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Adding bits of confirmation from the Horus Heresy novels.
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|| '''Blood Ravens''' || Red, bone pauldrons || Unknown[[note]]Speculated to be Magnus the Red[[/note]] || [[BookishTropes Collect]][[KleptomaniacHero ing]] || Psychic powers || Gabriel Angelos ||
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|| '''Blood Ravens''' || Red, bone pauldrons || Unknown[[note]]Speculated to be Magnus Unknown[[note]]Magnus the Red[[/note]] || [[BookishTropes Collect]][[KleptomaniacHero ing]] || Psychic powers || Gabriel Angelos ||
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|| '''Grey Knights''' || Unpainted ceramite || Unknown[[note]]Either the Emperor himself [[spoiler:or Horus]][[/note]] || [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Pure]] || Battling Chaos || Kaldor Draigo ||
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|| '''Grey Knights''' || Unpainted ceramite || Unknown[[note]]Either the Emperor himself [[spoiler:or Horus]][[/note]] Unknown[[note]]Mortarion.[[/note]] || [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Pure]] || Battling Chaos || Kaldor Draigo ||
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* BoringButPractical: Lasguns are far from the most impressive weapons in the Warhmamer 40k universe, but they're cheap, reliable, and have easy logistics (they can be recharged by any light source, including campfires). Despite the reputation they have for being as good as flashlights, they ''are'' deadly weapons that can blow limbs clean off of unarmored humans.
** This is why Literature/CiaphasCain ([[FakeUltimateHero HERO OF THE IMPERIUM]]!) carries around a humble laspistol when he has access to a much more potent bolter- the difference in ammo count afforded has saved his life many times in the field.
** This is why Literature/CiaphasCain ([[FakeUltimateHero HERO OF THE IMPERIUM]]!) carries around a humble laspistol when he has access to a much more potent bolter- the difference in ammo count afforded has saved his life many times in the field.
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** Note that due to CharacterExaggeration and {{Flanderization}}, these types of leaders get over-represented within the Imperium. If every last general and officer was that incompetent, sociopathic, bloodthirsty, etc., the Imperium would probably have collapsed long ago. The few extreme outliers can be chalked up to any sufficiently large organization having some less-than-ideal leaders in its chain of command.
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* HoldTheLine: How an Imperial Guard campaign will probably play out at some point or another. A common sardonic joke among the fans goes to the tune of "The Imperial Guard. It's a thankless job, but if you're willing to stand your ground and give it your all... you just might be able to buy enough time for the Space Marines to take all the credit."
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* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Ripper guns used by Ogryns are shotguns which are used just as much as a club as it is a rifle.
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* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The Ripper guns used by Ogryns are shotguns which are gun is the Ogryns' standard firearm, and is used just as much as a club as it is a rifle.shotgun.
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* ExplosiveBreeder: Ratlings procreate like there is no tomorrow. [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Possibly because there isn't.]]
* FriendlySniper: Ratlings are gregarious individuals who enjoy a good feast and make excellent snipers.
** The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer warns however that petty crime rates in a regiment increase when a Ratling squad is attached.
* FriendlySniper: Ratlings are gregarious individuals who enjoy a good feast and make excellent snipers.
** The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer warns however that petty crime rates in a regiment increase when a Ratling squad is attached.
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* ExplosiveBreeder: Ratlings procreate like there is no tomorrow. [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Possibly because there isn't.]]\n
* FriendlySniper: {{ZigZagg|ingTrope}}ed. Ratlings aregregarious individuals who gregarious, enjoy a good feast and make excellent snipers.
**snipers, but The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer warns however that petty crime rates in a regiment increase when a Ratling squad is attached.
* FriendlySniper: {{ZigZagg|ingTrope}}ed. Ratlings are
**
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* {{Hobbits}}: Ratlings, Abhumans who have evolved into smaller forms. Though not trusted, they make excellent snipers (and cooks).
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* {{Hobbits}}: Ratlings, Abhumans who have evolved into smaller forms. Though not trusted, they make excellent snipers (and cooks).
Like Tolkien's hobbits, Ratlings are very short, compactly built, and tend to be drawn with very hairy feet. They also love food, both the making and the eating.
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** Mention [[WouldNotShootACivilian targeting civilians]] in front of the Salamanders. If they're in a forgiving mood, they'll place themselves in between you and the threatened civilians and dare you to try it. If they're not, they'll declare war on you right then and not be real concerned about whose side you're on.
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** Mention [[WouldNotShootACivilian targeting civilians]] in front of the Salamanders. If they're in a forgiving mood, they'll place themselves in between you and the threatened civilians and dare tell you to try it.that you can have your massacre over the Salamanders' dead bodies. If they're not, they'll declare war on you right then and not be real concerned about whose side you're on.
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** Mention [[WouldNotShootACivilian targeting civilians]] in front of the Salamanders.
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** Mention [[WouldNotShootACivilian targeting civilians]] in front of the Salamanders. If they're in a forgiving mood, they'll place themselves in between you and the threatened civilians and dare you to try it. If they're not, they'll declare war on you right then and not be real concerned about whose side you're on.
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linked \"Imperium\"
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While the present-day Imperium consists of a large number of factions, the following are the most well-known.
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While the present-day Imperium [[Characters/Warhammer40000Imperium Imperium]] consists of a large number of factions, the following are the most well-known.
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1 word Institutionally for BR, linked Lot D \"Doomed\"
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|| '''Blood Ravens''' || Red, bone pauldrons || Unknown[[note]]Speculated to be Magnus the Red[[/note]] || [[CuriosityIsACrapshoot Knowledge-seeking]] || Psychic powers || Gabriel Angelos ||
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|| '''Blood Ravens''' || Red, bone pauldrons || Unknown[[note]]Speculated to be Magnus the Red[[/note]] || [[CuriosityIsACrapshoot Knowledge-seeking]] [[BookishTropes Collect]][[KleptomaniacHero ing]] || Psychic powers || Gabriel Angelos ||
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|| '''Legion of the Damned''' || Black with flame-and-skeleton imagery || Roboute Gulliman || Doomed || [[BigDamnHeroes Appearing in the nick of time]] || N/A ||
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|| '''Legion of the Damned''' || Black with flame-and-skeleton imagery || Roboute Gulliman || Doomed [[DoomyDoomsOfDoom Doomed]] || [[BigDamnHeroes Appearing in the nick of time]] || N/A ||
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* [[WarriorMonk Warrior Nuns]] -- They do not have the FanNickname "[[AddedAlliterativeAppeal Nuns with Guns]]" for nothing.
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[[/folder]]
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[[/folder]]
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One particular abhuman faction that has caused some controversy is the Squats. The Squats were a race of abhumans that had adapted to subterranean life on high-gravity worlds near the galactic core. Separated from mainline humanity for tens of millenia, they grew shorter and, well, squatter, eventually coming to resemble the traditional fantasy dwarf in both appearance and temperament. Due to the difficulty of living on barren planets with radioactive surface conditions, the Squats developed extremely reliable food production systems, armor, and other technology, but also had a fatalistic attitude toward life. Over time, they made contact with the Orks and Eldar and gained a reputation for their high-quality tech, shrewd business dealings, and potent military defense. Eventually they were rediscovered by and reabsorbed into the Imperium, as their tech fascinated the Adeptus Mechanicus and made them a welcome addition to the Imperial armed forces, but they maintained a high degree of autonomy.
As a game faction, the Squats were never popular, nor did they fit very well in the increasingly GrimDark setting. They were included back in the days when ''[=40K=]'' was a transparent [[AC:[[RecycledInSpace In Space]]]] version of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and every race in the latter had to appear in the former, but as the setting matured the Squats felt more and more out of place. Game designers never really decided on a "tone" for the army, and depictions of them wavered between goofy space dwarfs and miniature biker dudes. In 1994, they were discontinued with the explanation that the newly arrived Tyranids had descended upon their Homeworlds and stripped them clean of all life (like they do). A handful of embittered Squats still survive spread across the vast Imperium, but as a faction they are absolutely, positively never coming back. In fact, it's Games Workshop's official position that they won't even be ''mentioned'', although this policy has relaxed enough that the reprinted edition of Space Marine lists an encounter with Squats in the novel summary, and the 6th edition rulebook's appendices actually lists Squats as one of the handful of surviving abhuman strains.
Though the Squats are ''extremely'' dead, the "space dwarf" concept itself may be in for a comeback. Games Workshop has introduced a race called the Demiurg as a member species of the Tau Empire in the ''40K'' spinoff ''BattlefleetGothic'', a species that practically never leaves their rugged ''Stronghold''-class starships, makes a living as [[AsteroidMiners deep-space miners]], are technologically-advanced enough to introduce ion cannon technology to the Tau, and closely resembles the Squats to boot. At the moment the only Demiurg models created have been for ''Gothic'', where they are the only faction said to be too small and isolationary to field actual fleets, and there are no plans to make a tabletop army for them, but only Tzeentch knows what the future holds...
As a game faction, the Squats were never popular, nor did they fit very well in the increasingly GrimDark setting. They were included back in the days when ''[=40K=]'' was a transparent [[AC:[[RecycledInSpace In Space]]]] version of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and every race in the latter had to appear in the former, but as the setting matured the Squats felt more and more out of place. Game designers never really decided on a "tone" for the army, and depictions of them wavered between goofy space dwarfs and miniature biker dudes. In 1994, they were discontinued with the explanation that the newly arrived Tyranids had descended upon their Homeworlds and stripped them clean of all life (like they do). A handful of embittered Squats still survive spread across the vast Imperium, but as a faction they are absolutely, positively never coming back. In fact, it's Games Workshop's official position that they won't even be ''mentioned'', although this policy has relaxed enough that the reprinted edition of Space Marine lists an encounter with Squats in the novel summary, and the 6th edition rulebook's appendices actually lists Squats as one of the handful of surviving abhuman strains.
Though the Squats are ''extremely'' dead, the "space dwarf" concept itself may be in for a comeback. Games Workshop has introduced a race called the Demiurg as a member species of the Tau Empire in the ''40K'' spinoff ''BattlefleetGothic'', a species that practically never leaves their rugged ''Stronghold''-class starships, makes a living as [[AsteroidMiners deep-space miners]], are technologically-advanced enough to introduce ion cannon technology to the Tau, and closely resembles the Squats to boot. At the moment the only Demiurg models created have been for ''Gothic'', where they are the only faction said to be too small and isolationary to field actual fleets, and there are no plans to make a tabletop army for them, but only Tzeentch knows what the future holds...
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!Squats
->''You people do well at war because you treat it as a religion. [[WarForFunAndProfit We do well because we treat it as a business]]. It is just a matter of outlook.''
The lost army. Dwarfs [-IN SPACE-]. Bug chow.
The Squats were a race of abhumans--an offshoot of the human species that had adapted to subterranean life on high-gravity worlds near the galactic core. Separated from mainline humanity for tens of millenia, they grew shorter and, well, squatter, eventually coming to resemble the traditional fantasy dwarf in both appearance and temperament. Due to the difficulty of living on barren planets with radioactive surface conditions, the Squats developed extremely reliable food production systems, armor, and other technology, but also had a fatalistic attitude toward life. Over time, they made contact with the Orks and Eldar and gained a reputation for their high-quality tech, shrewd business dealings, and potent military defense. Eventually they were rediscovered by and reabsorbed into the Imperium, as their tech fascinated the Adeptus Mechanicus and made them a welcome addition to the Imperial armed forces, but they maintained a high degree of autonomy.
As a game faction, the Squats were never popular, nor did they fit very well in the increasingly GrimDark setting. They were included back in the days when ''[=40K=]'' was a transparent [[AC:[[RecycledInSpace In Space]]]] version of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and every race in the latter had to appear in the former, but as the setting matured the Squats felt more and more out of place. Game designers never really decided on a "tone" for the army, and depictions of them wavered between goofy space dwarfs and miniature biker dudes. In 1994, they were discontinued with the explanation that the newly arrived Tyranids had descended upon their Homeworlds and stripped them clean of all life (like they do). A handful of embittered Squats still survive spread across the vast Imperium, but as a faction they are absolutely, positively never coming back. In fact, it's Games Workshop's official position that they won't even be ''mentioned'', although this policy has relaxed enough that the reprinted edition of Space Marine lists an encounter with squats in the novel summary, and the 6th edition rulebook's appendices actually lists squats as one of the handful of surviving abhuman strains.
Though the Squats are ''extremely'' dead, the "space dwarf" concept itself may be in for a comeback. Games Workshop has introduced a race called the Demiurg as a member species of the Tau Empire in the ''40K'' spinoff ''BattlefleetGothic'', a species that practically never leaves their rugged ''Stronghold''-class starships, makes a living as [[AsteroidMiners deep-space miners]], are technologically-advanced enough to introduce ion cannon technology to the Tau, and closely resembles the Squats to boot. At the moment the only Demiurg models created have been for ''Gothic'', where they are the only faction said to be too small and isolationary to field actual fleets, and there are no plans to make a tabletop army for them, but only Tzeentch knows what the future holds...
!!Notable Squat tropes include:
->''You people do well at war because you treat it as a religion. [[WarForFunAndProfit We do well because we treat it as a business]]. It is just a matter of outlook.''
The lost army. Dwarfs [-IN SPACE-]. Bug chow.
The Squats were a race of abhumans--an offshoot of the human species that had adapted to subterranean life on high-gravity worlds near the galactic core. Separated from mainline humanity for tens of millenia, they grew shorter and, well, squatter, eventually coming to resemble the traditional fantasy dwarf in both appearance and temperament. Due to the difficulty of living on barren planets with radioactive surface conditions, the Squats developed extremely reliable food production systems, armor, and other technology, but also had a fatalistic attitude toward life. Over time, they made contact with the Orks and Eldar and gained a reputation for their high-quality tech, shrewd business dealings, and potent military defense. Eventually they were rediscovered by and reabsorbed into the Imperium, as their tech fascinated the Adeptus Mechanicus and made them a welcome addition to the Imperial armed forces, but they maintained a high degree of autonomy.
As a game faction, the Squats were never popular, nor did they fit very well in the increasingly GrimDark setting. They were included back in the days when ''[=40K=]'' was a transparent [[AC:[[RecycledInSpace In Space]]]] version of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and every race in the latter had to appear in the former, but as the setting matured the Squats felt more and more out of place. Game designers never really decided on a "tone" for the army, and depictions of them wavered between goofy space dwarfs and miniature biker dudes. In 1994, they were discontinued with the explanation that the newly arrived Tyranids had descended upon their Homeworlds and stripped them clean of all life (like they do). A handful of embittered Squats still survive spread across the vast Imperium, but as a faction they are absolutely, positively never coming back. In fact, it's Games Workshop's official position that they won't even be ''mentioned'', although this policy has relaxed enough that the reprinted edition of Space Marine lists an encounter with squats in the novel summary, and the 6th edition rulebook's appendices actually lists squats as one of the handful of surviving abhuman strains.
Though the Squats are ''extremely'' dead, the "space dwarf" concept itself may be in for a comeback. Games Workshop has introduced a race called the Demiurg as a member species of the Tau Empire in the ''40K'' spinoff ''BattlefleetGothic'', a species that practically never leaves their rugged ''Stronghold''-class starships, makes a living as [[AsteroidMiners deep-space miners]], are technologically-advanced enough to introduce ion cannon technology to the Tau, and closely resembles the Squats to boot. At the moment the only Demiurg models created have been for ''Gothic'', where they are the only faction said to be too small and isolationary to field actual fleets, and there are no plans to make a tabletop army for them, but only Tzeentch knows what the future holds...
!!Notable Squat tropes include:
to:
->''You people do well at war because you treat it as a religion. [[WarForFunAndProfit We do well because we treat it as a business]]. It is just a matter of outlook.''
The lost army. Dwarfs [-IN SPACE-]. Bug chow.
The Squats were a race of abhumans--an offshoot of the human species that had adapted to subterranean life on high-gravity worlds near the galactic core. Separated from mainline humanity for tens of millenia, they grew shorter and, well, squatter, eventually coming to resemble the traditional fantasy dwarf in both appearance and temperament. Due
As a game faction, the Squats were never popular, nor did they fit very well in the increasingly GrimDark setting. They were included back in the days when ''[=40K=]'' was a transparent [[AC:[[RecycledInSpace In Space]]]] version of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and every race in the latter had to appear in the former, but as the setting matured the Squats felt more and more out of place. Game designers never really decided on a "tone" for the army, and depictions of them wavered between goofy space dwarfs and miniature biker dudes. In 1994, they were discontinued with the explanation that the newly arrived Tyranids had descended upon their Homeworlds and stripped them clean of all life (like they do). A handful of embittered Squats still survive spread across the vast Imperium, but as a faction they are absolutely, positively never coming back. In fact, it's Games Workshop's official position that they won't even be ''mentioned'', although this policy has relaxed enough that the reprinted edition of Space Marine lists an encounter with squats in the novel summary, and the 6th edition rulebook's appendices actually lists squats as one of the handful of surviving abhuman strains.
Though the Squats are ''extremely'' dead, the "space dwarf" concept itself may be in for a comeback. Games Workshop has introduced a race called the Demiurg as a member species of the Tau Empire in the ''40K'' spinoff ''BattlefleetGothic'', a species that practically never leaves their rugged ''Stronghold''-class starships, makes a living as [[AsteroidMiners deep-space miners]], are technologically-advanced enough to introduce ion cannon technology to the Tau, and closely resembles the Squats to boot. At the moment the only Demiurg models created have been for ''Gothic'', where they are the only faction said to be too small and isolationary to field actual fleets, and there are no plans to make a tabletop army for them, but only Tzeentch knows what the future holds...
!!Notable Squat tropes include:
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* WarForFunAndProfit: Best summed up by this quote:
-->You people do well at war because you treat it as a religion. [[WarForFunAndProfit We do well because we treat it as a business]]. It is just a matter of outlook.
-->You people do well at war because you treat it as a religion. [[WarForFunAndProfit We do well because we treat it as a business]]. It is just a matter of outlook.
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|| '''Grey Knights''' || Unpainted ceramite || Unknown (Either the Emperor himself [[spoiler:or Horus]]) || [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Pure]] || Battling Chaos || Kaldor Draigo ||
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|| '''Grey Knights''' || Unpainted ceramite || Unknown (Either Unknown[[note]]Either the Emperor himself [[spoiler:or Horus]]) Horus]][[/note]] || [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Pure]] || Battling Chaos || Kaldor Draigo ||
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* ProHumanTransHuman -- Though no longer truly human themselves, the Space Marines are humanity's greatest champions and serve the Imperium with the utmost zeal and devotion. That being said, not all of them are overly concerned with the fates of the normal humans they are sworn to defend. The Space Wolves, Blood Angels, and Raven Guard have been known to go out of their way to protect civilians, but the only chapter that always prioritizes saving civilian lives is the Salamanders.
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|| '''Raven Guard''' || Black || [[RebelLeader Corvus Corax]] || [[InTheBack Tricky]] || Precision attacks || Unknown ||
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|| '''Raven Guard''' || Black || [[RebelLeader Corvus Corax]] || [[InTheBack Tricky]] || Precision attacks attacks, covert ops, sabotage || Unknown ||
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** [[BadassArmy Badass]] [[BadassNormal Normal]] [[BadassArmy Army]] - Without BioAugmentation, SuperStrength and [[NighInvulnerable durability]], PoweredArmor, PsychicPowers, or the most advanced technology, the Imperial Guard gets by on good old-fashioned combined arms warfare...and [[WeHaveReserves massive, massive casualties]].
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** [[BadassArmy Badass]] [[BadassNormal Normal]] [[BadassArmy Army]] - Without BioAugmentation, SuperStrength and [[NighInvulnerable durability]], SuperStrength, SuperToughness, PoweredArmor, PsychicPowers, or the most advanced technology, the Imperial Guard gets by on good old-fashioned combined arms warfare...and [[WeHaveReserves massive, massive casualties]].
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* MysteriousPast -- Many chapters have their share of secrets, but the Blood Ravens' past is particularly shrouded in mystery. Their records don't extend back very far, so they have no idea where their homeworld is or what "parent" legion they were based off of. Furthermore, one of their commanders destroyed Blood Ravens relics [[VideoGame/DawnOfWar recovered on the planet Kronus]] before anyone else could examine them, and in the same campaign Chaos forces mockingly called him "[[NotSoDifferent brother]]." The Blood Ravens chapter motto is "Knowledge is Power, Guard it Well."
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* MysteriousPast -- Many chapters have their share of secrets, but the Blood Ravens' past is particularly shrouded in mystery. Their records don't extend back very far, so they have no idea where their homeworld is or what "parent" legion they were based off of. Furthermore, one of their commanders destroyed Blood Ravens relics [[VideoGame/DawnOfWar recovered on the planet Kronus]] before anyone else could examine them, and in the same campaign Chaos forces mockingly called him "[[NotSoDifferent brother]]." The Blood Ravens chapter motto is "Knowledge is Power, Guard it Well."" The ''Horus Heresy'' novel ''A Thousand Sons'' has all but confirmed that they are in fact [[spoiler:a loyalist offshoot of the Thousand Sons legion]].
** The Blood Ravens might not even be the only loyalist chapter descended from [[spoiler:a traitor Primarch]]. There's also the Forgeworld flagship chapter known as the Iron Scorpions whose founding is a closely guarded secret [[spoiler:because they may or may not be descended from Fulgrim]]. The ''Horus Heresy'' series has also implied that the Grey Knights may in fact use geneseed from [[spoiler:Horus]]. Which adds some major FridgeBrilliance to the intensely high standards for purity the chapter holds.
** The Blood Ravens might not even be the only loyalist chapter descended from [[spoiler:a traitor Primarch]]. There's also the Forgeworld flagship chapter known as the Iron Scorpions whose founding is a closely guarded secret [[spoiler:because they may or may not be descended from Fulgrim]]. The ''Horus Heresy'' series has also implied that the Grey Knights may in fact use geneseed from [[spoiler:Horus]]. Which adds some major FridgeBrilliance to the intensely high standards for purity the chapter holds.
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|| '''Grey Knights''' || Unpainted ceramite || Unknown (possibly the Emperor) || [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Pure]] || Battling Chaos || Kaldor Draigo ||
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|| '''Grey Knights''' || Unpainted ceramite || Unknown (possibly (Either the Emperor) Emperor himself [[spoiler:or Horus]]) || [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Pure]] || Battling Chaos || Kaldor Draigo ||
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''See also ''Literature/BloodAngels'', ''SpaceWolf'', ''Literature/{{Ultramarines}}'', ''Literature/GreyKnights'', ''Literature/SoulDrinkers'', BloodRavens, ImperialFists, ''Literature/{{Salamanders}}'', ''Literature/DarkAngels'''
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Blah! I cannot believe I got my Black Library authors mixed up like that!
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** DependingOnTheWriter: While that is the common image, DanAbnett points out that though the Sisters are supposed to be above base desires, they do not ''technically'' take oaths of chastity, though the kind of lifestyle they keep typically precludes intimate relations and having one exposed would be considered an embarrassment.
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** DependingOnTheWriter: While that is the common image, DanAbnett SandyMitchell points out that though the Sisters are supposed to be above base desires, they do not ''technically'' take oaths of chastity, though the kind of lifestyle they keep typically precludes intimate relations and having one exposed would be considered an embarrassment.
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* ReimaginingTheArtifact -- The Squats did much better in ''Epic 40,000'' than they ever did in ''Warhammer 40,000'', where the difference in scale allowed them to much better show off their potential for massive mobile construction. However, this was too little, too late to save them from slipping into CanonDisContinuity.
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Fixed a broken wick
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*** Just to make the point clear. Remember that [[TrainingFromHell training facility]] in ''Film/Starship Troopers''? In Warhammer 40k, it's an average [[RedShirtArmy PDF]] training ground. After serving at least two years in PDF, the best soldiers may be recruited by the Guard. After six months of extensive training on the IG training grounds, they will actually join a Guard regiment. In the regiment, all of them are considered green newbies, that will be pushed around the training course by veteran superiors. Nevertheless, statistically, less than half of them will live through their first campaign. Those who do can be considered proper [[RedShirt Guardsmen]].
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*** Just to make the point clear. Remember that [[TrainingFromHell training facility]] in ''Film/Starship Troopers''? ''Film/StarshipTroopers''? In Warhammer 40k, it's an average [[RedShirtArmy PDF]] training ground. After serving at least two years in PDF, the best soldiers may be recruited by the Guard. After six months of extensive training on the IG training grounds, they will actually join a Guard regiment. In the regiment, all of them are considered green newbies, that will be pushed around the training course by veteran superiors. Nevertheless, statistically, less than half of them will live through their first campaign. Those who do can be considered proper [[RedShirt Guardsmen]].
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* CelibateHero: A popular image of the Sisters of Battle being that their are chaste warriors, cloistered together and fully devoted to the Emperor to the exclusion of anything else, including physical desire.
** DependingOnTheWriter: While that is the common image, DanAbnett points out that though the Sisters are supposed to be above base desires, they do not ''technically'' take oaths of chastity, though the kind of lifestyle they keep typically precludes intimate relations and having one exposed would be considered an embarrassment.
** DependingOnTheWriter: While that is the common image, DanAbnett points out that though the Sisters are supposed to be above base desires, they do not ''technically'' take oaths of chastity, though the kind of lifestyle they keep typically precludes intimate relations and having one exposed would be considered an embarrassment.
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** BadassTransplant -- When an Iron Hands Aspirant becomes a Neophyte, they remove their left hand and replace it with a bionic. Upon becoming a full battle brother, they replace the right hand. They start getting more bionics the further they climb the ranks of the Company.
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** BadassTransplant -- When an Iron Hands Aspirant becomes a Neophyte, they remove their left hand and replace it with a bionic. Upon becoming a full battle brother, they replace the right hand. They start getting get more bionics the further they climb the ranks of the Company.
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--->"I carry with me an Inquisitorial Seal. It is a small, unassuming object contained in a neat box of Pluvian obsidian. It is a modest thing. Relatively plain, adorned with a single motif and a simple motto. Yet with this little object I can sign the death warrant of an entire world and consign a billion souls to Oblivion."
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[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Adeptus Mechanicus]]
[[quoteright:343:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adeptus_foremanrough_smallv2.jpg]]
->''In ancient times, men built wonders, laid claim to the stars and sought to better themselves for the good of all. But we are much wiser now.''
