** An odd case regarding psykers. The Space Wolves supported the banning of librarians at Nikaea, but kept their own afterwards. Their Rune Priests insist that they are not psykers at all, and instead of seeing their powers as coming from the Warp, they hold that their powers come from the world spirit of Fenris. This is a painfully thin excuse (when Ahriman observes a Rune Priest he sees no difference between him and a librarian) and in the face of the battle with the Thousand Sons, a few Rune Priests admitted to each other that they were psykers and little different from the Sons. [[spoiler:The Battle of the Fang revealed that the world spirit of Fenris does actually exist all along, making the truth about the Rune Priests' claim ambiguous.]]
** The modern Wolves are fiercely opposed to the harming of civilians, nearly getting into a war with the Inquisition over the matter, but they actively keep their home world of Fenris in a state of constant tribal warfare, where plenty of innocents will inevitably be killed in the battles meant to produce skilled recruits for the Wolves.
** The Wolves were disgusted at the Thousand Sons' Flesh Change mutations, with the bad blood between legions only really kicking off after Russ ruthlessly gunned down one afflicted Son for mutancy and nearly coming to blows with Magnus over it. The Wolves have an extremely mutation-prone geneseed, with the "Wulfen Curse" crippling any attempts at producing successors.
* AnIcePerson: The Rune Priests' Tempestas psychic discipline utilises a psychic ice effect and mixes that with a bit of Telekinesis to spin that ice around or shape it into giant killer wolves.
* InternalAffairs: Just prior to the Burning of Prospero, squads of Space Wolves (called "Watch Packs") were assigned by Malcador to all Primarchs, who were explicitly ordered to murder the Primarch if they showed signs of treachery. This proved an extremely unwise move, as several Primarchs along with their legions saw their very presence as an implied slander on their loyalty. Moreover, the Watch Packs were hopelessly outmatched by any individual Primarch (leaving aside entirely their attendant honor guards and legions), and in the event did not manage to stop a single Primarch from joining Horus. Those Packs unlucky enough to be assigned to traitor Primarchs were summarily murdered, having accomplished nothing.
* JustFollowingOrders: The Heresy era Wolves were not only willing, but prided themselves on how they would do ''anything'' the Emperor told them too. And then Horus changed an order from the Emperor to apprehend the Thousand Sons to one that said to annihilate them instead and things went to hell quickly.
* KingInTheMountain: The Wolves believe that Leman Russ will return to them for an apocalyptic final battle - after all, he promised as much.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: ''The Horus Heresy Book VII - Inferno'' states that the Space Wolves use psycho-memetic obliteration on their own battle brothers to keep their own history shrouded in myth and legend (they despise remembrancers, so nobody else gets to record their history), keep secrets from their own rank and file, and preserve their sanity from the really nasty stuff they've seen and done.
* MilitaryMaverick: There are a lot of Chapters that don't completely abide by the ''Codex Astartes''. Then there are the Space Wolves, who won't even use it for toilet paper. They do things the Space Wolf way, and to hell with anyone else's rules.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: It's suspected that the Wolves play up their "boisterous barbarian" image when convenient. There's a reason Logan Grimnar ends up running most of the wars he's involved in, even from the sidelines.
* OldShame: In-universe, the Wolf Brothers, their ill-fated attempt to found a successor chapter.
* OneHitKill: For each unsaved wound taken from a Helfrost weapon, the target has to pass a Strength test or be removed from play, even if he has Eternal Warrior. Their potential to screw blobs and armoured targets alike is all but certain to make them a considerable threat, especially to units reliant on multi-wound models.
* PirateNinjaZombieRobot: The Space Wolves combine elements of Vikings and Werewolves.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Every time the Thousand Sons try to [[TheChessmaster hatch a grand scheme]], the Space Wolves find a way to wreck it.
* SurprisinglyEliteCannonFodder: Skyclaws are Blood Claws who are too reckless even for Blood Claws, or who survive their expected LeeroyJenkins phase without learning the discipline needed to be Grey Hunters. They're reassigned to a Skyclaw pack, given jetpacks and used for suicide missions like "drop in on the enemy leader and take his head," and they wouldn't have it any other way.
* TokenMinority: The background material for the Great Company known as the Seawolves notes that its Wolf Lord, Engir Krakendoom, and his men are primarily recruited from the dark-skinned inhabitants of Fenris’ southern islands, adding some diversity to the otherwise northern European look of the Chapter.
* TookALevelInKindness: The Horus Heresy novels reveal that in their early incarnation, the ''Vlka Fenryka'' prided themselves as being absolutely [[TheUnfettered unfettered]] executioners willing to do anything the Emperor commanded. Ten thousand years of CharacterDevelopment later and the Space Wolves are independent but honourable warriors willing to fight the Administratum for ordering the same brutal actions they used to execute.
* TranslationTrainWreck: In-universe this is how the Jarls of the Wolves of Fenris chapter became known to the wider imperium as the Wolf Lords of the Space Wolves chapter.
* TrueCompanions: Unless he is promoted to the Wolf Guard or laterally-promoted to the Swiftclaws or Skyclaws, a Space Wolf typically spends his entire life in the same pack. Unlike other chapters, in which Marines are assigned to different squads as their abilities dictate, a Space Wolf pack evolves from an impetuous Blood Claw assault squad to an even-tempered Grey Hunter squad to a veteran Long Fang fire support team. This pack will shrink as casualties accrue over the centuries, which helps explain Long Fangs' typical grim and dour demeanor.
* UseYourHead: The Mountain-Breaker Helm[[note]]introduced by the late 8th Edition {{sourcebook}} ''Psychic Awakening: Saga of the Beast''[[/note]] is a [[CoolHelmet relic helmet]] that has been specially modified to increase the power of its wearer's headbutts. Fitted with micro-accelerators and thicker than normal armour around the faceplate, those wearing the helm can make a special headbutt attack during combat to inflict multiple [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] against an enemy.
* WeatherManipulation: The Rune Priests of the Space Wolves chapter practice a unique psychic discipline called the Tempestas discipline. This discipline allows the Rune Priests to call out lightning storms that strike at their foes or invoque blizzards that obscure the enemy's sight.
* WolverineClaws: The Space Wolves use a unique pattern of lightning claw known as wolf claws. Often designed in imitation of the claws of the Fenrisian Wolf, cutting power of these power weapons is enhanced by the addition of powerful mystic runes. In-game this enhances the strength stat of a model wielding the wolf claws.
* WouldNotShootACivilian: Nowadays they are very much against it. It's the second reason why they are against Exterminatus; it would kill all of the civilians on the planet. Their hatred of the Flesh Tearers was provoked by the murder of civilians at Honour's End. When they were a legion they were decidedly not this, doing things like bombing Prospero from orbit, reducing everything that wasn't shielded by Thousand Son fortifications to ash and rubble. Angron even compared the Wolves to his World Eaters in terms of indiscriminate destruction.

!!Wulfen
[[quoteright:319:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wulfen.png]]

The gene-seed of the Space Wolves contains a unique gene sequence nown as the Canis Helix, a dangerous and powerful enhancement that causes those who receive it to transform into an animalistic monster. Through the long and perilous Test of Morkai, an aspirant must learn to tame this primal state, or he will become one of the Wulfen, feral beasts that are left to roam the snowfields of Asaheim or captured and released in battle by their former brothers. Those aspirants who overcome the Test of Morkai receive treatment to stabilize the Canis Helix and continue their training to become Space Wolves, but even these warriors can slip into a bestial state while under great stress, something known as the Curse of the Wulfen.\\
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In the closing years of the 41st Millennium, mysterious feral warriors, wearing the remains of archaic armour in the colours of the Space Wolves, were discovered fighting in warzones threatened by the forces of Chaos. Investigations by the Chapter discovered that these monstrous beings were Space Wolves of the 13th Great Company who had been consumed by the Canis Helix and lost to the galaxy since the outbreak of the Horus Heresy. Despite suspicion from other Imperial organisations, these Wulfen have been reintegrated into the Chapter where they have fought with loyal savagery.
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* TheBerserker: As stated above, they are in a constant state of animalistic rage.
* ExtremeMeleeRevenge: Though they lack almost any ranged weapons, they sure know how to rip, tear, and smash anything they can get close to.
* GodzillaThreshold: Because of the threat they pose to allies, they are only ever let out in the most extreme circumstances, such as invasions against Fenris itself. Even then, the Space Wolves are reluctant to do so. In ''Battle of the Fang'', the Wulfen are kept in isolation within the Fang, the Wolves' fortress.
* InfectiousInsanity: It's bad enough that the Curse of the Wulfen is hanging over every Space Wolf's head, but it got worse with the fluff changes to the Wulfen in the campaign book that introduced them to the game proper, as they can now accelerate the chance of the Curse afflicting Space Wolves around them. In-game, Wulfen models have the Curse of the Wulfen rule which affects Space Wolf models within certain distances of a squad of Wulfen, giving them special bonuses determined by die rolls.
* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent: The Wulfen are slavering, bestial monsters reminiscent of [[Film/TheWolfman2010 the Wolfman]].
* TakingYouWithMe: When mortally wounded the Wulfen tend to go into a frenzy as they try to bring down their attackers before they fall. The 8th Edition rules represent this with the 'Death Frenzy' ability that allows a Wulfen model to attack before being removed.
* UnstoppableRage: The only thing that can seem to calm them down is death itself.

[[folder:Imperial Fists]]
[[quoteright:316:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/imperial_fists.png]]
[[caption-width-right:316:[[BattleCry "Primarch-Progenitor, to your glory, and the glory of Him on Earth!"]]]]

->''Discipline. Duty. Unyielding Will. These are the measures by which every warrior is judged. Unarmed, a warrior with these qualities will still find victory, no matter how long or arduous the path. When girded with the sacred armaments of the Adeptus Astartes, such a warrior becomes truly indomitable.''
-->-- '''Rogal Dorn''', during the Grand Muster of the Imperial Fists

The Imperial Fists were originally the Seventh Legion. Their Primarch is [[{{Determinator}} Rogal Dorn]], their current Chapter Master is Vorn Hagen, and their official home world is Terra[[note]]formerly Inwit[[/note]] but they are based on the space-fortress ''Phalanx''.\\

The greatest siege experts in the Imperium, the Imperial Fists are functionally fleet-based, but can claim Holy Terra itself as their home world in honor of their defense of the Imperial Palace during the Horus Heresy. Stoic and self-disciplined, the Imperial Fists' drive to conquer pain and their culture of self-sacrifice allow them to fight on through the worst of trials, even when other chapters would consider retreat.\\
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Although they have been a part of the ''Warhammer 40,000'' universe since the game's 1st Edition, as a strict Codex Chapter the Imperial Fists are generally treated as regular Imperial Fists with a focus on stubbornness and siege warfare. The Imperial Fists were the focus of the Ian Watson 1993 novel ''Space Marine'', one of the first full length novels ever released by Games Workshop that is still counted as the source for some of the Chapter's background. During 6th Edition the Chapter received the ''Codex Supplement: Sentinels of Terra'' sourcebook, the rules for which were later updated and reprinted in 7th Edition's ''Codex Supplement: Angels of Death''. In 8th Edition, the Chapter uses the basic Astartes rules from the August 2019 release of ''Codex: Space Marines'' with additional Chapter specific rules released in October 2019's ''Codex Supplement: Imperial Fists''. For 9th Edition, the Chapter uses a combination of the rules published in October 2020's ''Codex: Space Marines'' along with the previous edition's Codex Supplement[[note]]with free downloadable errata[[/note]].\\
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The Imperial Fists also make major appearances in the novels ''Literature/SonsOfDorn'' and ''Literature/TheBeastArises''.

* AmplifierArtifact: The scrimshawed remains of a legendary [[TheArchmage Chief Librarian]], the Bones of Osrak[[note]]introduced in the 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Imperial Fists''[[/note]] are a relic of the Imperial Fists' Librarius that still resonate with the power of the great historic psyker. A skilled Librarian is able to tap into this latent power, granting them a re-roll when they attempt to manifest a Geokinesis {{psychic power}}.
* AntiStructure: Gatebreaker bolts[[note]]introduced by the 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Imperial Fists''[[/note]] are [[AbnormalAmmo special bolt rounds]] used by the Imperial Fists and their Successors. Designed to smash enemy defences, these bolts contain a hyper-dense liquid that turns each bolt into a battering ram. In-game, they are particularly good at damaging fortifications as they allow multiple wound rolls for each hit and have a high Armour Penetration characteristic.
* ArchEnemy: The Iron Warriors, their EvilCounterpart siege experts. The two Legions had always had a bitter rivalry that only intensified during the Horus Heresy as the Iron Warriors took revenge against the Imperial Fists for the perceived slights they had suffered over the years. For their part, the Imperial Fists didn't start to truly hate the Iron Warriors until the Battle of the Iron Cage that took place during the aftermath of the Heresy, where the Iron Warriors caused overwhelming casualties to the Seventh Legion over the course of a brutal four week conflict.
* BerserkButton: Along with their hate of the Iron Warriors, mentioning the Literature/SoulDrinkers near any of the other Imperial Fists' successors will at best earn you a session with a Pain Glove.
* {{Determinator}}: The Imperial Fists have a genetic predisposition towards stubbornness and self-sacrifice that causes them to fight on in situations where other Chapters would disengage and regroup.
* DishingOutDirt: The Imperial Fist Librarians practice geokinesis, a psychic discipline specialized in affecting stone and metal. Thanks to geokinesis, Librarians can cause localized earthquakes by punching the ground, superheat metallic objects with a thought, or create chasms on the battlefield.
* DueToTheDead: Imperial Fists who distinguish themselves are honored with the bones, particularly the skeletal hands, of their fallen battle-brothers, which are then meticulously scrimshawed and worn as ornamentation. This has been viewed as both a cultural practice and as a pathological compulsion resulting from the Fists' gene-seed; Ian Watson's 40K novels feature one Imperial Fist who stripped his own hand to the bone so he could scrimshaw the names of his fallen squadmates into his fist.
* EnemyScan: The Eye of Hypnoth[[note]]from the 8th Edition Imperial Fists Siegebreaker Cohort Specialist Detachment[[/note]] is an advanced auspex array that can detect the weaknesses in any enemy armour or fortification. In-game terms, the Eye allows a Siegebreaker Cohort unit close to the bearer a chance to re-roll to wound rolls.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: The Imperial Fists follow the "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junker Junker]] model of behavior" and continue Terra's "ancient UsefulNotes/{{Prussi|a}}c codes."
* FatalFlaw: The Imperial Fists' [[{{Determinator}} stubbornness]] can cause the Chapter trouble when they've refused to back out of a losing battle. One such example is the Iron Cage Incident, where the entire Imperial Fists Legion deployed in order an attempt to capture the Iron Warriors' Primarch Perturabo on the highly fortified world of Sebastus IV. The Imperial Fists soon discovered that the entire battlefield was an intricately designed trap and suffered extremely heavy casualties as they refused to retreat until they had completed their impossible goal. After three weeks of constant fighting the Imperial Fists were only saved by the intervention of the Ultramarines.
* FriendlyRivalry: After the Second Founding Rogal Dorn established The Feast of Blades, a tournament between the Company Champions of the Imperial Fists and its successors for the right to possess the [[NamedWeapon Dornsblade]], a simple adamantine blade used by the Primarch during the Battle of the Iron Cage. Dorn established this tournament to strengthen the bonds of honour and brotherhood between the now scattered Chapters of the former Legion.
* GangBangers: After saving the planet from an Ork Waaagh!, the Imperial Fists have maintained a Chapter Fortress on TabletopGame/{{Necromunda}} that they use as a base for recruitment. The Chapter has found that with the right training and indoctrination, members of the planets' many gangs prove to be high quality recruits.
* HonorBeforeReason: Though almost all Space Marine Chapters disdain things like camouflage and stealth, the Fists are noteworthy for also viewing retreating as an unacceptable act of cowardice. Thankfully, they are somewhat self aware of this following the Iron Cage incident and most marines that rise to leadership positions have learned to curb this impulse.
* IcyBlueEyes: Their modern color scheme gives them ice blue lenses for their eyepieces, which match well with their stern and stubborn personality.
* InSeriesNickname: Due to their actions during the Horus Heresy, the Imperial Fists have gained the title ''Defenders of Terra''.
* MachoMasochism: Genetic degradation has amplified the Imperial Fists' determination and drive for self-sacrifice into something masochistic, hence their appreciation for dueling scars as well as the Pain Glove device detailed below.
* MoreDakka: [[GameplayAndStorySegregation In game more than in the background]]. The Imperial Fists' special rules make taking a high number of rapid-firing bolt weapons very advantageous, resulting in their armies being able to put out a very high volume of fire.
* OrderReborn: The Imperial Fists suffered terrible casualties during [[Literature/TheBeastArises The War of the Beast]], finally being driven to extinction during the second invasion of Ullanor. In an attempt to prevent knowledge of this event from devastating the morale of the war-ravaged Imperium, Chapter Master Maximus Thane of the Fists Exemplar convinced the Imperial Fists' Successors to secretly rebuild their parent Chapter with members of their own brotherhoods. In a CallBack to one of the earliest pieces of Imperial Fists fluff (the 1993 novel ''Space Marine''), the Successor Chapters unanimously chose Thane to lead the refounded Chapter.
** With the dawn of the Era Indomitus and the dispensation of Primaris Marines to every Chapter throughout the galaxy the Imperial Fists have truly been reborn, as they now have Marines in their ranks again with gene-seed directly derived from Rogal Dorn as opposed to the various Second Founding successors they'd been using since the War of the Beast.
* ThePerfectionist: Imperial Fists have a strong tendency toward fastidiousness with detail in almost everything they do, and are harshly self-critical of any failure.
* PlanetSpaceship: The Imperial Fists' headquarters is the ''Phalanx'', a mobile space fortress the size of a small moon. It's so large that its interior spaces have distinct ecosystems and biologists can track the evolution of its unique animal lifeforms.
* PraetorianGuard: During the Great Crusade, the Imperial Fists fulfilled this role, alongside the Legio Custodes, and were known as the Emperor's personal praetorians accompanying him everywhere and being used to strike the decisive blow against his enemies.
* TheRival: The Imperial Fists consider themselves to be the rivals of the Ultramarines and one of the reasons that they fold so strongly to the dictates of the ''Codex Astartes'' is to prove that they can outdo the sons of Guilliman at their own game. This rivalry was born due to many Imperial Fists believing that Rogal Dorn should have been made Lord Commander of the Imperium in the wake of the Horus Heresy.
* SacrificialLion: Vladimir Pugh had been listed as the Chapter Master of the Imperial Fists since 1st Edition, having appeared in Ian Watson's novel ''Space Marine'', one of the first two full length novels Creator/GamesWorkshop ever released. The 6th Edition codex supplement ''Sentinels of Terra'' however saw Chapter Master Pugh killed battling the Tyranids and replaced with Vorn Hagan. This was the first instance of a Chapter Master from a well-known Chapter being killed during the game's contemporary timeline and was an indication of the company's change in policy regarding the setting's StatusQuoIsGod.
* SelfHarm: The Imperial Fists believe that pain is both a penance and a philosophy. To this end, they make frequent use of the Pain Glove, a bodysuit-like device that stimulates pain nerves without actually causing damage. This is both to strengthen their self discipline and, through mediation on Rogal Dorn, help them become more closely attuned to their Primarch.
-->Pain is...a lesson that the universe teaches us. Pain is the preserver from injury. Pain perpetuates our lives. It is the healing, purifying scalpel of our souls. Pain is the wine of communion with heroes. It is the quicksilver panacea for weakness - the quintessence of a dedicated existence. Pain is the philosophic vitriol which transmutes mere moral into immortal. It is the Sublime, the golden astral fire!
* StormingTheCastle: Siege warfare is a specialty of the Imperial Fists, whether it is holding a strongpoint for an indefinite time against great odds, or penetrating hardened installations the Chapter will carry out the action with meticulous care, skill and precision.

[[folder:Blood Angels]]
[[quoteright:342:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blood_angels.png]]
[[caption-width-right:342:[[BattleCry "By the blood of Sanguinius!"]]]]

->''Because as long as one single Blood Angel lives and breathes, he will be master of his spirit. He will not let the abyss that lies in the hearts of us all take him into darkness. That is the truth you did not understand, the truth that Horus has forgotten. It is not the descent toward the shadow nor the rise toward the light that makes us superior. It is the endless struggle between the two that greatness of character lies. We are tested, and we do not break.'' We will never fall!
-->-- '''Sanguinius''', during the Battle of Signus Prime

The Blood Angels were originally the Ninth Legion. Their Primarch is [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Sanguinius]] and their Chapter Master at the end of the 41st Millennium is Luis Dante. The Chapter's fortress monastery, Arx Angelicum, is on the world of Baal and their new recruits are drawn from the planet’s two moons Baal Primus and Baal Secundus.

Though the Blood Angels have inherited the nobility of their angelic Primarch, they also bear a terrible curse. A flaw in their gene-seed drives them to seek blood in the carnage of close combat, and in the worst cases can consume a Blood Angel's mind. Despite this, the Blood Angels maintain their founder's idealism, and the knowledge of their defects gives them unusual humility for Astartes. The Chapter has fought in defence of the Imperium through many important campaigns, including the [[Literature/TheBeastArises War of the Beast]], and both Second and Third Armageddon Wars. As the 41st Millennium drew to a close, the Blood Angels suffered one of the worst crises in their history as the Baal System came under attack from a tendril of Hive Fleet Leviathan. Despite the help of their Successor Chapters, the Sons of Sanguinius would have been overrun by the Tyranid hordes if not for the opening of the Great Rift that scattered the Hive Fleet and unleashed a legion of Daemons who massacred the extra-galactic xenos. The arrival of Roboute Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade struck the final blow against the Tyranids and the new Primaris Marines that accompanied the Crusade were welcome reinforcements for the much depleted Chapter.

The Blood Angels have been a part of the ''Warhammer 40,000'' game since its 1st Edition, appearing on the cover of two of that edition's sourcebooks[[note]] ''Warhammer 40,000: Compilation'' and ''Warhammer 40,000: Battle Manual''[[/note]]. In 2nd Edition the Chapter were the Space Marine forces included in the starter set and their rules were included in ''Codex: Angels of Death'' alongside the Dark Angels. The 3rd Edition of the game saw the Chapter receive a codex supplement for ''Codex: Space Marines'' while their 4th Edition rules were released as official ''Chapter Approved'' rules in ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf''. During 7th Edition the Blood Angels were the Imperial forces involved in two campaign supplements[[note]]''Shield of Baal'' and ''Black Crusade: Angel's Blade''[[/note]] that expanded on their codex rules. The 8th Edition rules for the Blood Angels are included in the ''Codex Adeptus Astartes: Blood Angels'' book released in December 2017 with additional rules published in the November 2019 {{sourcebook}} ''Psychic Awakening: Blood of Baal''. For 9th Edition, the Chapter uses a combination of the rules published in October 2020's ''Codex: Space Marines'' combined with the ''Codex Supplement: Blood Angels'' book, released December 2020.

For more about the Sons of Sanguinius, see the the ''Literature/BloodAngels'' novels.

* AmplifierArtifact: The Biomantic Sarcophagus[[note]]from the late 8th Edition ''Psychic Awakening: Blood of Baal'' supplement[[/note]] is a relic fitted with psychically sensitive filaments and crystal wafers that enhance the psychic abilities of a Librarian confined to the shell of a Dreadnought, allowing the Librarian to project his powers at a far greater range and make it easier for him to [[CounterSpell Deny]] enemy powers.
* ArchEnemy: The Blood Angels reserve a great hatred for the Black Legion, due to Horus killing Sanguinius at the end of the Horus Heresy.
* AttackAttackAttack: The Blood Angels are very aggressive, their strategies typically involve getting into close combat as soon as possible, and on the battlefield their forces are frequently pulled forward by their Assault Squads, keeping their tactical initiative going by never giving their opposition a chance to regroup. They can be just as tactically flexible as any chapter when they need to, but playing offense offsets the damage done if any Blood Angel falls prey to the Red Thirst.
* BeneathTheMask: Generally, few outside the sons of Sanguinius know of their flaw, and they like to keep it that way. The [[CulturedBadass air of sophistication they cultivate]], while genuine, is [[StepfordSmiler also a facade they use]] to help [[MaskOfSanity keep their inner rage under the appearance of control]].
* BlingOfWar: The Blood Angels believe that their wargear should be both deadly and beautiful, ornamented with gold and exquisite designs that are the equal to many works of art. The armour of many Blood Angels officers in particular is often highly ornate, incorporating {{Sculpted Physique}}s, gilded [[HolyHalo angelic halos]], and gemstones carved into the shapes of blood drops. Early editions of the game also always depicted all Blood Angels Captains wearing armour of shining gold.
* BloodyMurder: Some Blood Angel Librarians are able to boil the blood in their enemy's veins and cause it to explosively burst from their pores. In-game this is represented by the Sanguinary Discipline PsychicPower [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Blood Boil]] that could instantly kill the target[[note]]in 7th Edition[[/note]] or cause multiple [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]][[note]]in 8th Edition[[/note]].
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Rather than use the traditional symbols ascribed by the ''Codex Astartes'' for squad designation, the Blood Angels and many of their successors use a system of colour-coded helmets with red representing battleline units, yellow for close support, blue for fire support and gold for veterans.
* CombatClairvoyance: Some Blood Angels inherit a small portion of their gene-father's prophetic gifts, receiving visions of the immediate future that allow them to avoid or deflect enemy's attacks. The 8th Edition Warlord Trait 'Gift of Foresight' represents this in the game, giving the Blood Angels Warlord a chance to ignore wounds they have received.
* ACommanderIsYou: Brute. These are the blitzkreig Astartes. They are fast and slightly reckless, fearless and deadly in the melee, especially their dreaded [[TheBerserker Death Company]].
* CulturedBadass: The Blood Angels enjoy long lifespans by Astartes standards, allowing them the time to practice and master art as well as war. Combined with their refined aesthetic, this sharply contrasts their more...[[TheBerserker iconic image]].
* DeathWorld: The Blood Angels' home world of Baal, as well as its two inhabited moons Baal Prime and Baal Secundus, are irradiated, mutant-infested, post-apocalyptic hellholes, making them perfect recruiting worlds for the Adeptus Astartes. Special mention to Baal Secundus as its Thirstwater was so bad and memetic that not even the ''[[Main/HorrifyingTheHorror Tyranids]]'' wanted to touch the damn thing with a five meter pole during the Devastation of Baal.
* DueToTheDead: The background material for Blood Angel Primaris Hellblaster Squads states that, after a Hellblaster martyrs themselves by overloading their plasma incinerator, the Chapter's Techmarines will recover their weapon and inscribe their name upon it in microscopic lettering to honour their ultimate sacrifice.
* DynamicEntry: Something of a Blood Angel specialty with a number of their unique Formations allowing their elite assault troops to engage the enemy on the same turn that they arrive on the battlefield.
* EliteArmy: Although they usually support other Blood Angel forces in small numbers, the veterans of the Blood Angels' 1st Company, known as the Archangels, will sometimes form together in order undertake the most dangerous and important missions. This was represented in the 7th edition rules by a number of unique Formations[[note]]such as the Archangels Formation, the Archangels Sanguine Wing and the Archangels Demi-Company[[/note]] that allowed a player to field an entire army drawn from the Blood Angels elite.
* FangsAreEvil: The Blood Angels' geneseed causes their upper canines to lengthen and sharpen into the classic "vampire fangs" appearance. Whether or not the trope itself is subverted depends on whether a particular Blood Angel is in the grips of the Red Thirst or not.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: The Blood Angels have notable [[UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance Renaissance Italy]] influences, as most members of the chapter/Legion have Italian names common to that time and their officers and leaders make use of PowerArmor that is molded to look like sculpted muscles.
* FireBreathingWeapon: The Blood Angels are well-known for using flame weapons, rivaling the Salamanders in this aspect. In-game, along with the standard flamer, Blood Angels are the only chapter whose Tactical Squads can take heavy flamers as a heavy weapon option and which can take hand flamers as a replacement option for bolt pistols. Also, Baal Predators can be equipped with flamestorm cannons as their main turret weapon and heavy flamers as their sponson weapons.
* FlayingAlive: {{Invoked|Trope}} by the armor of certain characters (Mephiston and Astaroth in particular) and the Chaplains who lead the Death Company, whose armor is sculpted and painted to resemble a completely flayed body with exposed musculature on their chest, arms and legs.
* GeneticMemory: The Blood Angels bear what is sometimes called the Curse of Horus, the blood-memory of their Primarch's death at the Arch-Heretic's hands. Those lost to the Black Rage will forget their own identity and hallucinate Sanguinius' final moments.
* GrowingWings: The Blood Angels psychic power Wings of Sanguinius creates a pair of blood-red wings of psychic energy that allow a Librarian to move and fly as if he was wearing a [[JumpJetPack jump pack]].
* HeCleansUpNicely: The nomadic scavenger tribes of Baal generally suffer from cankers, lesions, and melanoma as the outward symptoms of the harshness of their existence. If they are inducted into the Blood Angels and survive their year of wakeless sleep in a life-support sarcophagus, they emerge transformed into perfect-bodied beings with a trace of [[PrettyBoy Sanguinius' own beauty]], purified of both their literal and metaphorical humanly imperfections.
* HorrorHunger: The Blood Angels and their successors are afflicted with a vampire-like craving for blood called the Red Thirst, which can grow stronger as they age, to the point that it drives them to a level of madness comparable to the Black Rage.
* ItsRainingMen: The Blood Angels are masters of high altitude and orbital deployment of jump pack-equipped troops. In the 7th edition rules this was represented by the "Descent of Angels" Warlord Trait, while the special rules for the some of the Blood Angels' unique Formations made such tactics easier to perform and/or more effective. Older editions even allowed the airdropping of Land Raiders directly into battlezones.
* JumpJetPack: The Angel's Wing is an ornate jump pack that is a relic of the Bloodblades, the Blood Angels' 8th Company. This ancient jump pack incorporates multiple collision-avoidance devices and counter-ballistic systems that allow the wearer a greater chance of avoiding enemy fire while travelling at full speed. In the 8th Edition rules, the Angel's Wing allows its wearer to avoid all Overwatch fire as well as giving him a greater chance of making it into combat.
* LightningBruiser: They are a Chapter with a heavy focus on mobility and hitting really hard in close combat.
* MagicStaff: The Blood Angels Relic [[NamedWeapon Gallian's Staff]] is a powerful force staff created by the famous Librarian to control his Red Thirst. The staff is able to absorb the fury of the Flaw and channel it to [[AmplifierArtifact enhance the wielder's psychic abilities]], represented in the 8th Edition of the rules by granting a bonus to a Librarian attempting to use the 'Smite' PsychicPower.
* MiniMecha:
** While they still use standard Dreadnought patterns, the Blood Angels are particularly known for the Chapter-exclusive Furioso Dreadnought, a [[CloseRangeCombatant close assault variant]] of the most common Castraferrum-pattern Dreadnought that can take a number of unique weapons, such as [[WolverineClaws blood talons]] and [[GrenadeLauncher frag cannons]].
** The Blood Angels are known to be one of the few chapters to have dreadnoughts piloted by [[MagicKnight Librarians]]. These Librarian Dreadnoughts are a variant of the Chapter's Furioso Dreadnoughts that allows the pilot to continue to channel their PsychicPowers and mounts a [[SoulCuttingBlade force weapon]] alongside one of the Furioso's more traditional armament.
* MoreDakka: They are known for the [[TankGoodness Baal Predator]] which steps up the total amount of firepower from a normal Predator by being able to take a twin assault cannon on its main turret rather than a single autocannon or twin lascannon.
* {{Nerf}}: Got hit with this after the 5th Edition due to criticisms that they were an overpowered army. One of the most notable were the Blood Talons, weapons for Furioso Dreadnoughts that, while they lacked the punch against vehicles a Dreadnought's normal fists did, could generate new attacks every time they scored a wound. This allowed a Dreadnought equipped with them to wipe out entire units.
* AnOddPlaceToSleep: In keeping with their [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampire theme]], Blood Angel battle-brothers have a habit of periodically resting in the sarcophagus used for their creation. One of the reason they do this is because it is actually a kind of AutoDoc, extracting their blood, subjecting it to osmosis, and re-integrating it into the body. Through this ritual they purify their blood in the hope of keeping the Flaw at bay. The older a Blood Angel gets, the longer and more frequent such purification sleep tends to be.
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: The Blood Angels make extensive use of blood in religious ceremonies, and as part of their transformation process spend a year in a blood-filled life-support sarcophagus. They commonly fly (with jump packs), are eternally youthful, drink blood, and sleep in coffins. They are also noted for naturally living longer on average than the Marines of any other chapter. Older fluff used to give them all pale skin, red eyes, and black hair, but nowadays they better resemble their fair-haired, angelic founder. Their successor chapters, especially the Blood Drinkers, take up the slack.
* PirateNinjaZombieRobot: The Blood Angels combine elements of angels and vampires.
* ThePollyanna: A all-male example on a factional level; despite the darkness of the Black Rage and Red Thirst that perpetually hangs over them, they are also one of the most optimistic chapters. The Blood Angels have inherited Sanguinius's idealism, and the belief that no matter how bad things are, they can always get better. The knowledge of their own flawed nature allows them to regard themselves with a certain humbleness unusual in Astartes, allowing this belief to flourish despite [[CrapsackWorld the kind of universe they inhabit]].
* PrettyBoy: Sanguinius, who was known as the Angel in life, was the most physically beautiful of the Primarchs and the Blood Angels have inherited his good looks.
* RayGun: The Blood Angels have access to inferno pistols, a pistol version of the meltagun.
* RedIsHeroic: By the standards of [[CrapsackWorld the setting]], the red armoured Blood Angels are known to be one of the Astartes Chapters in existence, willing to go to great lengths to protect the Imperium.
* RedIsViolent: Despite their otherwise noble nature, the influence of the Flaw has led to the Chapter becoming renowned for their ultra-violent assaults.
* RedOnesGoFaster: The Blood Angels' focus on getting to the enemy as quickly as possible has led them to develop the overcharged Lucifer-pattern engine resulting in their armoured vehicles being significantly faster than those used by other Chapters.
* RedOniBlueOni: The rank of Lieutenant[[note]]added to the Codex Astartes after the resurrection of Roboute Guilliman[[/note]] has been incorporated into the Blood Angels' order of battle in a unique way, with each of a Company's two Lieutenants taking on a different role; one highly aggressive, the other more strategic and cool-headed. One Lieutenant, known as the Sword of Sanguinius, is charged with leading the most dangerous assaults and vital missions, lending his strength to that of his battle-brothers and normally being one of the first of the Company's warriors into battle. The second Lieutenant is known as the Warden of the Blood and it is his role to take command of the Company should the Captain be lost to the Chapter's Flaw. The position of Warden of the Blood requires great strategic abilities and a calm mind.
* ReligiousVampire: Having a defect like the Red Thirst doesn't prevent them from being one of the [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire Imperium's paragons]] and its in fact their faith that keeps them in check. In addition, their Primarch whom they deeply honor also has some [[MessianicArchetype Jesus-like traits himself]].
* ShellShockedVeteran: Every Blood Angel, to some degree, even the less experienced ones. This is due to bearing the GeneticMemory of their Primarch's death, and battle can trigger involuntary flashbacks to it. The ones who succumb to "[[UnstoppableRage the Black Rage]]" are those whose symptoms have overcome them so thoroughly that they can no longer distinguish between Sanguinius' memories and the reality around them.
* SupernaturalFearInducer: It is said that the [[CarryABigStick crozius arcanum]] known as [[NamedWeapon Figure of Death]] has become infused by the fearful aura of its first wielder, and that it passes on this fear to those it strikes. The late 8th Edition rules for the Figure of Death force any unit struck to take a negative modifier to their [[MoraleMechanic Leadership characteristic]].
* SuperReflexes: Some Blood Angels have inherited a small measure of their Primarch's combat abilities, exhibiting speed and reflexes faster than even the enhanced abilities of their fellow Astartes. The 8th Edition rules represent this with the 'Speed of the Primarch' Blood Angels Warlord Trait that allows the Warlord to always strike first in close combat.
* SuperSpeed: The Sanguinary Discipline PsychicPower, 'Quickening', sees a Blood Angels Librarian enhance their speed, or that of an ally, with the in-game effect[[note]]in all editions[[/note]] of increasing the model's Movement and combat speed considerably.
* TragicHero: As the above quote describes, the Blood Angels are a pack of bloodthirsty (literally) berserkers who slaughter everything around them...or rather, they would be, were it not for their steadfast refusal to give in to their dark compulsions and insistence on remaining masters of themselves, even as the inevitable twin curses of the Red Thirst and Black Rage weigh on them.
* TrickBullet: Quake bolts are rare bolt rounds utilised by the Blood Angels and their successors that create a pulse shock wave when they hit, knocking their target to the ground, and making their vulnerable to a follow up assault. Rather than damage a target, the 8th Edition rules makes units hit by quake bolts easier to hit in close combat.
* UnstoppableRage: Two different levels of this affect the Blood Angels and their successors:
** The Black Rage, a curse that can transform them into frothing berserkers. Even after ten thousand years, the Blood Angels have no idea what triggers it.
** The Red Thirst, while much less severe than the Black Rage, is bad enough that it still forces anyone affected by it, even those not suited to close combat, to charge into the fray and rend the enemy to pieces.
* WhatTheHellHero: In ''Devastation of Baal'', Guilliman harshly criticizes their decision to keep Baal's moons as irradiated wastelands in order to obtain stronger recruits, stating that forcing its people to live in hellish conditions alienates them from their leaders and is precisely what sends them into the arms of Chaos.
-->''It has long been in your capability to transform these worlds. Baal Primus is dead, but you need not let your remaining people suffer unnecessarily. Will they fight any better for dwelling on a world that kills them? By sacrificing their children to the Emperor's service, they have earned a better life. Once you have torn that blasphemy down, raise up the population of Baal Secundus. Teach them what we are fighting for. A line must be drawn between what is good and what is evil, for if the Great Enemy comes with offers of power to a wretch, what reason does he have to refuse hell if he dwells in it already?''

!!The Sanguinary Guard
[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_1sangguard.png]]

Originally founded as the personal bodyguard of the Primarch Sanguinius, the Sanguinary Guard are a corps of highly elite veterans fielded by the Blood Angels and their successors. Each guardian wears beautifully crafted armour dating from the times of the Great Crusade and carries a mighty blade that crackles with crimson lightning. Equipped with winged jump packs and wearing sculpted death masks, the Sanguinary Guard embody the spirit of their lost Primarch, inspiring their battle-brothers and striking fear into the enemies of the Imperium.

* AbnormalAmmo: The Angelus-pattern bolters used by the Sanguinary Guard are loaded with bloodshard shells, specially designed bolt shells that contain [[RazorFloss razor-filament]] capable of cutting through all but the strongest armour with ease.
* ArmCannon: The Angelus-pattern boltgun is a wrist-mounted bolter issued to the Sanguinary Guard that allows them to wield their glaives encarmine with both hands.
* BodyguardingABadass: During the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, the Sanguinary Guard acted as the [[PraetorianGuard personal guard]] of the Primarch Sanguinius, a mighty warrior himself who could face countless foes alone and break the back of a Greater Daemon of [[WarGod Khorne]] with his bare hands.
* MaskOfPower: The Death Masks worn by the Sanguinary Guard serve to both honor their fallen brothers and strike terror in their foes. In-game, Death Masks cause a -1 penalty to the morale of nearby enemy units.
* SwordAndGun: The typical weapons loadout for the Sanguinary Guard is the Angelus-pattern bolter and the Glaive Encarmine, an exceptionally well-crafted two-handed power weapon which can either be a sword or an axe.
* SymbolicWings: The jump packs worn by the Sanguinary Guard are decorated with large angelic wings in imitation of the mighty pinions of their Primarch, the [[WingedHumanoid Great Angel Sanguinius]]. The angelic image that these wings give the Sanguinary Guard greatly boosts the moral of their allies and strikes fear in the heart of their enemies.

!!The Death Company
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_deathcompany.png]]

->''Some say that the Blood Angels are tainted: that they harbour a dark secret. I know this to be true. I have seen the infamous Death Company: wild-eyed and foam-mouthed berserkers who tear their enemies limb from limb, crush skulls with a single blow, snap spines and rip out inner organs.'' [...]
-->-- '''Inquisitor N'Syun'''

On the eve of battle, those of Sanguinius' lineage who fall to their gene-curse and are overcome by the Black Rage are taken by the Chapter’s Chaplains and segregated from their brethren. As they can never be released from their curse, their armour is repainted in black and red, and they are gathered together into a fighting force called the Death Company. These berserk shock troops are sent into the teeth of the heat of battle to win final glory and honour by bringing horrifyingly brutal death to the enemies of the Imperium. Should a Death Company brother survive their final battle, they are typically granted the Emperor's Peace as death is the only release from their curse.

----
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: The Guardian's Blade is a powerful glaive encarmine that became a relic of the Death Company after its wielder fell to the Black Rage. The Blade is famed throughout the Chapter for having a blade so sharp that no armour in the galaxy can protect from its razor-sharp edge. In the 7th Edition rules, the exceptional blade's sharpness was represented by it having the high Armour Penetration characteristic and the Armourbane special rule, allowing it to cleave through both personal and vehicle armour.
* TheBerserker: The Black Rage causes Blood Angels to degenerate into blood-crazed lunatics who are overcome by the GeneticMemory of Sanguinius' death, and grouping them into the Death Company allows their squads to vent their fury on the Emperor's enemies rather than their comrades. When unleashed, the Death Company brutally tear their opponents apart in close combat, ignoring wounds that would incapacitate other Astartes. In some editions, the Red Thirst[[note]]a yearning blood-hunger that afflicts all Blood Angels[[/note]] would temporarily turn a Blood Angel into a berserker, forcing even their support units to engage the enemy in brutal close combat.
* DeathSeeker: Only one Blood Angel has ever recovered from the Black Rage and to leave them in that state is considered a fate worse than death. As such these Death Company brothers are sent into the worst fighting in search of a merciful end in combat, with any who survive given [[MercyKill the Emperor's Peace]] after the battle.
* EvilMeScaresMe: The Blood Angels won't hesitate to charge Tyranids or even Daemons in close combat, and indeed relish the opportunity. What truly gives them pause is the prospect of falling to the Black Rage and joining the Death Company.
* MiniMecha: The mortally wounded Blood Angels who pilot the Chapter's Dreadnoughts are just as susceptible to falling to the Black Rage as their living brothers, and such tragic individuals are also initiated into the Death Company. They are installed into Furioso Dreadnoughts ornamented with the Company's macabre imagery, and unleashed as living battering rams against the foe. Unlike their flesh and blood brothers, Death Company Dreadnoughts often survive their battles and the sheer power and effectiveness of these weapons is such that, rather than being granted the [[MercyKill the Emperor's Peace]], they are restrained and kept in stasis for deployment in future battle.
* OnrushingArmy: While a typical Blood Angel deployment moves forward swiftly and aggressively, it is done with the tight discipline expected of Astartes (even if that discipline can [[BloodLust sometimes become strained]]). However, when the Death Company advances, no such discipline is possible; the Marines in it are {{Death Seeker}}s to a man and only interested in a SelfDestructiveCharge, and are too far consumed by the [[UnstoppableRage Black Rage]] to even contemplate any other approach.
* PowerBornOfMadness: Those gripped by the Black Rage become [[OneManArmy superhumanly brutal in combat]] and {{feel no pain}}, so that nothing short of death will stop them.
* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: The Reliquary Armour, a relic of the Death Company from 7th Edition, is an ornate suit of artificer armour decorated with the bones of more than thirty Blood Angels heroes who fell to the Black Rage before their death. The armour is a grim reminder that even the greatest of the Chapter can become lost to the Flaw, stoking an extreme desire for vengeance within the heart of the wearer. In the rules this determination was represented by the wearer gaining special rules that allow them a better chance of resisting enemy psychic powers and the ability to get into close combat quicker.
* SuicideMission: The Death Company is often deployed on suicide missions where they can die a glorious and honorable death against impossible odds, rather than live in perpetual madness. It is a good way for the chapter to honorably dispose of Blood Angels lost to the Black Rage and, sometimes, the Death Company might even prevail and deal a truly hard blow to the enemy.

[[folder:Iron Hands]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/iron_hands_marine_8431.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:++THE FLESH IS WEAK++]]

->''The weak must be expunged in order for Humanity to survive. Only the strong can be trusted, my sons. Our will must be as steel, our resolve as adamantium; it cannot yield even for a moment. We few have been entrusted with a sacred duty to ensure the Emperor's reign is eternal. So shall it be, whatever the cost.''
-->-- '''Ferrus Manus''', addressing the Iron Hands at the Gorgonos Conclave

Formerly the Tenth Legion of Astartes, the Iron Hands were once known as the Stormwalkers and their Primarch is [[SocialDarwinist Ferrus Manus]]. The Chapter is ruled by the Iron Council, with the temporary elected position of Voice of the Council acting as the ''de facto'' Chapter Master. The Voice of the Council at the beginning of the Era Indomitus is Kardan Stronos. The Chapter doesn't maintain a single fortress monastery upon their home world of Medusa. Instead, each individual Clan Company has its own mobile Hall of Conquest, with the only permanent structures on the planet being the Eye of Medusa, where the Iron Council meets, and the Gorgon’s Forge, where the Chapter’s greatest relics are kept.

The Iron Hands believe that the death of their Primarch during the Horus Heresy was caused by giving in to emotion, and have since become obsessed with cold logic and the purity of the machine. Technologically adept beyond the knowledge of most other Chapters, the Iron Hands ritualistically replace their organic components with cybernetics, and have forged close ties with the Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus. Despite their tireless defence of the Imperium, the Iron Hands' hatred of weakness and lack of mercy have led to friction with other Imperial forces. Since the opening of the Great Rift and the dawning of the Era Indomitus, the Iron Hands have striven to find a greater balance between emotion and logic, and have launched the Iron Crusade to free the Stygius Sector from the grip of Chaos, despite the official Imperial retreat from the War Zone.

While the Chapter has been part of the ''Warhammer 40,000'' game since its 1st Edition, the Iron Hands are generally treated as a stubborn, mechanically focused Codex compliant Chapter. The Iron Hands first received Chapter specific supplemental rules during 3rd Edition in their ''Index Astartes'' article published in ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf'' and later republished in the ''Index Astartes III'' background book. During 6th Edition, ''Codex Supplement: Clan Raukaan'' introduced some new background information and rules for the Chapter that were later updated and reprinted in 7th Edition's ''Codex Supplement: Angels of Death''. In 8th Edition, the Chapter used the basic Astartes rules from the August 2019 release of ''Codex: Space Marines'' with additional Chapter specific rules[[note]]including rules for their first named character[[/note]] released in September 2019's ''Codex Supplement: Iron Hands''.For 9th Edition, the Chapter uses a combination of the rules published in October 2020's ''Codex: Space Marines'' along with the previous edition's Codex Supplement[[note]]with free downloadable errata[[/note]].