Mankind's golden age is long past, and many of its technological secrets have been lost. When the Emperor was reuniting humanity, he found on Mars a strange priesthood devoted to the preservation of what knowledge remained. This Adeptus Mechanicus became a vital part of the Imperium, providing technical expertise, planet-wide factories known as Forge Worlds that produce everything from lasguns to civilian goods, and incredible weapons such as the [[HumongousMecha Titan Legions]]. They are theoretically subordinate to the Imperium, and their highest-ranking member is one of the twelve High Lords of Terra, but the Machine Cult has its own specialized army, the Skitarii, and run the aforementioned Titan Legions, standing slightly apart from the Imperium of Man despite propping it up.
The Adeptus Mechanicus are not just humanity's last source of technological knowledge; they actively worship machinery, and venerate the Emperor as an aspect of an entity they call the Omnissiah. They believe that all devices have a "machine spirit" that must be placated in order for it to function properly, and therefore the Machine Cult's maintenance rituals involve a lot of incense, sacred oils, and chanting. This is a bunch of ignorant superstition that should have no effect on how devices function... [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve but nonetheless, it seems to help]]. They also hold that for humans to perfect themselves they must take on more aspects of the machine, and therefore undergo voluntary cybernetic "upgrades," be they mechadendrites or other artificial limbs, or replacing the illogical half of their brain with a computer. Calling a Techpriest "more machine than man" is a compliment, and most Imperial citizens find the Priesthood of Mars hard to relate to, yet necessary.
While gifted mechanics and craftsmen, Adeptus Mechanicus orthodoxy holds that all technological advances have already been discovered, and they therefore place more emphasis on reverse-engineering or recovering old knowledge than they do on experimentation or upgrades. Thus, the Adeptus Mechanicus has kept mankind's technology working for ten thousand years, but has made little to no technological progress in that time. In fact, they have actually regressed, making some starships or weapons or other devices irreplaceable because the Tech-Priests don't know how to build them any more. They are a parallel to medieval craftsman's guilds in the way they preserve skill but quash innovation with a monopoly on technology. The Adeptus Mechanicus has no official tabletop army, but their influence is felt in the form of Tech-Priest Enginseers in the Imperial Guard, or the Techmarines of the Adeptus Astartes. The Titan Legions do make an appearance in the form of Forge World (the company) produced Titan models, which can be used in Apocalypse games.
!!Notable Adeptus Mechanicus tropes:
* AdmiringTheAbomination -- Techpriests have a bad tendency in the fluff to get ''really'' worked up over Necron tombs, and will abandon all semblance of sense to poke and prod at what should, at best, be [[Film/{{Alien}} nuked from orbit]]. This almost always gets them in big trouble, and by extension anyone they're working with.
* AgeWithoutYouth -- Techpriests can be very old indeed; they tend to prefer methods of their own to the juvenat treatments used by nobles and other important figures. These methods preserve life without such niceties as removing the appearance of extreme age.
* AIIsACrapshoot -- At some point in the distant past humanity dealt with a [[KillAllHumans robot uprising]], and therefore the Imperium operates under a strict ban on artificial intelligences.
* AnAxeToGrind / BladeOnAStick -- A common melee weapon of the Adeptus Mechanicus is that of a long-handled, halberd-like power-axe with an edged blade on one side, and a half-cogwheel emblem on the other. Such things are considered badges of office, and are a sign that the tech-priest is favored by their superiors.
* BeliefMakesYouStupid -- The cause of the [[MedievalStasis Technological Stasis]].
* BioAugmentation -- "Organicists" is the name given to a school of thought within the Adeptus Mechanicus that gives the same value to organic life that they do to inorganic construction. They see an organic body as its own kind of machine, taking in fuel, producing waste, and generating action like any constructed device. Much like their fellows though, they are not content to exist unaugmented, and seek to improve their bodies to become closer to the Omnissiah. The difference being that they are much more willing to graft engineered organs and other biological components to themselves in addition to more "normal" mechanical enhancements.
* BrainInAJar -- After the rebellion of the Iron Men, the Emperor decreed that Artificial Intelligence was ''Abominable'' Intelligence and forbidden from study. To get around this, the Mechanicus created servitors, using the brains of dead individuals to serve as a CPU for more advanced hardware like Automatons, shipboard computers and pretty much anywhere where an actual CPU could be used. This is allowed because it still has the machine dependent on the Holy Human Form.
** Whether an AI that emerges unintentionally from the development of one or more systems is "abominable" or holy is yet another matter of [[RightHandVersusLeftHand internal division]].
* BunnyEarsLawyer -- By and large, they are good engineers despite everything. They ''do'' understand a significant fraction of their devices, and always strive to learn more--but this doesn't demystify anything, it simply brings them closer to union with the holy Omnissiah.
* CargoCult -- The [=AdMech=]'s worship of technology is completely literal, and they attend their machines with prayers as much as with tools.
* ClarksThirdLaw -- Played straight, and integrated into their background. Technology achieved full Clark's-Third levels during the Dark Age of Technology, and most of that know-how has been lost to time since. Hence, the highest levels of technology for the Imperium is seen as magical by Imperial society, including the tech-priests themselves.
** ReligionIsMagic -- In full force here, going along with the "magic" in question being indistinguishable from sufficiently advanced technology. The devotees of the Machine God even consider the theoretical principles on which their technology is based to be a form of theology.
* CloudCuckooLander -- Members of the Adeptus Mechanicus that are relatively friendly tend to be...quirky at best.
* CombatTentacles -- One of the more common enhancements is the mechadendrite, a long, flexible extra limb that is intended for delicate mechanical work, but is frighteningly handy in a fight.
* CompanionCube -- Well, who hasn't resorted to pleading and begging when dealing with a computer at some point? The Adeptus Mechanicus are simply the (il)logical culmination of such desperation.
* CorruptChurch -- The techpriests frequently apply ForScience, and their cult holds a great deal of power in the Imperium. [[JustThinkOfThePotential Most do genuinely think of the progress such applications can do]].
* CyberneticsEatYourSoul -- Subverted. As a techpriest advances in the ranks, he usually replaces more and more of his "weak flesh" with augmetics, at the same time as his mind draws farther away from normal human concerns. Some even replace half their brain with a computer, in order to approach the Omnissiah's perfect reason. But it is ''not'' the cybernetics that do the soul eating, but the Tech-Priests' beliefs.
* EmpireWithADarkSecret -- It is heavily implied that the Tech-Priests may be worshipping the C'Tan known as the Void Dragon, who is possibly imprisoned on Mars.
** [[spoiler:The Emperor arranged things so their designs and beliefs were inspired by the Dragon without ever really focusing on it.]]
* EternalEngine -- Mechanicus standard for interior (and exterior) decor. Wall-to-wall gears and electronics, only broken by the odd devotional shrine. The longer-established Forge Worlds are nothing but.
* EvilCounterpart: The Dark Mechanicus, which worships the Omnissiah as a form of Chaos Undivided and supplied arms and technical expertise to the Traitor Legions both before and after the Horus Heresy.
* ForScience -- The Machine Cult will do anything to find an STC or understand an ancient device.
** Except, usually, take it apart to reverse engineer it. Partly because it would be heresy and offensive to the machine spirit, partly because they could not guarantee that they could put it back together, and partly because creativity unbound by exacting procedure opens up one's mind for [[MindRape Daemons]]. Anything sufficiently old and awesome is normally subjected to endless tests of function and non-invasive scans, making Mechanicus reverse-engineering nearly as slow as their acceptance of new designs.
* GeniusBruiser:
** Techmarines combine the muscle and training of a standard-issue Space Marine with a number of tools that double as weapons and the best technology they can bring to bear. They're actually one of the most formidable units in the army list!
** There are also Techpriests dedicated to the art of war known as Secutors.
* HumongousMecha -- ''Their'' God-Machines of the Titan Legions.
* InTheHood -- The standard outfit for priests of the Machine God is a hooded red robe. If a tech-priest expects to go into battle, they will usually don an armored suit, and trade their robe in for a hooded red cloak that allows them a bit more freedom of movement.
* MacGuffin -- The second-biggest prize for the Tech-Priests is a Standard Template Construct, one of many designs dating back from the Dark Age of Technology that were made to be as adaptable and robust as possible, using technology long since lost to man. The biggest would be a Standard Template ''Constructor'', an automated factory and technical library that can build or describe ''any'' of them. So far, all they have found are partial, damaged ones that can only create one or a few -- and even these are worth more than whole star systems.
* MachineWorship -- The group that inspired the trope.
* MadScientist -- Some Tech-Priests rather lose their perspective in seeking ancient technology or pursuing the Omnissiah's thoughts in the workings of technology and the universe.
* MechaMooks -- Though rare after the various {{Retcon}}s over the course of First Edition, the Mechanicum still has the "Legio Cybernetica", squads of brainless-but-tough robots (or [[BrainInAJar full-conversion servitors]], DependingOnTheWriter) each commanded by a single Techpriest.
** They make a comeback within the ''HorusHeresy'' series, although it's shown that the better part of the Legio Cybernetica sided with the Traitor Legions.
* MedievalStasis -- The Adeptus Mechanicus' beliefs have mostly ensured this for the Imperium. There is some innovation, but ''very'' slowly...
* NeuralImplanting -- Some of the sacred implants of the Omnissiah are cogitator databases hooked directly into the brain (sometimes removing "useless" portions of the brain to make room) which contain information on how to build some of their most advanced technology. There is some speculation that this is what enables the Tech-Priests to build very complex technology without actually understanding the principles on which it works, the implants containing information on '''how''' to construct something without explaining the '''why''' of it.
** It is worth noting that this was absolutely true of all tech-priests in the early era of the game, where low-ranking members were directly implanted with the procedures they needed. New editions have since {{Retcon}}ed this sort of implant to be restricted mostly to high-ranking Tech-Priests, actually authorised to design and research, for whom it is no substitute but rather an extra advantage. The more novice tech-priests must build their technology through rote memorization taught to them by their superiors, with all the religious pomp and circumstance their construction is known for. The knowledge-bearing sacred implants are only gifted once a tech-priest has been properly indoctrinated against potential misuse of the Omnissiah's secrets.
* NoExceptYes -- When a Techpriest develops a new design, he is not using his corruptible human creativity, he is using divinely inspired reason to extrapolate it from existing devices and the inherent order in the universe.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil -- Because everything worth discovering was done so thousands of years ago, or has always existed logically implicit in the universe, to be discovered by inspired reason rather than be invented by merely human creativity, more along the lines of New Technology Is Impossible.
** Somewhat justified as it is possible for daemons to posses not only humans but also machines. Possession can occur through symbols of any kind. (Think your new fancy microchip design is awesome because it makes the Lasgun fire more accurate? Too bad the circuits form a pattern that has just attracted a Khornate daemon. Say hello to your new possessed Lasgun.)
*** Chaos forces directly state that to summon and bind a demon to a weapon, quite complicated rituals and massive human sacrifices are required. Therefore, all said above may be Imperial propaganda aimed to keep the monopoly on the technology in one hands--or it may simply harder to empower a weapon than simply corrupt it.
** There are arguments about this, with the Adeptus Mechanicus being divided into camps fighting over whether to dedicate their resources to innovation or finding [=STCs=].
** And in recent books by Black Library, the Mechanicus is suddenly pouring out newly discovered and developed weapons and technology. Must have something to do with [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Hive Fleet Leviathan]] or [[LikeABadassOutOfHell the 13th Black Crusade]] rampaging through the galaxy at the end of the millennium.
* ObfuscatingStupidity -- The Mechanicus has legitimately lost lots of valuable STC data, but [[DependingOnTheWriter some writers]] have implied that they have more than they're letting on.
* TheRedPlanet -- Mars is the capital of the organization, and one of the most developed planets (i.e. covered in factories and hive spires) in the Imperium. It is second in importance only to Terra itself.
* RedshirtArmy -- Forge Worlds have their own local equivalent of a Planetary Defense Force or Imperial Guard regiment known as the Skitarii Tech Guard. They often wear red uniforms as a symbol of their allegiance to the Adeptus Mechanicus. They are exempted from normal tithing practices for the Imperial Guard, as Forge Worlds contribute tithes of a different kind, but they often accompany Mechanicus Explorator fleets, or act as infantry and tank support for Titan Legions. Due to their close relationship with the Mechanicus, they are more likely to have [[HollywoodCyborg augmetic enhancements]] and high-tech weaponry than the Imperial Guard, but exact practices and equipment varies between regiments.
* RightHandVersusLeftHand -- If you think academic politics are bad now, just wait a few millennia and it ''will'' get worse. The Mechanicus fight and scheme against each other almost as much as the Inquisition, for various reasons--the "invention is evil" versus "invention is discovery" positions above, various more abstruse disputes, and simple struggles over prestige and promotion.
* RoboSpeak:
** This is generally true of servitors and other communicative WetwareCPU devices created by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
** Techpriests can approach this after heavy augmentation eventually replaces their voice box and much of their brain, but they are still human ([[CyberneticsEatYourSoul in a manner of speaking]]) beneath it all, and as such they tend to fall into SpockSpeak with a CreepyMonotone.
* TechnoBabble -- Techpriests tend to do this...a ''lot''.
* {{Technopath}} -- They only think they are, but sometimes it becomes true. With enough chanting, they can make PercussiveMaintenance or an insane bodge job work when there's no way in hell it should, and some Techpriests are masters of "intuitive maintenance", diagnosing malfunctions by sound and touch and comforting the machine-spirit with nearly imperceptible adjustments.
* TechnoWizard -- With emphasis on "Techno." And "Wizard" too.
* UnwillingRoboticisation -- DependingOnTheWriter, some [[MechaMooks servitors]] are created by growing artificial lifeforms which are then grafted with mechanical components to form a completely artificial cyborg. However, it is also a common fate for those who have sinned against the Machine God to be condemned to be made into servitors themselves, their cadaver repurposed and re-animated with mechanical components.
* WarriorMonk -- Secutors are tech-priests who focus on the destructive potential of the Machine God, manufacturing and wielding some of the most potent of the Adeptus Mechanicus' weaponry, and further augmenting themselves to enhance their combat abilities, becoming vessels for the Omnissiah's wrath.
* WaveMotionGun -- The Ordinatii of divisio reductor are some of the biggest guns in the galaxy.
* WeirdnessCoupon -- The Adeptus Mechanicus disdain the holy human body, altering it both cybernetically and biologically at will. They belong to the Imperial Faith only on the slimmest of technicalities, and some make an open secret that they don't even make that effort, preferring to see the Omnissiah as a separate and older divinity than the Emperor. Most suspiciously of all, they pursue knowledge on secretive quests under a regime that adores blind faith and unthinking loyalty. Yet, while some members run foul of the Inquisition, Ecclesiarchy, or Administratum in ways that range from embarrassing to deadly, by and large they are left alone as powerful if not respected members of the Imperial order. De facto, they are simply necessary no matter how evil a zealot may think they are. De jure, they are only joined to the Imperium of Mankind by a personal union, sworn to the Emperor's service separately from the Adeptus Terra that run everything else, and subject to it only on secondment.
** Within the Adeptus Mechanicus, eccentricities tend to increase with rank, although human failings like drug use and family attachments are surefire ways not to achieve higher ranks. Beyond this, a well-connected Techpriest of sufficient status is unlikely to be convicted of tech-heresy for anything done while developing anything sufficiently useful, and may well be cleared of an existing conviction that sent him fleeing to work in the far corners of the galaxy.
* WetwareCPU -- To get around the ban on advanced computers or robotics, the Adeptus Mechanicus creates servitors, which are either criminals or vat-grown humans who have their brains replaced with "bio-programming" and useful cybernetic upgrades such as tools or weapon systems grafted to their bodies. In extreme cases, servitors are wired into networks directly, forming the fleshy core of a computer system. Basically slaves, they are hopefully not sentient.
* WeWillUseManualLaborInTheFuture -- The SchizoTech resulting from all this lost technology leads to ships with warp engines and force fields requiring slave labor to manually reload cannons the size of office buildings.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Mutants and Abhumans]]
->''Twisted flesh, twisted soul.''
The Imperium does not simply worship the Emperor, but also the holy human form. Part of the Imperium's ManifestDestiny states that humanity has a right to rule the galaxy. However, the simple fact is that after thousands of years on other worlds, various human populations have evolved into different types of humans. These are referred to as Abhumans or Mutants, variously; Abhumans are fairly minor, stable strains of mutation that are effectively the result of natural evolution caused by different environments, while Mutants are far more bizarre in form and stem from the wide variety of genetic degeneratives at loose in the galaxy at large -- radiation, genetic warfare, toxic chemicals, ''et cetera''. While the Imperium officially disdains them, some are useful or even necessary. In the time of the Emperor, the view of Abhumans and Mutants was more lenient, but after ten thousand years, the Imperium has taken a more draconian approach.
In the background, the most important of mutants are the Navigators, families who were genetically engineered in the distant past to navigate the Warp with psychic powers. Collectively, they form the Navis Nobilite, wealthy families who are necessary for the Imperium to survive. On the tabletop, certain Abhumans are useful to the Imperial Guard for specialist skills. Mutants, in the background and to an extent on the tabletop, are typically executed on sight for their genetic damage or kept as slaves -- as a result, they are eager worshipers of Chaos, aided by the fact that Chaos tends to both cause mutation in its followers and treats those bearing mutations as being blessed by the Gods.
!!General Abhuman and Mutant tropes
* TheAtoner: Beastmen who followed the Imperial Cult were ruthless in purging the Emperor's enemies as penance for the "sin" of mutating.
* BodyHorror: Generic mutants are this trope incarnate. Even those who haven't been touched by Chaos can sport all manner of strange and unnatural features, including but not limited to: extra eyes/mouths/limbs, rotting flesh, atrophied bodyparts, unnaturally swollen musculature, oversized bodyparts, scales, fur, fangs, claws, slime-oozing skin, blisters and warts, tentacles... Essentially, a mutant is living BodyHorror and may or may not have {{Lovecraftian Superpower}}s as a result of it.
* DumbMuscle: Increased size, strength and toughness at a cost of lowered intelligence is a fairly common mutation. Some, however, are bigger, stronger, and tougher than regular humans while [[GeniusBruiser being just as smart or smarter than humans]].
* ExtraEyes: They're a common mutation, and [[EyesDoNotBelongThere can turn up in the strangest places]].
* FantasticRacism: The Imperium typically takes a very dim view of mutation from the accepted norm of the "Holy Human Form", though the degree to which a typical citizen subscribes to this will vary. One major reason for this is that mutation is often a sign that one is becoming [[TheCorruption corrupted by the Warp]], potentially becoming a vessel for the Ruinous Powers. However, this hatred extends to those whose mutations are caused by more "mundane" sources, such as generations of exposure to radiation or industrial waste, leading to widespread hatred and distrust of all mutants. Since mutation can continue to appear generation after generation, killing all mutants tends to be impractical, so most are allowed to exist as an oppressed underclass, looked down upon by all.
** Abhumans are subraces of humans whose differences have manifested into stable genotypes, without the randomness seen as signs of corruption. They often suffer some prejudices related to their differences, but find a much better measure of acceptance, especially if those differences make them valuable to the Imperium in some way. Navigators in particular, while still somewhat feared, are also held in a degree of awe due to the absolutely essential role that they play in the Imperium.
* HeavyWorlder: How Ogryns and Squats came to be, even though they went in completely different directions.
* RetGone: Originally, many Abhumans were transplants from ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', but as time went on, they stopped being updated or even mentioned. The Squats are the most famous example of this.
[[/folder]]
!!Tropes specific to the Navigators:
* ArrangedMarriage: Since Navigators can only pass on their psyker genes by procreating with other Navigators, marriages among the Navis Nobilite are arranged usually between rival houses to ensure genetic stability and as a form of alliance.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: When the Paternova dies, the Heirs Apparent (the most powerful Navigators of each house) become larger, stronger, and more aggressive. They then fight and kill each other for the right of Paternova.
* BlindfoldedVision: When not actively guiding a ship, Navigators will cover their ThirdEye, as [[EvilEye looking into it can cause madness]]. This makes [[PowerLimiter limiting others' exposure to it]] necessary. This covering can take many forms, from a headband, to a veil, to an [[EyepatchOfPower eyepatch]], to [[InTheHood a low-pulled hood]], or even occasionally [[ElectronicEyes a cybernetic shutter-like metallic eyelid]].
* BodyHorror: Thanks to a limited breeding pool, the possibility of imperfect genetic tampering on the part of some ancestors, and generations of necessary warp exposure, Navigators often suffer from a variety of minor mutations. As Navigators age these mutations become more obvious and extreme, with some of them even transforming into ugly frog-octopus things. It's an accepted fact of life for them and even during the brutal inter-house coldwars both sides will respect this secret and ensure that nobody breaks the {{masquerade}}. The Emperor was aware of these mutations but decided to tolerate it.
* EvilEye: Staring into a Navigator's Warp Eye is commonly said to [[BrownNote cause either insanity or death]]. No one wants to test it, and Navigators must wear hoods, scarves, or headbands of [[AntiMagic psyk-resistant]] material around normal humans.
* {{Expy}}: The Navis Nobilite are pretty blatant expies of the Navigator Guild from ''Literature/{{Dune}}''.
* ExtraEyes: Navigators possess a "Warp eye" allowing them to see the currents of the Immaterium and guide ships through it. This is not a poetic turn of phrase.
* FeudingFamilies: Among the Navis Nobilite, there exist conflicts known as Tradewars, which include limited conflict among the families. The Administratum tolerates these to a point, as long as they're short and not too destructive.
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: {{Averted|Trope}} by the Navigators when exposed to the Warp, which is what makes them unique in the setting in which this trope is otherwise played straight. Their ThirdEye allows them to perceive the warp in a way which will not overwhelming their mortal mind, enabling their ability to guild a ship through its currents. This perception is subjective, and each Navigator will see it in a different manner, so that when they try to describe it to others, the only way they can do so is through vaguely poetic metaphor.
** [[EvilEye Looking into a Navigator's eye]] results in warp-driven madness, [[BrownNote bodily disruption]], and possibly death.
* ThePatriarch: The Paternova, the leader of the Navis Nobilite, who is called the "father of the Warp", and is somehow able to increase the Warp sense of his family's Navigators.
* [[WalkingTheEarth Walking the Cosmos]]: Some Navigator families abandon their wealthy estates and take to wandering the galaxy.
* WeirdnessCoupon: The Navigators are mutants whose elders begin mutating beyond the norms of the "holy human form", and yet are fantastically wealthy and have a permanent seat on the High Lords of Terra. They're so absolutely vital to star travel that they have to be given these things.
[[/folder]]
!!Tropes specific to the Ogryns:
* DumbMuscle: Ogryns are massive, powerful, and dumb. During the HorusHeresy, it was said that they were told the loyalists had betrayed the Emperor. The smarter ones are given [[BioAugmentation enhancements]] to increase their intelligence, called Bio Ogryn Neural Enhancement ([[FunWithAcronyms BONE]]). This allows them to become sergeants of Orgyns squads, called ''Bone'eads'' (though not that much - one of the most intelligent examples of Ogryns, Nork Deddog, is simply capable of writing his name, counting on four fingers with his thumb confusing him, and speaking in full sentences.)
* TheOgre: Ogryns are Abhumans who evolved on heavy gravity worlds with barren environments.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Ripper guns used by Ogryns are shotguns which are used just as much as a club as it is a rifle.
* UndyingLoyalty:
** Nork Deddog, an Ogryn who is absolutely loyal to his masters in the Imperium...which he interprets as the highest ranking officer.
** The Ogryns in general. They believe that the Emperor has personally issued them every order (being worked down from the chain of command) and thus obey orders to the best of their abilities.
!!Tropes specific to the Ratlings:
* ExplosiveBreeder: Ratlings procreate like there is no tomorrow. [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Possibly because there isn't.]]
* FriendlySniper: Ratlings are gregarious individuals who enjoy a good feast and make excellent snipers.
** The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer warns however that petty crime rates in a regiment increase when a Ratling squad is attached.
* TheHedonist: Ratlings enjoy the finer aspects of life.
* {{Hobbits}}: Ratlings, Abhumans who have evolved into smaller forms. Though not trusted, they make excellent snipers (and cooks).
!Squats
->''You people do well at war because you treat it as a religion. [[WarForFunAndProfit We do well because we treat it as a business]]. It is just a matter of outlook.''
The lost army. Dwarfs [-IN SPACE-]. Bug chow.
The Squats were a race of abhumans--an offshoot of the human species that had adapted to subterranean life on high-gravity worlds near the galactic core. Separated from mainline humanity for tens of millenia, they grew shorter and, well, squatter, eventually coming to resemble the traditional fantasy dwarf in both appearance and temperament. Due to the difficulty of living on barren planets with radioactive surface conditions, the Squats developed extremely reliable food production systems, armor, and other technology, but also had a fatalistic attitude toward life. Over time, they made contact with the Orks and Eldar and gained a reputation for their high-quality tech, shrewd business dealings, and potent military defense. Eventually they were rediscovered by and reabsorbed into the Imperium, as their tech fascinated the Adeptus Mechanicus and made them a welcome addition to the Imperial armed forces, but they maintained a high degree of autonomy.
As a game faction, the Squats were never popular, nor did they fit very well in the increasingly GrimDark setting. They were included back in the days when ''[=40K=]'' was a transparent [[AC:[[RecycledInSpace In Space]]]] version of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and every race in the latter had to appear in the former, but as the setting matured the Squats felt more and more out of place. Game designers never really decided on a "tone" for the army, and depictions of them wavered between goofy space dwarfs and miniature biker dudes. In 1994, they were discontinued with the explanation that the newly arrived Tyranids had descended upon their Homeworlds and stripped them clean of all life (like they do). A handful of embittered Squats still survive spread across the vast Imperium, but as a faction they are absolutely, positively never coming back. In fact, it's Games Workshop's official position that they won't even be ''mentioned'', although this policy has relaxed enough that the reprinted edition of Space Marine lists an encounter with squats in the novel summary, and the 6th edition rulebook's appendices actually lists squats as one of the handful of surviving abhuman strains.