* TwentyFourHourArmor: Sources indicate that the hatred some Iron Hands hold for their weak flesh has led to them becoming permanently bound within their armour.
* AbnormalAmmo: The Iron Hands and their Successor Chapter make use of haywire bolts, rare bolt shells crafted from [[FantasyMetals sagatellum ore]] minded on Medusa itself. An item of Special-Issue Wargear, introduced during 8th Edition, these sophisticated bolt rounds unleash a [[{{EMP}} crackling burst of electricity]] that burns out the circuitry of enemy vehicles and banishes their machine spirit. In-game this is represented by haywire shells having the chance to cause [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] against any Vehicle units they hit.
* AmplifierArtifact: The Mindforge is a web of psycho-active circuitry that improves the connection between a [[MagicKnight Librarian]] and his weapon. Assisted by the Mindforge's machine-spirit, the Librarian is able to enhance and optimise the psychic energy that they channel into their weapon. The 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Iron Hands'' rules represent this by giving the force weapon wielded by the Librarian a superior stat line compared to its regular version.
* ArchEnemy: The Iron Hands have a particular hatred for the Traitor Legions that betrayed their Primarch during the Drop Site Massacre on Isstvan V and will fight all the harder against those they see as responsible for their gene-father's death. The 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Iron Hands'' rules represent this with the Vengeance for Isstvan V Iron Hands Stratagem (granting them a re-roll against World Bearers, Iron Warriors, Night Lords and Alpha Legion units they are fighting in melee) and The Gorgon's Rage Iron Hands Stratagem (granting them bonuses when fighting Emperor's Children in melee, along with other benefits).
* ArtificialLimbs: Their obsession with the superiority of the machine over flesh often leads to Iron Hands acquiring more bionics whenever they get the opportunity, often going so far as replacing perfectly healthy limbs with mechanical replacements should the opportunity arise. This obsession with augmetics has even been adopted into the rituals of the Chapter with all Iron Hands undergoing the Rite of Severance when they complete their training. The Rite involves the new battle-brother having their left hand removed and replaced with a bionic version in imitation of their Primarch's own metallic fists. Should a battle-brother advance to Veteran status, they will often replace their right hand with a second augmetic fist.
* BaseOnWheels: Due to the unstable geography of Medusa making such a thing impractical, the Iron Hands do not maintain a single stationary fortress monastery. Instead, each of the Iron Hands' Clan Companies operates its own mobile factory-barracks known as a Hall of Conquest that roves the surface of their home world in a manner similar to that of the planet's nomadic tribes. These fully automated marvels of technology are maintained by armies of servitors and were created for the Iron Hands in the distant past by the Adeptus Mechanicus to seal the alliance between the two organisations.
* BrainComputerInterface:
** Some background material mentions that the crew of the Iron Hands' many war machines often use their bionic implants to bond directly with their vehicles, essentially becoming one with its machine spirit.
** The Fortis-pattern data spike is a piece of Special-Issue Wargear available to Iron Hands Techmarines in the 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Iron Hands'' {{sourcebook}}. The data spike allows a [[TheEngineer Techmarine]] to instantly commune with the machine-spirit of any Iron Hands vehicle, allowing them to diagnose the cause and location of any damage the vehicle may have suffered with great ease. In-game, this is represented by a Techmarine with a Fortis-pattern data spike having a greater chance of restoring multiple wounds to the damaged vehicle.
* BrainUploading: When the Clan Company Kaargul Iron Father Paullian Blantar fell in battle his brain, all that was left of his biological body, was installed into a [[ManInTheMachine Dreadnought body]] so that he could continue to serve. Some amongst the Clan Company, however, believe that the great Iron Father actually had his soul uploaded into his new body, transcending flesh entirely and becoming a great inspiration to the Kaargul.
* CavalryRefusal: Even after their re-evaluation of their reliance on logic, the Iron Hands belief in "only the strong are worthy of surviving" often results in them refusing to come to the aid of besieged planets if they calculate that doing so will incur a high cost to the Chapter. This belief has also led them to abandon their allies when they needed help the most, such as during the Battle for Columnus, where their refusal to alter their battle plans and assist their allies led to the loss of two [[HumongousMecha Titans]] and the complete destruction of an entire [[StealthExpert Raven Guard]] strike force.
* ChainsawGood: The Teeth of Mars are a set of blessed chainswords with cog-toothed blades that are gifted by the Adeptus Mechanicus to those of Ferrus Manus' lineage who show exceptional affinity with machines. Said to be blessed by the Machine God, the Teeth are particularly effective against the machines of heretics and xenos. The 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Iron Hands'' rules represent this by giving the Teeth of Mars increased Armour Penetration and Damage characteristics compared to a regular chainsword, as well as an ability that boots their Strength characteristic when used against vehicles.
* ContinuityDrift: When first introduced, in the 3rd Edition ''Index Astartes'' article focusing on the Iron Hands, Iron Fathers were a unique unit that combined the roles of [[TheEngineer Techmarine]] and Chaplain. Over the years a number of characters that didn't fulfil this role were given the title of Iron Father until, in the 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Iron Hands'', it was officially stated the title is an honorary one that can be granted to any Iron Hand from the lowest battle-brother to the oldest of Dreadnoughts.
* CoolHelmet: The Tempered Helm[[note]] introduced by the 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Iron Hands''[[/note]] is a relic helmet that contains unsurpassed information processors that efficiently filter strategic information so that the wearer has the best possible strategic overview of the battle, allowing the player to regain a Command Point they have spent.
* {{Cyborg}}: The Iron Hands' belief in the strength of machines over the weakness of flesh has led to many of the Chapter's battle-brothers replacing their biological limbs and organs with bionic replacements, even when they are undamaged, and therefore have a higher proportion of cybernetically enhanced warriors than Chapters not of Ferrus Manus' lineage. It is even rumoured that some of the oldest members of the Chapter [[FullConversionCyborg have little organic matter left except for their brain and the progenoid glands]] required to create the next generation of Astartes. In most editions of the game, this heavy degree of mechanisation leads to the Iron Hands being [[SuperToughness very durable on the battlefield]] as their bionic parts are far more durable than those of flesh.
* DeathWorld: The Iron Hands' home world of Medusa is plagued by extreme tectonic activity that almost constantly throws volcanic ash into the air, and where HostileWeather fronts that can strip flesh from bone roll across the surface. The population of the planet live in nomadic clans that traverse the planet's broken plains in large caravans of tracked vehicles. The realities of their lifestyle mean that weakness in the population cannot be afforded, with those too wounded or sick to continue are expected to leave their fellows [[IWillOnlySlowYouDown so as not to strain the already thin resources their kin need]]. The Iron Hands recruit from these clans and share many of their values.
* DeflectorShields:
** The Gorgon's Chain is a symbiotic relic of the Iron Hands Chapter that can be fitted to a warrior's armour. Drawing power from the battle-brother's heart, the Gorgon's Chain is able to produce a powerful defence shield that reduces the energy of enemy attacks. The 8th Edition rules represent this by giving the bearer of the Gorgon's Chain an invulnerable save and reduces the chance that enemy ranged attacks will wound.
** In the 3rd Edition ''Index Astartes: Hand of Justice'' Iron Hands rules, Iron Fathers (then a Chaplain-Techmarine combined character) wear a Mechanicus Protectiva in place of the rosarius worn by the Chaplains of other Chapters. These arcane devices fit onto the power armour of the Iron Father, generating a small force field that was just as effective at stopping attacks as a rosarius[[note]]a 50% chance of stopping a wound with no modifiers[[/note]]
* DemonicPossession: During the Gaudinian Heresy, the Iron Hands' obsession with the perfection and purity of the machine led them to fall for a trap set by the Sapphire King, a powerful daemonic entity dedicated to Slaanesh that is obsessed with corrupting the Iron Hands. The incident resulted in a number of battle-brothers, including a full third of the Iron Council itself, becoming possessed by the Sapphire King's daemonic minions until Kardan Stronos realised that unleashing the repressed emotions of his warriors was the key to resisting the corruption. It was this incident that led to the Iron Hands [[TookALevelInKindness re-evaluating their beliefs on the weakness of emotions]].
* DevilsAdvocate: When the Iron Hands integrated aspects of Roboute Guilliman's new Codex Astartes into their order-of-battle, they gave Lieutenants the role of Naysmith. In this role, it is the duty of a Lieutenant to criticise and question the plans of their Iron Captain until only a perfect, logical plan remains.
* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: The Iron Hands believe that the living metal hands of their Primarch were a physical embodiment of his doctrines of efficiency and strength above all things, something that has led to the Chapter's Rite of Severance where a newly initiated battle-brother [[ArtificialLimbs has their left hand replaced with a mechanical one]]. Ferrus himself, however, never saw his hands as a sign of strength, for all the great works he accomplished with them he was painfully aware they weren't his real hands and it amazed him that no one else saw it that way too. He saw the hands as a sign of his weakness, a crutch he relied on instead of being strong in his own right.
* EpiphanyTherapy: In the aftermath of the Gaudinian Heresy, where the Chapter’s preference following cold logic and emotional repression led to rampant daemonic possession, the Iron Hands were forced to re-evaluate their some of their core philosophies. While a the majority of the Chapter still hold to their belief that logic is superior to emotion, an increasing number, particularly amongst the battle-brothers of Clan Company Raukaan, are coming to the realisation that emotions tempered and controlled by logic can forge a strength greater than either in isolation.
* HealingFactor: The highly sophisticated Auto-Medicae Bionics, Special-Issue Wargear introduced during 8th Edition, incorporate automatic systems that can heal the biological components of those they are fitted to. In-game, these rare bionics heal the model they are attached to every turn.
* {{Jerkass}}: Due to their hatred of weakness and their reliance on cold logic when forming their battle plans, the Iron Hands have gained a reputation for ruthlessness, with some outsiders believing that they do not fight to protect the Imperium, simply to destroy the Imperium's foes. At best, this attitude can lead to Iron Hands being disdainful and dismissive of allied forces and refusing calls for aid if they do not believe they are worth their time. At worst, this hatred of weakness can lead to events such as the Purging of Contqual, where Clan Company Raukaan executed one in every three Imperial citizens within the Sub-Sector as they claimed that they could find very little evidence of innocence within the population.
* KnightTemplar: The Iron Hands have absolutely no tolerance of weakness, both within themselves and in normal human populations they are meant to protect. The Chapter's high standards and ruthlessly applied logic often leads them to callously leave allies to die if it is tactically advantageous to do so and, during the Purging of Contqual, they executed two-thirds of the sub-sector's population as they believed that letting the Slaaneshi corruption take root on their worlds was a sign of guilt and weakness.
* MachineEmpathy: Due to their close affinity with machines, and additional training from the Adeptus Mechanicus, Iron Hands Techmarines are some of the most talented engineers of any Space Marine Chapter, appearing to be able to instinctively diagnose what is troubling any machine-spirit. In-game this some editions of the rules make Iron Hands' vehicles tougher and easier to repair than those of other Chapters. The 8th Edition rules meanwhile represents this with the Machine Empathy Iron Hands Stratagem that allows Techmarines to repair vehicles twice in one turn.
* MachineWorship: The Iron Hands' reverence for the mechanical has led many amongst the Chapter to share some of the beliefs and practices of the Cult Mechanicus. Whether this idealisation borders on full veneration of the Omnissiah alongside the [[GodEmperor Emperor]] and their [[SuperPrototype Primarch]] tends to very with edition and source material with the 3rd Edition rules making Iron Fathers combined [[TheEngineer Techmarine]]-Chaplains while other background indicates a looser relationship with the religious practices of the Adeptus Mechanicus.
* ManInTheMachine: The Iron Hands consider being placed into the sarcophagus of a Dreadnought to be one of the greatest honours that the Chapter can bestow and there are even rumours that some battle-brothers undergo the procedure voluntarily, without being mortally wounded. Iron Fathers in particular are often granted the honour of transcending their weak flesh and becoming a Dreadnought, something that the 8th Edition rules represent with the March of the Ancients Iron Hands Stratagem that allows a Dreadnought to be upgraded to a Character with a superior stat line.
* MirroringFactions: They will never admit it, but their complete disregard for the lives and efforts of the ordinary people they are sworn to protect, who they usually consider inferior beings barely worthy of living, is nearly identical to the attitude of many Chaos followers that consider [[MightMakesRight the strongest must rule over the weak.]] And their obsession to overcome the Weakness of the Flesh by getting more and more mechanical enhancements from the Machine God is also very similar to the wish of Chaos cultists of trascending mortality by getting blessings and mutations from the Chaos Gods.
* MobileFactory: The volatile geology of Medusa makes it impractical for the Iron Hands to maintain a single permanent fortress monastery in the manner of other Astartes Chapters. Instead, each of the Chapter's Clan Companies maintains a Hall of Conquest, a massive mobile armoury and barracks that produce the majority of the ammunition and equipment used by a Clan Company as they traverse the Medusan plains in imitation of the planet's native clans.
* MyGreatestFailure: The battle-brothers of Clan Company Avernii, the Iron Hands' 1st Company, still blame themselves for allowing Ferrus Manus to die during the Drop Site Massacre at the outbreak of the Horus Heresy. This failure has driven the warriors of the Clan Company to take even more drastic measures to purge themselves of emotion through the near constant use of [[NeuralImplanting simulus chambers]] until it is said that the Avernii feel nothing except the guilt of their predecessor's failure, driving them to fight all the harder against the Imperium's foes.
* NamedWeapon: The unique [[MixAndMatchWeapon combi-melta]] Betrayer's Bane is a sophisticated weapon with an enhanced rate of fire for its [[RayGun meltagun]] half[[note]]In the 8th Edition rules, it has double the amount of shots as a regular meltagun[[/note]]. The weapon is used to destroy the warriors of the [[ArchEnemy Emperor's Children]] and has been engraved with the name of every battle where it has slain one of that most hated of Legions.
* NeuralImplanting: The Iron Hands make extensive use of simulus chambers, controversial neural interfaces that allow a battle-brother to inload or exload a vast amount of data directly into their brain. The Iron Hands use these devices to instantly analyse data, conduct combat simulations and insert subconscious strategic protocols that prepare the recipient of any conservable battlefield scenario. The 8th Edition rules represent the pre-programmed firing solutions inserted into a battle-brother’s brain with the Methodical Firepower Iron Hands Stratagem that improves their ranged attacks.
* NotSoStoic: Despite their hatred of emotions and their desire for nothing except pure logic, when hard pressed the Iron Hands have been noted to lose control of their rage and hatred, unleashing their repressed emotions in fury. The 8th Edition rules represent this with the Gorgon's Rage Iron Hands Stratagem that gives them a bonus when in melee combat, particularly when fighting against the [[ArchEnemy Emperor's Children]].
* RageAgainstTheMentor: One of the root causes of the Iron Hands' mistrust of emotion is their belief that their Primarch let himself be blinded by his rage at Isstvan V, leading to his irrational charge and ultimate death. In the aftermath of the Drop Site Massacre, the survivors embraced cold logic to the point of obsession, utterly rejecting their gene-father's more human qualities for the next ten thousand years.
* RiteOfPassage: When an Iron Hands recruit is promoted to the rank of full battle-brother they undergo the Rite of Severance to mark the moment they become a true son of Ferrus Manus. The rite involves the removal of the initiate's right hand by the Chapter's most senior Iron Father, and its replacement with a bionic fist in honour of their gene-father's famous, living metal hands.
* SelfHarm: Some older background material mentions that the Iron Hands' hatred for their weak flesh often drives them to scourge their organic parts, so that the pain will remind them of how weak that flesh is and that, as a result, the remaining flesh of older Iron Hand is usually CoveredInScars. The 8th Edition background material meanwhile focuses on the ritual replacement of organic body-parts with ArtificialLimbs.
* ThanatosGambit: In the aftermath of the Horus Heresy, during the council known as the Tempering that was convened to discuss the future of the Iron Hands, Iron Father Arnok Kraan of Clan Company Garrsak was brutally assassinated by a mysterious assailant despite the extreme defensive measures in place. In the wake of his death, the council made the decision to stick to the dispassionate logic that Kraan had espoused, rather than fall to emotion as their gene-father did. A number of scholars have theorised that this outcome was exactly what Kraan had wished for, and he arranged his own death to make it a reality.
* ShockAndAwe: One of the powers of the Iron Hands' 8th Edition Technomancy Psychic Discipline is Fury of Medusa, a psychic ability that allows a [[MagicKnight Librarian]] to unleash an electrical spirit against the enemy that can do multiple [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] against multiple enemy units.
* TheStoic: The Iron Hands' are famous for their machine-like stoicism, rarely showing emotion and relying on cold logic to persecute their missions. This stoicism comes from the Chapter's hatred of all emotions and they continually strive to repress their passions so that they do not give in to the weaknesses of the flesh. The battle-brothers of the Chapter even look down on the pride and courage displayed by other Chapters.
* SuperToughness: The high proportion of bionics used by the Iron Hands makes them even more durable than the average [[SuperSoldier Astartes]], able to advance through all but the heaviest enemy fire by trusting in their mechanical blessings. How this is represented in game depends on the edition and can range from simple additional saves to more involved special rules such as Feel No Pain[[note]]a rule that let a model ignore a wound under certain conditions[[/note]]. The 8th Edition rules represent the durability of the Iron Hands with a number of Chapter specific abilities, Stratagems and Warlord Traits that give them chances to simply ignore wounds they take.
* TakingTheBullet: If their calculations conclude that the life of their commander is worth more to the Chapter than their own, Iron Hands battle-brothers are more than willing to intercept attacks intended for their superiors. The 8th Edition rules represent this with the Cogitated Martyrdom Iron Hands Stratagem that allows nearby units to the chance take a [[UnblockableAttack mortal wound]] in place of an attack that would have otherwise damaged an Iron Hands Character.
* TargetSpotter: Some high-ranking Iron Hands include sophisticated targeting and data dissemination augmetics amongst their suit of bionic enhancements so that they can direct the fire of their battle-brothers with a high degree of accuracy. The 8th Edition Codex Supplement: Iron Hands rules represent this with the Target Protocols Iron Hands Warlord Trait that allows a nearby Iron Hands unit re-rolls for their ranged attacks.
* {{Technopath}}: The [[MagicKnight Librarian]] of the Iron Hands are able to use their psychic abilities to attune themselves to machines on a spiritual level. The Chapter's Librarians use these abilities to commune directly with machine spirits, encouraging damaged vehicles to repair themselves, cause enemy equipment to malfunction and reinforce the armour of their allies with psychic steel, represented in-game by the powers of the Technomancy Psychic Discipline[[note]]available to any Astartes Librarian in some editions but unique to the Iron Hands in 8th Edition[[/note]].
* TookALevelInKindness: The combination of the events of the Gaudinian Heresy where the Chapter's obsession with the machine almost led them to fall to Chaos, the opening of the Great Rift that split the Imperium in half, and renewed hope of the dawning of the Era Indomitus led the Iron Council to conclude that the Chapter had lost its focus and are now determined to act in the Imperium's defence. While they still calculate the worth of any campaign they undertake, the Iron Hands are now somewhat more willing to take heavy losses in an attempt to save others instead of simply abandoning them to their fate and, such as during the Stygian Reforging, they have been willing to refuse orders to give up territory to the enemies of the Imperium if their own calculations lead them to believe that continuing the campaign themselves.
* TrialByFriendlyFire: Due to the cold hard logic they use when devising their battleplans, the Iron Hands are more than willing to fire on their allies if they have calculated that this is the most efficient way of defeating the enemy. [[GameplayAndStorySegregation This isn't represented on the tabletop]], however, as the Chapter still has to follow the normal targeting restrictions.

[[folder:Ultramarines]]
[[quoteright:317:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ultramarines.png]]
[[caption-width-right:317:[[BattleCry "Courage and honour!"]]]]

->''Wisdom, brothers; the greatest gift of all. The gift that marks us out from the savage and the barbarian, that allows us to walk as giants in a world of men. Wisdom tells us when to use the sword and when to use the bolter, when to conquer and when to inspire. It has saved lives, saved worlds, and may yet save the galaxy. Use it well.''
-->-- '''Roboute Guilliman''', The Iaxan Symposium

Originally known as the War Born, the Ultramarines were originally the Thirteenth Legion and their Primarch is [[TheStrategist Roboute Guilliman]]. Marneus Calgar was Chapter Master at the time of Guilliman's Resurrection and he has continued with that role as the reborn Primarch has taken up the duties of Lord Commander of the Imperium. The Chapter is based in Ultramar, a minor stellar empire within the Eastern Fringe with their fortress monastery, the Fortress of Hera, situated on the world of Macragge.

As it was their Primarch that wrote the ''Codex Astartes'', the organisational and tactical treatise that all Astartes Chapters are supposed to follow, the Ultramarines view themselves as the embodiment of what it means to be a Space Marine, and pride themselves on having a practical and theoretical strategy for any battlefield scenario. Due to the stability of their gene-seed and the sheer number of Ultramarines at the end of the Horus Heresy, nearly two-thirds of all modern Space Marine chapters are of Ultramarines stock. Since the resurrection of Roboute Guilliman, the launching of Abaddon's 13th Black Crusade and the opening of the Great Rift the Ultramarines have been at the forefront of the Imperium's defence by leading the Indomitus Crusade, fighting in warzone across the galaxy, defending their realm from repeated attacks by the forces of Nurgle, and attempting to reclaim the five hundred worlds that used to be part of Ultramar at its height.

The Ultramarines have been a part of the ''Warhammer 40,000'' game since its 1st Edition but didn't truly become the archetypical Space Marine Chapter until 2nd Edition when the codex sourcebook for generic Space Marines was named ''Codex: Ultramarines''. The Chapter were the Imperial forces included in the starter sets for 4th and 5th Editions of the game[[note]]known as ''Warhammer 40,000: Battle for Macragge'' and ''Warhammer 40,000: Assault on Black Reach'' respectively[[/note]], and have appeared on the cover of every ''Codex: Space Marines'' book in every edition except 3rd. For 8th Edition, the Ultramarines provide the Imperial forces in the ''Dark Imperium'' starter set with their rules being a combination of the basic Astartes rules from ''Codex Space Marines'' with their Chapter specific rules detailed in ''Codex Supplement: Ultramarines'' released at the same time. 9th Edition saw the Ultramarines included in the game's starter sets, including the limited edition ''Indomitus'' set, with rules provided in October 2020's ''Codex: Space Marines'' and the previous edition's Codex Supplement.

For more about these paragons of Space Marine valour, see the ''Literature/{{Ultramarines}}'' novels.

* AbsurdlySharpBlade: The [[NamedWeapon Soldier's Blade]] is a simple sword so masterfully-crafted that its [[SharpenedToASingleAtom monomolecular edge]] has never needed sharpening since the founding of the Ultramarines. Despite lacking the advanced disruption field technologies of power weapons, the Soldier's Blade is still capable of slicing through armour that their more advanced counterparts would struggle to penetrate. In those editions where the relic is included, the rules for the Soldier's Blade represent this with a superior Armour Penetration value.
* AcidAttack: The ancient storm bolter known as [[NamedWeapon Vengeance of Ultramar]] is equipped with a micro-forge that coats the weapon's bolts with a bio-reactive acid that burns through living material in an instant. This is represented in the 8th Edition rules by the weapon having a re-roll when attempting to wound a non-vehicle target.
* ArchEnemy:
** The Ultramarines have never forgiven the Word Bearers for their surprise attack on at Calth at the outbreak of the Horus Heresy, and the subsequent ravaging of Ultramar. The 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Ultramarines'' represents this with the Vengeance for Calth Ultramarines Stratagem, which grants re-rolls when fighting Word Bearers in melee.
** The Ultramarines hold a great hated towards the [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Tyranids]] and have been heavily involved in the defence of the Imperium from this extra-galactic xenos. This is hatred dates back to the very first Hive Fleet to assault the galaxy, Hive Fleet Behemoth, nearly destroying Macragge and wiping out their entire First Company. This hatred has even led to a rare departure from the ''Codex Astartes''[[note]]until Guilliman officially sanctioned their existence after his resurrection[[/note]] with the formation of special Tyrannic War Veteran Squads, specifically trained and equipped to destroy the Tyranid menace. When included as a specific unit[[note]]rather than having regular Sternguard Veterans "count-as" Tyrannic War Veterans[[/note]], Tyrannic War Veterans have special in-game rules that enhance their abilities while fighting Tyranids, such as the 8th edition Bane of Tyranids rule that grants them re-rolls when fighting against the xenos.
* BadassCape: The Tarentian Cloak is a relic of the Ultramarines thought to date from the Dark Age of Technology. The Cloak is a marvel of technology, weaved with advanced bio-support systems and energy distributors that protect the wearer from harm and heal his wounds. The 8th Edition rules for the Cloak allow the wearer to [[HealingFactor heal their wounds each turn]] and gives them an unmodifiable save against enemy attacks.
* BoringButPractical: While, in the lore, the Ultramarines do not specialise in any single battlefield tactic, their specialities being logistics, organisation and strategic planning, their overall body of skills gives them a strong foundation and that allows them to adapt to almost any battlefield situation, making them one of the most successful and well respected Chapters.
* CombatClairvoyance: The Precognition power from the Indomitus Psychic Discipline[[note]]introduced by the 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Ultramarines''[[/note]] allows the psyker to perceive and avoid any attacks before they happen, granting him an unmodifiable invulnerable save, and giving a penalty on hit rolls against him.
* CoolHelmet: The ancient helmet known as the Helm of Censure holds Sergeant Thiel's controversial thesis on the best ways to slay any foe, including fellow Astartes. Written before the Horus Heresy, the information contained within the Helm is still considered one of the best works on the subject ever written. In the 8th Edition rules, the Helm of Censure grants the wearer re-rolls in combat, [[HunterOfHisOwnKind along with bonuses to rolls made against Astartes opponents]].
* DependingOnTheWriter: Due to their lack of overt specialisation, many background writers and novel authors have taken various aspects of the Chapter in different directions. Common topics of divergence include exactly how strictly the Codex is followed (some sources say "To the letter", even if that veers right into LawfulStupid territory, while others dial this back and say that minor variances are accepted, so long as they can be justified later), how well liked the Ultramarines are in universe (some material has noted the Chapter being prideful, with no small number of rivals and foes, while others painted them as one of the most beloved Chapters in the Imperium) and whether the Ultramarines are [[MasterOfNone Masters of None]] or [[MasterOfAll Masters of All]].
* GoodLuckCharm: Some background material mentions that the Ultramarines consider the battle barge ''Emperor Incarnatus'' to be unusually holy and see it as a herald of good fortune.
* JackOfAllStats: Due to their discipline, training and strategic planning, the Ultramarines are one of the most tactically flexible and well-rounded of all the major Chapters, able to fight on every front and undertake any style of mission with equal chance of success. The 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Ultramarines'' rules represent this with a number of different rules and Stratagems that allow them to adapt to various battlefield situations at a moment's notice.
* LawfulStupid: In some early versions of their background, the Ultramarines were infamous for their near-religious adherence to the ''Codex Astartes'', with reports of their members being punished or deemed heretics for acting in ways not in accordance with it in battle, even when such actions led to victory against the odds. This tendency has become less prevalent over the years, with such attitudes being confined to individual Marines who suffer from an obsession with following the ''Codex'' to the letter, and the resurrected author of the Codex being somewhat tolerant of deviation as long as it gets results.
* LoopholeAbuse: While a Space Marine chapter is only supposed to have a single planet as its fief, they are allowed to draw recruits from multiple planets if necessary. In the case of the Ultramarines, these recruitment worlds just so happen to be in close proximity and share close cultural, trading and military ties. While each of these worlds are at least partially self-sufficient, with their own governments, fleets and military, all the worlds are fiercely loyal to the Ultramarines and together form the sub-sector wide stellar empire known as Ultramar with the Ultramarine's home world of Macragge at its heart.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Due to their gene-father being the author of the ''[[BigBookOfWar Codex Astartes]]'' the Ultramaries had been strict adherents to its tenets for ten millenia but the invasion of their home world during the First Tyrannic War was so traumatic that they willingly diverged from the rules their founder prescribed creating the Tyrannic War Veterans, a special unit dedicated to destroying the Tyranid threat.
* PlasmaCannon: The Sunwrath Pistols, gifted to Roboute Guilliman at the outset of the Indomitus Crusade by Archmagos Cawl, are some of the most advanced plasma weapons of their size created by the Imperium. Fitted superior cooling systems, the Sunwrath Pistols are able to fire at full power repeatedly without overheating. The 8th Edition rules represent this by giving the Sunwrath Pistols the stat line of a supercharged plasma pistol but with more shots and no chance of killing its owner.
* PoweredArmor: The unique suit of Terminator armour known as the Armour of Konor is an honoured relic of the Ultramarines that offers far superior protection to even a regular Terminator suit. Constructed from thousands of layers of rare and durable alloys, the Armour can defend against even the most devastation of attacks. The 8th Edition rules for the Armour of Konor give the wearer a superior invulnerable save to that of a regular suit of Terminator armour, and also reduces the amount of Damage taken from each attack.
* RulesLawyer: As the Chapter with the closest ties to its author, the Ultramarines are typically described as strict adherents to the tenets laid out in the ''Codex Astartes''. At one time, exactly how strictly the Codex was stuck to tended to vary from [[DependingOnTheWriter depiction to depiction]] but the lore eventually settled on the Ultramarines' views [[ZigZaggedTrope differing from individual Marine to individual Marine]]: some regard the book as an almost religious text, others see it as an evolving set of tenets that are constantly upgraded as new foes and tactics reveal themselves. With the return of Roboute Guilliman, however, the Ultramarines have returned to being exemplary followers of the ''Codex Astartes'' as the author himself is now able to update its wisdom as needed.
* SeriesMascot: Since at least the 2nd Edition of the game, the Ultramarines have been the default Space Marine Chapter, appearing on the packaging for default Space Marine products, and the effective mascot for the game itself. Since that time, the Ultramarines have also been a mascot for Creator/GamesWorkshop in general, a role they now share with the Stormcast Eternals from ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar''.
* SpaceRomans: The Ultramarines have a strong Greco-Roman theme with the traditional designs of their weapons and equipment design features with those of the Classical world (such as gladius-style combat blades and helmets with Roman Legion like helmet plumes), and [[CanisLatinicus Latin-like]] naming conventions. Their superior logistical and strategic abilities to their contemporaries are also based on the Roman Legions. In addition to this, the Chapter's home world of Macragge is depicted like a sci-fi version of Rome with marble architecture and toga wearing locals, while their stella empire of Ultramar from which the draw their recruits is analogous of the Roman Republic and Empire's large swaths of territory.
* TheStrategist: Planning and strategy are noted specialities of the Ultramarines, their commanders able to plan wide ranging campaigns and read the flow of battle so that their well-trained warriors can switch between various pre-planned battlefield strategies at a moment’s notice. The 8th Edition Codex Supplement: Ultramarines rules represent this with a number of different abilities, Stratagems and Warlord Traits that effect Tactical Objectives, Command Points and the army-wide Combat Doctrine special rule.

[[folder:Salamanders]]
[[quoteright:324:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/salamanders_40k.png]]
[[caption-width-right:324:[[BattleCry "Into the fires of battle! Unto the anvil of war!"]]]]

->''The warrior sons of Nocturne appear as fearsome devils to most. Yet their valour, their strength, and their skill at arms speak louder than any disparaging voice. They craft war like no others, forging victory with burning conviction tempered by honour and patience. They are righteous fire made flesh, and their flames will never die.''
-->-- '''Vulkan''', The Nature of War

Once known as the Dragon Warriors, the Salamanders were the Eighteenth Legion and were created from the gene-seed of the Primarch [[UltimateBlacksmith Vulkan]], sharing their gene-father's obsidian skin and smouldering red eyes. The Chapter draws their recruits from the volcanic world of Nocturne, while their fortress monastery is built upon and within the moon Prometheus. The role of Chapter Master of the Salamanders, known as the regent of Prometheus, is traditionally taken on by the Captain of the Chapter's 1st Company. At the dawning of the Era Indomitus, this position is held by Tu'Shan, who sits at the head of the Chapter's ruling Pantheon Council.

The violent conditions of Nocturne breed a hardy people who provide fine recruits for the Salamanders, and unlike the Astartes of many chapters, Salamander battle-brothers often live amongst the human communities of their world, providing guidance for the population and mentoring prospective novices. Over the course of their training, all Salamanders are indoctrinated into the Promethean Cult, a creed that teaches self-reliance, patience, compassion and loyalty. Each battle-brother is also taught metalworking and blacksmithing, learning to maintain their own equipment, allowing the Chapter's Techmarines to focus on creating master-crafted wargear.

The Salamanders have been a part of the ''Warhammer 40,000'' games since 1st Edition but it wasn't until the ''Third War for Armageddon Worldwide Campaign'' tie-in sourcebook ''Codex: Armageddon'' for 3rd Edition that they first gained supplemental rules to represent their own style of warfare. Subsequent editions generally treat the Salamanders as a generally Codex compliant Chapter with a focus on stubbornness and flamer weapons. During 5th Edition, the Chapter was featured in Forge World's ''Badab War'' sourcebooks where they received additional characters and background material about their involvement with the campaign. During 7th Edition the Salamanders received some rules in the ''Codex Supplement: Angels of Death'' sourcebook, alongside the other Codex compliant First Founding Chapters. In 8th Edition, the Chapter used the basic Astartes rules from the August 2019 release of ''Codex: Space Marines'' with additional Chapter specific rules released in October 2019's ''Codex Supplement: Salamanders''. The rules for the Chapter's Badab War characters can be found in Forge World's ''Imperial Armour – Index: Forces of the Adeptus Astartes''. For 9th Edition, the Chapter uses a combination of the rules published in October 2020's ''Codex: Space Marines'' along with the previous edition's Codex Supplement[[note]]with free downloadable errata[[/note]].

For more about the warriors of Nocturne, see the ''Literature/{{Salamanders}}'' novels.