Though the Squats are ''extremely'' dead, the "space dwarf" concept itself may be in for a comeback. Games Workshop has introduced a race called the Demiurg as a member species of the Tau Empire in the ''40K'' spinoff ''BattlefleetGothic'', a species that practically never leaves their rugged ''Stronghold''-class starships, makes a living as [[AsteroidMiners deep-space miners]], are technologically-advanced enough to introduce ion cannon technology to the Tau, and closely resembles the Squats to boot. At the moment the only Demiurg models created have been for ''Gothic'', where they are the only faction said to be too small and isolationary to field actual fleets, and there are no plans to make a tabletop army for them, but only Tzeentch knows what the future holds...
!!Notable Squat tropes include:
* BadassBiker -- Well, ''triker''. This was one of the very few unique, consistent parts of the Squats' racial identity.
* CanonDiscontinuity -- Don't [[BerserkButton mention them]] at [=GW=] press events.
** This even extends to the older 40k novels - when Ian Watson's ''Inquisition War'' trilogy was rereleased, Grimm (one of the main characters) was {{Ret Con}}ned from a Squat to a Techpriest.
** By 6th edition, this appears to have tapered off a bit, as the rerelease of ''Space Marine'' is entirely unedited, and the 6th edition rulebook lists Squats as one of the surviving abhuman strains.
* CoolTrain -- One of the Squats' war machines for the large-scale ''Epic 40,000'' was the Land Train, a crawling fortress of which each car had a different function, be it troop transport, landing pad, or mortar battery.
* [[DroppedABridgeOnHim Dropped A Hive Fleet On Him]] -- When 40K decides to kill you off, you are killed off with ''extreme'' prejudice.
* {{Expy}} -- The Demiurg of the Squats, who were in turn an expy of ''Warhammer'' Dwarfs.
* HeavyWorlder -- Strangely enough, the Imperial Guard's [[TheOgre Ogryns]] also come from high-gravity worlds, but turned out completely different.
* JustForFun/CandleJack -- An unofficial but heavily enforced rule on the old Games Workshop forums was that anyone who stated that the Squats should be brought ba
* MeaningfulName -- Demiurg is Greek for "craftsman" or "artisan."
* MoodDissonance -- Part of the reason Squats were problematic.
* OldShame -- [=GW=] classifies Squats as one of those things "best forgotten."
* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame -- Even in space!
* PoweredArmor -- ... that makes them look like walking eggs... on bikes...
* PrivateMilitaryContractors -- See the quote above.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy -- Because Dwarfs are.
* RecycledInSpace -- Perhaps in more ways than one, given the Demiurg's arrival.
* ShoutOut -- In the Tau language, the Demiurg are referred to as "Bentu'sin." A very similar race of ion cannon traders called the Bentusi appeared in the video game ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}}'', which was made by Relic Entertainment, who would later go on to give us ''Warhammer 40,000: DawnOfWar.''
----
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Adeptus Mechanicus]]
[[quoteright:343:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adeptus_foremanrough_smallv2.jpg]]
->''In ancient times, men built wonders, laid claim to the stars and sought to better themselves for the good of all. But we are much wiser now.''
Mankind's golden age is long past, and many of its technological secrets have been lost. When the Emperor was reuniting humanity, he found on Mars a strange priesthood devoted to the preservation of what knowledge remained. This Adeptus Mechanicus became a vital part of the Imperium, providing technical expertise, planet-wide factories known as Forge Worlds that produce everything from lasguns to civilian goods, and incredible weapons such as the [[HumongousMecha Titan Legions]]. They are theoretically subordinate to the Imperium, and their highest-ranking member is one of the twelve High Lords of Terra, but the Machine Cult has its own specialized army, the Skitarii, and run the aforementioned Titan Legions, standing slightly apart from the Imperium of Man despite propping it up.
The Adeptus Mechanicus are not just humanity's last source of technological knowledge; they actively worship machinery, and venerate the Emperor as an aspect of an entity they call the Omnissiah. They believe that all devices have a "machine spirit" that must be placated in order for it to function properly, and therefore the Machine Cult's maintenance rituals involve a lot of incense, sacred oils, and chanting. This is a bunch of ignorant superstition that should have no effect on how devices function... [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve but nonetheless, it seems to help]]. They also hold that for humans to perfect themselves they must take on more aspects of the machine, and therefore undergo voluntary cybernetic "upgrades," be they mechadendrites or other artificial limbs, or replacing the illogical half of their brain with a computer. Calling a Techpriest "more machine than man" is a compliment, and most Imperial citizens find the Priesthood of Mars hard to relate to, yet necessary.
While gifted mechanics and craftsmen, Adeptus Mechanicus orthodoxy holds that all technological advances have already been discovered, and they therefore place more emphasis on reverse-engineering or recovering old knowledge than they do on experimentation or upgrades. Thus, the Adeptus Mechanicus has kept mankind's technology working for ten thousand years, but has made little to no technological progress in that time. In fact, they have actually regressed, making some starships or weapons or other devices irreplaceable because the Tech-Priests don't know how to build them any more. They are a parallel to medieval craftsman's guilds in the way they preserve skill but quash innovation with a monopoly on technology. The Adeptus Mechanicus has no official tabletop army, but their influence is felt in the form of Tech-Priest Enginseers in the Imperial Guard, or the Techmarines of the Adeptus Astartes. The Titan Legions do make an appearance in the form of Forge World (the company) produced Titan models, which can be used in Apocalypse games.
!!Notable Adeptus Mechanicus tropes:
* AdmiringTheAbomination -- Techpriests have a bad tendency in the fluff to get ''really'' worked up over Necron tombs, and will abandon all semblance of sense to poke and prod at what should, at best, be [[Film/{{Alien}} nuked from orbit]]. This almost always gets them in big trouble, and by extension anyone they're working with.
* AgeWithoutYouth -- Techpriests can be very old indeed; they tend to prefer methods of their own to the juvenat treatments used by nobles and other important figures. These methods preserve life without such niceties as removing the appearance of extreme age.
* AIIsACrapshoot -- At some point in the distant past humanity dealt with a [[KillAllHumans robot uprising]], and therefore the Imperium operates under a strict ban on artificial intelligences.
* AnAxeToGrind / BladeOnAStick -- A common melee weapon of the Adeptus Mechanicus is that of a long-handled, halberd-like power-axe with an edged blade on one side, and a half-cogwheel emblem on the other. Such things are considered badges of office, and are a sign that the tech-priest is favored by their superiors.
* BeliefMakesYouStupid -- The cause of the [[MedievalStasis Technological Stasis]].
* BioAugmentation -- "Organicists" is the name given to a school of thought within the Adeptus Mechanicus that gives the same value to organic life that they do to inorganic construction. They see an organic body as its own kind of machine, taking in fuel, producing waste, and generating action like any constructed device. Much like their fellows though, they are not content to exist unaugmented, and seek to improve their bodies to become closer to the Omnissiah. The difference being that they are much more willing to graft engineered organs and other biological components to themselves in addition to more "normal" mechanical enhancements.
* BrainInAJar -- After the rebellion of the Iron Men, the Emperor decreed that Artificial Intelligence was ''Abominable'' Intelligence and forbidden from study. To get around this, the Mechanicus created servitors, using the brains of dead individuals to serve as a CPU for more advanced hardware like Automatons, shipboard computers and pretty much anywhere where an actual CPU could be used. This is allowed because it still has the machine dependent on the Holy Human Form.
** Whether an AI that emerges unintentionally from the development of one or more systems is "abominable" or holy is yet another matter of [[RightHandVersusLeftHand internal division]].
* BunnyEarsLawyer -- By and large, they are good engineers despite everything. They ''do'' understand a significant fraction of their devices, and always strive to learn more--but this doesn't demystify anything, it simply brings them closer to union with the holy Omnissiah.
* CargoCult -- The [=AdMech=]'s worship of technology is completely literal, and they attend their machines with prayers as much as with tools.
* ClarksThirdLaw -- Played straight, and integrated into their background. Technology achieved full Clark's-Third levels during the Dark Age of Technology, and most of that know-how has been lost to time since. Hence, the highest levels of technology for the Imperium is seen as magical by Imperial society, including the tech-priests themselves.
** ReligionIsMagic -- In full force here, going along with the "magic" in question being indistinguishable from sufficiently advanced technology. The devotees of the Machine God even consider the theoretical principles on which their technology is based to be a form of theology.
* CloudCuckooLander -- Members of the Adeptus Mechanicus that are relatively friendly tend to be...quirky at best.
* CombatTentacles -- One of the more common enhancements is the mechadendrite, a long, flexible extra limb that is intended for delicate mechanical work, but is frighteningly handy in a fight.
* CompanionCube -- Well, who hasn't resorted to pleading and begging when dealing with a computer at some point? The Adeptus Mechanicus are simply the (il)logical culmination of such desperation.
* CorruptChurch -- The techpriests frequently apply ForScience, and their cult holds a great deal of power in the Imperium. [[JustThinkOfThePotential Most do genuinely think of the progress such applications can do]].
* CyberneticsEatYourSoul -- Subverted. As a techpriest advances in the ranks, he usually replaces more and more of his "weak flesh" with augmetics, at the same time as his mind draws farther away from normal human concerns. Some even replace half their brain with a computer, in order to approach the Omnissiah's perfect reason. But it is ''not'' the cybernetics that do the soul eating, but the Tech-Priests' beliefs.
* EmpireWithADarkSecret -- It is heavily implied that the Tech-Priests may be worshipping the C'Tan known as the Void Dragon, who is possibly imprisoned on Mars.
** [[spoiler:The Emperor arranged things so their designs and beliefs were inspired by the Dragon without ever really focusing on it.]]
* EternalEngine -- Mechanicus standard for interior (and exterior) decor. Wall-to-wall gears and electronics, only broken by the odd devotional shrine. The longer-established Forge Worlds are nothing but.
* EvilCounterpart: The Dark Mechanicus, which worships the Omnissiah as a form of Chaos Undivided and supplied arms and technical expertise to the Traitor Legions both before and after the Horus Heresy.
* ForScience -- The Machine Cult will do anything to find an STC or understand an ancient device.
** Except, usually, take it apart to reverse engineer it. Partly because it would be heresy and offensive to the machine spirit, partly because they could not guarantee that they could put it back together, and partly because creativity unbound by exacting procedure opens up one's mind for [[MindRape Daemons]]. Anything sufficiently old and awesome is normally subjected to endless tests of function and non-invasive scans, making Mechanicus reverse-engineering nearly as slow as their acceptance of new designs.
* GeniusBruiser:
** Techmarines combine the muscle and training of a standard-issue Space Marine with a number of tools that double as weapons and the best technology they can bring to bear. They're actually one of the most formidable units in the army list!
** There are also Techpriests dedicated to the art of war known as Secutors.
* HumongousMecha -- ''Their'' God-Machines of the Titan Legions.
* InTheHood -- The standard outfit for priests of the Machine God is a hooded red robe. If a tech-priest expects to go into battle, they will usually don an armored suit, and trade their robe in for a hooded red cloak that allows them a bit more freedom of movement.
* MacGuffin -- The second-biggest prize for the Tech-Priests is a Standard Template Construct, one of many designs dating back from the Dark Age of Technology that were made to be as adaptable and robust as possible, using technology long since lost to man. The biggest would be a Standard Template ''Constructor'', an automated factory and technical library that can build or describe ''any'' of them. So far, all they have found are partial, damaged ones that can only create one or a few -- and even these are worth more than whole star systems.
* MachineWorship -- The group that inspired the trope.
* MadScientist -- Some Tech-Priests rather lose their perspective in seeking ancient technology or pursuing the Omnissiah's thoughts in the workings of technology and the universe.
* MechaMooks -- Though rare after the various {{Retcon}}s over the course of First Edition, the Mechanicum still has the "Legio Cybernetica", squads of brainless-but-tough robots (or [[BrainInAJar full-conversion servitors]], DependingOnTheWriter) each commanded by a single Techpriest.
** They make a comeback within the ''HorusHeresy'' series, although it's shown that the better part of the Legio Cybernetica sided with the Traitor Legions.
* MedievalStasis -- The Adeptus Mechanicus' beliefs have mostly ensured this for the Imperium. There is some innovation, but ''very'' slowly...
* NeuralImplanting -- Some of the sacred implants of the Omnissiah are cogitator databases hooked directly into the brain (sometimes removing "useless" portions of the brain to make room) which contain information on how to build some of their most advanced technology. There is some speculation that this is what enables the Tech-Priests to build very complex technology without actually understanding the principles on which it works, the implants containing information on '''how''' to construct something without explaining the '''why''' of it.
** It is worth noting that this was absolutely true of all tech-priests in the early era of the game, where low-ranking members were directly implanted with the procedures they needed. New editions have since {{Retcon}}ed this sort of implant to be restricted mostly to high-ranking Tech-Priests, actually authorised to design and research, for whom it is no substitute but rather an extra advantage. The more novice tech-priests must build their technology through rote memorization taught to them by their superiors, with all the religious pomp and circumstance their construction is known for. The knowledge-bearing sacred implants are only gifted once a tech-priest has been properly indoctrinated against potential misuse of the Omnissiah's secrets.
* NoExceptYes -- When a Techpriest develops a new design, he is not using his corruptible human creativity, he is using divinely inspired reason to extrapolate it from existing devices and the inherent order in the universe.
* NewTechnologyIsEvil -- Because everything worth discovering was done so thousands of years ago, or has always existed logically implicit in the universe, to be discovered by inspired reason rather than be invented by merely human creativity, more along the lines of New Technology Is Impossible.
** Somewhat justified as it is possible for daemons to posses not only humans but also machines. Possession can occur through symbols of any kind. (Think your new fancy microchip design is awesome because it makes the Lasgun fire more accurate? Too bad the circuits form a pattern that has just attracted a Khornate daemon. Say hello to your new possessed Lasgun.)
*** Chaos forces directly state that to summon and bind a demon to a weapon, quite complicated rituals and massive human sacrifices are required. Therefore, all said above may be Imperial propaganda aimed to keep the monopoly on the technology in one hands--or it may simply harder to empower a weapon than simply corrupt it.
** There are arguments about this, with the Adeptus Mechanicus being divided into camps fighting over whether to dedicate their resources to innovation or finding [=STCs=].
** And in recent books by Black Library, the Mechanicus is suddenly pouring out newly discovered and developed weapons and technology. Must have something to do with [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Hive Fleet Leviathan]] or [[LikeABadassOutOfHell the 13th Black Crusade]] rampaging through the galaxy at the end of the millennium.
* ObfuscatingStupidity -- The Mechanicus has legitimately lost lots of valuable STC data, but [[DependingOnTheWriter some writers]] have implied that they have more than they're letting on.
* TheRedPlanet -- Mars is the capital of the organization, and one of the most developed planets (i.e. covered in factories and hive spires) in the Imperium. It is second in importance only to Terra itself.
* RedshirtArmy -- Forge Worlds have their own local equivalent of a Planetary Defense Force or Imperial Guard regiment known as the Skitarii Tech Guard. They often wear red uniforms as a symbol of their allegiance to the Adeptus Mechanicus. They are exempted from normal tithing practices for the Imperial Guard, as Forge Worlds contribute tithes of a different kind, but they often accompany Mechanicus Explorator fleets, or act as infantry and tank support for Titan Legions. Due to their close relationship with the Mechanicus, they are more likely to have [[HollywoodCyborg augmetic enhancements]] and high-tech weaponry than the Imperial Guard, but exact practices and equipment varies between regiments.
* RightHandVersusLeftHand -- If you think academic politics are bad now, just wait a few millennia and it ''will'' get worse. The Mechanicus fight and scheme against each other almost as much as the Inquisition, for various reasons--the "invention is evil" versus "invention is discovery" positions above, various more abstruse disputes, and simple struggles over prestige and promotion.
* RoboSpeak:
** This is generally true of servitors and other communicative WetwareCPU devices created by the Adeptus Mechanicus.
** Techpriests can approach this after heavy augmentation eventually replaces their voice box and much of their brain, but they are still human ([[CyberneticsEatYourSoul in a manner of speaking]]) beneath it all, and as such they tend to fall into SpockSpeak with a CreepyMonotone.
* TechnoBabble -- Techpriests tend to do this...a ''lot''.
* {{Technopath}} -- They only think they are, but sometimes it becomes true. With enough chanting, they can make PercussiveMaintenance or an insane bodge job work when there's no way in hell it should, and some Techpriests are masters of "intuitive maintenance", diagnosing malfunctions by sound and touch and comforting the machine-spirit with nearly imperceptible adjustments.
* TechnoWizard -- With emphasis on "Techno." And "Wizard" too.
* UnwillingRoboticisation -- DependingOnTheWriter, some [[MechaMooks servitors]] are created by growing artificial lifeforms which are then grafted with mechanical components to form a completely artificial cyborg. However, it is also a common fate for those who have sinned against the Machine God to be condemned to be made into servitors themselves, their cadaver repurposed and re-animated with mechanical components.
* WarriorMonk -- Secutors are tech-priests who focus on the destructive potential of the Machine God, manufacturing and wielding some of the most potent of the Adeptus Mechanicus' weaponry, and further augmenting themselves to enhance their combat abilities, becoming vessels for the Omnissiah's wrath.
* WaveMotionGun -- The Ordinatii of divisio reductor are some of the biggest guns in the galaxy.
* WeirdnessCoupon -- The Adeptus Mechanicus disdain the holy human body, altering it both cybernetically and biologically at will. They belong to the Imperial Faith only on the slimmest of technicalities, and some make an open secret that they don't even make that effort, preferring to see the Omnissiah as a separate and older divinity than the Emperor. Most suspiciously of all, they pursue knowledge on secretive quests under a regime that adores blind faith and unthinking loyalty. Yet, while some members run foul of the Inquisition, Ecclesiarchy, or Administratum in ways that range from embarrassing to deadly, by and large they are left alone as powerful if not respected members of the Imperial order. De facto, they are simply necessary no matter how evil a zealot may think they are. De jure, they are only joined to the Imperium of Mankind by a personal union, sworn to the Emperor's service separately from the Adeptus Terra that run everything else, and subject to it only on secondment.
** Within the Adeptus Mechanicus, eccentricities tend to increase with rank, although human failings like drug use and family attachments are surefire ways not to achieve higher ranks. Beyond this, a well-connected Techpriest of sufficient status is unlikely to be convicted of tech-heresy for anything done while developing anything sufficiently useful, and may well be cleared of an existing conviction that sent him fleeing to work in the far corners of the galaxy.
* WetwareCPU -- To get around the ban on advanced computers or robotics, the Adeptus Mechanicus creates servitors, which are either criminals or vat-grown humans who have their brains replaced with "bio-programming" and useful cybernetic upgrades such as tools or weapon systems grafted to their bodies. In extreme cases, servitors are wired into networks directly, forming the fleshy core of a computer system. Basically slaves, they are hopefully not sentient.
* WeWillUseManualLaborInTheFuture -- The SchizoTech resulting from all this lost technology leads to ships with warp engines and force fields requiring slave labor to manually reload cannons the size of office buildings.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Mutants and Abhumans]]
->''Twisted flesh, twisted soul.''
The Imperium does not simply worship the Emperor, but also the holy human form. Part of the Imperium's ManifestDestiny states that humanity has a right to rule the galaxy. However, the simple fact is that after thousands of years on other worlds, various human populations have evolved into different types of humans. These are referred to as Abhumans or Mutants, variously; Abhumans are fairly minor, stable strains of mutation that are effectively the result of natural evolution caused by different environments, while Mutants are far more bizarre in form and stem from the wide variety of genetic degeneratives at loose in the galaxy at large -- radiation, genetic warfare, toxic chemicals, ''et cetera''. While the Imperium officially disdains them, some are useful or even necessary. In the time of the Emperor, the view of Abhumans and Mutants was more lenient, but after ten thousand years, the Imperium has taken a more draconian approach.
In the background, the most important of mutants are the Navigators, families who were genetically engineered in the distant past to navigate the Warp with psychic powers. Collectively, they form the Navis Nobilite, wealthy families who are necessary for the Imperium to survive. On the tabletop, certain Abhumans are useful to the Imperial Guard for specialist skills. Mutants, in the background and to an extent on the tabletop, are typically executed on sight for their genetic damage or kept as slaves -- as a result, they are eager worshipers of Chaos, aided by the fact that Chaos tends to both cause mutation in its followers and treats those bearing mutations as being blessed by the Gods.
!!General Abhuman and Mutant tropes
* TheAtoner: Beastmen who followed the Imperial Cult were ruthless in purging the Emperor's enemies as penance for the "sin" of mutating.
* BodyHorror: Generic mutants are this trope incarnate. Even those who haven't been touched by Chaos can sport all manner of strange and unnatural features, including but not limited to: extra eyes/mouths/limbs, rotting flesh, atrophied bodyparts, unnaturally swollen musculature, oversized bodyparts, scales, fur, fangs, claws, slime-oozing skin, blisters and warts, tentacles... Essentially, a mutant is living BodyHorror and may or may not have {{Lovecraftian Superpower}}s as a result of it.
* DumbMuscle: Increased size, strength and toughness at a cost of lowered intelligence is a fairly common mutation. Some, however, are bigger, stronger, and tougher than regular humans while [[GeniusBruiser being just as smart or smarter than humans]].
* ExtraEyes: They're a common mutation, and [[EyesDoNotBelongThere can turn up in the strangest places]].
* FantasticRacism: The Imperium typically takes a very dim view of mutation from the accepted norm of the "Holy Human Form", though the degree to which a typical citizen subscribes to this will vary. One major reason for this is that mutation is often a sign that one is becoming [[TheCorruption corrupted by the Warp]], potentially becoming a vessel for the Ruinous Powers. However, this hatred extends to those whose mutations are caused by more "mundane" sources, such as generations of exposure to radiation or industrial waste, leading to widespread hatred and distrust of all mutants. Since mutation can continue to appear generation after generation, killing all mutants tends to be impractical, so most are allowed to exist as an oppressed underclass, looked down upon by all.
** Abhumans are subraces of humans whose differences have manifested into stable genotypes, without the randomness seen as signs of corruption. They often suffer some prejudices related to their differences, but find a much better measure of acceptance, especially if those differences make them valuable to the Imperium in some way. Navigators in particular, while still somewhat feared, are also held in a degree of awe due to the absolutely essential role that they play in the Imperium.
* HeavyWorlder: How Ogryns and Squats came to be, even though they went in completely different directions.
* RetGone: Originally, many Abhumans were transplants from ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'', but as time went on, they stopped being updated or even mentioned. The Squats are the most famous example of this.
[[/folder]]
!!Tropes specific to the Navigators:
* ArrangedMarriage: Since Navigators can only pass on their psyker genes by procreating with other Navigators, marriages among the Navis Nobilite are arranged usually between rival houses to ensure genetic stability and as a form of alliance.
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: When the Paternova dies, the Heirs Apparent (the most powerful Navigators of each house) become larger, stronger, and more aggressive. They then fight and kill each other for the right of Paternova.
* BlindfoldedVision: When not actively guiding a ship, Navigators will cover their ThirdEye, as [[EvilEye looking into it can cause madness]]. This makes [[PowerLimiter limiting others' exposure to it]] necessary. This covering can take many forms, from a headband, to a veil, to an [[EyepatchOfPower eyepatch]], to [[InTheHood a low-pulled hood]], or even occasionally [[ElectronicEyes a cybernetic shutter-like metallic eyelid]].
* BodyHorror: Thanks to a limited breeding pool, the possibility of imperfect genetic tampering on the part of some ancestors, and generations of necessary warp exposure, Navigators often suffer from a variety of minor mutations. As Navigators age these mutations become more obvious and extreme, with some of them even transforming into ugly frog-octopus things. It's an accepted fact of life for them and even during the brutal inter-house coldwars both sides will respect this secret and ensure that nobody breaks the {{masquerade}}. The Emperor was aware of these mutations but decided to tolerate it.
* EvilEye: Staring into a Navigator's Warp Eye is commonly said to [[BrownNote cause either insanity or death]]. No one wants to test it, and Navigators must wear hoods, scarves, or headbands of [[AntiMagic psyk-resistant]] material around normal humans.
* {{Expy}}: The Navis Nobilite are pretty blatant expies of the Navigator Guild from ''Literature/{{Dune}}''.
* ExtraEyes: Navigators possess a "Warp eye" allowing them to see the currents of the Immaterium and guide ships through it. This is not a poetic turn of phrase.
* FeudingFamilies: Among the Navis Nobilite, there exist conflicts known as Tradewars, which include limited conflict among the families. The Administratum tolerates these to a point, as long as they're short and not too destructive.
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: {{Averted|Trope}} by the Navigators when exposed to the Warp, which is what makes them unique in the setting in which this trope is otherwise played straight. Their ThirdEye allows them to perceive the warp in a way which will not overwhelming their mortal mind, enabling their ability to guild a ship through its currents. This perception is subjective, and each Navigator will see it in a different manner, so that when they try to describe it to others, the only way they can do so is through vaguely poetic metaphor.
** [[EvilEye Looking into a Navigator's eye]] results in warp-driven madness, [[BrownNote bodily disruption]], and possibly death.
* ThePatriarch: The Paternova, the leader of the Navis Nobilite, who is called the "father of the Warp", and is somehow able to increase the Warp sense of his family's Navigators.
* [[WalkingTheEarth Walking the Cosmos]]: Some Navigator families abandon their wealthy estates and take to wandering the galaxy.
* WeirdnessCoupon: The Navigators are mutants whose elders begin mutating beyond the norms of the "holy human form", and yet are fantastically wealthy and have a permanent seat on the High Lords of Terra. They're so absolutely vital to star travel that they have to be given these things.
[[/folder]]
!!Tropes specific to the Ogryns:
* DumbMuscle: Ogryns are massive, powerful, and dumb. During the HorusHeresy, it was said that they were told the loyalists had betrayed the Emperor. The smarter ones are given [[BioAugmentation enhancements]] to increase their intelligence, called Bio Ogryn Neural Enhancement ([[FunWithAcronyms BONE]]). This allows them to become sergeants of Orgyns squads, called ''Bone'eads'' (though not that much - one of the most intelligent examples of Ogryns, Nork Deddog, is simply capable of writing his name, counting on four fingers with his thumb confusing him, and speaking in full sentences.)
* TheOgre: Ogryns are Abhumans who evolved on heavy gravity worlds with barren environments.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Ripper guns used by Ogryns are shotguns which are used just as much as a club as it is a rifle.
* UndyingLoyalty:
** Nork Deddog, an Ogryn who is absolutely loyal to his masters in the Imperium...which he interprets as the highest ranking officer.
** The Ogryns in general. They believe that the Emperor has personally issued them every order (being worked down from the chain of command) and thus obey orders to the best of their abilities.
!!Tropes specific to the Ratlings:
* ExplosiveBreeder: Ratlings procreate like there is no tomorrow. [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Possibly because there isn't.]]
* FriendlySniper: Ratlings are gregarious individuals who enjoy a good feast and make excellent snipers.
** The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer warns however that petty crime rates in a regiment increase when a Ratling squad is attached.
* TheHedonist: Ratlings enjoy the finer aspects of life.
* {{Hobbits}}: Ratlings, Abhumans who have evolved into smaller forms. Though not trusted, they make excellent snipers (and cooks).
!Squats
->''You people do well at war because you treat it as a religion. [[WarForFunAndProfit We do well because we treat it as a business]]. It is just a matter of outlook.''
The lost army. Dwarfs [-IN SPACE-]. Bug chow.
The Squats were a race of abhumans--an offshoot of the human species that had adapted to subterranean life on high-gravity worlds near the galactic core. Separated from mainline humanity for tens of millenia, they grew shorter and, well, squatter, eventually coming to resemble the traditional fantasy dwarf in both appearance and temperament. Due to the difficulty of living on barren planets with radioactive surface conditions, the Squats developed extremely reliable food production systems, armor, and other technology, but also had a fatalistic attitude toward life. Over time, they made contact with the Orks and Eldar and gained a reputation for their high-quality tech, shrewd business dealings, and potent military defense. Eventually they were rediscovered by and reabsorbed into the Imperium, as their tech fascinated the Adeptus Mechanicus and made them a welcome addition to the Imperial armed forces, but they maintained a high degree of autonomy.
As a game faction, the Squats were never popular, nor did they fit very well in the increasingly GrimDark setting. They were included back in the days when ''[=40K=]'' was a transparent [[AC:[[RecycledInSpace In Space]]]] version of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' and every race in the latter had to appear in the former, but as the setting matured the Squats felt more and more out of place. Game designers never really decided on a "tone" for the army, and depictions of them wavered between goofy space dwarfs and miniature biker dudes. In 1994, they were discontinued with the explanation that the newly arrived Tyranids had descended upon their Homeworlds and stripped them clean of all life (like they do). A handful of embittered Squats still survive spread across the vast Imperium, but as a faction they are absolutely, positively never coming back. In fact, it's Games Workshop's official position that they won't even be ''mentioned'', although this policy has relaxed enough that the reprinted edition of Space Marine lists an encounter with squats in the novel summary, and the 6th edition rulebook's appendices actually lists squats as one of the handful of surviving abhuman strains.
Though the Squats are ''extremely'' dead, the "space dwarf" concept itself may be in for a comeback. Games Workshop has introduced a race called the Demiurg as a member species of the Tau Empire in the ''40K'' spinoff ''BattlefleetGothic'', a species that practically never leaves their rugged ''Stronghold''-class starships, makes a living as [[AsteroidMiners deep-space miners]], are technologically-advanced enough to introduce ion cannon technology to the Tau, and closely resembles the Squats to boot. At the moment the only Demiurg models created have been for ''Gothic'', where they are the only faction said to be too small and isolationary to field actual fleets, and there are no plans to make a tabletop army for them, but only Tzeentch knows what the future holds...
!!Notable Squat tropes include:
* BadassBiker -- Well, ''triker''. This was one of the very few unique, consistent parts of the Squats' racial identity.
* CanonDiscontinuity -- Don't [[BerserkButton mention them]] at [=GW=] press events.
** This even extends to the older 40k novels - when Ian Watson's ''Inquisition War'' trilogy was rereleased, Grimm (one of the main characters) was {{Ret Con}}ned from a Squat to a Techpriest.
** By 6th edition, this appears to have tapered off a bit, as the rerelease of ''Space Marine'' is entirely unedited, and the 6th edition rulebook lists Squats as one of the surviving abhuman strains.
* CoolTrain -- One of the Squats' war machines for the large-scale ''Epic 40,000'' was the Land Train, a crawling fortress of which each car had a different function, be it troop transport, landing pad, or mortar battery.
* [[DroppedABridgeOnHim Dropped A Hive Fleet On Him]] -- When 40K decides to kill you off, you are killed off with ''extreme'' prejudice.
* {{Expy}} -- The Demiurg of the Squats, who were in turn an expy of ''Warhammer'' Dwarfs.
* HeavyWorlder -- Strangely enough, the Imperial Guard's [[TheOgre Ogryns]] also come from high-gravity worlds, but turned out completely different.
* JustForFun/CandleJack -- An unofficial but heavily enforced rule on the old Games Workshop forums was that anyone who stated that the Squats should be brought ba
* MeaningfulName -- Demiurg is Greek for "craftsman" or "artisan."
* MoodDissonance -- Part of the reason Squats were problematic.
* OldShame -- [=GW=] classifies Squats as one of those things "best forgotten."
* OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame -- Even in space!
* PoweredArmor -- ... that makes them look like walking eggs... on bikes...
* PrivateMilitaryContractors -- See the quote above.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy -- Because Dwarfs are.
* RecycledInSpace -- Perhaps in more ways than one, given the Demiurg's arrival.
* ShoutOut -- In the Tau language, the Demiurg are referred to as "Bentu'sin." A very similar race of ion cannon traders called the Bentusi appeared in the video game ''VideoGame/{{Homeworld}}'', which was made by Relic Entertainment, who would later go on to give us ''Warhammer 40,000: DawnOfWar.''
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!The Imperial Guard
[[quoteright:344:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ImperialGuard_764.jpg]]
->''For every hero commemorated, a thousand martyrs die, unmourned and unremembered.''
The RedShirtArmy. The Space Marines hog all the glory, but since there is less than one Space Marine for every world in the Imperium, it is the untold billions of the ImperialGuard that do 99% of the fighting. Individually, a Guardsman is your [[PunyEarthlings average Joe]], going up against SuperSoldiers and {{Eldritch Abomination}}s. He's got a set of basic [[BulletProofVest flak armor]] that can withstand outdated small arms fire; a lasgun that, while capable of blowing off limbs, is among the ''weakest'' weapons in the setting; training full of propaganda and blatant lies; commanders [[WeHaveReserves willing to sacrifice millions of men and machines]] in decade-long campaigns; and [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner commissars]] [[YouHaveFailedMe ready to summarily execute]] [[DirtyCoward cowards]] and [[DangerousDeserter deserters]]. His odds are not good, but the Guard has trillions like him, and millions of tanks and artillery pieces.
Thematically, the Guard is a melting pot of inspiration from every army in history, and then some. The Catachans are ''both sides'' of the Vietnam War. Valhallans are grim but determined ice worlders reminiscent of Soviet infantry hordes. Tallarns are pious and wily desert raiders. Cadians are taught to field-strip a lasgun before they learn how to walk. The Praetorians wear [[TheBritishEmpire pith helmets and red coats]]. The Mordians are Prussian-esque soldiers always in dress uniforms. The Death Korps of Krieg are everything scary and callous about the First World War ramped up to eleven. The Steel Legions of Armageddon look like WW2 German paratroopers and fight like panzer grenadiers. The [[Literature/GauntsGhosts Tanith First-And-Only]] are scouts and woodsmen beyond compare. The Elysians are heavily-armed and armoured pastiches of every [[ItsRainingMen elite airborne regiment ever]] with NervesOfSteel and no tank or artillery support. Traditionally the Imperial Guard were depicted as being used in human wave attacks or trench warfare right out of WorldWarOne, but the ''Gaunt's Ghosts'' novels have seen the Guard re-tooled into a sophisticated and highly-trained war machine combining infantry, armor, and air support into a fighting force the equal of any modern army. Considering what they're up against, it isn't always enough.
There's also an Imperial Navy that fights battles in space and transports Guard troops, which follows similar protocol to the Guard and has a similar chain of command but separate leadership.
On the tabletop, few armies can field as many soldiers as the Imperial Guard, which is fortunate, as they are comparatively lightly armored, and have morale that's highly contingent on there being a commanding officer or commissar nearby. On the other hand, few armies can bring as many weapons to bear in a single Shooting phase as the Guard, so while one lasgun is unlikely to get results, [[BeamSpam fifty or sixty firing in salvos will]] (unoffically referred to as 'the laser light show'). The Imperial Guard is also famous for their tanks which are unsophisticated and unsubtle metal monsters, deployed in numbers bordering on the absurd, and very, ''very'' good at shooting things. However, the key to the Imperial Guard's popularity may be that they're basically normal people forced into unimaginably bad situations, but who can prevail with luck, faith in the God-Emperor, and overwhelming firepower.
'''Notable tropes'''
* [[RunningGag Again]], [[ChainsawGood Chainsword Good]] - A common melee weapon amongst the Imperial Guard aside from standard issue combat knives.
* AmazonBrigade: In the fluff, there are entire armies of Imperial Guard that are composed solely of women, but this is not supported so much in the models. Given a lampshade hanging in the ''Literature/CiaphasCain'' novels, where it's explained that women make up roughly 10% of the draftees for the Imperial Guard, so those women who are inducted are typically formed into women-only regiments.
* AncestralWeapon: [[PlanetOfHats The hat]] of the Vostroyan Firstborn is that the firstborn son of every family joins the Imperial Guard, each one uses a locally-produced weapon, and each weapon is property of the family to whom it is issued. Where possible, weapons are brought back to the homeworld and returned to the families to which they belong, who then pass the weapon down to the next firstborn. Very old weapons are considered priceless heirlooms, and are [[BlingOfWar quite valuable]].
* ArmiesAreEvil: Largely subverted, as the Imperial Guard are just average people who are fighting for the Imperium.
* {{Badass}} -- Quite possibly the most Badass group in the setting, given that they're normal humans going up against aliens, supersoldiers, and demons from hell.
** BadassAbnormal: Cadian Kasrkin, selected from the most badass soldiers in one of the Guard's most badass armies and then given genetic and cybernetic augmentations in addition to much heavier armour and bigger guns. They have been known to calmly attack hulking daemonic killing machines with ''knives'' when no other options present themselves...and that's mainly veteran Kasrkin. Regular Kasrkin don't even have the augmentations and will ''still do this.''
** BadassBoast -- Every regimental motto.
** BadassGrandpa -- Legendary Commissar Yarrick, who led the Imperium to victory during the Second War for Armageddon (which started on the day he ''would have'' retired had the War not erupted), {{retired|Badass}}, then came back ''again'' to save the day during the Third War for Armageddon. He's so incredibly badass, after he got his arm lopped off by an Ork, he [[{{Determinator}} killed the thing and took its power klaw for a replacement and trophy]]. He has a bionic eye that [[EyeBeams shoots lasers]]. Now he's tagged along with a Black Templar crusade to hunt down [[ArchNemesis Warlord Ghazghkull mag Uruk Thraka]] once and for all. The Templars took him on because ''he has the most chance of actually accomplishing their objective''.
*** [[OmnicidalManiac Most]] [[BloodKnight Orks]] will '''actively avoid''' facing Yarrick in battle. It's heavily implied that the only reason he replaced his lost eye with a bionic one was because he wanted to feed into the already-existing rumors among them that he could kill you just by looking at you. In the game, if his model is killed against an Ork army, it stands a good chance of ''[[BackFromTheDead getting back up again]]''. Ghazghkull once captured Yarrick, had him tortured a bit, and then ''let him go'' because he relished the chance to fight him again more than the opportunity to kill him. Source material also rather heavily implies that the Orks' regarding him as an unkillable badass has [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve turned him into an unkillable badass]]. Games Workshop paint jobs of his model always give his skin a [[BadassAbnormal greenish tinge]].
** BadassLongcoat -- Commissars. Also have a NiceHat, specifically the much sought-after CommissarCap.
** [[TheRedBaron Badass Nickname]] -- The Hammer of the Emperor.
** [[BadassArmy Badass]] [[BadassNormal Normal]] [[BadassArmy Army]] - Without BioAugmentation, SuperStrength and [[NighInvulnerable durability]], PoweredArmor, PsychicPowers, or the most advanced technology, the Imperial Guard gets by on good old-fashioned combined arms warfare...and [[WeHaveReserves massive, massive casualties]].
*** Just to make the point clear. Remember that [[TrainingFromHell training facility]] in ''Film/Starship Troopers''? In Warhammer 40k, it's an average [[RedShirtArmy PDF]] training ground. After serving at least two years in PDF, the best soldiers may be recruited by the Guard. After six months of extensive training on the IG training grounds, they will actually join a Guard regiment. In the regiment, all of them are considered green newbies, that will be pushed around the training course by veteran superiors. Nevertheless, statistically, less than half of them will live through their first campaign. Those who do can be considered proper [[RedShirt Guardsmen]].
** ColonelBadass -- More than a few regimental Colonels, such as "Iron Hand" Straken, Ibram Gaunt, and countless others.
** FourStarBadass -- Not all of the Guard's senior commanders are [[GeneralFailure complete failures]]. There are plenty of Guard Generals that are strategic geniuses and kick ass just as well, such as Lord Castellan Usarkar E. Creed and Lord Commander Solar Macharius.
** TookALevelInBadAss -- Post new codex, the Guard have become gods of mechanized warfare.
* BadBoss -- ''Many'' officers, commanders and generals are this. Commissars are generally always this, their job description being in part to execute [[YouHaveFailedMe when neccessary]].
** This occasionally backfires on them, as Literature/CiaphasCain ([[FakeUltimateHero HERO OF THE IMPERIUM]]!) notes that Commissars often end up [[UnfriendlyFire killed far from the front lines]].
* BaseOnWheels -- The Leviathan mobile command center, as well as the Capitol Imperialis, which can house tank companies.
* BayonetYa: The bayonet is nearly as synonymous to the average Guardsman's weaponry as the lasgun that it's attached to. Being forced to use it as a {{Puny Earthling|s}} comparatively weaker and/or saner to one of his many enemies individually is a fairly powerful image.
* BeamSpam -- The only way to effectively use lasguns is [[DeathOfAThousandCuts in bulk]].
** [[http://1d4chan.org/wiki/File:Guardsmen.jpg This little educational strip]] explains the proper way to use lasguns with Imperial Guard.
* {{BFG}} -- Heavy Weapons Platoons, the Basilisk mobile artillery's Earthshaker cannon, and then we move into super-heavy battle tank territory...
* BifurcatedWeapon -- The standard lasgun is usually equipped with a bayonet. That's right, forty thousand years into the future and bayonet charges are still a valid infantry tactic.
* BigBookOfWar -- The ''[[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Tactica_Imperium_passages Tactica Imperium]]'' is a collection of countless commanders' combined battlefield experiences, containing advice on topics from barricade construction to force organization. Imperial generals may find it useful, though they have to keep in mind that [[Literature/TheBible it occasionally contradicts itself, should not be adhered to too strictly, and some passages are best read as metaphors]].
* BulletProofVest -- 'Flak Armour' is standard-issue for Imperial Guard infantry... but those are way outdated for the vast majority of races in 40K.
* ButtMonkey -- A serious example, which even extended to the players, before the new codex.
* CannonFodder -- A popular image for the Imperial Guard, though this varies between regiments and commanders. However, there are conscript squads in the game, of which their use is pretty much undeniably this.
** Previous editions even had the ''Penal Legions,'' a place for people facing death row to serve the God-Emperor in the one way every human can... as a HumanShield. Even the ''regular'' Guardsmen regarded penal legions as CannonFodder.
* CharacterExaggeration -- The people in charge for the Imperial Guard are frequently portrayed in fan works are being either so sociopathic or incompetent (sometimes both) that it makes one wonder why the Imperium didn't fall long ago. There certainly are such cases, the Imperium being very vast, and it's likely done to emphasize how 40K is GrimDark (or is PlayedForLaughs as BlackHumor in the RefugeInAudacity of it.). Which it is.
** The memetic portrayal of Usarkar E. Creed, Lord Castellan of Cadia, goes in the extreme opposite direction, with his astounding displays of [[MemeticMutation TACTICAL GENIUS]] such as ambushing Abbadon in his own bathroom and hiding Baneblades behind streetlamps. He also traveled back in time and wrote the Codex.
* ChurchMilitant -- Considered to be an aspiration for the Imperial Guard, though the success and extremity of this heavily varies between regiments. The regiments raised from Ecclesiarchial fiefdoms, or "shrine worlds", are often this in a nearly literal sense.[[note]]Though they are not members of the clergy like Sisters of Battle, they are considered lay-members of the Imperial church.[[/note]]
* CombatMedic -- Anyone who has medical abilities in the Imperial Guard is otherwise trained and armed similar to standard infantry.
* CommissarCap -- The TropeNamer, obviously. The hats worn by the commissars are so flashy that you will immediately see that he is a man of fear and respect.
* CoolTank -- Baneblades.
** Special mention goes to the Hellhound family of medium tank. While they lack the sheer brutal power of the Baneblade or even the workhorse Leman-Russ tank, they win RuleOfCool superiority by being one enormous ''flamethrower.'' For those generals not afraid to get their hands [[WeaponOfMassDestruction truly filthy,]] the Imperium manufactures variants that spew poison gas or toxic waste.
* CripplingOverspecialization -- Deliberately {{invoked|Trope}} at the company level by the [[VastBureaucracy Departmento Munitorium]] when levying Imperial Guard. Any given Imperial Guard company will be trained and equipped for exactly one role, be it foot infantry, mounted infantry, armor, or artillery. The intention being that no company can survive long going rogue, and must rely on other companies for combined arms warfare.
* DeathFromAbove -- The Imperial Guard heavily use artillery as part of their combined arms, and probably have more of it with more possible options for it than virtually any other military in the galaxy.[[note]]In fact, they have no less than '''five''' different kinds of tank dedicated to that purpose.[[/note]] Sure, the Imperium has plenty of ships which can [[KillSat devistate a world with lance fire]], but that is only for very critical targets or when past the GodzillaThreshold. The Guard on the other hand, sling shells skyward as part of normal operations, and does it with much greater frequency and specific effect.
* DeathSeeker -- Some of the more fanatical regiments fall into this. For example, the [[MeaningfulName Death Corps of Krieg]] have this as part of their [[PlanetOfHats hat]].
** Usually as the result of the aforementioned planetary defence actions going pear-shaped.
* EliteMooks:
** Imperial Stormtroopers ([[Franchise/StarWars not ''those'' guys]]) are basically special-ops teams outfitted with improved versions of a Guardsman's wargear - earning them monikers such as "Toy Soldiers" and "Glory Boys" from the resentful rank-and-file.
** Cadia's equivalents, the Kasrkin, are trained and hardened to such a degree that they could be considered the Elite Mooks [[UpToEleven OF the Elite Mooks]]. Consider that instead of being resented by other guardsmen, they are looked ''up'' to.
* FakeUltimateHero -- Commissar Literature/CiaphasCain ([[BoldInflation HERO OF THE IMPERIUM]]!). Contrast with Commissar [[Literature/GauntsGhosts Ibram Gaunt]], [[LittleHeroBigWar an actual hero doomed to obscurity]].
** Arguably a subverted trope by this point. Cain's protestations of non-heroism are more and more at odds with his actions in every book.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture -- Not as obvious as the Space Marines, but Cadia is based on modern soldiers from various countries, whereas we have the Catachans who are based on both sides in the Vietnam conflict, while the Valhallans and Vostroyans are based on the Red Army and the Imperial Russian Army, respectively. There's also the Attilan Rough Riders, based on Mongols, Steel Legion and Death Korps of Krieg, both based on the World War II era German army to various degrees (though all the trenches involved with the latter also make them an analog of WWI German forces), the elite Elysian Drop Troopers, who take notes from just about every paratrooper and air-cav force in military history, and a few others that would take up too much space to describe. Many of these armies are at least somewhat nice by comparison to their real life counterparts, however.
** There are elite troops called Grenadiers in the game - the only reason they are called that is pretty much because of the 'elite assault soldier' connotation of the word, just like in many militaries applying the term due to its past of, well, elite assault soldiers.
** Cadia is guessed to be a reference to Canada's military (likely in World War I), though the connection isn't entirely straightforward - standard battle tactics of Cadia are frontal assaults where Canadian forces in World War I were famous shock troops (which involved specialized infiltration missions to break up the cohesiveness of enemy defences followed by a larger offensive). Further confusing, Cadia fields many Kasrkin and Grenadier troops, the former being very famous assault troops, the latter being more better trained and armoured guardsmen who are otherwise fielded as regular guardsmen - which certainly seems to fit the bill there.
** These design elements make the Guard [[PeripheryDemographic popular with fans of realistic tactical wargames]], who tend to see this invoked by designing and painting their armies to look even more like certain historical forces.
* FastRoping:
** Valkyrie transports are equipped with line spools for precisely this reason.
** [[EliteMooks Stormtroopers]] in particular tend to train heavily in this technique, and are the most likely to attempt it on the battlefield, forgoing a more cautious insertion when speed of deployment is a priority.
* AFatherToHisMen -- No shortage of these, either.
* FrickinLaserBeams -- The Imperial Guard is the single biggest military organization in the galaxy, and the single biggest user of laser-based {{Energy Weapon}}s, coming in multiple varieties:
** Lasguns -- The most common weapon, the "old-standby" of the Imperium. A rifle-like laser weapon with greater stopping power than the majority of modern conventional projectile firearms, but still one of the most comparatively weakest weapons in the setting. There are many regional and functional variations on the design, some with different settings for rate of fire and damage, but all share certain common core parts and take the same charge packs for ammunition (which can be recharged in a few hours from field generators). [[EasyLogistics This is a big part of the reason they are so popular for a massive organization like the Guard]]. Tend to be easy to keep functionally clean and keep working in rough conditions. Desperate Guardsmen are known to set them to [[OverclockingAttack set them to overload and hurl them at the enemy]] as [[ImprovisedWeapon an improvised grenade]].
** Long-las -- A marksmen's version of the common lasgun. These are tuned to produce a killing shot at greater distance, usually sacrificing rate of fire and shot capacity per charge pack to achieve this. Experienced Guard snipers often prefer to equip their long-las with overcharge packs to increase their power per-shot, but this results in even fewer shots per pack, and they need to keep several spare barrels on hand as this wears the barrel out very quickly.
** Hellguns -- An upscaled version of the lasgun, this achieves a greater punch through the expedient of being bigger and [[TimTaylorTechnology pumping more power into it]]. [[RequiredSecondaryPowers This necessitates a much more elaborate cooling system]], making a hellgun much more bulky and mechanically complicated than a lasgun. Because the power draw is so much higher, many hellguns attach to {{Ammunition Backpack}}s to allow a wielder to [[BeamSpam pour on the fire]], though there are variations which use standard charge packs as well. Because of their size, they are often only used by heavy infantry or dedicated elite forces.
** Hot-shot Lasguns -- Lasguns with overcharge packs and special tuning to increase their lethality. The combination of the stopping power of the heavier hellguns with the portability of the more common lasguns has made these weapons highly popular with special forces who need to keep their equipment light, such as [[ItsRainingMen para-drop storm troopers]]. However, [[NecessaryDrawback they have the drawback]] of wearing out the weapon very quickly; [[ExplosiveOverclocking it runs so hot that its components burn out and fuse together with frequent use]], making it unsuited to long deployments or situations where supplies are limited.
** Multilasers -- Essentially a [[GatlingGood gatling version]] of the hellgun, it is a multibarrel weapon capable of maintaining a [[BeamSpam high rate of fire]]. They are usually too big to be used by infantry, but are often mounted on vehicles such as the [[AwesomePersonnelCarrier Chimera infantry fighting vehicle]] to supress enemy infantry and light vehicles.
* GasMaskLongcoat -- The Death Corps of Krieg wear these as part of their [[PlanetOfHats hat]], justified due to their planet of origin being [[NuclearOption a radiological wasteland]].
* GasMaskMooks:
** Some models fall into this, with Stormtroopers being the most common source of them.
** The Death Corps of Krieg are nothing '''but''' this.
* GeneralFailure -- There's no shortage of Guard generals who got their position entirely through family connections and interdepartmental politicking, and who couldn't command their way out of a wet paper bag. Many follow the WeHaveReserves school of Imperial tactics, reasoning that even the most {{egregious}} tactical errors can be overcome by throwing enough men at the problem. The most incompetent of them even manage to screw ''that'' up.
* GenreSavvy -- Despite their "training", most Guardsmen know precisely how bad their odds are in the universe. They compensate by employing every dirty trick in the book from camo netting to mines to snipers to [[DirtyCoward good old fashioned cowardice]]. In the event a commanding officer or commissar insists they hold the line and fight bravely against impossible odds, Guardsmen have been known to [[TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch insist]] [[UnfriendlyFire back]].
* GlorySeeker: Many [=COs=].
* HighlyConspicuousUniform: Generally {{averted|Trope}} by most regiments, who tend to wear practical uniforms with either dull unassuming colors or camouflage. However, it is played straight with a noticeable minority of them. For example, the Mordian Iron Guard wear these as part of their [[PlanetOfHats hat]], with brightly colored uniforms to match their goose-stepping, line volley firing, parade field image. [[note]]Supposedly they are so regimented and disciplined that they will continue a column march with eyes forward even if they are being shot at. This seemingly era-mismatched style of warfare might be justified as their home planet is subject to frequent Chaos incursions, and the bright colors and iron discipline could very well be a method to keep the troops [[GoMadFromTheRevelation fighting and sane]] in the face of the [[EldritchAbomination mind-blasting horrors]] they are up against. Their planet is also constantly night time so the bright uniform may also be useful for identifying [[FriendOrFoe Friend From Foe]] in the darkness.[[/note]]
* HollywoodTactics -- Still common amongst the regiments, though DanAbnett shows that not all commanders are that stupid.
* HomeGuard -- Imperial Guard regiments are formed from the best members of the Planetary Defence Forces that are available when it's time for a planet to pay its tithes. Since planets always have to pay their tithes, the PDF are considered to be ill-disciplined and unsuitable for prolonged engagement. The Imperial Guard consider the PDF to be inferior to the Guard. The {{irony}} is lost on no one. There are noticeable aversions, however, such as the Cadian Home Guard (as Cadians are some of the best soldiers in the galaxy) and Ultramar Auxilia (given that they're whipped into shape by the Ultramarines).
* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy -- {{Subverted|Trope}}. Though they have a reputation as unreliable shots, Guardsmen have average Ballistic Skill, and statistically half of their ranged attacks ([[BeamSpam of which they make very many]]) will hit. Actual Stormtroopers shoot as well as Space Marines and have a two out of three chance of hitting the mark.
* InterserviceRivalry -- A major source of friction, both within the guard and outside of it. You have the traditional rivalry between the Imperial Navy and the ground-pounders, between GlorySeeker [=COs=] and [[SpotlightStealingSquad Spotlight Stealing Space Marine companies]], between [[FantasticRacism regiments from different planets]], and occasionally between regiments from the same planet if their culture is particularly competitive.
* ItsRainingMen -- The Imperial Guard might not have the flash of orbital combat drops like the Imperium's most elite forces, but they do still make use of more conventional air drop operations. Some regiments train more extensively in this kind of operation than others, with the Elyssian regiments in particular having this as their [[PlanetOfHats hat]]. A typical drop operation will involve a few Valkyrie transports coming in fast and low to {{Fast Rop|ing}}e [[EliteMooks stormtroopers]] in to secure an initial landing zone, with larger numbers of higher-flying Valkyries following shortly in their wake to deploy reinforcements via grav-chutes.
* JoinTheArmyTheySaid -- Though not all of them had a choice in the matter.
* MadeOfPlasticine
* MightyGlacier -- The Leman Russ in the 5th edition codex got a rule called Lumbering Behemoth which cripples its mobility compared to other tanks but allows its turret to be fired in addition to other weapons allowed to fire. Fitting with the trope, there are only two non-super heavy vehicles in the entire game that are harder to take down than a Leman Russ.
* MoreDakka -- Taking a cue from the Orks, the newest Guard codex introduced the Leman Russ Punisher, armed with a {{gatling|Good}} cannon that fires twenty shots a round, theoretically capable of turning entire Ork mobs into goo.
* OfficerAndAGentleman -- The Imperium has a convention of granting parcels of territory to ranking officers during its crusades of conquest. This has the effect of creating noble families with strong military traditions, and established noble families seeking to expand their own domains and influence via taking commanding positions in new crusades. The end result is that the upper echelons of a large scale operation are almost entirely recruited from the aristocracy. The quality of these commanders is quite variable, with the best ones usually coming from families with long histories of [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething noblesse oblige]] to the Imperium, while [[TheNeidermeyer the worst]] tend to be {{Glory Seeker}}s more used to [[DeadlyDecadentCourt courtly intrigue]] with [[WeHaveReserves little regard for the forces under them]].
* OneGenderRace -- Though there are the odd all-female, or even rarer mixed-gender Imperial Guard regiments, there are approximately four Imperial Guardswoman models.
** The Imperial Guard's RPG ''OnlyWar'' also at least [[http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/only-war/frpgd/Eleventh%20Hour%20Bonus%20Characters%20%28High%20Res%29.pdf has a female Commissar, Zara Harper, as a bonus character]].
* ThePoliticalOfficer -- Imperial Commissars, identified by their characteristic [[BadassLongcoat greatcoats]], red sashes, and {{Commissar Cap}}s. They are each a product of the Schola Progenium where they are indoctrinated to hold the Imperial Creed above life itself, and given an iron will to see the Imperium triumphant. Their role is to ensure that the Imperial forces in-theater have the will to get the job done, no matter how daunting the odds are, and are granted full authority over life and death to see that will enforced. The fact that they can and occasionally do [[YouHaveFailedMe conduct field executions]] tends to be subject to a lot of CharacterExaggeration with regard to the frequency that authority is invoked, but is simply one tool they are given to fulfill their mandate. As Literature/CiaphasCain[[note]]'''HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!'''[[/note]] observed, Commissars who conduct frequent executions tend to be subject to UnfriendlyFire.
* PowerFist -- It being an Imperium weapon, many models of the Imperial Guard may use them.
* PropagandaMachine -- [[ThePoliticalOfficer The Commissariat's]] role of ensuring the Imperial Guard have the will to get the job done extends beyond the common image of line Commissars [[YouHaveFailedMe shooting deserters]] or Commissar Lords [[SwordOfDamocles sitting in on planning sessions]] to ensure officers are willing to [[WeHaveReserves make the necessary sacrifices]]. They also do such things as publish information to be read to the troops educating them on the importance of the current campaign, and cutting off the [[GossipEvolution rumor mill]] by relating news from different parts of the front. Said information and news tends to put the most optimistic spin on everything they can to keep the troop's spirits up. Even if major sections of those reports are [[BlatantLies fabrications]], a few sermons from the preachers about [[BeliefMakesYouStupid the blessed mind being too small for doubt]] is enough to convince.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy -- Any Guard regiment raised from a world with a particularly strong military tradition will often be composed of a culture of them, but the Cadians are perhaps [[UpToEleven the biggest standout example]]. Their birth rate and recruitment rate are the same. Every Cadian is trained from birth to be a soldier, literally being taught to strip a lasgun before they are taught to read. Every settlement on their planet is fortified to make street-to-street combat favor the defenders, and even those citizens who work their "civil sector" jobs (such as their local industries) are technically reservists. Such is their reputation than many planetary defense forces of other worlds [[SincerestFormOfFlattery model themselves on the Cadians' structure and equipment patterns]], which means that a lot of other Guard regiments resemble them.
* PutOnABus -- Several regiments are no longer supported by GW, including the Praetorians, the Savlar Chem Dogs, and the Kanak Skull Takers. While they still exist in-universe and you can technically still use them if you can track down the models, they've just barely escaped going the way of the Squats.
* RedShirtArmy -- [[WeAreTeamCannonFodder The Imperial Guard on a bad day]]...[[CrapsackWorld and the bad days outnumber the good on any given week]].
** The Penal legions are made up of nothing but [[DeathRow convicts who would be executed]] but are sent on suicide missions as little more than meat shields for the ''real'' infantry. In the unlikely case of survival, their crimes are forgiven. In the much more probable case of hideous, hideous death, [[RedemptionEqualsDeath their crimes are forgiven.]]
* ResignationsNotAccepted -- Depending on the regiment. Some keep fighting until they are too depleted to be effective, then the survivors muster out permanently. Some actually have a fixed length of enlistment. Some combine the two approaches in periodic reorganisations with a trickle of reinforcements between, so a given soldier might be in for two years or twenty. Officers have more of a defined length of service, but [[BlessedWithSuck talented ones can be called back to the Emperor's service after their retirement]].
* SergeantRock -- Probably a major factor to Guardsmen actually standing off against their enemies. Until the SergeantRock dies, of course. [[WeHaveReserves Of course again, there's more where that came from]].
* TankGoodness -- A huge appeal of the Imperial Guard. Even the standard Leman Russ is a very good tank. Then there are the dozens of variants, and the even bigger super-heavy battle tanks such as the Baneblade, with their [[DawnOfWar "Eleven barrels of]] ''[[DawnOfWar hell!"]]''...
* ThrowTheDogABone -- IG players after the new codex.
* WeHaveReserves -- ...that number in the trillions.
* WhosLaughingNow -- The reaction to the new codex.
* YouHaveFailedMe -- An actual game rule with Commissars: Units that fail a leadership test will have the Commissar execute their leader and make them retake it. Characters actually get a leadership bonus when one joins the unit due to the intimidation.
** At one point, if the now Commissar-led squad somehow failed a leadership test, the squad is removed from the game as the Guardsmen [[UnfriendlyFire frag]] the Commissar and get the hell out of dodge.
See also Literature/GauntsGhosts, Literature/CiaphasCain, ImperialGuard, TheLastChancers, ''TabletopGame/OnlyWar''
Also see the Abhuman section below for information about Ogryns and Ratlings and their uses in the Guard.
!The Inquisition
[[quoteright:233:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/I_with_skull_3840.png]]
->''When passing sentence, always err to the side of harshness. Remember: there is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.''
StateSec with a side of ChurchMilitant, Inquisitors are some of the most powerful individuals in the Imperium, working behinds the scenes to keep everything from going (further) to Hell. They can command civil authorities, the Imperial Guard, the Navy, agents of the Officio Assassinorum, even the Astartes (though they are wise enough to tread carefully in the last case, usually '''requesting''' their help instead of just '''ordering''' them around). They have the power of JudgeJuryAndExecutioner over individuals or [[EarthShatteringKaboom whole worlds]]. They are fully competent in the JackBauerInterrogationTechnique, using any method possible to root out the Imperium's enemies, though their readiness to use the "Nine Actions" varies greatly. Though presented as a unified if extremely intimidating front to the Imperium at large, in reality the Inquisition is a hotbed of backstabbing and intrigue, as patient detectives rub shoulders with frothing religious zealots, Puritans hunt Radicals foolish enough to try and turn the weapons of the enemy against them, and a variety of philosophical outlooks struggle amongst themselves for dominance.
Inquisitors fall mostly into three orders, each with a specific preferred enemy and a Chamber Militant best suited for fighting that enemy.
* The Ordo Hereticus, or Witch Hunters, fight heresy against the Imperial faith and hunt mutants and unlicensed [[PsychicPowers psykers]]. Originally established to police the [[CorruptChurch Ecclesiarchy]], they are closely associated with the [[AmazonBrigade Adepta Sororitas]], or Sisters of Battle, warrior nuns armed and armoured almost as well as the Space Marines, and typically spearhead Sororitas forces. The Battle Sisters are the military force of the Ecclesiarchy, formed to get around a ban on the Church fielding "men under arms". Psykers are banned from their ranks, but they can tactically [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve invoke minor miracles]]. [[KillItWithFire They loooove flamethrowers]].
* The Ordo Malleus, or Daemonhunters, fight Chaos directly, and work with the Grey Knights, Chapter [[NumberOfTheBeast 666]] of the Adeptus Astartes, the people even normal Space Marines consider BadAss in comparison, with holy armour and [[HolyHandGrenade sanctified]] {{psychic|Powers}} [[HolyHandGrenade weapons]].
* The Ordo Xenos, the Alien Hunters, [[DemotedToExtra still haven't received a codex]]. They are more [[BadassBookworm scholarly]] than the other orders, studying alien races for weaknesses and undermining and destroying those that present a threat to the Imperium. This doesn't remove their secret-police role, as they often investigate and stop alien political and religious influence on the fringes of Imperial space. Their military backup is the Deathwatch, a force consisting of Space Marines from various chapters who are especially adept and/or experienced at battling xenos. [[TabletopGame/{{Deathwatch}} Now they have a game of their own!]]
'''Notable Inquisitorial tropes:'''
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking -- "By the authority invested in me by the God-Emperor of Mankind..."
* BadassLongcoat -- Favored by the Witch Hunters in particular.
* [[BecauseISaidSo Because ]]'''[-≡-][[BecauseISaidSo I]][-≡-]''' [[BecauseISaidSo Said So]]: If Inquisitors have good cause, they can demand service from '''anyone''', from a lowly citizen to a High Lord of Terra. The only people officially exempt from this are the Adeptes Custodes, the people guarding the Emperor on the Golden Throne. In practice, though, most Inquisitors are usually smart enough to say please when they require service from the Space Marines. Those who don't...well, there was nothing in their head anyway, so removing it wouldn't really be such a bad thing. This quote from the Daemonhunters codex puts it simply:
--->"I carry with me an Inquisitorial Seal. It is a small, unassuming object contained in a neat box of Pluvian obsidian. It is a modest thing. Relatively plain, adorned with a single motif and a simple motto. Yet with this little object I can sign the death warrant of an entire world and consign a billion souls to Oblivion."
* BlackAndWhiteInsanity -- Monodominants. Not that the less ultra-Puritan types are necessarily paragons of rationality, but the Monodominants would do away with all psykers and mutants, including the Astropaths and Navigators that allow the Imperium to function.
* BoxedCrook -- A common background for Inquisitorial retinue members. Some [[FearlessFool intrepid]] Radicals employ boxed ''Daemons''.
* BurnTheWitch -- Oh, my, yes. Some particularly KnightTemplar Inquisitors are infamous for having ordered entire ''planets'' burned.
* ChurchMilitant -- In a nutshell.
* ColdBloodedTorture -- Occasionally used, but much less often than Inquisitorial reputation would suggest, as information extracted under such duress is often of questionable reliability. Typically, it's easier just to have a psychic interrogator [[MindRape forcefully extract the information from the subject's mind]].
* DropTheHammer -- Daemonhammers are consecrated warhammers that are especially potent against Warp-spawn. They are favored by agents of the Ordo Malleus, which translates to Order of the Hammer.
* EvilIsNotAToy -- The Xanthite faction, a Radical faction, holds that the best way to defeat Chaos is to use [[ArtifactOfDoom Chaotic artifacts]] and [[CapturedSuperEntity bound daemonhosts]] against it. A lot of them (but not all) end up getting killed by said artifacts and daemons.
* FateWorseThanDeath -- Some heretics or blasphemers may be ordered to undergo the rites of Arco-Flagellation as an extreme act of repentance. This involves lopping off the condemned's hands and replacing them with power flails or other nasty weapons, sticking the guy's back full of combat drug dispensers, and [[MindRape lots of mental conditioning]]. The result is a wasted, wiry cyborg who wears a hood displaying calming religious images, but with the right command word the visor retracts, the stim-packs activate, and the former heretic goes [[TheBerserker berserk]].
* GreatBigBookOfEverything -- The Inquisition has an extensive library of banned, heretical, and downright dangerous musty tomes.
* HeKnowsTooMuch -- Inquisitors are known for requisitioning Imperial Guard regiments, and sometimes ordering the grunts killed after being exposed to whatever it was they were called on to help deal with.
** Though they're pretty cautious about doing this when Space Wolves are within earshot.
* HeroicWillpower -- A prerequisite for being an Inquisitor. Given the sanity-blasting horrors they must face, the awful truths they must confront, and the extreme measures they may be called upon to perform, it's necessary that they be able to carry on with absolute faith and conviction in their cause. Of course, this is also what tends to reinforce their KnightTemplar tendencies as well.
* TheInquisitorGeneral -- Despite having such as an almost literal rank, this is not the primary role of the Inquisition. That said, it often falls under their umbrella of responsibility. An Inquisitor's job is to [[ProperlyParanoid suspect everyone]] of heresy, and the more influential the person in question the more Inquisitorial scrutiny they will be under. This includes planetary governors, rogue traders, major military leaders, and [[RightHandVersusLeftHand other Inquisitors]].
* InspectorJavert -- The less unstable and pugnacious Inquisitors sometimes end up in this role, pitted against the rare well-intentioned rebels like the Soul Drinkers, or more often [[RightHandVersusLeftHand Imperial servants with conflicting orders]].
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique -- The "[[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Action Nine Actions]]", nine stages of intensity used in interrogating suspects. The farther you go down, the more brutal the interrogation.
** ToThePain: The Second Action involves explaining in meticulous, worrying detail what the next seven Actions will involve. This is often enough to get captives to cooperate.
** ColdBloodedTorture: It's implied that by the time the Ninth Action is reached, the Inquisitor(s) have given up trying to get intel or get admittance of sin, and simply want the subject to suffer a horrific, weeks-long death.
* JudgeJuryAndExecutioner -- The Inquisition's motto is "Innocence Proves Nothing." And [[BecauseISaidSo few dare question]] if an Inquisitor decides someone is just guilty enough for a dangerous but high-paying retinue position, a FateWorseThanDeath, or a simple bolt round to the head.
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope -- Occupational hazard for any enforcer with a blank check, but far more common than betrayal or simple abuse of power as a villainous Inquisitor's StartOfDarkness.
** Also the reason for the saying "Every Inquisitor starts off a puritan and becomes a radical." The idea being that the more an Inquisitor learns about the nature of the universe, the more sacrifices they have to make to secure the Imperium, the more compromises they make to get what they need, the more radical they become. A big source of RightHandVersusLeftHand in the Inquisition is disagreements about where the edge of that slope is, and how far down it is too far.
* KangarooCourt -- Inquisitors (especially Puritans) are notorious for organizing these, although many don't even bother with going through the motions of a trial.
* KillItWithFire -- "Burn the Heretic, Kill the Mutant, Purge the Unclean."
* TheMole -- The more extremist Radical factions often have agendas that either run directly contrary to official Imperium policy or seriously undermine its security (or both). These sorts include the Recongregators and the Isstvanians, who deliberately act to stir up trouble and undermine the government; the Polypsykana, who believe that psykers are [[EvolutionaryLevels the next phase in human evolution]] and not only run underground railroads to protect them but also operate {{Super Breeding Program}}s to make more of them; the Seculos Attendous, who work to destroy the Ecclesiarchy; and the Phaenonites, who actively work to destroy the rest of the Inquisition and overthrow the Adeptus Terra so they can take over (among other nasty things they like to do).
* NiceHat -- Inquisitors of the Ordo Hereticus are often show wearing rather BadAss-looking capotains, in addition to {{Badass Longcoat}}s.
* NoKillLikeOverkill -- The Inquisition will go to any extreme to ensure that threats to the Imperium are defeated, up to and including killing untold billions of innocents by subjecting the planet in question to [[ApocalypseHow Exterminatus]].
* OmnicidalManiac:
** The Monodominants, a Puritan faction, which maintains that the only way humanity can survive is to wipe out everything that isn't human. While this isn't an unreasonable idea given [[EverythingTryingToKillYou what is lurking in the galaxy]], the Monodominants take it a bit further than necessary, up to and including the psykers and mutants that the Imperium needs to continue functioning.
** More extreme elements of the Recongregationists, a Radical faction, take this one step further. They include the moderate factions, the other Radical factions, the Ecclesiarchy, most of the Cult Mechanicus, the Arbites etc... The Departmento Munitorium, Officio Assassinorum and Adeptus Astartes are just about the only things they don't want dead, although they would like to "streamline" these groups.
* OnlySaneEmployee:
** Inquisitor Amberly Vail of ''Literature/CiaphasCain'' fame shows noticeable self-awareness about the Inquisition's lack of...restraint in discharging their duties.
** On a larger level, the Amalathians, a Puritan faction, attempt to keep the established structure of the Imperium running as well as possible, rather than [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans seeking change]] or [[KnightTemplar trying to impose a draconian standard of purity]]. You'd think a group that believes the Imperium at present is perfect would be off their rocker, but they actually encourage cooperation, instead of the bureaucratic infighting so common with the Imperium.
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits -- The members of an Inquisitorial entourage will be...interesting, to say the least.
* {{Reincarnation}} -- The premise of the Thorians, a Puritan faction, who believe that the best way to save the Imperium is to bring about the reincarnation of the Emperor of Mankind.
* RightHandVersusLeftHand -- You've got your standard turf wars between the three Ordos; open violence between Radicals and Puritans; wrangling between the Thorians, Amalthians, and Monodominants; and battles by proxy between Inquisitors who don't know that they're working on the same case.
** [[AllThereInTheManual Supplemental]] [[DarkHeresy materials]] indicate that this is actually something of a check and balance on Inquisitorial power. The power Inquisitors wield makes them necessarily accountable to other Inquisitors, with the infighting, or simple potential for infighting, forcing them to use a degree of restraint in that authority, and keeping any one Inquisitor from acting unilaterally.
* SocialDarwinist -- Inqusitors of the radical Istivaanian school of thought believe that the Imperium grows stronger through conflict. If a particular sector of the Imperium has had it too easy, they might arrange a conflict to hit it, just to make sure it stays on its toes. In an lot of cases, they might set up a "crucible of fire" just to ensure that only the strong survive it. They will carefully observe such conflicts for potential strong candidates that they can groom for positions of influence to further strengthen the Imperium. That said, they prefer to keep such conflict limited and controllable. After all, their goal is to strengthen the Imperium, not batter it down.
* StopBeingStereotypical -- Other Inquisitors feel this way about Monodominants, but don't speak up too loudly about it because the fear the Monodominants create with their excessive and indiscriminate tactics helps make their own jobs easier.
* TokenEvilTeammate / HeroAntagonist -- On a faction level. No one in the Imperium is [[BlackAndGreyMorality squeaky clean]], but if someone who should be an ally is going to oppose the protagonists of a 40K story or be [[WhatTheHellHero too extreme]] for them, it ''will'' be an Inquisitor.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans -- The Radical Recongregator faction is defined by this, spending as much time plotting to reshape the Imperium, whether world-by-world or from the top down, as they do investigating threats. Their methods may range from involvement in political intrigues to fostering the same rebellions other Inquisitors are trying to prevent.
* WellIntentionedExtremist -- And this is one of the more pleasant ways to describe them.
** Within the context of the Inqusition itself, this is practically the definition of a "Radical", an Inqusitor who uses means to secure the Imperium that other Inqusitors would find questionable. There is a ''lot'' of room for GreyAndGrayMorality in this. For example, a Radical Inqusitor might use HumanSacrifice to form a [[DemonicPossession Daemonhost]] bound to them to eliminate a critical threat. This is obviously a break from mainline Imperial dogma and methods, but what if they alternative is [[EarthShatteringKaboom purging the entire planet]] so-threatened? At this point, which approach is more "extreme" is a matter of some debate, {{in-universe}}.
* WitchHunt -- A standard tactic, particularly for Monodominants.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness -- Overlaps with HeKnowsTooMuch. It is very hard to simply retire from an Inquisitor's retinue.
'''Tropes specific to the Officio Assassinorum:'''
* AbsurdlySharpBlade -- The C'tan Phase Weapons, used by the Callidus Assassins to cut through absolutely anything.
* AntiMagic -- The specialty of the Culexus.
* TheBerserker -- Eversors, who are [[ExplosiveOverclocking pumped so full of performance-enhancing combat drugs that their bodies explode if the drug flow stops]]. Because these drugs enhance lethal aggression and cannot be shut off without killing the addicted assassin, [[SealedBadassInACan putting them into cryo-stasis]] is necessary to keep them alive between deployments.
* BloodyMurder -- This is the inevitable result of using Eversors.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy -- Some of the more... "[[AxeCrazy volatile]]" Imperial assassins are subject to this, being mindwiped after every mission and having their next mission subliminally programmed into them while kept sedated. Eversors are a common example, though this is not necessarily limited to them.
* TheChessmaster -- The Vanus Temple consists entirely of these. As one of their members said, 'the cleanest kill is one that another performs in your stead with no knowledge of your incitement'.
* ColdSniper [=/=] ImprobableAimingSkills -- Assassins of the Vindicare temple are expert marksmen and infiltrators, complete with special guns and ammunition allowing them to potentially one-shot a tank from kilometers away.
* FormFittingWardrobe -- The stereotypical garb of an Imperial Assassin is a layer of "synskin", a kind of semi-organic body sheath applied directly over the assassin's flesh. Multiple variations of it exist, some of which enhance strength, others of which have chameleon qualities, and some are capable of changing shape (along with the wearer).
* MasterPoisoner -- The specialty of the Venenum Temple.
* OurSoulsAreDifferent -- Culexus assassins are horrifying creatures that seem to lack a soul, thanks to the Pariah gene. Ordinary people find them [[BrownNote quite disturbing]], but the assassins are trained to [[MageKiller prey on enemy psykers]], who are especially sensitive to them. Their wargear fires what has been described as bolts of [[AntiMagic anti-soul]].
* ShapeShifter -- Callidus assassins have access to Polymorphine, allowing them to disguise themselves as a member of just about any race. They are employed to infiltrate enemy organizations, supply them with false intelligence or bad advice, and surgically remove the leadership.
'''Tropes specific to the Sisters of Battle:'''
* AmazonBrigade -- The Sisters of Battle are basically Space Marines who make up for not having any kind of genetic enhancement with pure zeal.
* TheAtoner -- Comes in two forms:
** The most well known branch of the path of the penitent is the Sisters Repentia, who seek to atone for their own sins by [[FullFrontalAssault charging into battle wearing nothing]] [[VaporWear except purity seals]], hoping for [[DeathSeeker a redemptive death]] on the battlefield.
** A lesser known branch of the path of the penitent is that of the Sister Oblatia, a Sororitas who seeks to atone for the sins of another. She assumes another's sins as her own[[note]]often that of a family member, an ancestor, or some other figure that they feel close to[[/note]], then leaves her sisters to [[WalkingTheEarth Walk The Galaxy]] as a KnightErrant, seeking out and defeating the enemies of the Imperium so that those sins may be absolved in the eyes of the GodEmperor.
* ChainmailBikini:
** Normal Sororitas infantry are a rare aversion, clad head to toe in PoweredArmour, albeit often modelled unnecessarily closely on the figure underneath.
** Sisters Repentia play it straight, but only because they're [[TheAtoner not allowed to have armor]].
* ChainsawGood -- Aside from their lack of clothing, Sisters Repentia are also known for carrying [[{{BFS}} enormous chainswords]] into battle as their only weapons.
* ChurchMilitant -- The primary reason for the Sisters of Battle's existence, and one of the more blatant examples of this trope [[UpToEleven in a setting where it is almost ubiquitous]]. The reality is slightly more complex than that though, as not every Sororitas is necessarily a Battle Sister. In addition to the Orders Militant, there are the [[{{Ambadassador}} Orders Famulous]], the [[CunningLinguist Orders Dialogous]], and the [[TheMedic Orders Hospitaller]]. Regardless of vocation, each Sororitas is expected to draw strength and courage from her faith and lay down her life if need be in the Emperor's name.
* ExactWords -- The Ecclesiarchy is specifically banned from maintaining any ''men under arms'', as stated by ''Decree Passive''. They get around this with the Sororitas.
* {{Expy}} -- The Orders Famulous are terribly similar to [[{{Dune}} the Bene Gesserit]].
* GirlWithPsychoWeapon -- The Sisters Repentia.
* KillItWithFire -- Needs to be repeated.
* MacrossMissileMassacre -- The Exorcist is a combination tank, [[MusicalAssassin pipe organ]], and multiple missile launcher. It fires as a Battle Sister plays a keyboard on top of it.
* OfCorsetsSexy -- [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. While not an actual corset, the front torso plates of Sororitas powered armor are designed to resemble a metallic bustier, drawing on the trope's imagery to give the impression of the female form while still providing fully covering protection. Given the reasons for the Sororitas' existence, projecting the image of female warriors by the shape of their power armor could be quite {{justified|Trope}} for reasons of doctrinal adherence.
* WhipItGood -- Sisters of Battle "Mistresses" lead squads of Sister Repentia, driving them along with whips.
* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl -- Sisters of Battle are typically depicted with pure white hair, presumably dyed.