* AmplifierArtifact: The Tome of Vel'cona, a relic of the Chapter's Librarius that was written by the Salamanders' Chief Librarian, contains his teachings on the nature of psychic abilities and how best to harness the fire that lies within the psyche of the Chapter's battle-psykers. Any Librarian who reads the book before a battle is able use this knowledge to enhance their own abilities that are represented by extra powers and bonuses to their casting ability in all editions of the tabletop game.
* ArchEnemy: As with the other loyalist Legions present at the Drop Site Massacre that marked the start of the [[CivilWar Horus Heresy]], the Salamanders hold a particular loathing for the Traitor Legions that betrayed them during the disastrous battle and have access to the Vengeance for Isstvan V Stratagem[[note]]from the 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Salamanders'' {{sourcebook}}[[/note]], giving them a bonus when in melee combat with warriors from Word Bearers, Iron Warriors, Night Lords and Alpha Legion armies.
** The Salamanders also have a seething hatred for the Dark Eldar that goes back to Vulkan's childhood, when Nocturne suffered regular raids from the "Dusk Wraiths", as the people of Nocturne called them. The antipathy only worsened when Vulkan personally slew [[OneManArmy one hundred Dark Eldar warriors in battle]], and it remains to this day. Not surprising, since the Salamanders are quite possibly the most compassionate and openly humane warriors in the entire setting of 40k while the Dark Eldar are probably ''the'' most irredeemably evil and sadistic (and that's [[BlackAndGreyMorality really]] [[EvilVsEvil saying]] [[CrapsackWorld something]].)
* AHeroToHisHometown: Unlike most Astartes, when not at war the Salamanders return home and live quiet lives with their birth families. To the surprise of absolutely no one, being the home of an [[SuperSoldier Astartes Warrior]] is a cause for immense pride among many settlements, and they often elect these favored sons [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership to the position of tribal leader]].
* BeingGoodSucks: The Salamanders have suffered severe losses for their compassion and loyalty. Even back in the Great Crusade, they were one of the smallest of the Legions thanks to their near-suicidal dedication to protecting civilians. By the time the Heresy ended, they were the only Legion exempt from being broken into chapters because there simply weren't enough of them left to make multiple chapters out of.
* TheBlacksmith: Vulkan was raised as a blacksmith, and the Salamanders have kept this tradition alive in the millennia since. Reverence for the fire and the forge are a fundamental part of the Chapter's creed, known as the Promethean Cult. Battle-brothers of the Chapter commonly build and maintain their own wargear, and have a distinct preference for weapons associated with metalworks, such as [[DropTheHammer thunder hammers]], and others that reflect the fires of the forge, such as [[FireBreathingWeapon flamers and meltas]].
* BlingBlingBang: Since the Salamanders make their own boltguns instead of relying on mass-produced version like most Chapters, they typically lavish as much attention on decorating them as they do on maintaining them. A number of Space Marine {{sourcebook}}s include background material and FlavorText dedicated to concept, including one example where it took a [[TheEngineer Techmarine]] a year to build a boltgun before taking the next fifty to refine and embellish it to his satisfaction.
* BlingOfWar: As with most of their weapons and equipment, many Salamanders will spend their time ornamenting their power armour with scales, flame patterns, draconic motifs and other symbols of the Promethean Cult.
* BodyguardingABadass: In addition to their roles as subsidiary commanders, Lieutenants in the Salamanders Chapter are assigned to fight as bodyguards alongside their more experienced Captain.
* CloseRangeCombatant: Their love of flamers and thunder hammers makes them best suited for close range combat.
* DarkIsNotEvil: With their glowing red eyes and onyx skin, many ordinary citizens of the Imperium see the Salamanders as almost daemonic, with some going so far as to demand they be purged for mutation. Despite this, the Salamanders are actually one of the most humane and humble breeds of Astartes who will go to great lengths to protect as many innocents as possible.
* DeathWorld: The Salamanders' home world of Nocturne is a rugged place of volcanoes, ash deserts and earthquakes, populated by the fire-breathing reptiles that the Salamanders take their name from. Every fifteen years the Time of Trials begins as Nocturne's oversized moon Prometheus draws close. During this period, the planet's already high level of seismic activity increases exponentially, threatening every settlement save for the seven Sanctuary Cities that are built on geological safe areas and protected by powerful defences. Once the volcanic activity subsides, the planet is gripped by a long and bitter winter that covers the world in a frozen tundra. Such an extreme cycle is incredibly hostile to human life, with the only solace being the fresh veins of mineral wealth exposed by the regular cataclysmic upheaval.
* DropTheHammer: Due to the blacksmithing and metalworking aspects of the Promethean Cult, the Salamanders often wield hammers as melee weapons, particularly the powerful thunder hammers and Chapter Master Tu'Shan is often depicted wielding a thunder hammer that was supposedly made from the same metal as Vulkan's own thunder hammer, [[NamedWeapon Thunderhead]]. On the tabletop, some older editions gave the Salamanders special character Vulkan He'stan a rule making all thunder hammers more dangerous, while the 8th Edition Salamanders Primaris Upgrade kit is the only Chapter specific kit that includes thunder hammers as an option.
* ElementalBarrier: Salamander Librarians are able to surround themselves and their battle-brothers with a wall of flame that protects them from incoming fire. Known as the Fire Shield, this Promethean psychic power[[note]]from the 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Salamanders''[[/note]] makes it harder for enemies to shoot at and charge the protected units for a turn.
* FierySalamander: The Salamanders are named after the great, fire-breathing, dragon-like creatures native to their home world and they make heavy use of both fire and lizard motifs in their design aesthetic. The Promethean Discipline [[note]]introduced by the 8th Edition Codex Supplement: Salamanders[[/note]] continues the theme with the {{psychic power}}s Drakeskin and Draconic Aspect that allow a Salamander [[MagicKnight Librarian]] to cover his allies with psychic salamander scales and take on the appearance of one of the great drakes respectively.
* FireBreathingWeapon: The fiery tenets of the Promethean Cult lead the Salamanders to use flamer and melta weaponry more frequently than many other chapters. In those editions that include Chapter specific rules, the Salamanders often get various benefits while using flamers and melta weapons, such as the 4th Edition rule that allowed Salamander Tactical squads to replace their heavy weapon with flamers or meltas, and the 8th Edition Stratagem The Fires of Battle that gives these weapons a chance of causing [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]].
* GentleGiant: The Salamanders lack the arrogance that affects some of their brother Chapters and respect human life above their own, making them some of the most humane and humble Astartes in the setting despite their daemonic appearance.
* HeavyWorlder: Some background material states that Nocturne has slightly higher gravity than Terran standard, resulting in a strong and sturdy population that were slightly slower than normal. In some editions this was represented in on the tabletop by rules that reduced the Salamanders' Initiative[[note]]making them slower in the assault phase in-game[[/note]] and restricting their access to [[HoverTank anti-gravity vehicles]] and other Fast Attack choices.
* HotBlade: While the don't glow with heat, the Drakeblades[[note]]introduced by the 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Salamanders''[[/note]] emit a fiery heat that allows it to [[ArmorPiercingAttack melt through armour]], giving it a high Armour Penetration characteristic, and can cause additional [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] as it sets the foe on fire.
* MagmaMan: The Fury of Nocturne psychic power[[note]]from the 8th Edition Codex Supplement: Salamanders[[/note]] allows a Librarian to split the earth and call forth boiling lava from beneath the planet's crust and cause [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] against enemy units.
* MightyGlacier: The Promethean Cult's warnings against haste and impatience have resulted in a preference for slow and steady advances and patient defensive actions. In addition to this, while they are still capable of performing the rapid strikes favoured by many Chapters, the Salamanders field fewer fast attack elements than many other Chapters[[note]]represented in some editions by an additional limit on the number of such units that a player could take[[/note]]. Some background material for the Chapter also mentions that the Salamanders have slower reaction times than other Astartes, although they are still far faster than an unaugmented human.
* MythicalMotifs: Dragons, representing their volcanic homeworld, the ferocious reptilian predators found there, and the chapter's broader association with fire and fire-throwing weaponry.
* MobileFactory: The Artefact of Vulkan known as the ''Chalice of Fire'' is an ancient forge ship capable of manufacturing enough weapons and wargear to outfight an entire Legion of Astartes. Since its rediscovery by Forgefather Dir'san, however, the ''Chalice of Fire'' has been [[DownplayedTrope permanently moored]] at the Salamanders' orbital dockyards above Prometheus so that it can produce high quality war material for the Chapter.
* NamedWeapon:
** [[DropTheHammer Drake-Smiter]] is a supremely powerful thunder hammer that was forged to destroy the void-dragons of the Moons of Orth. In the years since its forging, the mighty weapon has been found to be just as capable of shattering battle tanks and [[HumongousMecha Titans]] as it is the diamond hard skulls of the beasts it was originally created to slay.
** The [[FireBreathingWeapon relic flamer Nocturne's Fury]] was created in imitation of the fire-breathing dragons of ancient Terran myth. After its destruction during the Indomitus Crusade, the remains of Nocturne's Fury were incorporated into the [[MixAndMatchWeapon combi-weapon]] Nocturne's Vengeance so that its mighty machine spirit could continue to serve the Chapter.
** Wrath of Prometheus has served the chapter faithfully for centuries, slaying countless numbers of the Emperor's foes the length and breadth of the galaxy. Such is the power of this expertly crafted bolter that, in-game, its profile is closer to that of a heavy bolter than a regular boltgun.
* NemeanSkinning: Before they can become one of the Firedrakes of the 1st Company a Salamander battle-brother must hunt down, slay and skin one of the great reptiles the company takes its name from and it is not uncommon for Salamander officers and heroes to wear these dragon hides into battle. While these cloaks are often simply aesthetic, some editions make them a wargear option that grants the wearer additional protection.
* PlayingWithFire: The importance that fire has to the Promethean Cult leads to many of the Salamanders' [[MagicKnight Librarians]] manifesting fiery {{psychic power}}s. How this is represented in the game varies by edition, with some simply encouraging players to choose their powers from the generic Pyromancy psychic discipline, while the 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Salamanders'' includes a Chapter-specific Promethean discipline that allows Librarians to cast {{fireball}}s, create [[ElementalBarrier walls of flame]] to protect their allies, or strike their foes with [[ElementalPunch flaming fists]].
* ThePowerOfFamily: Unlike the vast majority of Astartes chapters, when not at war the Salamanders prefer to return home to Nocturne and Prometheus to live with their home tribes and birth-families. Because of this, the bonds between the Salamanders and their homelands are often incredibly strong. Vulkan [[InvokedTrope actively encouraged this among his sons]], believing that they would fight all the harder and more valiantly if they remembered who they were fighting ''for.''
* PragmaticHero: While still far less callous than many Astartes, the warriors of the Pyroclasts, the Salamander's 3rd Company, are far more willing to slay the innocent alongside the xenos and the traitor in order to prevent their taint from further infecting the Imperium. Those that serve in the 3rd Company believe that by doing this, they can embody the pragmatism of their Primarch, but they still carry the weight of the innocent lives they have taken.
* ProHumanTranshuman: While they will [[PragmaticHero willingly cause civilian casualties when there is no other alternative]], the Salamanders are known to be one of the most compassionate of all the Chapters of Astartes, going to great length to protect the human population of the Imperium. The Salamanders will stand against anyone who targets civilians unnecessarily, and Chapter Master Tu'Shan even went so far as to beat the First Captain of the Marines Malevolent to a bloody pulp for their excessive bombing of a refugee camp during the Third Armageddon War.
* PunctuationShaker: For the people of Nocturne, the typical naming convention is two 1- or 2-syllable components separated by an apostrophe. Prominent examples in the Salamanders include Chapter Master Tu'Shan, Chief Librarian Vel'cona, and Da'kir in the ''Literature/{{Salamanders}}'' series of novels. [[DownplayedTrope There are exceptions to the rule, however]], with names such as Adrax Agatone and Vulkan himself, who was named by his Nocturnean foster father after the first king of salamanders from the planet's mythology.
* ReturningWarVet: Salamanders are unique among Astartes in that many of them, when on leave, return to their home planets, tribes, towns, and sometimes even birth-families rather than maintaining a monastic lifestyle at the Fortress-Monasteries. [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership Unsurprisingly]], their communities of origin frequently appoint returning Salamander leaders to the position of tribal authority.
* SamaritanSyndrome: In their early days, the then-Dragon Warriors Legion was known for taking their drive to protect civilians to irrational, seemingly-suicidal extremes. They nearly got themselves wiped out completely before Vulkan was found and able to teach his sons to temper their compassion with pragmatism.
* ScaryBlackMan: Due to the genetic legacy of their Primarch and the high ambient radiation of their home world the Salamanders are [[ExaggeratedTrope onyx-skined giants with glowing red eyes that make them look like daemons to many ignorant Imperial citizens]]. The Salamanders are well aware of the effect their appearance can have and often [[InvokedTrope use it to their advantage]], quashing potential rebellions with their very presence. [[SubvertedTrope Despite this look]], the Salamanders are still one of the most [[ProHumanTranshuman humane and humble of Space Marine Chapters]].
* SelfHarm: The Salamanders have numerous scarification rituals where a battle-brother will get one of the Chapter's specialised brander-priests to burn oaths, honour marks, rank insignia and symbols of the Promethean Cult onto their bodies. Facial brands are also a mark of Veteran status amongst the Chapter’s warriors.
* StoneWall: Due to their HeavyWorlder status, their preference for heavy, customized armour, and their dedication to the Promethean Cult that teaches patience and stoicism, Salamander Strike Forces are often less mobile than those of other Astartes but are much harder to displace when they are committed, with many editions giving them special rules and abilities perfect for defensive actions. [[DownplayedTrope On the other hand]], the Salamanders' plethora of powerful, short-ranged weapons such as [[FireBreathingWeapon flamers and meltas]], coupled with their skill at defences, mean that they also excel at certain long-game tactics, particularly when assaulting through close terrain.
* SuperSenses: One of the unique features of the Salamanders' gene-seed is that their eyes are more sensitive to infrared light than those of other Astartes. To take advantage of this fire-sight, the Salamanders have developed a special material that can be worked into their equipment to generate infrared emissions that produce signals and designs that only other Salamanders can perceive.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: While staunchly loyal to the Imperium, the Salamanders tend to chafe working with some of the more ruthless and brutal in its forces. They have special enmity with the [[MeaningfulName Marines Malevolent]] for their callous disregard of civilian life. If the two chapters are anywhere near each other, it's likely going to end in a fight.
* ThatThingIsNotMyChild: Due to the Black Dragon's murky origins and their extreme mutations, the Salamanders have never accepted that they share Vulcan's gene-seed with them despite persistent rumours and circumstantial evidence.
* TokenMinority: There are a number of pieces of artwork showing the Salamanders with traditional African features. Coupled with their onyx skin this makes the Chapter one of the few official black factions in the game, and the only black First Founding Legion.
* TomesOfProphecyAndFate: When he disappeared, Vulkan left behind an entire archive of books, sheet metal scrolls, crystal dataslates, curios and mysterious items that are collectively known as the ''Tome of Fire''. The Salamanders believe that these items contain messages left by their Primarch that contain, among other things, clues to the locations of the lost Artefacts of Vulkan, but it's up to the Forgefather to interpret them.
* WaveMotionGun: One of the nine Artefacts of Vulkan, the Eye of Vulkan is a massively powerful laser weapon capable of destroying ships and asteroids with a single blast. The weapon was originally mounted on the ancient forge ship ''Chalice of Fire'' but has since been incorporated into the orbital defences that protect the Salamander's fortress monastery on Prometheus.
* WouldNotShootACivilian: Unlike many Chapters, the Salamanders follow the example of their gene-father and take great pains to avoid [[DownplayedTrope unnecessary]] civilian casualties. Their value for human life causes them to view any mission that involves being [[PragmaticHero forced to kill Imperial citizens]] or failing to save civilians a failure. One of the quickest ways to [[BerserkButton anger]] them is for an allied force to show casual disregard for human life.

[[folder:Raven Guard]]
[[quoteright:315:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/raven_guard_8.png]]
[[caption-width-right:315:[[BattleCry "Victorus aut Mortis!"]]]]

->''A battle can be won with brute force, or random luck. But a war? A war is won with cunning, and waged without mercy. For the noblest of goals one must sometimes commit ignoble acts. So ask me not to justify the Raven Guard's ways. The carrion worlds in our wake should make a statement eloquent enough.''
-->-- '''Corvus Corax''', at the Eurydicus Hearing

The Raven Guard were originally the Nineteenth Legion. Their Primarch is [[RebelLeader Corvus Corax]] and their home world is Deliverance, the moon of the industrial world Kiavahr. Prior to the Prefectia Campaign, their Chapter Master was Corvin Severax. After Severax's death Kayvaan Shrike was promoted to Chapter Master.

The subtle and shadowy Raven Guard are masters of stealth and covert operations. Disdaining the shock assaults of the Blood Angels or Space Wolves, the Raven Guard prefer crippling surprise attacks where the enemy is most vulnerable, frequently utilizing Scout squads or airborne infantry. Fiercely independent, Raven Guard companies function under a great deal of autonomy, but are quick to respond to calls for assistance from Imperial commanders.

As with the other First Founding Chapters, the Raven Guard have been part of the game since its 1st Edition but have rarely had much focus. The Chapter received detailed background information and their first supplemental rules in their 3rd Edition ''Index Astartes'', article published in ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf'', but when the article was republished in the ''Index Astartes IV'' collection the rules section was removed due to the introduction of the Chapter Traits system in the 4th Edition ''Codex: Space Marines''. During 7th Edition the Raven Guard features in the ''War Zone Damocles'' campaign books with the rules from these publications being reprinted in a digital codex supplement focusing solely on the Chapter, and later in ''Codex Supplement: Angels of Death''. In 8th Edition, the Chapter used the basic Astartes rules from the August 2019 release of ''Codex: Space Marines'' with additional Chapter specific rules released in September 2019's ''Codex Supplement: Raven Guard''.For 9th Edition, the Chapter uses a combination of the rules published in October 2020's ''Codex: Space Marines'' along with the previous edition's Codex Supplement[[note]]with free downloadable errata[[/note]].

* AbandonedHospital: The Forbidden Apothecarion is the abandoned medical beneath the Ravenspire where the Corax attempted to replicate the Emperor's genetic engineering to quickly rebuild his Legion. After purging the Apothecarion of the foul results of these experiments, the Primarch ordered the Apothecarion sealed, but once a year its doors have to be guarded by the Veterans of the 1st Company as bestial cries echo through its dark corridors.
* AnimalMotifs: Ravens and other corvid birds. Many of their successor chapters continue this trend and sometimes expand it to other birds, such as the Iron Ravens, the Knights of the Raven, the Necropolis Hawks, and the Raptors.
* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: Due to enormous materiel losses on Isstvan V, most Raven Guard power armour is from older marks with the Mark VI "Corvus" pattern power armour being particularly prominent.
* CanisLatinicus: The Chapter's High Gothic BattleCry, "Victorus aut Mortis!," would be "Victoria aut Mors" in proper Latin.
* CastingAShadow: The Librarius of the Raven Guard practice Umbramancy, a psychic discipline centered around manipulating shadows and which especially suits the Raven Guard's tactics. Raven Guard Librarians who use this discipline are able to cast a veil of darkness around them to hide them from the enemy, travel within shadows to reach any place on the battlefield or even turn an enemy's own shadow against them, creating ravens made of darkness that disorientate the foe.
* CombatPragmatist: The Raven Guard care little for honour and are happy to use any tactics as long as it gets results. They are particularly adept in the use of assassination, ambush, sabotage and other forms of asymmetric warfare, and are even willing to repaint their armour as part of a disguise, a tactic most other Chapters would consider an insult to the armour's machine-spirit.
* CreepyCrows: The Raven Guard are a black-ops-esque unit -- as much as giants in a power armor can be. In one of their short stories, Shadow Captain Shrike manages to scare an [[FearlessFool Ork Kommando]]. Their home world, Kiavahr, even houses a species of giant, carnivorous, man-eating ravens.
* DueToTheDead: The burial customs of the Raven Guard consist only of stripping the fallen of his equipment, gene-seed, and bird skull totems[[note]]for burial back on the Raven Guard's home world[[/note]] before leaving the corpse for the local carrion birds.
* DynamicEntry: A common strategy by the Raven Guard who use their {{Stealth Expert}}ise to set up ambushes, sprung with the speed and violence expected of Astartes. The Chapter make great use of assault squads as a key part of their battlefield tactics, dropping right onto the enemy without warning while using their surprise and momentum to increase the damage of their assault.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: The Raven Guard have a defect in their Melanochromic organ that turns their skin pure white while their hair and eyes turn jet black. This physical appearance. coupled with the Chapter's predisposition for shadows and stealth, lends the Raven Guard as a whole a ghostly look.
* EntertaininglyWrong: It is common knowledge that Astartes function as terrifyingly lethal shock troops who show up in [[HighlyConspicuousUniform Highly Conspicuous Armor]] and smash their way quickly through the enemy, carried forward by their enhancements, equipment, training, coordination, and unbreakable wills. The Raven Guard consider this reputation to their advantage, because the ''last'' thing most foes would expect is Astartes who will blend into the background and spring careful ambushes.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: DependingOnTheWriter, the Raven Guard were originally Celtic Irish, Of note are the simplified celtic knot patterns around the full version of their chapter badge, the dark green tint of their earlier armor, and the prominence of Ravens in Irish folklore. Later writers would bring in Pacific Northwest Native American elements due to a similar love of raven iconography present in that culture as well.
* GoneHorriblyWrong: The Raven Guard were some of the first victims of the Drop Site Massacre during the Horus Heresy, and as a result of the shock and surprise of the incident they suffered some of the worst casualties. In order to bring their numbers back from the brink of extinction, Corax tapped into some sealed knowledge that was forbidden to the eyes of all but the Emperor himself and his Primarchs, and used this to tinker with their gene-seed to accelerate the process of making new Marines. It worked, but many of those suffered warping of the flesh, gigantism, and horrible mental trauma, [[TheGrotesque becoming twisted abominations]]. Corax [[MercyKill gave them the Emperor's Peace]], and said of his actions, "[[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Nevermore]]". The Raven Guard's induction rate remains low to this day because of it.
* HitAndRunTactics: The Raven Guard specializes in fast, stealthy, surgical attacks, rather than the brute-force onslaught preferred by many other chapters.
* HomingProjectile: The Korvidari Bolts, used by the Raven Guard and their Successors, contain an advanced targeting and flight correction system that allows them to hit even the most evasive of targets. Introduce by the 8th Edition ''Codex Supplement: Raven Guard'', these special-issue bolts can be fired at enemy units outside of the firing model's line of site.
* InvisibilityCloak: During the Great Crusade, Raven Guard warships used a void shield variant called Reflex Shields which essentially rendered them invisible through redirection of their physical and energetic emissions.
* MirroringFactions: To the Night Lords. They are both armies of stealth and surgical strike masters, with the Raven Guard prior to Corax being found being extremely brutal and callous just like the Night Lords. Corax is taken aback when he realizes just how similar the two groups really are.

** Ex Tenebris is a relic boltgun of the Raven Guard rumoured to have been created by the Primarch himself as a gift for his brother Konrad Curze. A highly accurate and silenced weapon, the Ex Tenebris is now borne into battle by the greatest heroes of the Chapter.
** The masterfully crafted SniperRifle Nihilus is traditionally carried by the greatest marksman of the Raven Guard's 10th Company. The weapon fires inky-black shots that implode with such force that they can [[ArmorPiercingAttack split the power armoured opponent in half]] and will even penetrate armoured vehicles if it hits in the right spot.
** Swiftstrike and Murder are [[DualWielding a pair]] of perfectly balanced [[WolverineClaws lightning claws]] that allow their wielder to rip through all but the most heavily armoured foes at incredible speed.
* TheQuietOne: Raven Guard Marines spend a lot of time listening and very little time talking, to the point of barely engaging other Astartes in conversation. This can sometimes irritate members of the more boisterous chapters such as the White Scars or Space Wolves.
* StealthExpert: The Raven Guard are the greatest practitioners of stealth and subtlety amongst the Adeptus Astartes. The Chapter is known to practice a specialist stealth discipline they call "Wraith-Slipping" that allows them to slip effortlessly from shadow to shadow, and are also known to develop secret rites of silence, personal techniques that allow them to baffle the sounds of their armour and equipment so that they can move far quieter than many enemies expect. In-game, their 8th Edition Chapter Tactics give enemy units a -1 penalty to their Ballistic Skill for shooting attacks against Raven Guard units that are more than 12" away.
* TerrorHero: The Raven Guard are stealth and infiltration specialists able to sneak up on enemies despite being power-armored giants. A successful campaign by the Chapter leaves their enemies huddled around light sources, mortally afraid of the dark. In-game, one of the Raven Guard's unique Tactical Objectives awards them points for any enemy unit that is forced to fail a Leadership test.
* WolverineClaws: Lightning claws are the signature weapon of the Raven Guard and their successor Chapters with many of their Veteran Squads being entirely outfitted with them. The Chapter have even developed their own pattern of lightning claw, the Hawks Talon, which has hooked blades in imitation of the claws of a bird of prey.

!!Noteworthy Second Founding Chapters

[[folder:Black Templars]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/black_templar_marine_2673.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[BattleCry "No pity! No remorse! No fear!"]]]]

->''The more we spread the more we find. World after world. New worlds to conquer. Space is limitless, and so is our appetite to master it.''
-->-- '''Sigisimund''', first High Marshal of the Black Templars

The Black Templars are a successor chapter of the Imperial Fists. Their current High Marshall is Helbrecht and they are fleet-based.

Initially composed of the most fanatical battle-brothers of the old Imperial Fists Legion, the Black Templars have been on crusade for ten thousand years in order to prove their undying loyalty to the Emperor. They are infamous for their suicidal bravery and zealous hatred of witches and non-humans, which often extends to those they perceive as harboring said heretics. The Black Templars break from the ''Codex Astartes'' by fielding mixed squads of Initiates and Neophytes, and more significantly by being organized into multiple crusader fleets that exceed the limit on a conventional chapter's strength, a fact of considerable concern to the Inquisition.

The Black Templars began life as a regular Space Marine Chapter in 1st Edition ''Warhammer 40,000''. During 3rd Edition the Chapter were the Imperial Forces included in the ''Warhammer 40,000'' starter set while the ''Third War for Armageddon Worldwide Campaign'' saw the Black Templars receive a major revamp, along with unique rules included in the ''Codex: Armageddon'' supplement alongside rules for some of the other forces involved in the conflict. The 4th Edition of the game saw the Black Templars receive their only solo codex sourcebook as from 6th Edition onwards the Chapter was included as part of the regular ''Codex: Space Marines''. Begining in 8th Edition, the Black Templars used the basic rules in ''Codex: Space Marines'', with additional Chapter specific rules printed in 8th Edition's ''Psychic Awakening: Faith & Fury'' and the 9th Edition ''Index Astartes: Bllack Templars'' download[[note]]available free from the Warhammer Community website[[/note]].