* WhiteMagic -- The Sisters are known for performing Acts of Faith on the battlefield, optimistically a sign of the Emperor's favor, pessimistically a form of psychic witchcraft.
''See also {{Eisenhorn}}, {{Ravenor}}, TabletopGame/DarkHeresy''.
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->''For every hero commemorated, a thousand martyrs die, unmourned and unremembered.''
The RedShirtArmy. The Space Marines hog all the glory, but since there is less than one Space Marine for every world in the Imperium, it is the untold billions of the ImperialGuard that do 99% of the fighting. Individually, a Guardsman is your [[PunyEarthlings average Joe]], going up against SuperSoldiers and {{Eldritch Abomination}}s. He's got a set of basic [[BulletProofVest flak armor]] that can withstand outdated small arms fire; a lasgun that, while capable of blowing off limbs, is among the ''weakest'' weapons in the setting; training full of propaganda and blatant lies; commanders [[WeHaveReserves willing to sacrifice millions of men and machines]] in decade-long campaigns; and [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner commissars]] [[YouHaveFailedMe ready to summarily execute]] [[DirtyCoward cowards]] and [[DangerousDeserter deserters]]. His odds are not good, but the Guard has trillions like him, and millions of tanks and artillery pieces.
Thematically, the Guard is a melting pot of inspiration from every army in history, and then some. The Catachans are ''both sides'' of the Vietnam War. Valhallans are grim but determined ice worlders reminiscent of Soviet infantry hordes. Tallarns are pious and wily desert raiders. Cadians are taught to field-strip a lasgun before they learn how to walk. The Praetorians wear [[TheBritishEmpire pith helmets and red coats]]. The Mordians are Prussian-esque soldiers always in dress uniforms. The Death Korps of Krieg are everything scary and callous about the First World War ramped up to eleven. The Steel Legions of Armageddon look like WW2 German paratroopers and fight like panzer grenadiers. The [[Literature/GauntsGhosts Tanith First-And-Only]] are scouts and woodsmen beyond compare. The Elysians are heavily-armed and armoured pastiches of every [[ItsRainingMen elite airborne regiment ever]] with NervesOfSteel and no tank or artillery support. Traditionally the Imperial Guard were depicted as being used in human wave attacks or trench warfare right out of WorldWarOne, but the ''Gaunt's Ghosts'' novels have seen the Guard re-tooled into a sophisticated and highly-trained war machine combining infantry, armor, and air support into a fighting force the equal of any modern army. Considering what they're up against, it isn't always enough.
There's also an Imperial Navy that fights battles in space and transports Guard troops, which follows similar protocol to the Guard and has a similar chain of command but separate leadership.
On the tabletop, few armies can field as many soldiers as the Imperial Guard, which is fortunate, as they are comparatively lightly armored, and have morale that's highly contingent on there being a commanding officer or commissar nearby. On the other hand, few armies can bring as many weapons to bear in a single Shooting phase as the Guard, so while one lasgun is unlikely to get results, [[BeamSpam fifty or sixty firing in salvos will]] (unoffically referred to as 'the laser light show'). The Imperial Guard is also famous for their tanks which are unsophisticated and unsubtle metal monsters, deployed in numbers bordering on the absurd, and very, ''very'' good at shooting things. However, the key to the Imperial Guard's popularity may be that they're basically normal people forced into unimaginably bad situations, but who can prevail with luck, faith in the God-Emperor, and overwhelming firepower.
'''Notable tropes'''
* [[RunningGag Again]], [[ChainsawGood Chainsword Good]] - A common melee weapon amongst the Imperial Guard aside from standard issue combat knives.
* AmazonBrigade: In the fluff, there are entire armies of Imperial Guard that are composed solely of women, but this is not supported so much in the models. Given a lampshade hanging in the ''Literature/CiaphasCain'' novels, where it's explained that women make up roughly 10% of the draftees for the Imperial Guard, so those women who are inducted are typically formed into women-only regiments.
* AncestralWeapon: [[PlanetOfHats The hat]] of the Vostroyan Firstborn is that the firstborn son of every family joins the Imperial Guard, each one uses a locally-produced weapon, and each weapon is property of the family to whom it is issued. Where possible, weapons are brought back to the homeworld and returned to the families to which they belong, who then pass the weapon down to the next firstborn. Very old weapons are considered priceless heirlooms, and are [[BlingOfWar quite valuable]].
* ArmiesAreEvil: Largely subverted, as the Imperial Guard are just average people who are fighting for the Imperium.
* {{Badass}} -- Quite possibly the most Badass group in the setting, given that they're normal humans going up against aliens, supersoldiers, and demons from hell.
** BadassAbnormal: Cadian Kasrkin, selected from the most badass soldiers in one of the Guard's most badass armies and then given genetic and cybernetic augmentations in addition to much heavier armour and bigger guns. They have been known to calmly attack hulking daemonic killing machines with ''knives'' when no other options present themselves...and that's mainly veteran Kasrkin. Regular Kasrkin don't even have the augmentations and will ''still do this.''
** BadassBoast -- Every regimental motto.
** BadassGrandpa -- Legendary Commissar Yarrick, who led the Imperium to victory during the Second War for Armageddon (which started on the day he ''would have'' retired had the War not erupted), {{retired|Badass}}, then came back ''again'' to save the day during the Third War for Armageddon. He's so incredibly badass, after he got his arm lopped off by an Ork, he [[{{Determinator}} killed the thing and took its power klaw for a replacement and trophy]]. He has a bionic eye that [[EyeBeams shoots lasers]]. Now he's tagged along with a Black Templar crusade to hunt down [[ArchNemesis Warlord Ghazghkull mag Uruk Thraka]] once and for all. The Templars took him on because ''he has the most chance of actually accomplishing their objective''.
*** [[OmnicidalManiac Most]] [[BloodKnight Orks]] will '''actively avoid''' facing Yarrick in battle. It's heavily implied that the only reason he replaced his lost eye with a bionic one was because he wanted to feed into the already-existing rumors among them that he could kill you just by looking at you. In the game, if his model is killed against an Ork army, it stands a good chance of ''[[BackFromTheDead getting back up again]]''. Ghazghkull once captured Yarrick, had him tortured a bit, and then ''let him go'' because he relished the chance to fight him again more than the opportunity to kill him. Source material also rather heavily implies that the Orks' regarding him as an unkillable badass has [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve turned him into an unkillable badass]]. Games Workshop paint jobs of his model always give his skin a [[BadassAbnormal greenish tinge]].
** BadassLongcoat -- Commissars. Also have a NiceHat, specifically the much sought-after CommissarCap.
** [[TheRedBaron Badass Nickname]] -- The Hammer of the Emperor.
** [[BadassArmy Badass]] [[BadassNormal Normal]] [[BadassArmy Army]] - Without BioAugmentation, SuperStrength and [[NighInvulnerable durability]], PoweredArmor, PsychicPowers, or the most advanced technology, the Imperial Guard gets by on good old-fashioned combined arms warfare...and [[WeHaveReserves massive, massive casualties]].
*** Just to make the point clear. Remember that [[TrainingFromHell training facility]] in ''Film/Starship Troopers''? In Warhammer 40k, it's an average [[RedShirtArmy PDF]] training ground. After serving at least two years in PDF, the best soldiers may be recruited by the Guard. After six months of extensive training on the IG training grounds, they will actually join a Guard regiment. In the regiment, all of them are considered green newbies, that will be pushed around the training course by veteran superiors. Nevertheless, statistically, less than half of them will live through their first campaign. Those who do can be considered proper [[RedShirt Guardsmen]].
** ColonelBadass -- More than a few regimental Colonels, such as "Iron Hand" Straken, Ibram Gaunt, and countless others.
** FourStarBadass -- Not all of the Guard's senior commanders are [[GeneralFailure complete failures]]. There are plenty of Guard Generals that are strategic geniuses and kick ass just as well, such as Lord Castellan Usarkar E. Creed and Lord Commander Solar Macharius.
** TookALevelInBadAss -- Post new codex, the Guard have become gods of mechanized warfare.
* BadBoss -- ''Many'' officers, commanders and generals are this. Commissars are generally always this, their job description being in part to execute [[YouHaveFailedMe when neccessary]].
** This occasionally backfires on them, as Literature/CiaphasCain ([[FakeUltimateHero HERO OF THE IMPERIUM]]!) notes that Commissars often end up [[UnfriendlyFire killed far from the front lines]].
* BaseOnWheels -- The Leviathan mobile command center, as well as the Capitol Imperialis, which can house tank companies.
* BayonetYa: The bayonet is nearly as synonymous to the average Guardsman's weaponry as the lasgun that it's attached to. Being forced to use it as a {{Puny Earthling|s}} comparatively weaker and/or saner to one of his many enemies individually is a fairly powerful image.
* BeamSpam -- The only way to effectively use lasguns is [[DeathOfAThousandCuts in bulk]].
** [[http://1d4chan.org/wiki/File:Guardsmen.jpg This little educational strip]] explains the proper way to use lasguns with Imperial Guard.
* {{BFG}} -- Heavy Weapons Platoons, the Basilisk mobile artillery's Earthshaker cannon, and then we move into super-heavy battle tank territory...
* BifurcatedWeapon -- The standard lasgun is usually equipped with a bayonet. That's right, forty thousand years into the future and bayonet charges are still a valid infantry tactic.
* BigBookOfWar -- The ''[[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Tactica_Imperium_passages Tactica Imperium]]'' is a collection of countless commanders' combined battlefield experiences, containing advice on topics from barricade construction to force organization. Imperial generals may find it useful, though they have to keep in mind that [[Literature/TheBible it occasionally contradicts itself, should not be adhered to too strictly, and some passages are best read as metaphors]].
* BulletProofVest -- 'Flak Armour' is standard-issue for Imperial Guard infantry... but those are way outdated for the vast majority of races in 40K.
* ButtMonkey -- A serious example, which even extended to the players, before the new codex.
* CannonFodder -- A popular image for the Imperial Guard, though this varies between regiments and commanders. However, there are conscript squads in the game, of which their use is pretty much undeniably this.
** Previous editions even had the ''Penal Legions,'' a place for people facing death row to serve the God-Emperor in the one way every human can... as a HumanShield. Even the ''regular'' Guardsmen regarded penal legions as CannonFodder.
* CharacterExaggeration -- The people in charge for the Imperial Guard are frequently portrayed in fan works are being either so sociopathic or incompetent (sometimes both) that it makes one wonder why the Imperium didn't fall long ago. There certainly are such cases, the Imperium being very vast, and it's likely done to emphasize how 40K is GrimDark (or is PlayedForLaughs as BlackHumor in the RefugeInAudacity of it.). Which it is.
** The memetic portrayal of Usarkar E. Creed, Lord Castellan of Cadia, goes in the extreme opposite direction, with his astounding displays of [[MemeticMutation TACTICAL GENIUS]] such as ambushing Abbadon in his own bathroom and hiding Baneblades behind streetlamps. He also traveled back in time and wrote the Codex.
* ChurchMilitant -- Considered to be an aspiration for the Imperial Guard, though the success and extremity of this heavily varies between regiments. The regiments raised from Ecclesiarchial fiefdoms, or "shrine worlds", are often this in a nearly literal sense.[[note]]Though they are not members of the clergy like Sisters of Battle, they are considered lay-members of the Imperial church.[[/note]]
* CombatMedic -- Anyone who has medical abilities in the Imperial Guard is otherwise trained and armed similar to standard infantry.
* CommissarCap -- The TropeNamer, obviously. The hats worn by the commissars are so flashy that you will immediately see that he is a man of fear and respect.
* CoolTank -- Baneblades.
** Special mention goes to the Hellhound family of medium tank. While they lack the sheer brutal power of the Baneblade or even the workhorse Leman-Russ tank, they win RuleOfCool superiority by being one enormous ''flamethrower.'' For those generals not afraid to get their hands [[WeaponOfMassDestruction truly filthy,]] the Imperium manufactures variants that spew poison gas or toxic waste.
* CripplingOverspecialization -- Deliberately {{invoked|Trope}} at the company level by the [[VastBureaucracy Departmento Munitorium]] when levying Imperial Guard. Any given Imperial Guard company will be trained and equipped for exactly one role, be it foot infantry, mounted infantry, armor, or artillery. The intention being that no company can survive long going rogue, and must rely on other companies for combined arms warfare.
* DeathFromAbove -- The Imperial Guard heavily use artillery as part of their combined arms, and probably have more of it with more possible options for it than virtually any other military in the galaxy.[[note]]In fact, they have no less than '''five''' different kinds of tank dedicated to that purpose.[[/note]] Sure, the Imperium has plenty of ships which can [[KillSat devistate a world with lance fire]], but that is only for very critical targets or when past the GodzillaThreshold. The Guard on the other hand, sling shells skyward as part of normal operations, and does it with much greater frequency and specific effect.
* DeathSeeker -- Some of the more fanatical regiments fall into this. For example, the [[MeaningfulName Death Corps of Krieg]] have this as part of their [[PlanetOfHats hat]].
** Usually as the result of the aforementioned planetary defence actions going pear-shaped.
* EliteMooks:
** Imperial Stormtroopers ([[Franchise/StarWars not ''those'' guys]]) are basically special-ops teams outfitted with improved versions of a Guardsman's wargear - earning them monikers such as "Toy Soldiers" and "Glory Boys" from the resentful rank-and-file.
** Cadia's equivalents, the Kasrkin, are trained and hardened to such a degree that they could be considered the Elite Mooks [[UpToEleven OF the Elite Mooks]]. Consider that instead of being resented by other guardsmen, they are looked ''up'' to.
* FakeUltimateHero -- Commissar Literature/CiaphasCain ([[BoldInflation HERO OF THE IMPERIUM]]!). Contrast with Commissar [[Literature/GauntsGhosts Ibram Gaunt]], [[LittleHeroBigWar an actual hero doomed to obscurity]].
** Arguably a subverted trope by this point. Cain's protestations of non-heroism are more and more at odds with his actions in every book.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture -- Not as obvious as the Space Marines, but Cadia is based on modern soldiers from various countries, whereas we have the Catachans who are based on both sides in the Vietnam conflict, while the Valhallans and Vostroyans are based on the Red Army and the Imperial Russian Army, respectively. There's also the Attilan Rough Riders, based on Mongols, Steel Legion and Death Korps of Krieg, both based on the World War II era German army to various degrees (though all the trenches involved with the latter also make them an analog of WWI German forces), the elite Elysian Drop Troopers, who take notes from just about every paratrooper and air-cav force in military history, and a few others that would take up too much space to describe. Many of these armies are at least somewhat nice by comparison to their real life counterparts, however.
** There are elite troops called Grenadiers in the game - the only reason they are called that is pretty much because of the 'elite assault soldier' connotation of the word, just like in many militaries applying the term due to its past of, well, elite assault soldiers.
** Cadia is guessed to be a reference to Canada's military (likely in World War I), though the connection isn't entirely straightforward - standard battle tactics of Cadia are frontal assaults where Canadian forces in World War I were famous shock troops (which involved specialized infiltration missions to break up the cohesiveness of enemy defences followed by a larger offensive). Further confusing, Cadia fields many Kasrkin and Grenadier troops, the former being very famous assault troops, the latter being more better trained and armoured guardsmen who are otherwise fielded as regular guardsmen - which certainly seems to fit the bill there.
** These design elements make the Guard [[PeripheryDemographic popular with fans of realistic tactical wargames]], who tend to see this invoked by designing and painting their armies to look even more like certain historical forces.
* FastRoping:
** Valkyrie transports are equipped with line spools for precisely this reason.
** [[EliteMooks Stormtroopers]] in particular tend to train heavily in this technique, and are the most likely to attempt it on the battlefield, forgoing a more cautious insertion when speed of deployment is a priority.
* AFatherToHisMen -- No shortage of these, either.
* FrickinLaserBeams -- The Imperial Guard is the single biggest military organization in the galaxy, and the single biggest user of laser-based {{Energy Weapon}}s, coming in multiple varieties:
** Lasguns -- The most common weapon, the "old-standby" of the Imperium. A rifle-like laser weapon with greater stopping power than the majority of modern conventional projectile firearms, but still one of the most comparatively weakest weapons in the setting. There are many regional and functional variations on the design, some with different settings for rate of fire and damage, but all share certain common core parts and take the same charge packs for ammunition (which can be recharged in a few hours from field generators). [[EasyLogistics This is a big part of the reason they are so popular for a massive organization like the Guard]]. Tend to be easy to keep functionally clean and keep working in rough conditions. Desperate Guardsmen are known to set them to [[OverclockingAttack set them to overload and hurl them at the enemy]] as [[ImprovisedWeapon an improvised grenade]].
** Long-las -- A marksmen's version of the common lasgun. These are tuned to produce a killing shot at greater distance, usually sacrificing rate of fire and shot capacity per charge pack to achieve this. Experienced Guard snipers often prefer to equip their long-las with overcharge packs to increase their power per-shot, but this results in even fewer shots per pack, and they need to keep several spare barrels on hand as this wears the barrel out very quickly.
** Hellguns -- An upscaled version of the lasgun, this achieves a greater punch through the expedient of being bigger and [[TimTaylorTechnology pumping more power into it]]. [[RequiredSecondaryPowers This necessitates a much more elaborate cooling system]], making a hellgun much more bulky and mechanically complicated than a lasgun. Because the power draw is so much higher, many hellguns attach to {{Ammunition Backpack}}s to allow a wielder to [[BeamSpam pour on the fire]], though there are variations which use standard charge packs as well. Because of their size, they are often only used by heavy infantry or dedicated elite forces.
** Hot-shot Lasguns -- Lasguns with overcharge packs and special tuning to increase their lethality. The combination of the stopping power of the heavier hellguns with the portability of the more common lasguns has made these weapons highly popular with special forces who need to keep their equipment light, such as [[ItsRainingMen para-drop storm troopers]]. However, [[NecessaryDrawback they have the drawback]] of wearing out the weapon very quickly; [[ExplosiveOverclocking it runs so hot that its components burn out and fuse together with frequent use]], making it unsuited to long deployments or situations where supplies are limited.
** Multilasers -- Essentially a [[GatlingGood gatling version]] of the hellgun, it is a multibarrel weapon capable of maintaining a [[BeamSpam high rate of fire]]. They are usually too big to be used by infantry, but are often mounted on vehicles such as the [[AwesomePersonnelCarrier Chimera infantry fighting vehicle]] to supress enemy infantry and light vehicles.
* GasMaskLongcoat -- The Death Corps of Krieg wear these as part of their [[PlanetOfHats hat]], justified due to their planet of origin being [[NuclearOption a radiological wasteland]].
* GasMaskMooks:
** Some models fall into this, with Stormtroopers being the most common source of them.
** The Death Corps of Krieg are nothing '''but''' this.
* GeneralFailure -- There's no shortage of Guard generals who got their position entirely through family connections and interdepartmental politicking, and who couldn't command their way out of a wet paper bag. Many follow the WeHaveReserves school of Imperial tactics, reasoning that even the most {{egregious}} tactical errors can be overcome by throwing enough men at the problem. The most incompetent of them even manage to screw ''that'' up.
* GenreSavvy -- Despite their "training", most Guardsmen know precisely how bad their odds are in the universe. They compensate by employing every dirty trick in the book from camo netting to mines to snipers to [[DirtyCoward good old fashioned cowardice]]. In the event a commanding officer or commissar insists they hold the line and fight bravely against impossible odds, Guardsmen have been known to [[TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch insist]] [[UnfriendlyFire back]].
* GlorySeeker: Many [=COs=].
* HighlyConspicuousUniform: Generally {{averted|Trope}} by most regiments, who tend to wear practical uniforms with either dull unassuming colors or camouflage. However, it is played straight with a noticeable minority of them. For example, the Mordian Iron Guard wear these as part of their [[PlanetOfHats hat]], with brightly colored uniforms to match their goose-stepping, line volley firing, parade field image. [[note]]Supposedly they are so regimented and disciplined that they will continue a column march with eyes forward even if they are being shot at. This seemingly era-mismatched style of warfare might be justified as their home planet is subject to frequent Chaos incursions, and the bright colors and iron discipline could very well be a method to keep the troops [[GoMadFromTheRevelation fighting and sane]] in the face of the [[EldritchAbomination mind-blasting horrors]] they are up against. Their planet is also constantly night time so the bright uniform may also be useful for identifying [[FriendOrFoe Friend From Foe]] in the darkness.[[/note]]
* HollywoodTactics -- Still common amongst the regiments, though DanAbnett shows that not all commanders are that stupid.
* HomeGuard -- Imperial Guard regiments are formed from the best members of the Planetary Defence Forces that are available when it's time for a planet to pay its tithes. Since planets always have to pay their tithes, the PDF are considered to be ill-disciplined and unsuitable for prolonged engagement. The Imperial Guard consider the PDF to be inferior to the Guard. The {{irony}} is lost on no one. There are noticeable aversions, however, such as the Cadian Home Guard (as Cadians are some of the best soldiers in the galaxy) and Ultramar Auxilia (given that they're whipped into shape by the Ultramarines).
* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy -- {{Subverted|Trope}}. Though they have a reputation as unreliable shots, Guardsmen have average Ballistic Skill, and statistically half of their ranged attacks ([[BeamSpam of which they make very many]]) will hit. Actual Stormtroopers shoot as well as Space Marines and have a two out of three chance of hitting the mark.
* InterserviceRivalry -- A major source of friction, both within the guard and outside of it. You have the traditional rivalry between the Imperial Navy and the ground-pounders, between GlorySeeker [=COs=] and [[SpotlightStealingSquad Spotlight Stealing Space Marine companies]], between [[FantasticRacism regiments from different planets]], and occasionally between regiments from the same planet if their culture is particularly competitive.
* ItsRainingMen -- The Imperial Guard might not have the flash of orbital combat drops like the Imperium's most elite forces, but they do still make use of more conventional air drop operations. Some regiments train more extensively in this kind of operation than others, with the Elyssian regiments in particular having this as their [[PlanetOfHats hat]]. A typical drop operation will involve a few Valkyrie transports coming in fast and low to {{Fast Rop|ing}}e [[EliteMooks stormtroopers]] in to secure an initial landing zone, with larger numbers of higher-flying Valkyries following shortly in their wake to deploy reinforcements via grav-chutes.
* JoinTheArmyTheySaid -- Though not all of them had a choice in the matter.
* MadeOfPlasticine
* MightyGlacier -- The Leman Russ in the 5th edition codex got a rule called Lumbering Behemoth which cripples its mobility compared to other tanks but allows its turret to be fired in addition to other weapons allowed to fire. Fitting with the trope, there are only two non-super heavy vehicles in the entire game that are harder to take down than a Leman Russ.
* MoreDakka -- Taking a cue from the Orks, the newest Guard codex introduced the Leman Russ Punisher, armed with a {{gatling|Good}} cannon that fires twenty shots a round, theoretically capable of turning entire Ork mobs into goo.
* OfficerAndAGentleman -- The Imperium has a convention of granting parcels of territory to ranking officers during its crusades of conquest. This has the effect of creating noble families with strong military traditions, and established noble families seeking to expand their own domains and influence via taking commanding positions in new crusades. The end result is that the upper echelons of a large scale operation are almost entirely recruited from the aristocracy. The quality of these commanders is quite variable, with the best ones usually coming from families with long histories of [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething noblesse oblige]] to the Imperium, while [[TheNeidermeyer the worst]] tend to be {{Glory Seeker}}s more used to [[DeadlyDecadentCourt courtly intrigue]] with [[WeHaveReserves little regard for the forces under them]].
* OneGenderRace -- Though there are the odd all-female, or even rarer mixed-gender Imperial Guard regiments, there are approximately four Imperial Guardswoman models.
** The Imperial Guard's RPG ''OnlyWar'' also at least [[http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/only-war/frpgd/Eleventh%20Hour%20Bonus%20Characters%20%28High%20Res%29.pdf has a female Commissar, Zara Harper, as a bonus character]].
* ThePoliticalOfficer -- Imperial Commissars, identified by their characteristic [[BadassLongcoat greatcoats]], red sashes, and {{Commissar Cap}}s. They are each a product of the Schola Progenium where they are indoctrinated to hold the Imperial Creed above life itself, and given an iron will to see the Imperium triumphant. Their role is to ensure that the Imperial forces in-theater have the will to get the job done, no matter how daunting the odds are, and are granted full authority over life and death to see that will enforced. The fact that they can and occasionally do [[YouHaveFailedMe conduct field executions]] tends to be subject to a lot of CharacterExaggeration with regard to the frequency that authority is invoked, but is simply one tool they are given to fulfill their mandate. As Literature/CiaphasCain[[note]]'''HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!'''[[/note]] observed, Commissars who conduct frequent executions tend to be subject to UnfriendlyFire.
* PowerFist -- It being an Imperium weapon, many models of the Imperial Guard may use them.
* PropagandaMachine -- [[ThePoliticalOfficer The Commissariat's]] role of ensuring the Imperial Guard have the will to get the job done extends beyond the common image of line Commissars [[YouHaveFailedMe shooting deserters]] or Commissar Lords [[SwordOfDamocles sitting in on planning sessions]] to ensure officers are willing to [[WeHaveReserves make the necessary sacrifices]]. They also do such things as publish information to be read to the troops educating them on the importance of the current campaign, and cutting off the [[GossipEvolution rumor mill]] by relating news from different parts of the front. Said information and news tends to put the most optimistic spin on everything they can to keep the troop's spirits up. Even if major sections of those reports are [[BlatantLies fabrications]], a few sermons from the preachers about [[BeliefMakesYouStupid the blessed mind being too small for doubt]] is enough to convince.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy -- Any Guard regiment raised from a world with a particularly strong military tradition will often be composed of a culture of them, but the Cadians are perhaps [[UpToEleven the biggest standout example]]. Their birth rate and recruitment rate are the same. Every Cadian is trained from birth to be a soldier, literally being taught to strip a lasgun before they are taught to read. Every settlement on their planet is fortified to make street-to-street combat favor the defenders, and even those citizens who work their "civil sector" jobs (such as their local industries) are technically reservists. Such is their reputation than many planetary defense forces of other worlds [[SincerestFormOfFlattery model themselves on the Cadians' structure and equipment patterns]], which means that a lot of other Guard regiments resemble them.