* AbsoluteXenophobe: Even by the standards of the Imperium, the Black Templars are ''infamous'' for basically embodying the concept of hatred for xenos, heretics, and mutants.
* AttackAttackAttack: The Black Templars have gone through several special rules reflecting their absolute fanaticism and hatred for the enemy, even when it might go against sound tactical logic. In some editions they've had to take Leadership tests to shoot enemies who aren't the closest, been Fearless in close combat, or could take a Vow that forced them to charge any enemy unit within range in exchange for getting Preferred Enemy against ''everyone''. Their most infamous trait is a rule[[note]]formally affecting the entire army but now only available as a Warlord Trait[[/note]] that makes the Black Templars charge forward instead of falling back after sustaining casualties from enemy fire.
* BlingOfWar: The Black Templars are one of the flashiest chapters, with heavily decorated armor featuring lots of gilding and scrollwork. Like the Dark Angels, they also frequently wear mantles or tabards over their armor.
* ChainedByFashion: The Black Templars wear chains as part of their iconography, frequently affixing one end of the chain to their weapons and the other end to their armor, wrapping them around their arms to shorten the slack. Aside from making it harder to lose their grip on their weapons, they do it to symbolically show that they are unwilling to set aside their arms until their enemies are destroyed. This tradition has its roots in the days of the Great Crusade, before the Horus Heresy, when [[spoiler:Sigismund accompanied a chapter of World Eaters, who introduced him to the idea. Upon founding the Black Templars, the technique spread among them, though he kept its origins to himself.]]
* ChurchMilitant: The Black Templars are one of the (relatively few) Space Marine Chapters that venerate the Emperor as a god just as fervently as the Ecclesiarchy. Their forces fight in Crusades, their armament and armor is very reminiscent of UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar, and they rarely take to the field without being led by a consecrated champion.
* CoolHelmet: The Crusader's Helm is an ornate relic of the Chapter that incorporates the jawbone of a saint into its vox-unit. This sanctified and enhanced vox enables the wearer's voice to carry clearly across the din of battle, represented in the 8th Edition of the game by increasing the range of the model's special abilities.
* CoolShip: ''The Eternal Crusader'', an Astartes battle-barge that has been in continuous service with the Black Templars since the Great Crusade. It is the flag-ship of the Black Templars, host to the High Marshal himself, and has been [[AceCustom expanded and enhanced]] across the ten millennia to the point that it is capable of both carrying and supporting twice as many {{Space Marine}}s as a typical battle-barge. It travels between the various Black Templar fleets, giving its support where it is most needed at any given time.
* CounterAttack: The Black Templars will always retaliate against their foes if given the opportunity and the Black Templars Stratagem Vicious Riposte[[note]]from the 8th Edition ''Psychic Awakening: Faith & Fury'' expansion[[/note]] represents this by giving unit the chance to inflicting [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] against an opponent after an attacked has been stopped by their armour.
* DismantledMacGuffin: The Black Templars have indirect access to several powerful relics. During a campaign, their army may gather relic pieces through fulfilling particular objectives during a narrative play, and when those relic pieces are gathered the player may equip their army with the completed relics. For instance, the special pistol The Penitent's Roar is divided into four pieces.
* DuelToTheDeath: The Black Templars are firm believers in individual strength and personal honour with their officers deliberately seeking out enemy leaders to engage in personal combat. In previous editions of the game this was represented by the "Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds" vow that gave their characters bonuses while fighting a duel.
* EveryoneHasStandards: The Black Templars are literally the most fanatical anti-mutant and anti-psyker Chapter of Space Marines named in the fluff. But even they were appalled at the extents that the ruling powers of the planet Lastrati went to in the name of "purifying" themselves of mutation, unleashing ''multiple'' bio-engineered viruses programmed to wipe out traits they defined as "undesirable", culling their population so thoroughly that it had dropped from 14 billion to 2.5 million. In fact, they were so appalled that they declared the government of Lastrati to be corrupted by Chaos and violently purged them.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: With their tabard-covered armour, Germanic names, knightly theme and monochrome colour scheme, the Black Templars are essentially SuperSoldier versions of UsefulNotes/TheTeutonicKnights.
* FireForgedFriends: Due to their shared convictions and long history fighting alongside the Ecclesiarchy, the Black Templars get along quite well with the Sisters of Battle.
* FrontlineGeneral: Ironically, despite the chapter's infamy for AttackAttackAttack, the Chapter Master and Captain-equivalents for the Black Templars (High Marshal and Marshals) unlike many other examples in ''[=40K=]'' avert this and actually generally just act as coordinating tacticians away from the front itself during battles.
* HeroicVow: The 9th Edition supplement for the Black Templars includes rules that represent how their Chapter keeps the habit of making specific oaths to protect the Imperium and fight its many foes. The special "Oath of Crusade" allows a player to select one or several oaths, or in practical term give themselves extra objectives to fulfill during a narrative game, which reward the player by giving access to bonuses or relics. There is also a system of "Templar Vows" that, for one game, give your army a unique set of bonuses and restrictions. For instance, if one takes the "Abhor the Witch, Destroy the Witch" vow, their Black Templars army has an easier time killing Psyker models.
* HolyHandGrenade: Previous editions of the game included the Holy Orb of Antioch as a wargear option for the Black Templars. These masterwork grenades are filled with sacred unguents, inscribed with blessings of purity and destruction, and have consecrated acids mixed with their explosives. All this ensured that these blessed weapons destroy the daemon and the heretic with the sacred wrath of the God-Emperor himself.
* KnightTemplar: This is the chapter that even the Inquisition worries is overzealous.
* LoopholeAbuse: Technically, ''Codex''-compliant chapters are allowed to exceed the thousand-man limit if on a crusade... the Black Templars have just been on crusade for over ten thousand years. The only caveat to this is that they cannot maintain a home world for the duration... which allows them to plonk recruits from every single world they pass by and set up "outpost" monasteries. No one but their High Marshall knows exactly how many of them there are, but it's speculated to be around six thousand Astartes and hundreds of strongholds spread throughout the galaxy, a force that if ever assembled in one place would be all but unstoppable.
* NecessarilyEvil: While the Black Templars hate all psykers, as a fleet-based crusading chapter they are necessarily highly dependent on astropaths to coordinate anything and navigators to go anywhere. These are the only exceptions they allow to their fanatical loathing of psykers. Astropaths are even given a [[YouAreACreditToYourRace small measure of respect]] for having touched their souls to that of the GodEmperor.
* SacredScripture: The Ancient Breviary was originally the personal prayer book of the Black Templars' first High Chaplain, and it is now held in awe by the Chapter's battle-brothers. Reading from this sacred book helps a Chaplain to whip his fellow Black Templars into a religious fury, with the 8th Edition rules making it more likely that a model with this relic will successfully use a [[RousingSpeech Litany of the Devout]].
* TheSquire: Rather than training in a Scout Company, Neophytes are apprenticed to an Initiate to be taught the ways of the Black Templars, fighting alongside them in mixed Crusader Squads on the battlefield while acting as the Initiate's servant between campaigns.
* UnstoppableRage: In battle, the Black Templars fight with a furious zeal, with casualties caused by enemy fire only making them angrier. In-game this is represented by the “Righteous Zeal” rule that gives them bonuses if they suffer casualties from enemy fire as well as the Warlord Trait “Furious Indignation” where, instead of suffering morale penalties if there are casualties, the Warlord and his unit will instead undergo a HeroicSecondWind and storm forward to take the fight to the enemy in revenge for the fallen.
* WeaponOfXSlaying:
** Witchseeker Bolts have been specifically created to slay those with psychic abilities. Made from the blades of slain Black Templars and consecrated by Ministorum Priests, these bolt rounds have proven to be the bane of witches on multiple battlefields and they can cause multiple [[UnblockableAttack]] mortal wounds against any Psyker unit in the 8th Edition of the game.
** The Skull of the Cacodominus, a relic from a period of the Black Templar's history known as the Howling, still echoes with the psychic screams of the monstrous creature that, when unleashed, can damage the minds of enemy psykers and cause multiple [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] in the 8th Edition rules.
* TheWitchHunter: The Black Templars have an intense hatred for xenos witches and those rogue psykers who have rejected the Emperor and turned to the Dark Gods of Chaos in their search for power. The Black Templars often make the extermination of these witches a priority whenever they encounter them as the destruction of a single psyker could result in the salvation of an entire sector. In previous editions this hatred extended to both Imperial and enemy psykers, and in their current rules they're the only chapter that can't take Librarians as an HQ choice.

!!The Emperor's Champion, Sword of the Emperor
[[quoteright:125:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/emperorschampion_7835.png]]

On the eve of battle, a praying Black Templar may be blessed with a vision from the Emperor, and subsequently anointed by the Chaplains as the Emperor's Champion in imitation of their chapter's founder. Clad in the Armour of Faith and wielding a sacred Black Sword, these holy warriors seek out and slay enemy commanders on the battlefield.

* {{BFS}}: Even by Space Marine standards, their Black Swords are huge, longer than the eight foot plus wielder is tall.
* BlackSwordsAreBetter: Forged from jet-black solarite, the Black Swords wielded by the Emperor's Champions are masterpieces of the weaponsmith's art. Perfectly balanced and [[AbsurdlySharpBlade sharp enough to cleave through adamantium]], only ten of these magnificent blades exist.
* TheChosenOne: A battle-brother cannot choose to become the Emperor's Champion but is chosen by the divine will of the Emperor, and will serve the rest of his life hunting down the greatest of the His foes. How and why an Emperor's Champion is chosen is unknown, even to the most learned Chaplains of the Black Templars.
* DuelToTheDeath: The Champion's primary role is to find the strongest warrior in the enemy's force and challenge him to single combat. In-game an Emperor's Champion gains bonuses when fighting against enemy characters. The exact rules for these bonuses vary depending on the edition with the 8th Edition rules enhancing his characteristics and granting him re-rolls when facing such foes.
* HeroicVow: In their original codices, the Champion could take one of four vows that gave him an advantage over a certain type of enemy, but often with a disadvantage of some sort. The 6th Edition ''Codex: Space Marines'' replaced this rule with special Stances to use in challenges but these were later removed in the 7th Edition codex.
* LegacyCharacter: There is no single Emperor's Champion with each of the Black Templars' Crusade Fleets being accompanied by one of these blessed warriors. Some other Chapters, particularly those of the Imperial Fists' lineage have been recorded fielding an Emperor's Champion on rare occasions.
* OneHandedZweihander: The Black Sword has such exquisite balance that the Champion is able to wield it just as easily with one hand as with two. While this doesn't have any in-game effect in the 8th Edition version of the rules, previous editions allowed a choice between using the Black Sword two-handed for extra power or [[SwordAndGun one-handed with a bolt pistol]] for extra attacks.
* OneHitKill: The strength of the Emperor himself is said to flow through the veins of the Emperor's Champion, guiding his blows to his enemies' weak points. In past editions, the Black Sword gained the Instant Death rule on To Wound rolls of 6 while fighting in a challenge.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Crimson Fists]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/crimson_fists_terminator_9471.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[BattleCry "There is only the Emperor.\\
He is our shield and protector!"]]]]

->''Those of the xenos that our Predators do not crush beheanth their armoured tread, we shall strike down ourselves with avenging bolt and righteous blade. Onward Crimson Fists, ever onward!''
-->-- '''Brother-Captain Telamon''', at the Thule Intervention

The Crimson Fists are a successor chapter of the Imperial Fists. The Chapter were named after Alexis Polux, their first Chapter Master, who was known as the Crimson Fist and their currant Chapter Master is Pedro Kantor. The Chapter's home world is the former agri world of Rynn's World and they recruit their initiates from the feral worlds of Blackwater, Trachan and Fordari II.

Originally founded from the youngest and most level-headed brothers of the old Imperial Fists Legion and inherited their Primarch's determination, selflessness and pragmatism. The Crimson Fists have served the Imperium valiantly for millennia and despite having been on the brink of annihilation a number of times they remain steadfast defenders of Humanity. One of the most famous and influential of the Chapter's engagements was the Rynn's World Incident where, while defending their home world from the invasion of Waaagh! Snagrod, a freak missile malfunction obliterated their fortress monastery nearly wiped out the Chapter itself. After many tough years of rebuilding the Chapter was almost back to full strength when the Great Rift opened and Rynn's World was once again invaded, this time by the daemonic forces of the Daemon Prince Rhaxor. On the brink of destruction once again, the Chapter was saved by the arrival of Roboute Guilliman and the Indomitus Crusade. Saved from extinction by an influx of Primaris Marines, Guilliman charged the Crimson Fists with the reconquest and defence of the Loki sector, a task the Chapter has perused with their typical efficiency and courage.

The Crimson Fists have been a prominent Space Marine Chapter for many years appearing on the covers of both the 1st and 2nd Edition ''Warhammer 40,000'' rulebooks, as well as the cover of the 3rd Edition ''Codex: Space Marines''. The Crimson Fists generally use the same rules as their parent Chapter, with more of a focus on Veteran Marines, but did receive a limited rules expansion during 7th Edition. In 8th Edition, Crimson Fists players origionally had the option of using the Imperial Fists Chapter Tactics rule from ''Codex Adeptus Astartes: Space Marines'' or to use the official Crimson Fists rules published in the ''Index Astartes: Crimson Fists'' article from the January 2019 issue of ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf'', but these were later replaced by rules published in ''Codex Supplement: Imperial Fists'' released in October 2019. For 9th Edition, the Chapter uses a combination of the rules published in October 2020's ''Codex: Space Marines'' along with the previous edition's ''Codex Supplement: Imperial Fists''[[note]]with free downloadable errata[[/note]].
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* ArchEnemy: Due to the Ork invasion of their home world and the serious losses they sustained, the Crimson Fists have an intense hatred of the greenskins. In game terms, this is represented by the Crimson Fists Warlord Trait "Rynn's World Veteran" giving the Warlord and his unit the Hatred: Orks and the Preferred Enemy: Orks special rules. If Kantor is the Warlord however then every model in the army has the Preferred Enemy: Orks special rule.
* BackFromTheBrink: Happens ''twice'' to the Chapter: the first time during the Rynn's World invasion, and again during the expansion of the Great Rift and the Daemon invasion that followed.
* {{Determinator}}: Much like their parent Chapter, the Crimson Fists are renowned for their stubbornness and inability to accept defeat. The near annihilation of the Chapter has tempered the more self-destructive aspects of this trait however and they have now tempered this stubbornness into a drive to rebuild regain their former glory.
* EliteArmy: Since its founding, the Crimson Fists have fielded a 1st Company larger than that advised by the ''Codex Astartes'' and although they have yet to rebuild their Veteran Company back to its 128 man strength, the Crimson Fists are still able to field more Veteran squads than most Codex compliant Chapters.
* FashionableAsymmetry: As part of a Crimson Fist's initiation they must kill a barb-dragon with their bare hands, thereby earning their right to paint their left gauntlet red as a Battle-Brother. Those that join the 1st Company are allowed to paint their right gauntlet red as well.
* PowerFist: The [[NamedWeapon Fist of Vengeance]] is an ancient master-crafted power fist that was one of the few things recovered from the ruins of the Chapter’s shattered fortress monastery. In the 8th Edition rules, this revered weapon does more base Damage than a regular power fist while suffering from none of the drawbacks of such unwieldy weapons.
* StraightForTheCommander: After being reinforced by the Indomitus Crusade, the Crimson Fists have made it their mission to free those Imperial worlds subjugated by xenos and heretic forces. In order to accomplish this task in the most efficient way possible the Chapter target the enemy commanders to destabilise the enemy forces. The 8th Edition ''Index Astartes'' rules published in the January 2019 ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf'' represent this with the 'Slay the Tyrant' Crimson Fists Stratagem that gives a unit a bonus when targeting enemy Characters.
* TheStrategist: One of the strengths of the Crimson Fists is that their training emphasises tactical flexibility so that they are capable of dealing with anything the enemy can throw at them.
* TokenMinority: From their names and skin tone, the majority of (Blackwater-born) Crimson Fists are implied to be Spanish.
* UnfriendlyFire: It was one of their own planetary defence missiles malfunctioning and detonating the armoury that atomized ''Arx Tyrannus'', the Crimson Fists' fortress monastery. The improbability of this event, and other circumstantial evidence, has led some to believe that this was a deliberate "mishap."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Flesh Tearers]]
[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flesh_tearers_marine_6103.png]]
[[caption-width-right:330:We are fury! We are wrath! We are death!]]

->''Do not fear the Black Rage, for it is a part of your essence. Learn to embrace the fury that comes with it, so that you may direct the savagery toward those foes of the Imperium who deserve our ire. This is our beloved Primarch's parting gift, and as with all he granted us, it must be proudly accepted.''
-->--'''High Chaplain Carnarvon'''

The Flesh Tearers are a Second Founding successor of the Blood Angels. Their Chapter Master at the time of Abaddon's 13th Black Crusade is Gabriel Seth and their base of operations and recruiting world is the densely jungled death world of Cretacia.

The Flesh Tearers have been hit particularly hard by the gene-curse of Sanguinius often exhibiting mindless savagery far in excess of their brother Chapters, something that has placed them under near-constant Inquisitorial investigation for the past four millennia. Their reputation as near uncontrollable berserkers has led to few Imperial forces being willing to fight alongside the Chapter, and those that do rarely wish to repeat the experience. The high number of warriors falling to the Black Rage, coupled with the high casualty caused by their preferred close assault tactics, meant that the Chapter could barely field four full companies by the time they helped defend their parent Chapter’s home world from the ravages of Hive Fleet Leviathan. The introduction of Archmagos Cawl's Primaris Marines have given the Flesh Tearers some much needed reinforcements but without a cure for the Flaw, the Flesh Tearers could still be doomed to extinction in the long run.

The Flesh Tearers have been a part of the ''Warhammer 40,000'' game since its 1st Edition and have generally been treated as a more assault oriented version of their parent Chapter. The Chapter received an ''Index: Astartes'' article during 3rd Edition that expanded their background and included rules for using the Chapter on the battlefield, while 5th Edition saw the release of their Chapter Master as a special character. The Flesh Tearers received some additional rules in 7th Edition's ''Shield of Baal'' campaign books what were later collated into a digital codex supplement. In 8th Edition the Flesh Tearers are treated as Blood Angels that can be led by Gabriel Seth using the rules printed in ''Codex Adeptus Astartes: Blood Angels'' with additional rules published in the November 2019 {{sourcebook}} ''Psychic Awakening: Blood of Baal''. For 9th Edition, the Chapter uses a combination of the rules published in October 2020's ''Codex: Space Marines'' combined with the ''Index Astartes: Blood Angels'' download, available free from the Warhammer Community website.
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* AxCrazy: The Flesh Tearers' savage fury in battle often makes them just as dangerous to their allies as to their foes.
* BattleCry: In a more literal sense than usual. Instead of a motto, the Flesh Tearers [[ScreamingWarrior amplify their screams of rage]] as they charge into battle, which even their allies find profoundly disturbing.
* TheBerserker: The increasing degradation of the Chapter's gene-seed and the resulting increase in instances of the Black Rage has led to the Flesh Tearers gaining a reputation for brutality and savagery. Even when in control of their senses, Flesh Tearer brothers will take every opportunity to charge towards the enemy as quickly as possible to rip them apart with chainswords or even their bare hands if needs be.
* BloodSplatteredWarrior: The traditional image that many allied Imperial forces have of a Flesh Tearer Marine is of a blood drenched warrior with a touch of madness in their eyes.
* ChainsawGood:
** The Flesh Tearers make use of a wide variety of chain weaponry with chainswords and [[{{BFS}} eviscerators]] being popular choices for the Chapter's battle-brothers. The Chapter also has at least two relic eviscerators in their armoury and there are reports of Flesh Tearer brothers making use of chainaxes, something relatively uncommon for Imperial Astartes of the forty-first millennium.
** The relic chainsword [[NamedWeapon Severer of Threads]] has two chains of razor-sharp teeth that can rip almost any enemy to shreds in moments and, in the 8th Edition rules, has a chance of causing [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] against its victims.
* DeathSeeker: A subfaction within the chapter, led by Chaplain Appollus, believes that the only viable end for the Flesh Tearers is to seek out a powerful foe that will wipe the entire chapter out to the last Marine. To that end, they actively seek out any enemy they can find to fight, even going so far as to enrage other Imperial factions to try and push the Inquisition to to finally wipe the Flesh Tearers out.
* DeathWorld: Cretacia, the Flesh Tearers' home world, is a tropical jungle planet with climate and fauna very similar to prehistoric Earth, including giant dinosaur-like reptiles. Recruits typically have to hunt and kill one of these reptiles and bring back a trophy to be allowed to become a Neophyte.
* FriendOrFoe: Although they are often poorly documented, there are many reports from Imperial commanders that the Flesh Tearers have few qualms about cutting through anything between themselves and the enemy, including their own allies. One such incident lead to the brutal, bloody battle known as Honour's End on the Shrine World of Lucid Prime, when the Flesh Tearers continued their indiscriminate slaughter of civilians even after the Chaos forces had been driven away. This in turn outraged the Space Wolves who had fought alongside them, leading them to attack the Flesh Tearers. The resulting battle saw brother fighting brother, with the death of many hundreds of Loyalists on either side, and a lasting feud between the two chapters.
* HollywoodPrehistory: Cretacia, their homeworld, is based primarily on this trope. The planet is an untamed DeathWorld covered in dense jungles and steaming swamps, home to ferocious reptilian predators the size of a small mecha, even bigger herbivores capable of crushing Marines underfoot without even noticing, blood-drinking insects the size of a grown man, and tribes of primitive, savage humans descended from ancient colonists who tried to tame the planet.
* HorrifyingTheHorror: During the Third Armageddon War, the brutality of the Flesh Tearers terrified the Orks of the Fire Wastes so much that the usually battle-loving greenskins would retreat rather than face their fury.
* JackOfAllTrades: Due to their lack of manpower, all Flesh Tearers are trained to fight in as Tactical, Assault or Devastator squad, as well as vehicle crew, as needed. [[{{Subverted|Trope}} Due to the Chapter's susceptibility to the Black Rage however, their battle plans and tactics lean heavily toward using Assault Marines and de-emphasize Devastators.]]
* NotEnoughToBury: Not only is this a favourite combat tactic, Flesh Tearer Librarians in the ''[[TabletopGame/{{Deathwatch}} Deathwatch RPG]]'' have a psychic power called Flensing that has the same effect, described as reducing foes to unrecognizable piles of bloody bones and shredded meat.
* OnrushingArmy: Although the Flesh Tearers are as capable of executing as wide a range of tactics as any other Chapter, their vulnerability to the Black Rage often leads their tactics devolving into an all-out charge towards the enemy.
* UnstoppableRage: They are a chapter of Blood Angels that have been hit particularly hard with the Black Rage, and they show it through tearing apart any enemy they are set upon, becoming living epitomes of FriendOrFoe until everything around them is dead.
[[/folder]]

!!Noteworthy Chapters of the Dark Thirteenth Founding

[[folder:Exorcists]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/exorcists.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Daemonium interficere est.]]
-->"By my will I deny thee, by my heart I spurn thee, by my hand I destroy thee; fiend of emptiness, to the void I cast thy blackened soul..."
-->''From the Liber Exorcismus''

The Exorcists are one of the only confirmed Astartes Chapters to have been founded during the 13th founding. They are supposedly a successor chapter of the Imperial Fists. Their homeworld is a Feral World named ''Banish''.

The Exorcists' true origins are a mystery, but it is known that the Inquisition (probably the Ordo Malleus, specifically) began a secret experiment around the time of the Dark Founding to create a Space Marine with extreme resistance to both daemonic possession and chaos corruption, namely by having their prospective subjects briefly possessed and then having the daemon forcefully removed by an Inquisitor. The vast majority of the test subjects survived and became Marines, and quickly proved to be a fantastic force against Daemonic incursion, for they do not have a psychic signature that psykers (or more importantly, daemons) can detect.

The Exorcists were first mentioned in ''Warhammer 40,000: Compendium'' in a section regarding the Babab War, and were expanded upon in the Codices ''Codex: Armageddon'' and ''Codex: Eye of Terror'', and finally ended up in a Space Marine codex in the 5th edition ''Codex: Space Marines'', and returned again in 8th Edition as a chapter from the 13th founding. They have since been largely story based, being a staple of Babab War fluff such as ''Trial of the Mantis Warriors'', and having individual marines and mentions in stories like ''The Death of Antagonis'' and are an available chapter for use in the ''Deathwatch'' RPG.
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* AncientKeeper: They tend to keep a bunch of Master Crafted and spooky weapons in their armories, as a result of them being some of the only Imperium-aligned beings who can properly wield them.
* ConditionedToAcceptHorror: Members of the Exorcists willingly undergo [[DemonicPossession daemonic possession]], to better learn how to expel Warp creatures. Due to the high failure rate of this "highly unconventional" training method, the Exorcists are forced to maintain three full Scout companies.
* CombatPragmatist: The Exorcists rarely stick to a combat strategy for any longer than they feel necessary, switching things up in order to get the drop on an enemy that by it's very nature is impossible to predict can be an advantage.
* ConfusionFu: The Exorcists, as mentioned above, rarely stick to a single tactic or methodology for longer than necessary as they fight an enemy that is just as unpredictable. In certain editions where the Exorcists had separate rules, they represented this by allowing them to use the Chapter Tactics of other Space Marine chapters.
* DemonicPossession: Required to become an Exorcist. You get possessed, and you either exorcise it yourself, or you get the emperor's peace from those who did.
* DemonSlaying: Being immune and invisible to chaotic-possession of any kind and knowing Chaos' tricks inside and out make them fantastic at this.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The original color scheme for the Exorcists was bright mustard yellow with a checker pattern trim for the pauldron.
* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous: The Exorcists have cross-Company units called Orisons that are trained in a very specific method of warfare, honing their chosen methodology to a razor's edge so that, when they face foes susceptible to their specialty, they will have that much more of a leg up.
* {{Foil}}: Essentially loyalist-Word Bearers who ''can't'' be bothered by warp taint and know how to fight it effectively, unlike the Word Bearers who embrace it fully and try to spread Chaos' influence however they can.
* GoneHorriblyRight: In a way, they're basically a sanctioned, common sense, and publicly known second version of the Grey Knights that arguably do what the Grey Knights do better than even the Inquisition could've imagined. One source even suggests they are actually a successor chapter of the Grey Knights, the only one known if true.
* HeroicWillpower: A central tenet of all Chapters, but the Exorcists take it to truly remarkable levels, as one of their final rites of initiation is being possessed by a daemon. The prospective Initiate must then exorcise himself using only his own willpower, lest he succumb to the possession and be executed by his brethren. While this does mean that even fewer Neophytes will survive their initiation, the upshot of this process is all Exorcists become intimately familiar with identifying and purging daemonic influence, and are themselves ''invisible, body and soul, to daemonic entities.''
* MysteriousPast: A past placed under inquisitorial seal ensures it. The general idea is known, but the specifics are known only to the highest members of the Inquisition.
* OminousLatinChanting: Their warcry.
* PraetorianGuard: Theirs is called the Enochian Guard, who are even better at daemon slaying than your average Exorcist.
* TooSpicyForYogSothoth: What you have to do in order to become an Exorcist, or you get a one way trip to a bolter round to the head.
* WeHaveReserves: They have a two extra companies of neophytes due to the particularly gruesome realities of becoming an Exorcist.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Death Spectres]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/deathspectres.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"''Fear not death, we who embody it in His name!''" [[BadassBoast "We fear not death]], [[CallAndResponseSong for we are death incarnate!"]]]]
-->"You give up your humanity that the citizens of the Imperium may keep theirs. Pity or despise them, but never expect them to understand."
--->'''Apothecary Bharan''', Death Spectres
The Death Spectres are a 13th Founding Successor Chapter of the Raven Guard, though their heritage was a mystery for many eons. Their homeworld is Occuludus, a system among the Ghoul Stars.