* PutOnABus -- Several regiments are no longer supported by GW, including the Praetorians, the Savlar Chem Dogs, and the Kanak Skull Takers. While they still exist in-universe and you can technically still use them if you can track down the models, they've just barely escaped going the way of the Squats.
* RedShirtArmy -- [[WeAreTeamCannonFodder The Imperial Guard on a bad day]]...[[CrapsackWorld and the bad days outnumber the good on any given week]].
** The Penal legions are made up of nothing but [[DeathRow convicts who would be executed]] but are sent on suicide missions as little more than meat shields for the ''real'' infantry. In the unlikely case of survival, their crimes are forgiven. In the much more probable case of hideous, hideous death, [[RedemptionEqualsDeath their crimes are forgiven.]]
* ResignationsNotAccepted -- Depending on the regiment. Some keep fighting until they are too depleted to be effective, then the survivors muster out permanently. Some actually have a fixed length of enlistment. Some combine the two approaches in periodic reorganisations with a trickle of reinforcements between, so a given soldier might be in for two years or twenty. Officers have more of a defined length of service, but [[BlessedWithSuck talented ones can be called back to the Emperor's service after their retirement]].
* SergeantRock -- Probably a major factor to Guardsmen actually standing off against their enemies. Until the SergeantRock dies, of course. [[WeHaveReserves Of course again, there's more where that came from]].
* TankGoodness -- A huge appeal of the Imperial Guard. Even the standard Leman Russ is a very good tank. Then there are the dozens of variants, and the even bigger super-heavy battle tanks such as the Baneblade, with their [[DawnOfWar "Eleven barrels of]] ''[[DawnOfWar hell!"]]''...
* ThrowTheDogABone -- IG players after the new codex.
* WeHaveReserves -- ...that number in the trillions.
* WhosLaughingNow -- The reaction to the new codex.
* YouHaveFailedMe -- An actual game rule with Commissars: Units that fail a leadership test will have the Commissar execute their leader and make them retake it. Characters actually get a leadership bonus when one joins the unit due to the intimidation.
** At one point, if the now Commissar-led squad somehow failed a leadership test, the squad is removed from the game as the Guardsmen [[UnfriendlyFire frag]] the Commissar and get the hell out of dodge.
See also Literature/GauntsGhosts, Literature/CiaphasCain, ImperialGuard, TheLastChancers, ''TabletopGame/OnlyWar''
Also see the Abhuman section below for information about Ogryns and Ratlings and their uses in the Guard.
!The Inquisition
[[quoteright:233:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/I_with_skull_3840.png]]
->''When passing sentence, always err to the side of harshness. Remember: there is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.''
StateSec with a side of ChurchMilitant, Inquisitors are some of the most powerful individuals in the Imperium, working behinds the scenes to keep everything from going (further) to Hell. They can command civil authorities, the Imperial Guard, the Navy, agents of the Officio Assassinorum, even the Astartes (though they are wise enough to tread carefully in the last case, usually '''requesting''' their help instead of just '''ordering''' them around). They have the power of JudgeJuryAndExecutioner over individuals or [[EarthShatteringKaboom whole worlds]]. They are fully competent in the JackBauerInterrogationTechnique, using any method possible to root out the Imperium's enemies, though their readiness to use the "Nine Actions" varies greatly. Though presented as a unified if extremely intimidating front to the Imperium at large, in reality the Inquisition is a hotbed of backstabbing and intrigue, as patient detectives rub shoulders with frothing religious zealots, Puritans hunt Radicals foolish enough to try and turn the weapons of the enemy against them, and a variety of philosophical outlooks struggle amongst themselves for dominance.
Inquisitors fall mostly into three orders, each with a specific preferred enemy and a Chamber Militant best suited for fighting that enemy.
* The Ordo Hereticus, or Witch Hunters, fight heresy against the Imperial faith and hunt mutants and unlicensed [[PsychicPowers psykers]]. Originally established to police the [[CorruptChurch Ecclesiarchy]], they are closely associated with the [[AmazonBrigade Adepta Sororitas]], or Sisters of Battle, warrior nuns armed and armoured almost as well as the Space Marines, and typically spearhead Sororitas forces. The Battle Sisters are the military force of the Ecclesiarchy, formed to get around a ban on the Church fielding "men under arms". Psykers are banned from their ranks, but they can tactically [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve invoke minor miracles]]. [[KillItWithFire They loooove flamethrowers]].
* The Ordo Malleus, or Daemonhunters, fight Chaos directly, and work with the Grey Knights, Chapter [[NumberOfTheBeast 666]] of the Adeptus Astartes, the people even normal Space Marines consider BadAss in comparison, with holy armour and [[HolyHandGrenade sanctified]] {{psychic|Powers}} [[HolyHandGrenade weapons]].
* The Ordo Xenos, the Alien Hunters, [[DemotedToExtra still haven't received a codex]]. They are more [[BadassBookworm scholarly]] than the other orders, studying alien races for weaknesses and undermining and destroying those that present a threat to the Imperium. This doesn't remove their secret-police role, as they often investigate and stop alien political and religious influence on the fringes of Imperial space. Their military backup is the Deathwatch, a force consisting of Space Marines from various chapters who are especially adept and/or experienced at battling xenos. [[TabletopGame/{{Deathwatch}} Now they have a game of their own!]]
'''Notable Inquisitorial tropes:'''
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking -- "By the authority invested in me by the God-Emperor of Mankind..."
* BadassLongcoat -- Favored by the Witch Hunters in particular.
* [[BecauseISaidSo Because ]]'''[-≡-][[BecauseISaidSo I]][-≡-]''' [[BecauseISaidSo Said So]]: If Inquisitors have good cause, they can demand service from '''anyone''', from a lowly citizen to a High Lord of Terra. The only people officially exempt from this are the Adeptes Custodes, the people guarding the Emperor on the Golden Throne. In practice, though, most Inquisitors are usually smart enough to say please when they require service from the Space Marines. Those who don't...well, there was nothing in their head anyway, so removing it wouldn't really be such a bad thing. This quote from the Daemonhunters codex puts it simply:
--->"I carry with me an Inquisitorial Seal. It is a small, unassuming object contained in a neat box of Pluvian obsidian. It is a modest thing. Relatively plain, adorned with a single motif and a simple motto. Yet with this little object I can sign the death warrant of an entire world and consign a billion souls to Oblivion."
* BlackAndWhiteInsanity -- Monodominants. Not that the less ultra-Puritan types are necessarily paragons of rationality, but the Monodominants would do away with all psykers and mutants, including the Astropaths and Navigators that allow the Imperium to function.
* BoxedCrook -- A common background for Inquisitorial retinue members. Some [[FearlessFool intrepid]] Radicals employ boxed ''Daemons''.
* BurnTheWitch -- Oh, my, yes. Some particularly KnightTemplar Inquisitors are infamous for having ordered entire ''planets'' burned.
* ChurchMilitant -- In a nutshell.
* ColdBloodedTorture -- Occasionally used, but much less often than Inquisitorial reputation would suggest, as information extracted under such duress is often of questionable reliability. Typically, it's easier just to have a psychic interrogator [[MindRape forcefully extract the information from the subject's mind]].
* DropTheHammer -- Daemonhammers are consecrated warhammers that are especially potent against Warp-spawn. They are favored by agents of the Ordo Malleus, which translates to Order of the Hammer.
* EvilIsNotAToy -- The Xanthite faction, a Radical faction, holds that the best way to defeat Chaos is to use [[ArtifactOfDoom Chaotic artifacts]] and [[CapturedSuperEntity bound daemonhosts]] against it. A lot of them (but not all) end up getting killed by said artifacts and daemons.
* FateWorseThanDeath -- Some heretics or blasphemers may be ordered to undergo the rites of Arco-Flagellation as an extreme act of repentance. This involves lopping off the condemned's hands and replacing them with power flails or other nasty weapons, sticking the guy's back full of combat drug dispensers, and [[MindRape lots of mental conditioning]]. The result is a wasted, wiry cyborg who wears a hood displaying calming religious images, but with the right command word the visor retracts, the stim-packs activate, and the former heretic goes [[TheBerserker berserk]].
* GreatBigBookOfEverything -- The Inquisition has an extensive library of banned, heretical, and downright dangerous musty tomes.
* HeKnowsTooMuch -- Inquisitors are known for requisitioning Imperial Guard regiments, and sometimes ordering the grunts killed after being exposed to whatever it was they were called on to help deal with.
** Though they're pretty cautious about doing this when Space Wolves are within earshot.
* HeroicWillpower -- A prerequisite for being an Inquisitor. Given the sanity-blasting horrors they must face, the awful truths they must confront, and the extreme measures they may be called upon to perform, it's necessary that they be able to carry on with absolute faith and conviction in their cause. Of course, this is also what tends to reinforce their KnightTemplar tendencies as well.
* TheInquisitorGeneral -- Despite having such as an almost literal rank, this is not the primary role of the Inquisition. That said, it often falls under their umbrella of responsibility. An Inquisitor's job is to [[ProperlyParanoid suspect everyone]] of heresy, and the more influential the person in question the more Inquisitorial scrutiny they will be under. This includes planetary governors, rogue traders, major military leaders, and [[RightHandVersusLeftHand other Inquisitors]].
* InspectorJavert -- The less unstable and pugnacious Inquisitors sometimes end up in this role, pitted against the rare well-intentioned rebels like the Soul Drinkers, or more often [[RightHandVersusLeftHand Imperial servants with conflicting orders]].
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique -- The "[[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Action Nine Actions]]", nine stages of intensity used in interrogating suspects. The farther you go down, the more brutal the interrogation.
** ToThePain: The Second Action involves explaining in meticulous, worrying detail what the next seven Actions will involve. This is often enough to get captives to cooperate.
** ColdBloodedTorture: It's implied that by the time the Ninth Action is reached, the Inquisitor(s) have given up trying to get intel or get admittance of sin, and simply want the subject to suffer a horrific, weeks-long death.
* JudgeJuryAndExecutioner -- The Inquisition's motto is "Innocence Proves Nothing." And [[BecauseISaidSo few dare question]] if an Inquisitor decides someone is just guilty enough for a dangerous but high-paying retinue position, a FateWorseThanDeath, or a simple bolt round to the head.
* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope -- Occupational hazard for any enforcer with a blank check, but far more common than betrayal or simple abuse of power as a villainous Inquisitor's StartOfDarkness.
** Also the reason for the saying "Every Inquisitor starts off a puritan and becomes a radical." The idea being that the more an Inquisitor learns about the nature of the universe, the more sacrifices they have to make to secure the Imperium, the more compromises they make to get what they need, the more radical they become. A big source of RightHandVersusLeftHand in the Inquisition is disagreements about where the edge of that slope is, and how far down it is too far.
* KangarooCourt -- Inquisitors (especially Puritans) are notorious for organizing these, although many don't even bother with going through the motions of a trial.
* KillItWithFire -- "Burn the Heretic, Kill the Mutant, Purge the Unclean."
* TheMole -- The more extremist Radical factions often have agendas that either run directly contrary to official Imperium policy or seriously undermine its security (or both). These sorts include the Recongregators and the Isstvanians, who deliberately act to stir up trouble and undermine the government; the Polypsykana, who believe that psykers are [[EvolutionaryLevels the next phase in human evolution]] and not only run underground railroads to protect them but also operate {{Super Breeding Program}}s to make more of them; the Seculos Attendous, who work to destroy the Ecclesiarchy; and the Phaenonites, who actively work to destroy the rest of the Inquisition and overthrow the Adeptus Terra so they can take over (among other nasty things they like to do).
* NiceHat -- Inquisitors of the Ordo Hereticus are often show wearing rather BadAss-looking capotains, in addition to {{Badass Longcoat}}s.
* NoKillLikeOverkill -- The Inquisition will go to any extreme to ensure that threats to the Imperium are defeated, up to and including killing untold billions of innocents by subjecting the planet in question to [[ApocalypseHow Exterminatus]].
* OmnicidalManiac:
** The Monodominants, a Puritan faction, which maintains that the only way humanity can survive is to wipe out everything that isn't human. While this isn't an unreasonable idea given [[EverythingTryingToKillYou what is lurking in the galaxy]], the Monodominants take it a bit further than necessary, up to and including the psykers and mutants that the Imperium needs to continue functioning.
** More extreme elements of the Recongregationists, a Radical faction, take this one step further. They include the moderate factions, the other Radical factions, the Ecclesiarchy, most of the Cult Mechanicus, the Arbites etc... The Departmento Munitorium, Officio Assassinorum and Adeptus Astartes are just about the only things they don't want dead, although they would like to "streamline" these groups.
* OnlySaneEmployee:
** Inquisitor Amberly Vail of ''Literature/CiaphasCain'' fame shows noticeable self-awareness about the Inquisition's lack of...restraint in discharging their duties.
** On a larger level, the Amalathians, a Puritan faction, attempt to keep the established structure of the Imperium running as well as possible, rather than [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans seeking change]] or [[KnightTemplar trying to impose a draconian standard of purity]]. You'd think a group that believes the Imperium at present is perfect would be off their rocker, but they actually encourage cooperation, instead of the bureaucratic infighting so common with the Imperium.
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits -- The members of an Inquisitorial entourage will be...interesting, to say the least.
* {{Reincarnation}} -- The premise of the Thorians, a Puritan faction, who believe that the best way to save the Imperium is to bring about the reincarnation of the Emperor of Mankind.
* RightHandVersusLeftHand -- You've got your standard turf wars between the three Ordos; open violence between Radicals and Puritans; wrangling between the Thorians, Amalthians, and Monodominants; and battles by proxy between Inquisitors who don't know that they're working on the same case.
** [[AllThereInTheManual Supplemental]] [[DarkHeresy materials]] indicate that this is actually something of a check and balance on Inquisitorial power. The power Inquisitors wield makes them necessarily accountable to other Inquisitors, with the infighting, or simple potential for infighting, forcing them to use a degree of restraint in that authority, and keeping any one Inquisitor from acting unilaterally.
* SocialDarwinist -- Inqusitors of the radical Istivaanian school of thought believe that the Imperium grows stronger through conflict. If a particular sector of the Imperium has had it too easy, they might arrange a conflict to hit it, just to make sure it stays on its toes. In an lot of cases, they might set up a "crucible of fire" just to ensure that only the strong survive it. They will carefully observe such conflicts for potential strong candidates that they can groom for positions of influence to further strengthen the Imperium. That said, they prefer to keep such conflict limited and controllable. After all, their goal is to strengthen the Imperium, not batter it down.
* StopBeingStereotypical -- Other Inquisitors feel this way about Monodominants, but don't speak up too loudly about it because the fear the Monodominants create with their excessive and indiscriminate tactics helps make their own jobs easier.
* TokenEvilTeammate / HeroAntagonist -- On a faction level. No one in the Imperium is [[BlackAndGreyMorality squeaky clean]], but if someone who should be an ally is going to oppose the protagonists of a 40K story or be [[WhatTheHellHero too extreme]] for them, it ''will'' be an Inquisitor.
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans -- The Radical Recongregator faction is defined by this, spending as much time plotting to reshape the Imperium, whether world-by-world or from the top down, as they do investigating threats. Their methods may range from involvement in political intrigues to fostering the same rebellions other Inquisitors are trying to prevent.
* WellIntentionedExtremist -- And this is one of the more pleasant ways to describe them.
** Within the context of the Inqusition itself, this is practically the definition of a "Radical", an Inqusitor who uses means to secure the Imperium that other Inqusitors would find questionable. There is a ''lot'' of room for GreyAndGrayMorality in this. For example, a Radical Inqusitor might use HumanSacrifice to form a [[DemonicPossession Daemonhost]] bound to them to eliminate a critical threat. This is obviously a break from mainline Imperial dogma and methods, but what if they alternative is [[EarthShatteringKaboom purging the entire planet]] so-threatened? At this point, which approach is more "extreme" is a matter of some debate, {{in-universe}}.
* WitchHunt -- A standard tactic, particularly for Monodominants.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness -- Overlaps with HeKnowsTooMuch. It is very hard to simply retire from an Inquisitor's retinue.
'''Tropes specific to the Officio Assassinorum:'''
* AbsurdlySharpBlade -- The C'tan Phase Weapons, used by the Callidus Assassins to cut through absolutely anything.
* AntiMagic -- The specialty of the Culexus.
* TheBerserker -- Eversors, who are [[ExplosiveOverclocking pumped so full of performance-enhancing combat drugs that their bodies explode if the drug flow stops]]. Because these drugs enhance lethal aggression and cannot be shut off without killing the addicted assassin, [[SealedBadassInACan putting them into cryo-stasis]] is necessary to keep them alive between deployments.
* BloodyMurder -- This is the inevitable result of using Eversors.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy -- Some of the more... "[[AxeCrazy volatile]]" Imperial assassins are subject to this, being mindwiped after every mission and having their next mission subliminally programmed into them while kept sedated. Eversors are a common example, though this is not necessarily limited to them.
* TheChessmaster -- The Vanus Temple consists entirely of these. As one of their members said, 'the cleanest kill is one that another performs in your stead with no knowledge of your incitement'.
* ColdSniper [=/=] ImprobableAimingSkills -- Assassins of the Vindicare temple are expert marksmen and infiltrators, complete with special guns and ammunition allowing them to potentially one-shot a tank from kilometers away.
* FormFittingWardrobe -- The stereotypical garb of an Imperial Assassin is a layer of "synskin", a kind of semi-organic body sheath applied directly over the assassin's flesh. Multiple variations of it exist, some of which enhance strength, others of which have chameleon qualities, and some are capable of changing shape (along with the wearer).
* MasterPoisoner -- The specialty of the Venenum Temple.
* OurSoulsAreDifferent -- Culexus assassins are horrifying creatures that seem to lack a soul, thanks to the Pariah gene. Ordinary people find them [[BrownNote quite disturbing]], but the assassins are trained to [[MageKiller prey on enemy psykers]], who are especially sensitive to them. Their wargear fires what has been described as bolts of [[AntiMagic anti-soul]].
* ShapeShifter -- Callidus assassins have access to Polymorphine, allowing them to disguise themselves as a member of just about any race. They are employed to infiltrate enemy organizations, supply them with false intelligence or bad advice, and surgically remove the leadership.
'''Tropes specific to the Sisters of Battle:'''
* AmazonBrigade -- The Sisters of Battle are basically Space Marines who make up for not having any kind of genetic enhancement with pure zeal.
* TheAtoner -- Comes in two forms:
** The most well known branch of the path of the penitent is the Sisters Repentia, who seek to atone for their own sins by [[FullFrontalAssault charging into battle wearing nothing]] [[VaporWear except purity seals]], hoping for [[DeathSeeker a redemptive death]] on the battlefield.
** A lesser known branch of the path of the penitent is that of the Sister Oblatia, a Sororitas who seeks to atone for the sins of another. She assumes another's sins as her own[[note]]often that of a family member, an ancestor, or some other figure that they feel close to[[/note]], then leaves her sisters to [[WalkingTheEarth Walk The Galaxy]] as a KnightErrant, seeking out and defeating the enemies of the Imperium so that those sins may be absolved in the eyes of the GodEmperor.
* ChainmailBikini:
** Normal Sororitas infantry are a rare aversion, clad head to toe in PoweredArmour, albeit often modelled unnecessarily closely on the figure underneath.
** Sisters Repentia play it straight, but only because they're [[TheAtoner not allowed to have armor]].
* ChainsawGood -- Aside from their lack of clothing, Sisters Repentia are also known for carrying [[{{BFS}} enormous chainswords]] into battle as their only weapons.
* ChurchMilitant -- The primary reason for the Sisters of Battle's existence, and one of the more blatant examples of this trope [[UpToEleven in a setting where it is almost ubiquitous]]. The reality is slightly more complex than that though, as not every Sororitas is necessarily a Battle Sister. In addition to the Orders Militant, there are the [[{{Ambadassador}} Orders Famulous]], the [[CunningLinguist Orders Dialogous]], and the [[TheMedic Orders Hospitaller]]. Regardless of vocation, each Sororitas is expected to draw strength and courage from her faith and lay down her life if need be in the Emperor's name.
* ExactWords -- The Ecclesiarchy is specifically banned from maintaining any ''men under arms'', as stated by ''Decree Passive''. They get around this with the Sororitas.
* {{Expy}} -- The Orders Famulous are terribly similar to [[{{Dune}} the Bene Gesserit]].
* GirlWithPsychoWeapon -- The Sisters Repentia.
* KillItWithFire -- Needs to be repeated.
* MacrossMissileMassacre -- The Exorcist is a combination tank, [[MusicalAssassin pipe organ]], and multiple missile launcher. It fires as a Battle Sister plays a keyboard on top of it.
* OfCorsetsSexy -- [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. While not an actual corset, the front torso plates of Sororitas powered armor are designed to resemble a metallic bustier, drawing on the trope's imagery to give the impression of the female form while still providing fully covering protection. Given the reasons for the Sororitas' existence, projecting the image of female warriors by the shape of their power armor could be quite {{justified|Trope}} for reasons of doctrinal adherence.
* WhipItGood -- Sisters of Battle "Mistresses" lead squads of Sister Repentia, driving them along with whips.
* WhiteHairedPrettyGirl -- Sisters of Battle are typically depicted with pure white hair, presumably dyed.
* WhiteMagic -- The Sisters are known for performing Acts of Faith on the battlefield, optimistically a sign of the Emperor's favor, pessimistically a form of psychic witchcraft.
''See also {{Eisenhorn}}, {{Ravenor}}, TabletopGame/DarkHeresy''.
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While the present-day Imperium consists of a large number of factions, the following are the most well-known.
----
!The Space Marines
[[quoteright:344:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baldwin3_1687.jpg]]
->''And They shall know no Fear.''
Ten thousand years ago, when the [[MessianicArchetype Emperor]] led his Great Crusade to reunify humanity, he did so at the head of twenty legions of genetically-engineered {{Super Soldier}}s: the Adeptus Astartes, also known as the Space Marines or the Angels of Death. Each of these legions was based off of and led by one of the Primarchs, the Emperor's clone-sons who were blessed with the strength, wisdom, and charisma to become great leaders of men. But in the hour of mankind's greatest triumph, [[HorusHeresy fully half of these legions turned upon the Emperor]], and nearly undid all that he had accomplished. After this grand betrayal, the loyalist legions were reorganized into thousand-man strong organizations called chapters, and new ones were founded to help protect the Imperium. Today there are around a thousand chapters of Space Marines, either based on specific homeworlds, ruling entire regions of space, or patrolling the stars in formidable fleets. Recognizing no authority other than the Emperor himself, Space Marines either lead their own crusades to fight the enemies of mankind, or answer petitions for assistance. They stand apart from the Imperium despite serving it, just as they protect humanity despite transcending it.
The Space Marines are the iconic faction of ''40K''; they are [[PoweredArmor power armored]], [[SuperpowerfulGenetics genetically-engineered]] {{Super soldier}}s, and fanatics to the Imperial creed to a man. Fear and doubt are cast aside, and pleas of mercy and terror-inspiring battle cries alike fall on deaf ears. They will never compromise, never surrender, never tire; the Emperor demanded the galaxy be his, and the Space Marines have fought for the past ten thousand years to make it so. They have become figures of religious awe and terror: the Emperor's Angels of Death. ''"The enemies of man fear many things,"'' goes the Imperial slogan. ''"They fear discovery, defeat and death. But most of all, they fear the wrath of the Space Marines!"''
The Space Marines can be split in terms of style among their founder legions:
||align=center border=2 width=70%
|| '''''Chapter''''' || '''''Armor color''''' || '''''Primarch''''' || '''''Institutionally''''' || '''''Specialties''''' || '''''Chapter Master''''' ||
|| '''Black Templars''' || Black, white Pauldrons || Rogal Dorn || [[KnightTemplar Crusading]] || Close combat || Helbretch ||
|| '''Blood Angels''' || Red || [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Sanguinius]] || [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Vampiric]] || Close combat, [[TelePortation deep striking]] || Dante ||
|| '''Blood Ravens''' || Red, bone pauldrons || Unknown[[note]]Speculated to be Magnus the Red[[/note]] || [[CuriosityIsACrapshoot Knowledge-seeking]] || Psychic powers || Gabriel Angelos ||
|| '''Dark Angels''' || Dark Green (with white robes) || [[WildChild Lion El'Jonson]] || [[TreacheryCoverUp Paranoid]] || Fast attack, [[EliteMooks Terminator armour]], hunting the Fallen || Azrael ||
|| '''Deathwatch''' || Black, silver Pauldron || Various || [[AbsoluteXenophobe Xenocidal]] || Battling aliens, special ops || Unknown ||
|| '''Grey Knights''' || Unpainted ceramite || Unknown (possibly the Emperor) || [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Pure]] || Battling Chaos || Kaldor Draigo ||
|| '''Imperial Fists''' || Yellow || [[TheStoic Rogal Dorn]] || [[TheSiege Fortified]] || Siege warfare || Vladamir Pugh ||
|| '''Iron Hands''' || Black and silver || [[ThePerfectionist Ferrus Manus]] || [[MachineWorship Mechanical]] || Bionics || Kadran Stronos ||
|| '''Legion of the Damned''' || Black with flame-and-skeleton imagery || Roboute Gulliman || Doomed || [[BigDamnHeroes Appearing in the nick of time]] || N/A ||
|| '''Raven Guard''' || Black || [[RebelLeader Corvus Corax]] || [[InTheBack Tricky]] || Precision attacks || Unknown ||
|| '''Salamanders''' || Green, black pauldrons || [[UltimateBlacksmith Vulkan]] || [[TheBlacksmith Forging]] || Close-quarter fire-fights, [[ProHumanTransHuman protecting civilians]], [[KillItWithFire flamers]] || Tu'Shan ||
|| '''Space Wolves''' || Gray, yellow and/or red pauldrons || [[RaisedByWolves Leman Russ]] || [[HornyVikings Viking]] || Assault || Logan Grimnar ||
|| '''Soul Drinkers''' || Purple, gold, bone || Rogal Dorn || [[DefectorFromDecadence Rebellious]] || Assault, deep striking, boarding || Sarpedon ||
|| '''Ultramarines''' || Blue || [[PromotionToParent Roboute Guilliman]] || [[HonorBeforeReason Institutionalized]] || [[JackOfAllStats Generalists]] || Marneus Calgar ||
|| '''White Scars''' || White || [[LightningBruiser Jaghatai Khan]] || [[DynamicEntry Mobile]] || Fast attack, [[BadassBiker warbikes]] || Jubal Khan ||
|| ''' Legions II & XI''' || [[OrwellianEditor RECORDS EXPUNGED]] ||||||||||
|| [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Loyal_Space_Marine_Chapters_%28List%29 Loyal Chapters]] |||| [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Lost_Chapter Lost Chapters]] |||| [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Renegade_Space_Marine_Chapters_%28List%29 Renegade Chapters]] ||||
Some other notes regarding the chapters:
* Almost ''two thirds'' of the Space Marine chapters are descended from the Ultramarines.