The Ghoul Stars are at the very "Northeastern"[[note]]When viewing the galaxy from the top side up.[[/note]] edge of the Imperium of Man, and just at the edge of where the astronomican can realistically reach. It's also a place of extreme danger where Xenos the likes of which few have ever survived to talk about, to the point that they're described as "supernatural". But there are still humans out in the Ghoul Stars, and inhabited worlds. So a special chapter of space marines was created specifically to fight these horrors in the deep blackness of space; The Death Spectres. The Spectres' first Chapter Master, Corcaedus, was brought to the world Occuludus as a result of seeing a vision of the Emperor, and found deep underground the mysterious artifact known only as the ''Throne of Glass'', and from there he interred himself to better help his comrades fight the mysterious evils of these cold, unknown worlds bathed in cold, unflinching light.

The Death Spectres were first mentioned in ''Codex: Eye of Terror'', but received more comprehensive lore and rules in ''Codex: Space Marines 5th Edition'', and have been present and accounted for in nearly every edition since as a successor chapter for the Raven Guard. Individual marines from this chapter have also seen representation in books such as the ''Deathwatch'' novel and related short stories, and short stories such as ''Flayed''.
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* CameBackStrong: The Death Spectres have both codified and weaponized this; Their aspirants must die and then return from death by willpower alone. Then they have to do this every time they get promoted.
* CreepyCemetery: Occuludus is an entire ''planet'' that looks like this.
* DeathActivatedSuperpower: The Chapter Master of the Spectres is eternally enthroned on a special artifact known as the Throne of Glass that saps the life energy of the user, but vastly improves their psychic potential and is implied to essentially be a mini-Astronomican. Given how far out the Ghoul Stars are from the Imperial center, it's a tragic, but extremely vital part of their operations.
* DeathIsCheap: If you're an especially skilled Death Spectre, it's more of an inconvenience to becoming a lieutenant than anything.
* [[EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette Eerie Pale Skinned Bald Guys]]: The flaws in their geneseed are essentially similar to their progenitors; the Raven Guard.
* InTheEndYouAreOnYourOwn: The Spectres are unusual for an Astartes chapter in that they don't (or more accurately, ''can't'') rely on imperial supply lines thanks to how far out in space they are, and have to essentially control a mini-system of agri-worlds and breeding worlds just to keep their numbers up and to keep the humans they defend safe.
* MirroringFactions: Their organization may be superficially pretty different from the vanilla Raven Guard, but on the off-chance they happen to be called to a greater threat such as a Black Crusade, they typically fill the same combat roles as their progenitor chapter.
* OnlyMostlyDead: Aspirants, Battle Brothers, and even the Chapter Master all go through varying degrees of this. The key is that they have to power out of it...with the exception of the Chapter Master, of course.
* SuperBreedingProgram: Revealed to have one in ''Flayed'' due to the extreme distance between the Imperium, and the Ghoul Stars' colonized worlds. Anyone found to be not-corrupted or of exceptional skill, bravery or simple survival skill on worlds being torn asunder will be swiftly "saved" to these large Agri-Worlds to live out the rest of their days in relative peace.
[[/folder]]
!!Noteworthy Chapters of the Cursed Twenty-First Founding

[[folder:The Legion of the Damned]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/legiondamned_9425.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Exūrite eos, novit enim Imperator qui sunt eius.[[labelnote:Translation]]Burn them all, for the Emperor knows those who are His.[[/labelnote]]]]

->''...their armour was coloured black and upon it was drawn chilling images of bones and fire, and on their helm they bore skulls... Like the bones of men in the torment of purgatory they were, and yet not a sound did they make... We that remained watched the dark battle-brothers at their work, and never before or since have I witnessed such fighting... Soon we secured the objective once more, yet of the dark brotherhood, there was no sign!''
-->-- Excerpt from a report by Chief Librarian Varro Tigurius of the Ultramarines

On several occasions, Imperial forces facing certain death have been rescued by these mysterious Space Marines. Shrouded in spectral flames, their black armor covered with macabre imagery, the so-called Legion of the Damned appears as if from nowhere to turn the tide of battle. Fighting in grim silence and with ruthless efficiency, once the threat is neutralized the Legionnaires vanish as quickly as they came, leaving naught but slain foes and astonished Imperial survivors.

It is widely believed that the Legion of the Damned could be, in fact, the remnants of the Fire Hawks chapter, lost in the Warp after the Badab War, which fundamentally transformed the entire chapter's surviving Marines into the otherworldly daemon-like killing machines they are now. This makes them a Twenty-First Founding Ultramarines successor chapter and Zhoros and Cousteau XI (both destroyed) would be their home worlds. Other explanations exist, of course, and DependingOnTheWriter have been used in novels and supplements. The Fire Hawks were notorious for refusing to offer their aid if they felt that a situation was untenable; the Legion of the Damned only appears in the most hopeless of last stands...

The Legion of the Damned have been a part of the ''Warhammer 40,000'' game, in one form or another, since 1st Edition and have received rules in almost every edition since. Generally the Legion only appear as a single special unit in the Space Marine army lists but in 2004 ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf'' published trial ''Chapter Approved'' rules for using a full army of the Legion of the Damned in 3rd Edition, while 6th Edition saw the release of a digital only codex with limited content. The 8th Edition rules for the Legion of the Damned are included in the ''Index: Imperium 1'' book released in June 2017.
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* AbnormalAmmo: The Legion's bolters shoot flaming projectiles that little (if anything) is proof against. In-game, their shooting attacks remove cover bonuses.
* BigDamnHeroes: The Legion of the Damned only ever appear when all seems lost and the forces of the Imperium are facing their darkest hour. When they do appear, victory often follows, even if few of the Imperial forces they assist survive the victory.
* BottomlessMagazines: No matter how intense or prolonged the fighting, the Legion of the Damned have never been witnessed reloading their bolters.
* DarkIsNotEvil: While some members of the Inquisition are suspicious of their appearance and abilities, the Legion of the Damned have never taken any action that would endanger the Imperium and are one of the most powerful groups of loyalists in spite of their few numbers.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: When introduced during 1st Edition, the Legion of the Damned were portrayed as ordinary Marines with a mysterious Warp sicknesses that numbed their bodies and strengthened their armour. All subsequent versions of their background[[note]]including at least one short story that involves passages from a Legionary's perspective[[/note]] have cemented them as incorporeal, wraithlike beings.
* FlyingDutchman: Trapped in hyperspace for about a hundred years and cursed with some MaybeMagicMaybeMundane warp disease/curse, the last handful of survivors wander the galaxy searching for other Marines, coming to their aid in their hour of need, vanishing as mysteriously and silently as they came, never straying from their dedication to the Emperor even as their bodies and minds slowly break down.
* GoodCounterpart: To the Thousand Sons, being Warp-tainted Astartes using flaming munitions, but still loyal to the Imperium. In-game both have very strong invulnerable saves and powerful ranged attacks, the Thousand Sons ignoring most armor while the Legion's ignore cover.
* LogicalWeakness: Being Warp-based entities, they are logically vulnerable to many of the same weapons and devices that counter Chaos Daemons. Most notably, during the Fall of Cadia, the activation of the Necron pylons on the planet banished Legion Marines as easily as it did the hordes of Chaos daemons.
* MultipleChoicePast: Exactly who the Legion are or ''what'' they have become is a mystery. Some say that they're the long-lost Fire Hawks chapter, riddled with a warp mutation that's made them far more powerful than normal Astartes but is also slowly killing them. Some say that they're the ghosts of long-dead Space Marines coming back to fight for the Imperium forever more. One particularly disturbing theory among the Eldar is that the Legion are not even Astartes at all, but are effectively the Imperium's equivalent to Chaos Daemons, based on the desires of those present on the battlefields for the Space Marines to come and save them. Another is that they are some chapter (maybe the Fire Hawks) who have found a constant stream in the Warp, allowing them to [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong go back to the sites of Imperial defeats and turn the tide to change the course of history]] - quite tellingly, records of Legion sightings stretch back to before the Fire Hawks were ever declared lost.
* MysteriousProtector: While the ultimate motives of the Legion of the Damned may be unknown, the fact that they fight to protect the Imperium in general, and the Adeptus Astartes in particular, is beyond doubt.
* NighInvulnerability: The ethereal nature of the Legion of the Damned makes them incredibly difficult to destroy as their enemies' attacks pass through their bodies without causing any harm. In-game, they have a 3+ invulnerable save in addition to their 3+ armor save.
* OminousFloatingCastle: There has been at least one report of a mysterious Star Fort, of a comparable size to the Rock, operating in the same area as the Legion of the Damned. The Star Fort is said to be heavily weathered as if it had spent centuries adrift in the Warp and is wreathed in spectral flame. Some Imperial scholars have speculated that this Star Fort may be the Rapturous Rex, the massive mobile fortress monastery of the Fire Hawks that was lost in the Warp along with the rest of the ill-fated Chapter.
* PlayingWithFire: Some Damned Legionaries have been witnessed exerting control over the ethereal flames that cover their bodies, smiting their foes with a fiery holocaust.
* SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset: The Imperium as a whole likes using a skull motif, but the Legion of the Damned take it a step further with black armor and other bone decorations over their armor.
* SuicideAttack: The use of their flames to attack their enemies appears to be a weapon of last resort for the Legion of the Damned as those recorded using this ability succumb to their own flame and disappear from reality.
* TheVoiceless: There have been no recorded instances of a Damned Legionary verbally communicating with anyone. During battle, the whole Chapter fights in complete, eerie silence without a single cry of rage, triumph or pain.
* WreathedInFlames: Members of the Legion of the Damned and their equipment appear to burn with ghostly flames that blaze bright as they slay the enemies of the Emperor.
* YourSoulIsMine: The Animum Malorium is a mysterious artefact carried by some Legion of the Damned Sergeants. This powerful relic, that often takes the form of a sinister skull, appears to be able to consume the soul from an enemy to strengthen the bearer and his comrades.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Black Dragons]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_blkdragon.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[BattleCry "Fire and bone!"]]]]

->''"Bless the curse..."''

The Black Dragons are a fleet-based Chapter. As with many Cursed Founding Chapters, it is unknown which Chapter their gene-seed originated from, but the Magos Biologis of the Adeptus Mechanicus believe that they are a successor of the Salamanders.\\
\\
Like many chapters of the Cursed Founding, the Black Dragons' gene-seed is believed to have been heavily modified at their founding and they have since developed flaws in their genetic structure. In their case, their Ossmodula (the organ that regulates bone growth) has mutated so that bony protrusions sprout from various parts of their bodies. Investigations into the chapter have failed to expose any taint of Chaos, but their obvious physical mutations has led to great suspicion amongst other Imperial forces and push the tolerance of the Inquisition to its limit.\\
\\
The Black Dragons were introduced during the 3rd Edition of ''Warhammer 40,000'' where they were they appeared in the ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf Index: Astartes'' article on the Cursed Founding and received a mentioned in the background material for the ''Third War of Armageddon Worldwide Campaign''. The Chapter also received trial ''Chapter Approved'' rules during 3rd Edition. The 8th Edition ''Codex Adeptus Astartes: Space Marines'' includes a brief mention of the Chapter in the background section but in the rules they are treated as regular Space Marines.
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* AbsurdlySharpBlade: Black Dragon veterans, known as Dragon Claws, coat their bone outgrowths with adamantium to increase their combat effectiveness.
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: The Black Dragons chapter have a mutation in their Ossmodula[[note]]Implant that makes their bones become stronger[[/note]] that commonly causes this. They're also (usually) retractable. What do they do with these blades? [[AbsurdlySharpBlade Sheath them in Adamantium of course]]. It can also end up making them a HornedHumanoid.
* BlessedWithSuck: Some Black Dragons consider their mutated Ossmodula a sign of corruption and are filled with self-loathing despite the increase in their combat power. Many Imperial forces also believe that the Black Dragons are tainted, and several (especially the Dark Angels and Marines Malevolent) refuse to have anything to do with them. Some within the Inquisition would like to see the Black Dragons destroyed despite their history of loyalty to the Imperium.
* DemotedToExtra: The Black Dragons haven't received official rules since 3rd Edition, but they still appear in the background and have a book in the ''Literature/SpaceMarineBattles'' series by Black Library. A Black Dragon is also a noteworthy side character in Nick Kyme's ''Literature/{{Salamanders}}'' trilogy.
* HornedHumanoid: A common symptom of the Black Dragon's genetic defect is horns sprouting from their skull. They are often depicted with a single horn growing from the forehead that has been shaped and sharpened in the same manner as their arm blades.
* IHaveNoSon: While rumored to be a successor to the Salamanders, their mutations have garnered lots of suspicion from their supposed parent chapter, even when they adopted one of the Dragons as a Scout.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lamenters]]
[[quoteright:335:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lamenters.png]]
[[caption-width-right:335:"For those we cherish, we die in glory!"]]

A chapter of the Cursed Twenty-First Founding, the Lamenters are successors of the Blood Angels. A fleet-based Chapter, the flagship of the Lamenters is the ''Mater Lachrymarum'' and they recruit from any feudal worlds they come across. Their Chapter Master at the end of the 41st Millennium is thought to be Malakim Phoros but rumours persist that he has been slain or has fallen to the Black Rage.\\
\\
The Lamenters are thought by some to be an experiment by the Adeptus Mechanicus to remove the gene-curse of their parent chapter, and for the most part it appeared to have been successful. Unfortunately, the Lamenters are seemingly cursed by fate or by the Ruinous Powers with ill-luck and have suffered more unfortunate campaigns, accidents and disastrous tactical decisions than any other Chapter in the Imperium. The Chapter have been soundly defeated, almost wiped out, exiled, put on trial, distrusted, outright murdered, and deserted by their allies, and yet they still remain both loyal to the Emperor and to the people of the Imperium, who they will defend down to the last Marine. Towards the end of the 41st Millennium, the Blood Angels made numerous attempts to contact the Chapter in an attempt to investigate their apparent resistance to the Red Thirst but were unsuccessful, and the Chapter were the only Successor of the 9th Legion to not send relief forces to take part in the defence of Baal from Hive Fleet Leviathan. They have, however, been sighted fighting Hive Fleet Kraken a second time with their own Primaris Marines, giving hope they will one day rebuild back to their original glory.\\
\\
The Lamenters have been a part of the ''Warhammer 40,000'' universe since its 1st Edition[[note]]as part of the Badab War background material[[/note]] but didn't receive any specific rules until 3rd Edition when they received trial rules as part of the Cursed Founding ''Chapter Approved Magazine/WhiteDwarf'' articles that were later reprinted in the ''Chapter Approved 2004'' supplement. During 5th Edition Games Workshop's Forge World department released a pair of books focusing on the Badab War that included rules for using the Lamenters and their Chapter Master Malakim Phoros. In 8th Edition the Lamenters are counted as regular Blood Angels successors using the rules printed in ''Codex Adeptus Astartes: Blood Angels'' and ''Psychic Awakening: Blood of Baal'', while the Forge World rules for Chapter Master Phoros can be found in ''Imperial Armour – Index: Forces of the Adeptus Astartes''. For 9th Edition, the Chapter uses a combination of the rules published in October 2020's ''Codex: Space Marines'' combined with the ''Index Astartes: Blood Angels'' download, available free from the Warhammer Community website.
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* AloofAlly: In M42, while they maintained their noble nature with Civilians and Astra Militarum, they were actually fairly distant allies with the Iron Lords they came to aid in the Aberrus system, only ever communicating with them when it was necessary. [[EtTuBrute This may have to do with what happened the last time they trusted someone during the Badab War]].
* ArtifactOfDoom: One relic of the Lamenters Chapter[[note]]from the ''[[TabletopGame/{{Deathwatch}} Deathwatch RPG]]'' [[/note]] is the power spear [[NamedWeapon Victory's Price]]. The spear has ensured many victories for the chapter, but more often than not the Marine chosen to wield Victory's Price will end up dead. Even Space Marines find themselves mildly uneasy at the prospect that wielding this mighty weapon may mean their next battle is their last.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe:
** Believing they owed a debt to the Ultramarines for helping them in Corillia during the 9th Black Crusade, the Lamenters answered the Ultramarine’s call for backup during the Liberation of Slaughterhouse III.\\
During the Liberation of Slaughterhouse III the Lamenters managed to free over three million enslaved Imperium citizens from the Orks, which went well until the Orks responded by sending reinforcements via a mass fleet to take the planet and her citizens back. Refusing to abandon the citizens, the Lamenters planned to fight to the death, but the citizens knew it wouldn’t be enough. So they thanked their armored liberators the only way they could: having the Lamenters instead save as many women and children by fleeing the planet with them in tow on whatever ships they could find, whereas the remaining citizens would be bait for the Orks to perish by Exterminatus; a final middle finger to give their captors and to deny the Orks the planet’s resources. The Lamenters were very reluctant, but understood the pragmatic reasoning and agreed to the plan, which led to the [[BittersweetEnding destruction of Slaughterhouse III with only a handful thousands of the original citizen population]].
** The Lamenters were treated as fellow brothers for the first time by the Astral Claws, led by Lugft Huron, along with the Mantis Warriors. As a result, they fought alongside the latter two during the Badab War, believing the Astral Claws were being mistreated and ignored by the Imperium. This would later bite the Lamenters in the ass, for it turned out Lugft Huron had been using them all along, having been tainted by Chaos. In the end, the Lamenters were forced to go on a one hundred year Penance Crusade, during which they couldn’t recruit new members.
* BeingGoodSucks: The Lamenters will defend innocent civilians — even when it wouldn't be in their best interests — and have gone above and beyond the call of duty to free innocent civilians if they're enslaved. None of this has improved the Chapter's dark reputation with their peers.
* BornUnlucky: If there is such thing as a curse in the setting, this chapter suffers from one. They have had more misfortune, betrayal, and loss than many of their Space Marine brethren.
* CavalryRefusal: While defending the world of Corillia during the 9th Black Crusade, the Lamenters suffered terrible casualties when the superstitious Mortifactors chapter refused to help the Lamenters and withdrew. Refusing to abandon the citizens of Corillia, the Lamenters fought on for the next six weeks before the Ultramarines and White Scars arrived to help defeat the Black Legion forces.
* CombatPragmatist: While they are ''Codex Astartes'' compliant, their nature as a fleet based chapter that doesn’t always get the chance to restock supplies often means they’ve had to improvise in many battles. They also used clever maneuvering and other tactics to avoid killing other Spare Marines during the Badab War, up until they were forced to defend themselves against the Minotaur chapter who refused to hold their punches.
* CosmicPlaything: The Lamenters seemed to be the only Cursed Founding chapter to escape a crippling defect, and despite being a Blood Angels successor appeared immune to the Flaw. Then they suffered 80% losses in their first campaign when [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer their allies abandoned them out of superstitious fear]], got lost in the Warp for two hundred years, were dragged onto the wrong side of a civil war, and had to fight Hive Fleet Kraken as penance. By the time the Blood Angels tracked them down, the Lamenters were reduced to three companies and reeling from the sudden onset of the Red Thirst and Black Rage. To their credit, the Lamenters have [[IronWoobie maintained their loyalty to the Imperium despite their many trials]], and view their suffering as the noble result of trying to do good in a universe that seems to despise them.
* {{Determinator}}: The Lamenters have been cursed with the worst circumstances possible for a Space Marine Chapter, yet even when horribly outgunned, outmanned, and no reinforcements can or will answer to their calls, they continue to fight on for the people of the Imperium.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The original background for the Lamenters stated that the reason they didn't suffer from the Black Rage, despite being of the lineage of Sanguinius, was because their gene-seed had been spliced with that of the Dark Angels. It was this mixture of gene-seeds that was thought to have resulted in the Chapter's curse but later background material has since dropped this theory, especially since the Black Rage was later said to have reemerged in the chapter regardless.
* EscapedFromHell: Immediately after their involvement in the 9th Black Crusade, the few remaining Lamenters were thought lost when their fleet was struck by a freak Warp Storm. It took the Chapter two centuries to fight their way through the denizens of the Warp before they were able to make it back to the Material Universe. They also ended up surviving against Hive Fleet Kraken, though only barely.
* TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: Their unpopularity even extends to real life, where not many would play them since it takes a degree skill to properly paint their checkerboard emblem.
* HeroicResolve: It is rumoured that Malakim Phoros, the Lamenters' missing Chapter Master, has fallen to the Black Rage, yet has managed to keep his sanity through willpower alone.
* IdealHero: Even in the ''[[CrapsackWorld Warhammer 40000]]'' [[CrapsackWorld universe]], the Lamenters are selfless and will go out of their way to protect and save civilians at the cost of their own lives. They also share a friendly nature to those that they help fight for with a humble attitude. And all of this despite their ''many'' failures and how almost [[DudeWheresMyRespect nobody gives them the proper respect in-universe]].
* {{Irony}}: Of the few groups that would cause a serious amount of problems to the Minotaurs chapter, it was the Lamenters who would go on to cause a considerable amount of grief. During the Badab War, the Minotaurs were tasked by the High Lords of Terra to hunt down the rebelling loyalist Space Marines; they chose the Lamenters, seeing them as weak fleet-based anti-xeno specialists who would be ill-equipped due to the amount of time they spent out in space without being able to replenish their supplies. Instead, the Lamenters were able to inflict a considerable amount of casualties using strong and cunning tactics before being forced to surrender to the Minotaurs. Enraged, in the aftermath they pilfered a great deal of equipment as well as several ships from the Lamenters, only for the Minotaurs to lose all those ships and much of their entire chapter in the Orphean War against Necron forces later on. Turns out taking as much equipment and ships as you could from one of the most cursed groups in 40k’s universe wasn’t a smart idea.
* ItsPersonal: While their heroic nature meant it was natural that they responded to the Iron Lords' chapter's call for aid against a splintered arm of Hive Fleet Kraken in M42, the rebuilt chapter and especially it's firstborn were eager at the chance to achieve vengeance against the Hive Fleet.
* KeepTheReward: The Ultramarines were so impressed with the performance of the Lamenters during the Liberation of Slaughterhouse III that Marneus Calgar wanted to present them an [[DeflectorShields Iron Halo]] in recognition of their efforts. The Lamenters however felt that [[MedalOfDishonor they deserved no such reward due to how few of the 3 million Ork prisoners that they liberated survived]].
* KnightErrant: As a fleet-based chapter, the Lamenters have used their mobility to seek out the Imperium's foes and have engaged in numerous crusades, both self-imposed and as punishment for transgressions, against the enemies of the Emperor.
* KnightInSourArmor: Many battle-brothers are noted as having some aura of depression about them, whether because of something wrong in their gene-seed or because of the terrible luck the Lamenters have.
* LastOfHisKind: Invoked by Chyron, a Lamenter dreadnought permanently attached to team “Talon” of the Deathwatch group, who believes his Lamenter brothers all perished to Hive Fleet Kraken while he had been called away to serve Deathwatch for a temporary mission, and thus believes he’s the last one [[AvertedTrope (despite the fact they lived)]]. This has made him grouchy and more than willing to disobey even an Inquisitor if it means he gets to kills more xenos, all to slake his thirst for vengeance against them, though his fellow squad mates refuse to abandon him.
* LastStand: It is thought that the Lamenters have taken part in more last stands and hopeless campaigns than any other Chapter in Imperial history.
* MeaningfulName: A Lamenter is someone who expresses grief or sorrow. Upon restoring the Chapter Banner, the Sisters Pronatus who helped repair it openly wept for the chapter's misfortune. This Banner became known as the ''Banner of Tears'', though as time went on this was [[{{Retcon}} retconnned]] into the Sisters denouncing the Lamenters for going against the GodEmperor. Either way, the Lamenters have much to grieve for what the 40k universe has done to them.
* MedalOfDishonor: Marneus Calgar awarded the chapter an Iron Halo for their work in the Liberation of Slaughterhouse III. Due to losing over two-third's of the strike forces' numbers in the [[PyrrhicVictory "victory"]] (and the Lamenters rarely ever have an excess of manpower) and being forced to collapse the mines with explosive charges (thereby euthanizing around 90% of the millions of slaves that were initially freed) lest the Ork reinforcements reclaim the world, the Lamenters were in no mood to accept a reward... and then some Imperials worsened the Lamenters' reputation further by assuming they intended to snub Calgar with their refusal.
* PetTheDog: Marneus Calgar is one of the few known members of the Imperium who not only doesn’t despise the Lamenters, he even sees them as upstanding Astartes for their work on Slaughterhouse III. As such, when the Lamenters turned down the Iron Halo he offered them in recognition of their hard work, he graciously understood, and when he learned there were others in the area looking down on the Lamenters for these actions he silenced the naysayers. Unfortunately for the Lamenters, it wasn’t enough to prevent their reputation from being further looking down on by their peers.
* ThePollyanna: Despite their cursed nature and string of poor luck, the Lamenters still hold on to Sanguinius' idealism.
* PyrrhicVictory: The Liberation of Slaughterhouse III, which saw to the destruction of a large Ork mining world with its production performed by human slaves -- less than a hundred Lamenters returned from the three-hundred strong sent on mission, and the vast majority of the slaves could not be saved due to a lack of on-hand ships to evacuate them while Ork reinforcements threatened to end the mission as a complete failure. The Lamenters were so devastated that they [[KeepTheReward rejected attempts from the Ultramarines to honor them for it]].
* {{Retcon}}: The Lamenters have had a few changes made to their storyline, but due to the rather muddy waters of canon storyline on Games Workshop’s end it remains unknown if they’ll stick.
** In the aftermath of the Badab War, the Sister Pronatus who repaired the Lamenter’s Banner wept due to the misfortunes that the Lamenters suffered, but later sources instead changed this to the Sisters denouncing the Lamenters for sinning against the GodEmperor himself. While this did make more sense considering the Sisters of Battle aren’t close buddies with most Space Marine Chapters — due to their differing beliefs regarding the Emperor — it’s noticeable that other loyalist chapters were tricked as well by Lugft Huron into fighting against the Imperium, yet none of them received the same mistreatment other than similar penalties imposed on the Lamenters. This is despite the fact the Lamenters didn’t kill their brethren other than the Minotaurs (who were doing their best to completely wipe out the Lamenters), whereas others like the Mantis Warriors did. Fans have been divided on this new interpretation.
** Initially the Lamenters were stated to have received Primaris Marine reinforcements, but later sources would instead declare they weren’t for unknown reasons. Instead, the Lamenters would be given the technology to make their own, though in the end run they do at least have Lamenter Primaris forces who helped them fight Hive Fleet Kraken in their second encounter.
* SpannerInTheWorks: During the Corinth Crusade, the Lamenters' destruction of the Ork Mining World of Slaughterhouse III meant that the Orks' WAAAGH! effort was set back years and led to infighting that eventually led to the end of the Orks' control of the star system. At the same time
* ThrowTheDogABone: The 8th Edition Blood Angels codex confirms them to have survived their penitent crusade and to have been reinforced with Primaris Marines, or at least the technology to make their own, giving them a fighting chance at making a comeback.
* YankTheDogsChain: During the Liberation of Slaughterhouse III, the Lamenters soundly defeated the Ork forces and saved three million slaves all on their own. This success didn't last long however as Ork reinforcements arrived and the former slaves themselves requested that the Lamenters kill them so that they could die free rather than become pawns of the greenskins once again. The resulting destruction of Slaughterhouse III created one of the largest planetary tombs in Imperial history - of the millions of slaves originally freed by the Chapter, barely a tenth made it off-planet on the evacuation ships.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Minotaurs]]
[[quoteright:340:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/minotaurs.png]]

The Minotaurs are officially a chapter of the Cursed Twenty-First Founding but some Imperial scholars question whether the chapter active in the 41st Millennium is the same one founded in the 36th Millennium. They are a fleet-based chapter and their Chapter Master is Asterion Moloc.\\
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After their founding, the Minotaurs quickly gained a reputation for ferocity, with some Imperial Commanders who fought alongside them considering them little more than a roving band of barely sane murderers and psychopaths. The chapter was also known to have suffered from corruption of their gene-seed and by the 38th Millennium they had disappeared from Imperial records. The chapter that reappeared in the early 41st Millennium still had a reputation for fury on the battlefield, but this was now tempered by more orthodox tactics and organisation. The chapter has also been noted to respond quickly to the orders of the High Lords of Terra, especially when called to bring renegade Space Marine chapters to account. This has led to the chapter having a shaky relationship with other Astartes and the Inquisition.\\
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The Minotaurs have been a part of the lore for the Badab War since the 1st Edition of ''Warhammer 40,000''. The 21st Founding Minotaurs received trial ''Chapter Approved'' rules, alongside some of their fellow Cursed Founding Chapters, in ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf'' during the game's 3rd Edition. The 41st Millennium Minotaurs received rules from Games Workshop's Forge World department in their 5th Edition Badab War books. In 8th Edition the Minotaurs are counted as regular Space Marines using the rules printed in ''Codex: Space Marines'' while the Forge World rules for their Badab War era characters can be found in ''Imperial Armour – Index: Forces of the Adeptus Astartes''.
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* AncientGrome: The visual theme of the 41st Millennium era Minotaurs is strongly based on that of Ancient Greece. The bronze power armour of the Chapter imitates that of the Greek Hoplites while their Chapter Master is named after a mythological king of Crete for example.
* AxCrazy: The characterization of the 38th Millennium era Minotaurs was that of barely controllable madmen. Since their return, this aspect of their character has been downplayed, but they are still notorious for their brutality in combat, particularly when facing other Astartes forces.
* TheDragon: Seemingly to the High Lords of Terra. Having the very best wargear, being dispatched to deal with troublesome chapters, and even the ''Inquisition'' being unable to dig up much dirt on them.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Prior to Forge World's Badab War books, the Minotaurs were depicted in an unusual yellow and red scheme, with some plates picked out in one colour, and others in a chevron pattern. If the Minotaurs of the 41st Millennium truly aren't the first Chapter with that name, it's possible that the yellow and red scheme was that of the original iteration. The original scheme is reflected in the colouration of the current Chapter's weapon casings, however.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: The ''Badab War'' books from Forge World paints them in this light, as their brutality and general jerkassery manages to ostracize them from their allies.
* GoodIsNotNice: While they are theoretically on the side of mankind, the Minotaurs are extremely pragmatic, to the point of insulting (and actively murdering) other Space Marine chapters and using the Imperial Guard and Navy as meat shields. They're also believed to be at the beck and call of the High Lords of Terra, who aren't exactly known for being totally level-headed about dealing with threats.
* InternalAffairs:
** The Minotaurs specialize in fighting other Space Marines, and are rumored to have been created, or possibly refounded, in secret as the High Lords's private army. Other than their deference to the High Lords, their ruthlessness, brutality, and can act with impunity against other Chapters that have become difficult or landed themselves in trouble with the wider Imperium. Despite acting like renegades towards their nominal allies, the Minotaurs are never reproached for their actions due to their links and orders from the High Lords, and official records are tied up with enough tape that even Inquisitors can't get to them.
** In-game, any Minotaur primary detachment with Asterion Moloc as their HQ (and why would it not?) has the Preferred Enemy: ''Space Marines'' special rule.[[note]]Yes this does mean any and all Loyalist marines, regardless of Codex[[/note]]
* {{Jerkass}}: The Minotaurs don't respect anyone other than the GodEmperor and the High Lords of Terra, often going out of their way to antagonise other Imperial forces.
* KleptomaniacHero: The Minotaurs have a tendency to seize equipment from those Astartes forces they fight against as spoils of war. This has gotten them in trouble on more than one occasion.
* LegacyCharacter:
** The entire chapter may not be the same one that has been seen in Imperial history. Some records indicate that there was a Minotaurs Chapter as early as M32, while there are others indicating that the Chapter was founded during the Cursed Founding in M36, around 4,000 years later. Complicating the matter, they disappeared from historical record in M38, only to abruptly reappear in a big way in M41 as the High Lords' unnoficial enforcers. While new chapters reusing the names of disbanded chapters isn't unheard of, it's incredibly rare. And given their connections to the High Lords, its quite possible that there is a single chapter that may have reorganized at least once, or there really have been three Minotaurs chaptersm and the current chapter is a much newer and secretly founded chapter using the identity of an old one.
** The Chapter Master Asterion Moloc is also speculated to be a legacy persona. He has been recorded as [=KIA=] and miraculously recovered alive in at least seven instances in the last five centuries. While this string of miraculuous recoveries isn't technically impossible, it's thought that Moloc may either be an identity inherited by each Minotaurs Chapter Master, or mental programming is used to enforce a persona onto the Astartes who claims the title.
* MixAndMatchWeapon: The [[NamedWeapon Crozius Arkanos]] is a unique [[CarryABigStick Crozius Arcanum]] wielded by Reclusiarch Ivanus Enkomi that incorporates an auxiliary assault launcher. The weapon was created from the shattered remains of Enkomi's Crozius after the Battle of Gathetris.
* MouthOfSauron: Reclusiarch Ivanus Enkomi often acts as Asterion Moloc's mouthpiece and representative when dealing with other chapters due to the Chapter Master's lack of patience for cooperation and strategic planning.
* MysteriousPast:
** Their gene-seed tithes are locked away, no one is sure who their progenitors are. Given their tendencies to absolutely annihilate whatever is in their way it's possible for them be successors to the World Eaters, but what little we do know about their gene-seed hints at them being derived from a multitude of Chapters. This would certainly make sense considering their connections with the High Lords, but it doesn't make much sense since they are pretty much free of any mutations.
** There's some circumstanstial evidence that the Minotaurs are actually descended from ''Iron Warrior'' gene seed; their chapter tactics are ''the same'' as the Iron Warriors Legiones Astartes rules, both are known for their siegecraft, ferocity in assault, and disregard for casualties. The Minotaurs also have a strong Ancient Greek aesthetic, which was emphasized not so much by the Iron Warriors, but it fit their homeworld Olympia to a tee.
* RankScalesWithAsskicking: Asterion Moloch is the Chapter Master of the Minotaurs, and his combat skills show this. In a case of GameplayAndStoryIntegration, Moloch can basically 1v1 ''ANY'' named Chapter Master and easily win. The closest match in the entire list is Marneus Calgar, since Calgar can give himself Iron Resolve, in which case the fight ends in a MutualKill.
* ReformedButNotTamed: While they aren't the crazed berserkers that they were originally, the Minotaurs are still renowned for their brutality and love of combat.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: The reason that they haven't either been declared Excommunicate Traitoris or simply faced a group smackdown by the other Astartes is because they're the hammer of the High Lords of Terra. Even the Inquisition can't do anything about them.
* StormingTheCastle: On top of their bloody melee skills, they are also have strong siegecraft capabilities.
* TeamKiller: The Minotaurs have gained a reputation for this where other Space Marines are concerned, something that has alienated a number of their fellow Chapters. The Ultramarines and their successor chapters especially despise the Minotaurs because of their near-total destruction of the Inceptors chapter and pillaging of their Chapter relics.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: While the Minotaurs are strict followers of the Codex Astartes, they're almost never seen as small groups or even individual companies. Every time they're deployed its always been at full Chapter strength, they fight in only one war zone at a time with the entire chapter fighting together. Yes, the ''ENTIRE'' chapter.
* {{Troll}}: Other Astartes find them quite unpleasant to be around, though the cause of this remains unknown. It is speculated that, given their all-but-confirmed role as the High Lords' anti-Astartes hit squad, their standoffish demeanor is encouraged to make it easier for them to perform their intended duties. It may also be that their chapter is possibly descended from the Iron Warriors, a legion not exactly known for their sunny dispositions even Pre-Heresy.
* UnexplainedRecovery: As well as their mysterious return to action in the 41st Millennium, after a two-thousand-year absence from Imperial records, the Minotaurs have been noted to be able to recover from catastrophic losses at a rate far in excess of what should be possible for an Astartes Chapter.
* ZergRush: While they may closely follow the Codex when it comes to organisation, the Minotaurs' preferred tactics differ considerably. The Chapter prefers to operate as a single force, overwhelming their enemies with numbers and attritional warfare.
[[/folder]]

!!Noteworthy Chapters of Unknown Founding
[[folder:Carcharodons]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/carcharodons.png]]

A Chapter of unknown origin, the Carcharodons' origins are shrouded in myth and allegory. Having remained relatively obscure for much of their history, they have recently risen to prominence following the Badab War. They were formerly fleet-based, but have since settled on Ootheca.
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* AloofAlly:
** Owing to their [[MoodWhiplash contrasting modes of extreme still patience and equally extreme violence of action]], they have a habit of coming to the rescue of other Imperial forces just in the nick of time (when they had, in fact, been clandestinely observing the situation for some time), then departing just as quickly with no explanation. If contacted by those they fight beside, they only ever respond {{terse|Talker}}ly in [[AntiquatedLinguistics old dialects of High Gothic]], usually giving polite but firmly worded requests for supplies.
** Some Carcharodons develop the "chill of the void", which ramps this up and adds a splash of HeWhoFightsMonsters. Afflicted warriors begin to cut themselves off from their brothers, losing any semblance of fraternity or informality and eventually refusing to lead or join a squad. Furthermore, they slaughter ''anything'' that would dare oppose the imperium, with no regard for surrender or strategic value.
* AntiquatedLinguistics: When they talk to other Imperials, they stick to older, antiquated variants of High Gothic.
* TheBerserker: Being a chapter that specializes in scorched earth shock assaults that rarely leave survivors, the Carcharodons have a reputation for this. Their battle tactics are a subversion of these -- Carcharodons generally begin an operation by sending out scout parties to harass enemy positions and identify weak points. Once they're confident they can break their enemy, [[MookHorrorShow the full force of the company descends on their prey with silent fury and wild abandon]]. On tabletop, their chapter specific rules gives ''every'' one of their models Fear and Rage after destroying a unit.
* DarkIsNotEvil: The Carcharodons are considered one of the most loyal chapters in the Imperium, with a unique culture that has withstood the test of time. But they mostly keep to themselves beyond combat operations, meaning the impression they leave on their allies (and the odd enemy that manages to survive) is that of inhuman monsters who massacre their foes in emotionless silence.
* FacialHorror: Tyberos the Red Wake, the First Captain of the Carcharodons, has a horrifically scared corpse-white face, with half his skull exposed in a bloodless grimace. The First Captain's soulless, black eyes add to his highly disturbing visage.
* MysteriousPast: Their origins aren't well-understood -- their Founding and Legion of origin are entirely unknown, to begin with. There are no official records of their founding, their own accounts of their past are highly mythologized and allegorical and as far as most can tell they just showed up one day out of the galactic edge to take part in the Badab War. In their earliest mentions they're posited in-universe to be Raven Guard-descended, but later publications indicate they might also be ''Night Lords or World Eaters''-descended.[[note]][[WordOfGod Robbie MacNiven]], the author of the book ''Red Tithe'' which is about the Carcharodons states he writes them as Raven Guard successors, the first leader being Commander Rangaru of the Razor Falls clan, one of the Terran Legionnaires that were exiled by Corvus Corax. However, this isn't put into the novels as to keep the mystery of the Carcharodons[[/note]]
* NamedWeapons: Tyberos, the First Captain, uses a pair of lightning claws named Hunger and Slake.
* TheQuietOne: Carcharodons are generally one of the less talkative chapters outside of battle. During combat, they transistion into TheVoiceless.
* SpaceRomans: They're based on Pacific islanders. They sport facial tattoos reminiscent of those found in Pacific cultures, and the transfer sheet that Forge World sold for them additionally has symbols that mirror these tattoos. ''Red Tithe'' takes this further with the Carcharodon Captain and Librarian greet each other with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hongi hongi]].
* ThreateningShark: They file their teeth specifically to invoke the image of the aquatic predators. Their chapter symbol is also a shark, and they tend to be depicted with a lot of shark imagery. Fittingly, they're also feared berserkers known for their ruthlessness and brutal tactics.
* TheVoiceless: The Carcharodons have a reputation for fighting in complete, eerie silence. The only communication performed in combat is orders from their leadership, which is done over heavily encryped vox channels to boot.
[[/folder]]

!!Specialist Chapters

[[folder:Grey Knights]]
[[quoteright:344:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grey_knight.png]]
[[caption-width-right:344:We are the Hammer! We are the Hate!\\
We are the Woes of Daemonkind!]]

->''One last shield against the coming darkness,\\
One last blade, forged in defiance of fate,\\
Let them be my legacy to the galaxy I conquered,\\
And my final gift to the species I failed.''
-->-- '''The Emperor''', attr.

Although officially a Second Founding Chapter, the Grey Knights were actually founded by Malcador the Sigillite in great secrecy during the later stages of the Horus Heresy. Their Primarch is officially considered to be the Emperor. Their current Supreme Grand Master is Kaldor Draigo and their home world is Titan.\\
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Daemon slayers extraordinaire and close allies of the Ordo Malleus, the Grey Knights are one of the most elite forces in the Imperium although few are allowed to know of their existence. Not only is each warrior trained to the highest possible standard, each is also a potent psyker able to banish their daemonic foes back into the warp with the power of their mind alone. Armed and armoured with masterfully crafted and sanctified equipment, created on their own dedicated Forge World, the Grey Knights may be few in number but they are nonetheless the Imperium's greatest weapon against the forces of the Dark Gods.\\
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The Grey Knights began life in 1st and 2nd Edition ''Warhammer 40,000'' as a single unit of Terminators that could be taken as allies to other Imperial forces. 3rd Edition saw the Chapter included, alongside the forces of the Inquisition, in ''Codex: Daemonhunters'' before receiving their first solo codex sourcebook during 5th Edition. During 7th Edition, the Grey Knights received their second codex while ''Codex: Imperial Agents'' also included a special detachment for using the Grey Knights as allies with other Armies of the Imperium. The 8th Edition ''Codex Adeptus Astartes: Grey Knights'' was released in August 2017 while additional rules were included in the January 2020 [[{{Sourcebook}} supplement]] ''Psychic Awakening: Ritual of the Damned''.\\
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For more about these ultimate daemonhunters, see ''Literature/GreyKnights''.
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* AbnormalAmmo: The psilencers used by some Grey Knights are arcane firearms that fire the condensed and amplified psychic energy of the wielder instead of regular ammunition.
* AbsurdlyExclusiveRecruitingStandards: Normal Space Marine exclusivity is taken even further in case of the Grey Knights: not only must they ''all'' be psykers, but have to be stable enough to resist the daemons they must fight, and they have to endure a TrainingFromHell extreme even by Imperial standards. The initial test alone features the most promising child psykers to travel from the landing pad of their ship to the Fortress across a frozen wasteland, but whatever comes after that is pure torture, often literally. Some sources claim that only one in a ''million'' shows the IncorruptiblePurePureness required to become a Grey Knight, and all agree it's one in a thousand at most.
* ArmCannon: Grey Knights typically wear wrist-mounted Storm Bolters so that they can wield their Nemesis Force Weapons with both hands.
* AmplifierArtifact: The Sanctic Shard[[note]]introduced in the late 8th Edition {{sourcebook}} Psychic Awakening: Ritual of the Damned[[/note]] is a purified crystal that can boost the powers of any psyker that holds it, making it far easier to pass their Psychic tests to use a power during a game.
* AntiMagic: The relic [[MagicStaff warding stave]] known as the [[NamedWeapon Stave of Supremacy]][[note]]introduced by the late 8th Edition ''Psychic Awakening: Ritual of the Damned'' book[[/note]] gives its wielder the ability to destabilise and dissipate warp energy in the surrounding area, making it more likely that enemy psykers will suffer dangerous miscasts while attempting to manifest their powers.
* BaitAndSwitch: One piece of background information in the 7th Edition codex sees a Grey Knight force encounter some [[AmazonBrigade Adepta Sororitas]] that had survived on a planet invaded by daemons. Rather than retelling one of the most infamous pieces of background from the previous codex where they start slaughtering the Sisters and paint their armour with their blood, the Grey Knights are saved by the Sororitas, who earn a proper heroic death.
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Nemesis doomglaives are rare psychically attuned blades attached to the arm of a Doomglaive-pattern Dreadnought that allow the machine's pilot to utilise his psychic abilities in combat as he did when fighting amongst the ranks of the living. In the 6th and 7th Edition version of the rules, a Doomglaive Dreadnought could use this weapon to make [[HerdHittingAttack scything attacks against multiple enemies]] whilst in the 8th Edition rules they almost as powerful as the Nemesis Greatswords wielded by the Chapter's Dreadknights.
* BlingOfWar: The Aegis-pattern power and Terminator armour used by the Grey Knights is unique to the Chapter. Crafted to the highest standards and coloured in shining silver ([[IncorruptiblePurePureness representing the purity of the Chapter]]), each suit is a relic that has often been worn by many warriors of the centuries and is intricately decorated with icons, prayers, protective wards and other ritually consecrated symbols that provide greater protection from daemonic energies.
* CannonFodder: The 6th Brotherhood of the Grey Knights, known as The Rapiers, believe in swift surgical strikes by small specialist squads. As such, the Brotherhood will deploy waves of disposable Servitors to tie-up and bog down enemy forces so that their elite squads can strike at the most crucial targets.
* CoolHelmet: One distinguishing feature of the Grey Knights' armour is their use of the older Crusader-style helms for both their power and Terminator armour. These helmets strongly resemble [[https://collectionapi.metmuseum.org/api/collection/v1/iiif/22226/1677700/main-image late-style knightly helmets]].
* ACommanderIsYou: Elitist/Brute/Technical! Elite even by Astartes standards, excellent in melee or at range, well-protected, and each and every unit is a psyker, allowing you to rival even the Eldar in the psychic phase. The only issue is you pay a premium for each and every model you field.
* DeflectorShields: In order to protect the otherwise exposed pilot, Nemesis Dreadknights are fitted with a powerful force shield that gives the Dreadknight an invulnerable save. In 8th Edition this save is enhanced by the addition of an Iron Halo when the Dreadknight is piloted by a Grand Master.
* DemonSlaying: The Grey Knights were founded by the Emperor for the sole purpose of defeating the Daemonic servants of the Dark Gods.
* DueToTheDead: The Cuirass of Sacrifice is a relic suit of Terminator armour that has had its interior inscribed with the names of those organisations that the Grey Knights have been forced to destroy in order to uphold the secrecy of their mission. The suit is intended to remind their wearer of the sacrifices necessary to fight against the forces of Chaos.
* DualWielding: Nemesis Force Falchions are short and light force weapons carried in pairs by some Grey Knights. A talented wielder is able to use these blades to strike far quicker than he would be able to with a larger force weapon.
* FirePurifies: The [[FireBreathingWeapon incinerators flamers]] used by the Grey Knights enhance the widely held belief in the purifying effects of fire with the addition of sacred oils to its already highly blessed fuel to make them especially dangerous to the Chapter's daemonic enemies. Some editions of the rules represented this by giving incinerators bonuses such as the ability to ignore the invulnerable saves of daemonic creatures.
* GodzillaThreshold: With the opening of the Great Rift, daemonic hosts rampaging across the galaxy and the return of the Daemon Primarchs, the highest ranked members of the Grey Knights are coming to believe that the Threshold has been crossed and are considering unleashing the Chapter's ultimate sanction, the mysterious Terminus Decree.
* TheGreatestStoryNeverTold: Due to the official policy of total secrecy enforced by the Inquisition where daemonic incursions are concerned, the greatest victories of the Grey Knights will never be known to the Imperium's general population.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness:
** In order to turn them into the greatest daemon hunters of the Imperium, the Grey Knights undergo a combination of extremely harsh psychic conditioning and rigorous training, making them all but untouchable by Chaotic influence.
** The Purifiers. Chosen for their exceptional psychic ability, the Purifiers are able to weaponize their mental purity into holy fire that burns their enemies. The Purifiers are also the only ones with the mental fortitude to protect the greatest secrets and corrupted artefacts collected by the Grey Knights.
* KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade: Imperial Guard forces that fight alongside Grey Knights are usually terminated (or simply memory-wiped, DependingOnTheWriter), partly to preserve the secrecy of the Grey Knights' existence and partly because said forces are quite likely to have been exposed to Warp taint.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia:
** Grey Knight aspirants are usually mind-wiped as the last part of their indoctrination, to better preserve them against potential daemonic corruption, as well as to strengthen their loyalty and faith.
** Space Marines who fight alongside Grey Knights have their memories of the encounter(s) erased to preserve the secrecy of the Grey Knights' existence.
* MagicKnight: Every single one of these DemonSlaying Space Marines (but even ''more'' stringently selected and trained) are obviously all highly formidable fighters, but to be selected as one also requires you to be a capable-enough psyker to channel psychic power into a Grey Knight's Nemesis Force Weapon.
* MagicStaff: The Nemesis warding stave is a defensive form of Nemesis force weapon. As with other forms of Nemesis weapon, the warding stave is a powerful force weapon that allows a Grey Knight to channel their psychic might into their attacks, but it can also be used to create a powerful [[DeflectorShield force shield]] to defend the bearer. In the 8th Edition rules this is represented by the wielder of a Nemesis warding stave receiving a boosted invulnerable save in close combat.
* MagicalLibrary: The Sanctum Sanctorum within the Grey Knight's fortress monastery on Titan holds the Imperium's most comprehensive collection of information on psychic abilities, while its deepest chambers, known as the Librarium Daemonica, hold records of the daemonic threat facing humanity. Containing records and arcane lore gathered across millennia of the Chapter's existence, as well as information from the Emperor's own, long experience with the subject, the knowledge stored within the Sanctum Sanctorum would prove disastrous if it were to fall into the wrong hands and the library is considered to be the most heavily defended place in the Imperium outside of the Emperor's Palace itself.
* MeaningfulName: In-universe, the names chosen for each Grey Knight is a fragment of lore that acts in opposition to the true name of a particular daemon so that merely being in the presence of the Grey Knight will cause the daemon unspeakable agony.
* MercyKill: The Grey Knights' justification for purging survivors of a daemonic incursion is that it is better to give them a swift, clean death than potentially let them become corrupted by their exposure to Chaos and suffer a much more horrific fate.
* MetaMecha: The Nemesis Dreadknight is an open-bodied mecha piloted by a Grey Knight in a manner similar to the powerloader from ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' or the mecha from ''Film/TheMatrix Revolutions''. It packs an enormous amount of firepower and is intended to fight Greater Daemons.
* MixAndMatchWeapon: The Nemesis Force Halberds used by the Grey Knights during the 1st and 2nd Editions of the game incorporated a storm bolter into the hilt of the weapon. This secondary weapon was moved to the [[ArmCannon Grey Knight's wrist]] when they were revamped for 3rd Edition.
* NamedWeapon:
** The Fury of Demos is said to be one of the finest storm bolters ever created by the Adeptus Mechanicus with a range, accuracy, rate of fire and reliability far greater than that of its lesser brethren.
** The Soul Glaive was the Nemesis Force Halberd of the 13th Supreme Grand Master of the Grey Knights, Sylas Kalthorne. Upon his death, Kalthornes soul left such a strong imprint on the weapon that subsequent wielders are able to draw upon the psychic might of the former Supreme Grand Master to [[AmplifierArtifact boost their own psychic abilities]].
* NumberOfTheBeast: The Grey Knights are chapter 666 (heavily implied to be a joke by their founder), and initiates go through the 666 Rites of Detestation in order to completely ward their minds and souls against Chaos corruption.
* OpenSecret: Despite all their efforts at secrecy the existence of the Grey Knights is well known among the upper echelons of Imperial government. Furthermore their presence among the forces of the Indomitus Crusade suggests that their existence may no longer be a secret in the post Great Rift galaxy.
* ThePaladin: The Grey Knights put a grimdark spin on the concept of the ultimate holy warrior. The sole purpose of the Grey Knights is to fight the forces of the setting's Hell, but their tactics include acts like mass murder of people who may have come into contact with Chaos corruption simply by fighting alongside them.
* PlayingWithFire:
** The purity and psychic abilities of the elite Purifiers typically manifest as a [[FirePurifies cleansing]] blue flame capable of incinerating the body and soul of any evil creature caught in the conflagration. This ability is represented in the 8th Edition of the game by the 'Purifying Flame' Ability that increases the damage done by the Purifier's Smite psychic power but reduces its range.
** The Inner Fire psychic ability, from the Dominus Discipline[[note]]introduced in the late 8th Edition book ''Psychic Awakening: Ritual of the Damned''[[/note]] allows the caster to manifest the fire of their soul to create a blazing ball of flame that burns all those in the vicinity and has a chance to inflict [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] on nearby enemy models, as well as the [[PowerAtAPrice caster themselves]].
* RealAfterAll: The battle-brothers of some Chapters believe that the Grey Knights are nothing but a myth or that they are merely a standard non-Codex compliant Chapter, if they have heard of them at all. Only the Inquisition and Chapter Masters have been allowed to know of the Grey Knights' existence.
* SealedEvilInACan: Along with the Daemons and profane artefacts sealed within the Chambers of Purity on Titan is a mysterious and powerful evil that even the Emperor at the height of His power couldn't destroy.
* {{Seers}}: In order to arrive at the site of a daemonic incursion in time to deal with threat, the Grey Knights have a body of specialist psykers known as Prognosticars who use their abilities to predict the location and severity of such incidents.
* SilverBullet: As well as being inscribed with runes of banishment and charged with psychic energy, the rare and valuable bolt rounds fired by psycannons are tipped with silver to further enhance their effectiveness against daemons.
* SuperPrototype: The [[NamedWeapon Destroyer of Crys'yllix]] was the first [[DropTheHammer Nemesis Daemon hammer]] forged and is still the most powerful of its kind. The 8th Edition rules represent this by giving the hammer a higher Damage characteristic than other Nemesis Daemon hammers.
* TakingYouWithMe: Grey Knight Brotherhood Champions will fight to the last to bring down their enemies, refusing to fall to mortal wounds until they have defeated their foe. The 8th Edition rules represent this with the 'Heroic Sacrifice' ability that allows a Brotherhood Champion to fight immediately after being reduced to 0 Wounds.
* {{Technopath}}: The Aetheric Conduit[[note]]introduced by the late 8th Edition book ''Psychic Awakening: Ritual of the Damned''[[/note]] is an ancient, archaic relic of the Dark Age of Technology that allows a Grey Knight Techmarine to use his psychic abilities to directly manipulate any STC-based technology, greatly enhancing his ability to repair a vehicle's lost wounds.
* {{Teleportation}}: The Grey Knights make greater use of teleportation technology than any other Imperial organisation. The teleporter arrays installed on the Grey Knights' Strike Cruisers are also far more advanced than those used by the rest of the Imperium, while the Chapter's Interceptor Squads utilize small, man portable teleporters to improve their manoeuvrability on the battlefield.
* TrainingFromHell: Due to the extreme danger of the foes that they face and the highly psychic nature of the recruits, the talent and purity of those who would become Grey Knights is of the highest importance. The trials and training that Grey Knights undergo would break a normal Marine with only one in a million recruits being deemed strong enough to succeed. For context, this means to produce a ''single Grey Knight'', there is a wastage rate of recruits sufficient to fill a thousand Space Marine chapters (equal to their entire current galactic strength). With psykers, to boot.
* YearInsideHourOutside: The Chapter's founder, Malcador, hid the moon of Titan in the Warp itself to conceal the Grey Knights' creation. When the moon returned to real space many years had passed for the Imperium but for the Grey Knights many decades had passed.
* YouAreNumberSix: Grey Knight aspirants are only referred to by designated numbers, only gaining new names if they survive their training.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Deathwatch]]
[[quoteright:349:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/deathwatch.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[CatchPhrase Suffer not the alien to live!]]]]

->''Across the vastness of space alien races plot the dethroning of the Emperor and the downfall of Humanity. This is the Imperium's call to arms, and nothing shall stand in the way of our righteous crusade.''

Founded by Koorland, the Lord Commander of the Imperium during the war against the mighty Ork Warlord known as the Beast, and close allies of the Ordo Xenos, the Deathwatch are the premier alien hunters of the Imperium. The Chapter draws its recruits from those veteran battle-brothers of more conventional Chapters who have distinguished themselves battling aliens. Such warriors leave their own Chapter to join the forces of the Deathwatch and defend the Imperium from the xenos threat, gaining access to advanced training and restricted wargear. Those veterans that survive their service to the Deathwatch are permitted to return to their original chapters, sworn to secrecy of what they saw but bringing new skills to pass on to their battle-brothers.\\
\\
The Deathwatch maintain a series of Watch Fortresses throughout the galaxy with their primary training base situated on Talasa Prime, a world near Ultramar on the Eastern Fringes of Ultima Segmentum.\\
\\
First introduced during the 3rd Edition of ''Warhammer 40,000'', the Deathwatch received ''Chapter Approved'' rules published in ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf'' but subsequently became a primarily background focused faction, featuring in the ''Deathwatch'' series of novels by C.S. Goto. On the tabletop, the Deathwatch could be represented by count-as Sternguard Veteran squads but did feature in some GaidenGames such as ''TabletopGame/{{Inquisitor}}'' and received their own dedicated TabletopGame/{{Deathwatch}} RPG. In 2016, the Chapter featured in ''Deathwatch: Overkill'' board game that pitted a Kill Team against a Genestealer cult and provided new models as well as free downloadable rules to use them in the 7th Edition ''Warhammer 40'000'' game. The 7th Edition rules and background for the Deathwatch were later expanded when they received ''Codex: Deathwatch'' in August of 2016 along with the boxed set ''Death Masque'' that began the storyline that would cumulate in the release of the 8th Edition of the game and saw the alien hunters face Eldrad Ulthran and a troupe of Harlequins. Rules allowing other Imperial factions to use a specific Deathwatch allied detachment were also included in the 7th Edition ''Codex: Imperial Agents''. The 8th Edition ''Codex Adeptus Astartes: Deathwatch'' was released in May 2018. For 9th Edition, the Deathwatch uses a combination of the rules published in October 2020's ''Codex: Space Marines'' combined with the ''Codex Supplement: Deathwatch'' book, released Novemeber 2020.
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* AbnormalAmmo: The Deathwatch use all the special issue ammunition available to the Sternguard Veterans of regular Chapters, such as the incendiary Dragonfire bolts and the long ranged and armour piercing Kraken bolts. Where the Sternguard ammo is limited to regular bolters however, the Deathwatch also have access to bolt pistol and silenced variants of these powerful and rare bolt shells.
* AbsoluteXenophobe: The Chapter was founded to wipe out any and all alien threats to the Imperium and have xenophobia at the core of their doctrine.
* AbsurdlySharpBlade: The xenophase blade is a power sword with a molecular realignment field that makes it capable of cutting through [[DeflectorShields force fields]] and armour with equal ease. Due to its suspicious origins (likely captured Necron tech, based on its appearance and the green energy crackling across its blade), [[YouDidntSeeThat it's forbidden to discuss that topic]]. In-game, the xenophase blade has the same stats as a normal power sword but also forces the target to re-roll successful invulnerable saves.
* ArmCannon: Deathwatch Terminators often attach an auxiliary meltagun to the underside of their power fists in order to increase their close range firepower.
* TheAtoner: Disgraced Astartes who seek redemption for their past sins or those of their former battle-brothers can petition Watch Commanders for admission into the Deathwatch. What is discussed with the Watch Commander is never revealed, but if they are admitted, they paint their armor completely black except for the Deathwatch heraldry and become Black Shields, obscuring their chapter's heraldry as a symbol of their cutting ties to their chapter of origin. They will accept whatever task is put before them without question, no matter how menial, and go into battle with the utmost zeal.
-->'''Brother Vigilant''': Masters of the Watch, I come before you with nothing but the plate I wear and this most sacred of weapons. All else I have lost. I require only a purpose, that I might direct my righteous fury and earn absolution for the sins I am about to divulge.
* BadassArmy: While the average Astartes is already a one man army, the Deathwatch are an elite task force of handpicked veterans, specially trained and equipped to exterminate aliens.
* {{BFG}}: The Infernus heavy bolter is unique to the Deathwatch and is quite possibly the largest {{BFG}} carried by an infantry unit. It's essentially two separate {{BFG}} (a heavy bolter and a heavy flamer) packed into one large package. The Deathwatch also have frag cannons, a weapon that's normally only on Dreadnoughts.
* CombatPragmatist: Due to their missions often requiring unorthodox methods, the Deathwatch are willing to use tactics and strategies that most other Chapters might consider dishonourable or cowardly and Space Marines with these qualities are actively sought out as potential recruits. The Deathwatch also are one of the very few Imperial forces that actively pursues innovation in their technology, constantly studying xenos tech and adapting their own to counter it.
* DarkIsNotEvil: The Deathwatch repaint their armor solid black as a show of solidarity with their temporary new chapter, except for the left arm which is painted silver. The right pauldron bears the symbol and color(s) of their chapter of origin (so as not to anger the armor's machine spirit) and the left bears the Deathwatch symbol on a silvery background. This is done to reflect that though they come from different origins, they are all battle brothers in the Deathwatch.
* DeflectorShields: The highly ornate relic Storm Shield, Dominus Aegis, incorporates a far more powerful force field generator than other such shields. When braced against the ground, the Dominus Aegis projects a field across a wide area, protecting the bearer's allies as well as himself.
* DropShip: As well as the Thunderhawks available to other Chapters, the Deathwatch have the Corvus Blackstar, a unique drop ship that combines the hurtling speed of a DropPod with the manoeuvrability and firepower of a Stormtalon Gunship.
* DropTheHammer: In addition to normal Thunder Hammers, the Deathwatch uses a specialized variant that is even more powerful but is too heavy to wield one-handed. In-game, the Heavy Thunder Hammer has a rule that gives To Wound rolls of 6 the Instant Death rule.
* {{EMP}}: Tempest shells are one of the rarer types of specialist ammunition used by the Deathwatch. These bolt shells incorporate a miniature plasma-shock generator that produces a small EMP when they impact and can cause serious damage to any vehicle they hit. The 8th Edition of the game represents these shells with the 'Tempest Shells' Deathwatch Stratagem that can be used to cause [[UnblockableAttack mortal wounds]] against enemy vehicles.
* TheExile: Many Black Shields have been cast out from their chapters for one reason or another, and have joined the Deathwatch to regain their honor and maybe earn redemption. In-game, Black Shields have the "Atonement through Honour" special rule that enhances them in melee combat with specific enemies or if his squad is outnumbered.
* GunAccessories: As a highly elite fighting force, the Deathwatch have access to specialised equipment such as suspensor discs that considerably reduce the weight of their Infernus Heavy Bolters.
* IdentityAmnesia: The background material for the Deathwatch mentions the Venerable Dreadnought [[MeaningfulName Xenomortis]]. The Marine within this ancient war machine has lost all memory of his former existence many decades ago and is now only known by the motto inscribed onto his hull. How Xenomortis lost his identity is unknown but one of the most popular theories is that his hatred of the alien is so absolute, it has replaced all other thoughts in his bionically enhanced mind.
* LastOfHisKind: It is not uncommon for individual Marines of otherwise destroyed Chapters to be found fighting with the Deathwatch as they were serving with the alien hunters when their brothers were lost. Many of these orphaned battle-brothers become Black Shields due to the [[SurvivorGuilt guilt of their survival]].
* LoweredRecruitingStandards: The Deathwatch has traditionally only accepted elite Astartes, who have had centuries of experience battling the alien threat, into their ranks. Due to the rising threat of alien invasion and migration caused by the opening of the Great Rift, Roboute Guilliman, in his roll of Lord Commander of the Imperium, issued the Ultimaris Decree, permanently deploying newly created Primaris Marines to the Deathwatch to boost their numbers. These new additions have been welcomed into the ranks of the Deathwatch with their [[SuperiorSuccessor greatly enhanced physical abilities]] more than compensating for their inexperience.
* MixAndMatchWeapon:
** Deathwatch Watch Masters are equipped with guardian spears: long polearms with a bolter incorporated into the head that are gifted only to the most trusted and skilful of the Emperor's warriors
** The Infernus Heavy Bolter is a unique heavy combi-weapon used by the Deathwatch that consists of a Heavy Bolter with an underslung [[FireBreathingWeapon Heavy Flamer]]. Unlike most combi-weapons, the secondary weapon of the Infernus isn't a One Use Only weapon.
* MourningClothes: The first members of the Deathwatch were drawn from the precious few Astartes survivors of a failed assault against The Beast's home world, and had their armor painted black in mourning for their lost brothers.
* MultinationalTeam: Any Deathwatch Kill Team will typically be comprised of Marines from many different chapters.
* NamedWeapon: The Thief of Secrets is a power sword inhabited by a highly advanced machine spirit capable of analysing the biology of any creature it wounds. Once the analysis is completed, the machine spirit communicates this information to its wielder so that they can take advantage of their enemy's weaknesses.
* NonUniformUniform: As long as they stick to the Deathwatch colours of black and silver, battle-brothers of the Deathwatch are able to equip and armour themselves however they like. This will often result in situations where somberly-robed Dark Angels fight alongside barbaric Mortifactors hung with skull trophies and Salamanders wearing expertly crafted Terminator Armour.
* RagTagBunchOfMisfits: Kill Teams are created on a mission-by-mission basis, and as such the Battle-Brothers who make up such teams can bring a wide variety of personalities, which can lead to [[TeethClenchedTeamwork serious friction depending on who's teamed with who]]. The ''Deathwatch'' novels and short stories by Steve Parker make this a key theme, as the Kill Team the stories revolve around includes an officious, pompous Ultramarine; an irreverent and rather MotorMouth-ed Raven Guard; a JackOfAllTrades Imperial Fist; and a ''very'' grouchy Dreadnought from the Lamenters.
* SkeletonKey: The clavis is a repository of ancient machine-spirits, and is capable of opening any door in the Imperium and can take control of any Imperial machinery. It is used by Watch Masters and is explicitly compared to a skeleton key.
* SniperRifle: The Deathwatch have access to the rare Stalker pattern boltguns, long-barrelled and silenced bolters used for the assassination of alien warlords and champions.
* TheSquad: While most chapters deploy their Marines in company-sized detachments with specialized individual squads (Tactical, Devastator, Assault, etc.) the Deathwatch typically is deployed for more surgical missions as an individual squad, called a Kill Team. Each Kill Team will often be specialized on the level of individual battle brothers, such that a single Kill Team might include any combination of Tactical, Devastator, and/or Assault Marines, Terminators, etc. This is reflected in the Kill Team models in ''Overkill'', which include all three normal types plus a Salamanders Terminator, and in the various types of Kill Teams in their codex, which have advantages over different categories of models depending on their construction.
* StraightForTheCommander: Purgatus Kill Teams specialise in hunting down and killing the commanders of xenos forces. Typically equipped with high firepower weaponry, to cut through troupes of bodyguards, and power weapons to eliminate their target, these Kill Teams are also generally accompanied by Librarians to augment their battle skills and counter any warp-trickery attempted by the enemy. In the 8th Edition rules, this specialisation is represented by the 'Purgatus Tactics' Mission Tactic that allows re-rolls against enemy HQ choices.
* TakeAThirdOption: Faced with multiple requests for the repatriation of seconded brethren to their original Chapters, many Watch Masters face the choice of refusing, and therefore harming relations with their allies, or acquiescing and suffering a crisis of manpower. The Watch Master of Futor Shield however came up with a compromise solution, returning the battle-brothers without releasing them from their oaths to the Deathwatch. The Watch Master hopes that such a compromise will allow the returned Marines to fight alongside their brothers while still retaining their autonomy, as well as acting as specialist advisers to their Chapter’s commanders when facing xenos forces.
* TrainingThePeacefulVillagers: Since the opening of the Great Rift, a number of Watch Fortresses isolated in the Imperium Nihilus have begun training the garrisons and PDF regiments of nearby planets in advanced anti-xenos tactics so that they can defend themselves in this increasingly dangerous half of the galaxy.
[[/folder]]

!!Other Noteworthy Chapters

Many other chapters beyond the aforementioned have managed to distinguish themselves in the fluff. See ''Literature/BrothersOfTheSnake'' and the ''Literature/DawnOfWar'' and ''Literature/SoulDrinkers'' book series for more about those chapters. Several receive brief mention in the Space Marines codex, especially the First Founding Chapters' more noteworthy successor chapters.
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** Some background material for the Mantis Warriors indicates that they have a Chinese theme that focuses on warrior honour and

* DealWithTheDevil: The Blood Drinkers, a Successor chapter of the Blood Angels, were shown by a winged individual a ritual to help hold back the Red Thirst and Black Rage which were crippling them. Alongside nonlethally drinking the blood of their servants, this ritual involves the sacrifice of a regular human. [[spoiler: To make things worse, it's actually a ritual devised by a demon of Tzeentch to give it the opportunity to corrupt any member of the chapter who receive visions revealing this, and all it needs is to convince one of them to win the entire chapter]].

* HeCleansUpNicely: The nomadic scavenger tribes of Baal generally suffer from cankers, lesions, and melanoma as the outward symptoms of the harshness of their existence. If they are inducted into the Blood Angels and survive their year of wakeless sleep in a life-support sarcophagus, they emerge transformed into perfect-bodied beings with a trace of [[{{Bishonen}} Sanguinius' own beauty]], purified of both their literal and metaphorical humanly imperfections.

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%%[[folder:Angry Marines]]
%%->''ANGRY MARINES! ALWAYS ANGRY! ALL THE TIME!''
%%A popular homebrew chapter that has gained infamy to memetic status for the 40k fandom. They are known for 3 things: being melee specialists at the expense of anything else, their armory of ''unconventional'' weapons, and their all-consuming RAGE that would make a World Eater or a Blood Angel under Black Rage look reasonable.
%%----

%%* AceCustom: The Angry Marines have an armory of unconventional Power weapons, such as [[LiteralAssKicking Power Feet,]] [[ChairmanOfTheBrawl Power Chair,]] [[TwoByFore Power Board,]] [[PipePain Power Pipe,]] [[PistolWhipping Power Bolter,]] and so on.
%%*CloseRangeCombatant: The chapter is well-known for their melee capability, leaving their ballistic skills to be virtually non-existent.
%%* CripplingOverspecialization: They can't do jack at range, so they're toast if the enemy can pick them off at a distance.
%%* ItsRainingMen: Their [[AceCustom Predator Angrinator]]] launches Angry Marines directly at the enemy.
%%* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Individual marines tend to have swearwords in their name, and Chapter Master Smashfucker is a melee juggernaut that ''will'' annihilate anything he gets close to. Yeah, you better run far away.
%%* OneManArmy: Chapter Master Smashfucker, created through legal minmaxing, can take on characters like Abaddon or Asterion Moloc with impunity. Actually, forget Abaddon or Moloc; Smashfucker can curb-stomp ''Primarchs.''
%%* SirSwearsALot: Everything they say, even their individual names, are liberally peppered with swearwords, and [[NoIndoorVoice bellowed IN ALL CAPS.]]
%%* RageHelmet: Belligerent Engines (Dreadnoughts) have their emblem painted on its face, making it look like an angry mustached face.
%%[[/folder]

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* AloofAlly: In M42, while they maintained their noble nature with Civilians and Astra Militarum, they were actually fairly distant allies with the Iron Lords they came to aid in the Aberrus system, only ever communicating with them when it was necessary.

** Believing they owed a debt to the Ultramarines for helping them in Corillia during the 9th Black Crusade, the Lamenters answered the Ultramarine’s call for backup during the Liberation of Slaughterhouse III.
** The Lamenters were treated as fellow brothers for the first time by the Astral Claws, led by Lugft Huron, along with the Mantis Warriors. As a result, they fought alongside the latter two during the Badab War, believing the Astral Claws were being unfairly treated by the Imperium. This would later come to bite the Lamenters in the ass, for it turned out Lugft Huron had been using them all along, having been tainted by Chaos. Though the Lamenters were given a pardon since they refused to kill their fellow Astartes — up until the Minotaurs sacked them — and had legitimate reasons to believe Lugft was being unfairly treated by the Imperium until the reveal. Albeit they were also forced to go on a one hundred year Penance Crusade, during which they couldn’t recruit new members.
* BeingGoodSucks: The Lamenters have often defended innocent civilians — even when it wouldn't be in their best interests — and have gone above and beyond the call of duty to free innocent civilians if they're enslaved. None of this has improved the Chapter's dark reputation with their peers.

* CavalryRefusal: While defending the world of Corillia during the 9th Black Crusade, the Lamenters suffered terrible casualties when the superstitious Mortifactors chapter refused to help the Lamenters and withdrew. Refusing to abandon the citizens of Corolla, the Lamenters fought on for the next six weeks before the Ultramarines and White Scars arrived to help defeat the Black Legion forces.

* IdealHero: The closest possible to his while living in the ''[[CrapsackWorld Warhammer 40000]]'' [[CrapsackWorld universe]]. The Lamenters are selfless and will go out of their way to protect and save civilians even at the cost of their own lives, and share a friendly nature to those that they help fight for while maintaning a humble attitude. And all of this despite their ''many'' failures and how almost nobody gives them the proper respect in-universe.
* {{Irony}}: Of all the groups to cause a serious amount of problems to the Minotaurs Space Marine Chapter, it was the Lamenters. During the Badab War, the Minotaurs were tasked by the High Lords of Terra to hunt down the rebelling loyalist Space Marines; they chose the Lamenters, seeing them as weak fleet-based anti-xeno specialists who would be ill-equipped due to the amount of time they spent out in space without being able to replenish their supplies. Instead, the Lamenters were able to inflict a considerable amount of casualties before being forced to surrender to the Minotaurs after being battered for over seventeen hours. Enraged, the Minotaurs claimed several ships belonging to the Lamenters as their own as well as pilfering a great deal of equipment from the latter, only to lose all those ships and much of their entire chapter in the Orphean War against Necron forces. Turns out taking as much equipment and ships as you could from one of the most cursed groups in 40k’s universe wasn’t a smart idea.

* LastOfHisKind: Invoked by Chyron, a dreadnought permanently attached to team “Talon” of the Deathwatch group, who believes his Lamenter brothers all perished to Hive Fleet Kraken while he had been called away to serve Deathwatch for a temporary mission, and thus believes he’s the last one [[AvertedTrope (despite the fact they lived)]]. This has made him grouchy and more than willing to disobey even an Inquisitor if it means he gets to kills more xenos, though his fellow squad mates refuse to abandon him.

* PyrrhicVictory: The Liberation of Slaughterhouse III, which saw to the destruction of a large Ork mining world with its production performed by human slaves -- less than a hundred Lamenters returned from the three-hundred strong sent on mission, and the vast majority of the slaves could not be saved due to a lack of on-hand ships to evacuate them while Ork reinforcements threatened to end the mission as a complete failure. The Lamenters were so devastated by the even that they [[KeepTheReward rejected attempts from the Ultramarines to honor them for it]].

* LastOfHisKind: Invoked by Chyron, a dreadnaught permanently attached to team “Talon” of the Deathwatch group, who believes his Lamenter brothers all perished to Hive Fleet Kraken while he had been called away to serve Deathwatch for a temporary mission, and thus believes he’s the last one [[AvertedTrope (despite the fact they lived)]]. This has made him grouchy and more than willing to disobey even an Inquisitor if it means he gets to kills more xenos, though his fellow squad mates refuse to abandon him.

The Lamenters are thought by some to be an experiment by the Adeptus Mechanicus to remove the gene-curse of their parent chapter, and for the most part it appeared to have been successful. Unfortunately, the Lamenters are seemingly cursed by fate or by the Ruinous Powers with ill-luck and have suffered more unfortunate campaigns, accidents and disastrous tactical decisions than any other Chapter in the Imperium. The Chapter have been soundly defeated, almost wiped out, exiled, put on trial, distrusted, outright murdered, and deserted by their allies, and yet they still remain both loyal to the Emperor and to the people of the Imperium, who they will defend down to the last Marine. Towards the end of the 41st Millennium, the Blood Angels made numerous attempts to contact the Chapter in an attempt to investigate their apparent resistance to the Red Thirst but were unsuccessful, and the Chapter were the only Successor of the 9th Legion to not send relief forces to take part in the defence of Baal from Hive Fleet Leviathan. Despite this, the Chapter have survived their most recent string of misfortunes and have been reinforced with Primaris Marines.\\

* AloofAlly: In M42, while they maintained their noble nature with Civilians and Astra Militarum, they were actually fairly distant allies with the Iron Lords they came to aid them in the Aberrus system, only ever communicating with them when it was necessary.

* BeingGoodSucks: The Lamenters have often made a point of defending innocent civilians even when it wouldn't be in their best interest to do so, and have gone above and beyond the call of duty to free innocent civilians if they're enslaved. None of this has improved the Chapter's dark reputation with their peers or the general population of the Imperium.
* BornUnlucky: If there is such thing as a curse in the setting, this chapter definitely suffers from one. They have had more misfortune, betrayal, and loss than many chapters could possibly have before either finally having their spirits broken or just being plain destroyed.
* CavalryRefusal: While defending the world of Corillia during the 9th Black Crusade, the Lamenters suffered terrible casualties when the highly superstitious Mortifactors Chapter refused to support the notoriously unlucky Chapter and withdrew from the warzone. The Lamenters were forced to fight on for the next six weeks before other another relief force arrived to defeat the Black Legion forces.
* CosmicPlaything: The Lamenters seemed to be the only of the Cursed Founding chapters to escape a crippling defect, and despite being a Blood Angels successor appeared immune to the Flaw. Then they suffered 80% losses in their first campaign when [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer their allies abandoned them out of superstitious fear]], got lost in the Warp for two hundred years, were dragged onto the wrong side of a civil war, and had to fight Hive Fleet Kraken as penance. By the time the Blood Angels tracked them down, the Lamenters were reduced to three companies and reeling from the sudden onset of the Red Thirst and Black Rage. To their credit, the Lamenters have [[IronWoobie maintained their loyalty to the Imperium despite their many trials]], and view their suffering as the noble result of trying to do good in a universe that seems to despise them.
* {{Determinator}}: The Lamenters have been cursed with the worse circumstances possible for a Space Marine Chapter to be in at nearly every turn and yet even when horribly outgunned, outmanned, and even when no reinforcements can or even will answer to them, they continue to fight on for the people of the Imperium.

* HeroicResolve: It is rumoured that Malakim Phoros, the Lamenters' missing Chapter Master, has fallen to the Black Rage but has managed to keep his sanity through willpower alone.
* IdealHero: The closest possible to his while living in the ''[[CrapsackWorld Warhammer 40000]]'' [[CrapsackWorld universe]]. The Lamenters are selfless and will go out of their way to protect and save civilians even at the cost of their own lives, and share a friendly nature to those that they help fight for while maintaning a humble attitude. And all of this despite their ''many'' failures and how practically nobody gives them the proper respect in-universe.
* ItsPersonal: While their heroic nature meant it was only natural that they responded to the Iron Lords' chapter's call for aid against a splintered arm of Hive Fleet Kraken in M42, the rebuilt chapter and especially it's firstborn were eager at the chance to achieve vengeance against the Hive Fleet.

* KnightInSourArmor: Many battle-brothers are noted as having some aura of depression about them, whether because of something wrong in their gene-seed or directly because of all the terrible luck the Lamenters have.

* MeaningfulName: A Lamenter is someone who expresses grief or sorrow. Upon restoring the Chapter Banner, the Sisters Pronatus who helped repair it openly wept for the chapter's misfortune. This Banner became known as the ''Banner of Tears''.
* MedalOfDishonor: Marneus Calgar awarded the chapter an Iron Halo for their work in the Liberation of Slaughterhouse III. Due to losing over two-third's of the strike forces' numbers in the [[PyrrhicVictory "victory"]] (and the Lamenters rarely ever have an excess of manpower) and being forced to collapse the mines with explosive charges (thereby euthanizing around 90% of the millions of slaves that were initially freed) lest the Ork reinforcements reclaim the world, the Lamenters were in no mood to accept a reward...and then some Imperials worsened the Lamenters' reputation further by assuming they intended to snub Calgar with their refusal.

* ThePollyanna: Despite their cursed nature and string of poor luck, the Lamenters still cling strongly to Sanguinius' idealism.

* ThrowTheDogABone: The 8th Edition Blood Angels codex confirms them to have survived their penitent crusade and to have been reinforced with Primaris marines, giving them a fighting chance at making a comeback.

* FantasyCounterpartCulture: DependingOnTheWriter, the Raven Guard were originally Celtic Irish, Of note are the simplified celtic knot patterns around the full version of their chapter badge, the dark green tint of their earlier armor, and the prominence of Ravens in Irish folklore. Later writers would miss these clues and misconstrue the Chapter as being Native American-esque.

The Imperial Fists also make major apperances in the novels ''Literature/SonsOfDorn'' and ''Literature/TheBeastArises''.