* The Black Templars are an offshoot of the Imperial Fists. They do not conform to the [[BigBookOfWar Codex Astartes]], and do not limit their numbers to one thousand Marines as most other Chapters do, consisting instead of almost five times that number.
* The Deathwatch is the chamber militant of the Ordo Xenos of the Inquisition, composed of Marines from various chapters and used against alien invasions. It is the only major branch of the Inquisition not to have received an army and Codex yet.
* The Grey Knights are the chamber militant of the Ordo Malleus of the Inquisition, and owing to their specialization, have no successor chapters.
* Many chapters do not have their primarch identified in game materials; indeed, some, such as the BloodRavens, canonically do not know which founder legion they came from.
* There are two Legions that have apparently [[OrwellianEditor been stricken from all records]], and nobody knows what happened to them.
Depending on which version of fluff you read, they can be [[OneManArmy invincible gods of war]] or [[EliteMooks just gene-enhanced elite soldiers]].
On the tabletop, Space Marines are a well-rounded and forgiving army. They are a very popular starting army, coming in the box sets and with a decent ten-man squad coming in at £19.95/$35. The average Space Marine is very effective in both ranged and close combat, not to mention as well-armed and -armored as most armies' elite soldiers. Needless to say, ''elite'' Space Marine soldiers are terrifying prospects to face, be they veteran marines in hulking nigh-invulnerable armor, or critically-wounded soldiers entombed in a walking tank. However, this makes Space Marines expensive in terms of point costs, so they are almost always outnumbered by their opponents. Not that this should particularly worry them...
'''Notable tropes'''
* AbnormalAmmo:
** The standard small arm for every SpaceMarine fires .75 caliber rocket-powered armor-piercing explosive rounds.
** The elite Sternguard have ammunition for their small arms that makes them pretty much capable of dealing with any sort of infantry threat.
* AngstWhatAngst: {{In-universe}} with the Blood Angels. Despite being cursed to relive the GeneticMemory of their Primarch Sanguinius' death when the enter battle until prolonged exposure eventually overcomes their ability to distinguish vision from reality and they turn into [[TheBerserker berserk killers]], they are also one of the most optimistic chapters. They have inherited Sanguinius' 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]].
* ArmCannon:
** It's common for {{Power Fist}}s to be armed with integrated Storm Bolters, but the Grey Knights typically wear their wrist-mounted Storm Bolters on their regular gauntlets.
** The Angelus-pattern boltgun is a wrist mounted bolter issued to the Sanguinary Guard (the PraetorianGuard of the Blood Angels).
* ArtMajorBiology -- As is common for the setting, this is the only possible reason (besides the ever-present RuleOfCool) for the physiological changes and organ implants that go into creating a Space Marine.
* {{Asexuality}} -- By the time a Space Marine is done with training, they have few impulses beyond fighting and killing in the name of the Emperor, and thus have no interest in sex.
* AttackAttackAttack:
** The Blood Angels in particular are known for being very aggressive, even by the standards of Astartes, and their strategies typically involve getting to grips with the enemy as soon as possible. Their forces tend to be pulled forward by their assault squads, with their other elements providing support to that offensive thrust. While they can adapt to a variety of situations and tactics like other chapters, their geneseed flaw means that any of them can be overcome by the [[UnstoppableRage Black Rage]] at any time in combat. Thus focusing on aggressively attacking tends to be their most reliable strategy since they do not have to alter their plan if one of their marines goes LeeroyJenkins with BloodLust. Some of their successor chapters, such as the [[MeaningfulName Flesh Tearers]], go [[UpToEleven even further]] with this.
** The Black Templars have several special rules reflecting their absolute fanaticism and hatred for the enemy, even when it might go against sound tactical logic, such as getting free moves towards the enemy ''when they get shot at'', having to take leadership tests to shoot enemies who are not the closest to them, being Fearless in close combat, and having a Vow that forces them to charge any enemy unit they are able to, in exchange for getting Preferred Enemy against EVERYONE.
* AwesomePersonnelCarrier -- The Space Marines' signature ground transport is the humble Rhino, a simple but incredibly durable and versatile vehicle that serves as the basis for most of their {{tank|Goodness}}s, and due to being based on a tractor template can run on almost anything. If necessarily, they'll power it with ''wood''...or ''corpses''.
* {{Badass}} -- Officially held to be the most Badass group in the series, and with plenty to back it up, so let's get started:
** BadassArmy -- One of the best examples in the series.
** BadassBeard -- The Space Wolves love their beards.
** BadassBiker -- Those Marines on bikes, especially the White Scars.
** BadassBoast -- "And we shall know no fear!"
** BadassBookworm -- Librarians aren't just the Chapter's psykers, they're also the Chapter's record keepers.
** BadassCape -- Captains often wear capes with their armour. The Salamanders take this one step further by having their capes made of ''dragon'' scales.
** BadassCreed -- Each Space Marine Chapter has a Catechism of Battle, a war cry that invokes their Primarch and/or the Emperor in battle.
** BadassCrew -- Every Company, whether it's a Veteran Company, Battle Company, Reserve Company, or Scout Company, will be made of up to one hundred Badasses. Every squad, whether it's composed Assault, Devastator, or Tactical Marines, will be composed of up to ten Badasses.
** BadassInCharge -- Space Marine Chapter Masters, Captains, and Sergeants ''need'' to be this.
** BadassGrandpa -- Most Space Marine will live centuries before finally being killed. Many of the Chapter Masters are this by default, in particular Commander Dante, Marneus Calgar, and Logan Grimnar.
** BadassLonghair -- Popular among the Blood Angels, Raven Guard, and Space Wolves.
** BadassLongRobe -- The Dark Angels wear their robes ''over'' their power armour.
** BadassMustache -- Popular with the Imperial Fists and White Scars.
** [[RedBaron Badass Nickname]] -- The Emperor's Angels of Death.
** BadassPreacher -- Chaplains, who tend to the spiritual needs of the Chapter and are just as dangerous combatants.
** BadassTeacher -- By design, the relatively young [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Mentors chapter]] are this to the Imperial Guard, and conversely consider older, more established chapters to be this to themselves. The [[GadgeteerGenius Adeptus Mechanicus]] also tends to use them as [[WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys field-testers]] for their latest designs and upgrades.
** BadassTransplant -- When an Iron Hands Aspirant becomes a Neophyte, they remove their left hand and replace it with a bionic. Upon becoming a full battle brother, they replace the right hand. They start getting more bionics the further they climb the ranks of the Company.
** CulturedBadass -- Part of the hat of the Blood Angels as their long lifespans (by Astartes standards) allows them the time to practice and master art as well as war, which contrasts their more...[[TheBerzerker iconic image]].
** FourStarBadass -- Any Chapter Master worth his power armor is this.
** HandicappedBadass -- What do you do when you find a mortally wounded Space Marine lying atop dozens of enemy corpses? ''[[ManInTheMachine Put him in a Dreadnought]]''.
* BerserkButton -- Several:
** Mention [[WouldNotShootACivilian targeting civilians]] in front of the Salamanders.
** Blaspheming the Emperor (or the chapter's Primarch) within earshot of the more zealous chapters.
** Suggest shaving or haircuts to Space Wolves, or, if you're an Inquisitor, declare Exterminatus around these guys. 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.
** Mention treachery and heresy around the Dark Angels. You'll live just long enough to regret it...[[spoiler:because they'll torture you horrendously until you do. Then they'll kill you.]]
** The Blood Angels have one that causes the Black Rage, turning them from noble warriors into gibbering madmen. The problem is that after ten thousand years they ''still'' don't know what sets it off.
** Mention the Soul Drinkers near any of the other Imperial Fists successors, and see how long you can handle their Pain Glove.
** Do not, under any circumstances, threaten the gene-seed of a fallen battle-brother. Even those chapters with rules about noncombatants or honorable behavior will ''forget them'' for as long as it takes to destroy you and everything you have ever built or loved.
* BewareTheNiceOnes -- The nicer Chapters (mainly the Salamanders, Ultramarines, Space Wolves, Blood Angels, Imperial Fists, and Raven Guard) can be some of the most dangerous enemies in the setting.
* {{BFG}} -- All the Space Marines guns are huge, because they're the only ones who can hold them.
* {{BFS}} -- Power swords, chainswords, force swords...basically any sword a Space Marine will wield will be about half the height of a regular human.
* BigBookOfWar -- The Codex Astartes
* BigBrotherInstinct -- The nicer chapters towards non-combatants and the Imperial Guard if they're putting up a good fight.
* BigDamnHeroes -- For many of the Imperium's battles, the turning point came when the Space Marines arrived from orbit.
** This is quite literally all the Legion of the Damned do.
* BioAugmentation -- The source of their SuperSoldier status, particularly embodied in the 19 specifically-engineered organ implants that are present in all Space Marines. [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Creation_of_a_Space_Marine See this for the entire process]].[[note]]For various reasons, some chapters have lost a couple of the implants; nevertheless, all have the most essential two, the Progenoids and the Black Carapace.[[/note]]
* {{Bishonen}} -- Sanguinius, Primarch of the Blood Angels, was ''very'' handsome. The Blood Angels are also known for a refined aesthetic.
* BizarreHumanBiology -- The result of all the aforementioned extensive BioAugmentation. Many Black Library writers and ''40K'' characters use the term "posthuman" to define the status of the Astartes, because their physiological differences from normal humans are so vast.
* BlingOfWar -- Oh, yes. Purity seals, prayer inscriptions, shiny battle honors, wolf pelts and fangs, giant fireproof lizard skins, suits of ''solid gold power armor''... the Marines ''love'' their bling.
** BlingBlingBang -- Their weapons are not exempt.
* BloodBrothers -- Many chapters engage in ritually imbibing the blood of their fellow marines. It is believed that the Omophagea implant (which allows them to process {{Genetic Memor|y}}ies of biological material they consume) is likely a big source of why these rituals came about. In this manner, the Marines share traces of memory with each other, [[TrueCompanions further solidifying their bond with each other]], and the blood of the fallen will be consumed that [[DueToTheDead the living might better remember them]]. For some geneseed strains, mutations in the Omophagea implant give them a greater thirst for blood, and their blood ceremonies are more frequent and more well known. The Blood Angels and their successors are the best known of these.
* BodyguardingABadass -- Chapter Masters, no slouches themselves, often have bodyguards.
* BoisterousBruiser -- The {{Space Wol|f}}ves in general. Their current Great Wolf, Logan Grimnar, is a charismatic and unquestionably heroic individual in a galaxy of {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s, who actually objects to the Inquisition killing off Imperial Guardsmen who know too much. Leman Russ, the Space Wolves' Primarch, only joined the Emperor after a DrinkingContest...and a ''PowerFist to the head.'' [[MadeOfIron And the former was the reason he had a headache after, not the latter.]]
* BruiserWithASoftCenter - The "nicer" chapters outside of battle, namely Ultramarines (and their offshoots), Salamanders, Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Imperial Fists, and Raven Guard:
** Ultramarines are stoic yet fair rulers who treat their subjects with respect '''and''' dignity, something of a rarity in the vast morass of the Imperium.
** Salamanders are the only chapter that live with their human families outside battle, and hence have closer ties to their humanity than other chapters do. This same regard for humanity also means that the Salamanders will fight to protect civilians and non-combatants more than most Chapters, and they will often stick around to help repair the damage done to civilian infrastructure.
** The Blood Angels and Space Wolves in particular are open sentimentalists who are prone to ManlyTears '''and''' TenderTears, and are textbook examples of the GentleGiant when it comes to innocent civilians and children.
** The Imperial Fists and ''some'' of their successors work together with Planetary Defence Forces rather than taking over command, operate independently or counter to Imperial Forces like most Codex chapters, exceptions being the Soul Drinkers and the Black Templars.
** The Raven Guard often refuse to abandon civilians unless there is absolutely no other choice. Captain Kayvan Shrike actually doesn't abandon them even if there ''isn't'' a choice.
* BulletProofFashionPlate -- The Space Marine's PoweredArmor is undoubtedly tough, but they rarely show any of the grime from mud, blood, and debris one would expect them to get caked with when wading through the kind of high-intensity firefights they tend to be deployed for. This is {{justified|Trope}} by some of the fluff that says they have servitors dedicated to scrubbing down and cleaning their armor and vehicles immediately after a deployment so that [[HighlyConspicuousUniform their heraldry is always displayed clearly]] when they deploy next. The official Citadel tank painting guide recommends that weathering on Space Marine tanks be kept very slight to reflect this.
* CanonImmigrant -- The Blood Ravens chapter, invented for ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'' and embraced by Games Workshop.
* TheCaptain -- Each company is lead by a Brother-Captain, who also usually holds some sort of logistical position within the Chapter (such as Master of the Arsenal, Fleet, Recruits, etc). The senior most of the these is the Captain of the First Company (aptly named First Captain) who serves as the second-in-command of the Chapter.
* [[ChainsawGood Chainsword Good]] -- Chainswords are a common, and arguably signature, melee weapon amongst the Space Marines.
** Less used are the Chainfist (a power fist with a chainsaw on it) and the Chainaxe.
* ChurchMilitant -- The majority of Space Marines maintain that the Emperor was a powerful man, but a man nonetheless. Their general devotion to him, though, frequently approaches the line to this trope, while other chapters, such as the Black Templars and White Consuls, are this more outright.
** The Black Templars rarely take to the field without being led by a "Joan-Of-Arc" like champion, chosen by praying until one of them receives a vision from the Emperor, only "Joan" in this case happens to be a fanatical killing machine before receiving visions from the Emperor and the awesome relics bestowed on the chosen one.
* CombatMedic -- Apothecaries. Unlike the traditional idea of battlefield medicine, due to the nature of Space Marine physiology, almost any injury sustained in field that would need assistance in treating it is likely to be fatal for the Marine, so the Apothecary simply makes the process less painful. He then rips a massive hole in the Marine's chest and neck to remove the geneseed that is literally more precious than the Marine.
* CombatPragmatist:
** Chapter Master Gabriel Seth of the Flesh Tearers. He has a special rule stating that anyone who rolls a 1 to hit him in melee immediately takes a Strength 4 hit as he punches them in the face or [[GroinAttack knees them in the crotch]].
** Lukas the Trickster is the dirtiest fighter in the Space Wolves Chapter. He went so far to win a fight through trickery, he had one of his hearts replaced with a stasis bomb that, should he be killed in battle, will detonate, trapping his killer and he in a stasis field, where they can only hear Lukas' laughter for the rest of eternity.
* CrazyPrepared -- Their BioAugmentation. A lot of it makes sense - the secondary heart, ribcage-turned-bulletproof-armor, ultra-fast clotting, night vision, and increased muscle mass all make sense for improving a soldier...but the ability to darken their skin to resist radiation, go into suspended animation to as a response against mortal wounds, be treated to resist a vacuum and extreme temperatures, an extreme sense of taste to be able to identify many common chemicals in what they taste, and spitting metal-corroding acid seem like The GodEmperor of Mankind kinda overdid it, despite being useful.
** This line from ''DawnOfWar'' sums it up nicely:
--->"Remember, you cannot ambush a Space Marine. [[ProperlyParanoid They expect treachery at every turn]]. The most you can do is confirm their suspicions."
* DarkIsNotEvil -- Well, no ''more'' evil than average.
** The Raven Guard is actually noteworthy for using subtlety in battle, specializing in covert operations, guerrilla warfare, and surgical strikes. One of the more intellectual chapters, they generally lack numbers and brute force, but prefer to disable the enemy with pinpoint strikes and leave the mop-up to others. The Raven Guard is in fact one of the most nice chapters to its home planet. It is not an uncommon sight to see a Raven Guard mixing in or helping the populace.
*** Raven Guard Captain Kayvaan Shrike actually makes a point of rescuing beleaguered civilian populations and defense forces, long after all other Imperial commanders had given them up as a lost cause.
** The Dark Angels aren't evil so much as paranoid, neurotic, and obsessive over their chapter's [[TreacheryCoverUp dark secret]].
** Chaplains, period.
** Nearly {{averted|Trope}} with the Relictors; their sanctioning means they're pretty much on living on borrowed time for using Chaos Daemon Weapons and other relics the Inquisition frowns upon.
** Played very straight by the Legion of the Damned, who are Space Marines driven insane after being lost in the warp and afflicted by a strange disease there. As a result of those factors, they are all {{Death Seeker}}s adorned in black, flames, skulls and bones on their equipment, but they are loyal to the Emperor still and their method of trying to die is in BigDamnHeroes actions, appearing in the nick of time to aid desperate situations for Imperial forces.
* DeadManSwitch -- Space Wolves hero Lucas the Trickster had one of his hearts replaced with a stasis bomb. If he's killed it goes off, freezing him and his killer into an imperishable monument to his ego.
* DeathFromAbove:
** Space Marines typically arrive via the ubiquitous [[DropShip Thunderhawk]] [[GunshipRescue gunship]] and/or [[ItsRainingMen drop pods]].
** Jetpack-equipped Assault Marines tend to make their presence known by [[GoombaStomp suddenly landing on their enemies]] before breaking out the [[ChainsawGood chainswords]].
** Blood Angels air drop their Land Raiders (a cross between [[AwesomePersonnelCarrier an APC]] and [[TankGoodness a main battle tank]], and a [[BaseOnWheels fortress with treads.]])
* DestructiveSavior -- The Space Marines can win nearly any battle they fight, but will often leave whole cities devastated in the process.
* {{Determinator}} -- "A fortress will not stop the Space Marines, although it may slow them down." The Imperial Fists in particular are legendary for their determination even for Space Marines.
** The Imperial Fists wear a device called a Pain Glove, which stimulates your senses so that you feel the strongest pain that can possibly be felt by your nervous system. The Fists wear these casually on a regular basis.
*** Although [[ALlThereInTheManual background fluff]] implies genetic degredation has given all Imperial Fists strong masochistic tendencies, which would certainly help with their ability to fight on whilst ignoring damage.
* DropTheHammer -- Thunder Hammers are ginormous mallets wrapped in an electrical field that stuns whatever they don't pulverize. The Salamanders chapter in particular favors them as part of the Cult of Prometheus, rituals tied closely with their Primarch's history as a legendary blacksmith.
* DueToTheDead:
** All Chapters are fanatical about reclaiming their geneseed; individual chapters have distinctive, and often elaborate, rites and honors for their dead.
** It gets more complicated with Dreadnoughts. Tradition dictates that upon reawakening a Dreadnought the attendants read out a list of his accomplishments, which can take a long time for quite a number of them. In the event of a Dreadnought being destroyed, the chapter will hold a second funeral, only it's a little more awkward what with the size of the deceased's remains and issue of differentiating between when he was alive and when he was dead etc...
* DungeonBypass: Terminators are specifically designed for such tactics (primarily space boarding actions) - they have teleporters to get past the enemy lines, the heaviest armor to keep them alive when away from support, and power fists to make their own door whenever needed.
* DynamicEntry: Assault Marines, [[JetPack jump pack]]-equipped close combat specialists, often find that hundreds of pounds of armored Space Marine is an [[GoombaStomp effective weapon in itself]].
** In the [[VideoGame/DawnOfWar video]] [[VideoGame/Warhammer40000SpaceMarine games]] based on the franchise, Assault Marines are even shown using brief flares of their jump packs across an open surface to send themselves literally crashing into the enemy they are charging.
*** Happily, this was implemented into Sixth Edition as the "Hammer of Wrath" rule.
* EmergencyTransformation -- Mortally-wounded Space Marines with enough fighting spirit are interred within life-support sarcophagi that can "pilot" the walking tanks/tombs called Dreadnoughts.
* FamedInStory -- Dreadnoughts are universally renowned within their chapter. Most players can name Bjorn The Fell-Handed, Tankred, [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/DawnOfWar Davion Thule]]]], [[HeyItsThatGuy and that Ultramarine one who's older than Bjorn]].
* FangsAreEvil:
** Averted with the Blood Angels and Space Wolves, who possess fangs as part of mutations in their gene-seeds, and are counted among the nicest Chapters.
** Played straight with the Cacharadons, one of the most brutal chapters. They file their teeth to be like a shark's.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: A lot of the chapters fit this:
** The Ultramarines are Greco-Romans
** The {{Space Wol|f}}ves are Vikings
** The White Scars are [[BadassBiker Mongols on motorcycles]] rather than horses.
** The Black Templars are Teutonic Knights.
** The Imperial Fists are 19th Century Prussians
** [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Some consider the Crimson Fists to be Germany in the post-World War 2 reconstruction prior to 1949]], which causes a lot of awkwardness when we compare the Germanic imagery of the Imperial Fists and think of the [[HeelFaceTurn fate]] of the [[RedRightHand Soul]] [[ImAHumanitarian Drinkers]].
* FearlessFool -- "And they shall know no fear"...but in the tie-in novels, this is generally depicted as hyperbole: they can and do feel fear, but they have utterly mastered it, often with the explicit observation that they would be fools not to. Within the tabletop game, all Space Marines have the ability 'Combat Tactics' to choose to fail a morale test (which causes them to retreat) should their player consider it prudent - though some characters allow you to play this trope straighter and trade this ability for something else.
** It has been established that part of the Space Marines' mental conditioning has left them biologically incapable of feeling a fear response. It's important to note, however, that the fear of ''death'' has been purged from their minds, but other fears (such as failure) can still be present.
* FeudalFuture -- In addition to Chapter Masters often serving as planetary governors of their homeworlds, Chapters are supported by a civilian population of Chapter Serfs, who perform the day to day duties of maintaing the fortress-monastery, farm work for the Chapter, etc. Descended from those who failed to become Space Marines, these people are generally better off than other planetary populations, with the added benefit of being on one of the most well defended planets in the Imperium. Well, as better off as one can live on the Feral[=/=]{{Death World}}s the Space Marines frequently call home. They also have one advantage only the Adeptus Mechanicus Forgeworlds get: They don't have to produce Imperial Guard battalions.
* FiveManBand: Your average Command Squad:
** TheHero: The Captain
** TheLancer: The Veteran Sergeant
** TheBigGuy: The Company Champion
** TheSmartGuy: The Apothecary
** MacGuffinGuardian: The Standard Bearer
** SixthRanger: The Heavy Gunner.
* GeneticMemory:
** The curse of the Blood Angels chapter. Combat has a chance of triggering the genetic memory of their Primarch's violent death, causing the Blood Angel to slip into [[UnstoppableRage the Black Rage]] as they start reliving the event and forgetting their own identity. Such unfortunates are grouped in the Death Company and sent into the worst fighting in search of a merciful death in combat.
** More generally, this is the function of the [[BioAugmentation Omophagea implant]].
* GeniusBruiser -- The average Space Marine is trained under a BigBookOfWar that tries to predict every tactical situation ever, and how to deal with it. A Space Marine may find himself stagnant in his training and end up staying as an Assault or Devastator Marine instead of becoming a Tactical Marine, as a Tactical Marine is meant to be able to adapt and be fluid in any battle situation while the formers stick with melee and ranged combat, respectively. Commanders from Sergeants on up are even better. Then we have Librarians -- as befits their name, they are record-keepers and tactical advisers to the Chapter, as well as terrifying {{psychic|Powers}} warriors just as adept with their conventional weapons as any other Marine.
* GentleGiant -- Salamanders, Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Ultramarines, Imperial Fists and Raven Guard [[BigBrotherInstinct when it comes to innocents]].
* GlorySeeker -- Some, though their indoctrination causes many to feel being a SpaceMarine is already achieving glory. That being said, Space Marine chapters are almost universally proud and only accept the missions that they choose to take on. Inevitably, they choose only the thickest of the fighting, and the most dangerous and critical of missions. When participating in joint operations with other Imperial forces, this often comes across as glory seeking, hogging the most important tasks and garnering most of the credit, regardless of how the Space Marines themselves see it.
* GoodIsNotNice -- A trait of all "good guys" in this universe...
* GunshipRescue -- This is virtually the entire purpose of the Thunderhawk Gunship. While it is also used as a DropShip for insertion and recovery, its purpose beyond that is to remain on station and serve as the Marines' air support. Any Marine force on the ground is likely to have a Thunderhawk come to their aid when they run into something too big for even them to handle alone, and given that they are often committed to the most dangerous actions and need quick recovery once achieving their objective, it will often be used to rescue them from still-hot battle zones.
* HandCannon -- The bolt pistol, the standard-issue Space Marine sidearm, is fully automatic and shoots rocket-propelled armor-piercing explosive rounds capable of coring a man's torso and blasting apart light vehicles. Their standard-issue longarm, the bolter, is the same thing with even better range.
* [[SheCleansUpNicely He Cleans Up Nicely]] -- Blood Angels recruit from the nomadic scavenger tribes who roam the [[AfterTheEnd radioactive wasteland]] of their homeworld, Baal. These tribesmen generally suffer from cankers, lesions, and melanoma as the outward symptoms of the harshness of their existence. As they are inducted and implanted while sleeping in a life support sarcophagus over the course of a wakeless year, they are gradually transformed into perfect-bodied beings with a trace of [[{{Bishonen}} Sanguinius' own beauty]]. In this manner, they are purified of their humanly imperfections in senses both literal and metaphorical.
* HeroicWillpower -- All Marines have this in spades.
** Chief Librarian Mephiston of the Blood Angels succumbed to the Black Rage while trapped in rubble, but somehow remained in control and sane, ultimately fighting the bloodlust off. The Blood Angels, an army of blood-crazed eight-foot killing machines armed with [[ChainsawGood chainsaw swords]], call him "The Lord of Death," making him clearly a man not to trifle with.
** Chaplain Lemartes from the recent Blood Angels Codex is a close second. Like Mephiston, he succumbed to the Black Rage, but by willpower alone managed to stop himself from going completely batshit insane. The difference is that while Mephiston mastered the Black Rage, Lemartes merely keeps it in check.
* HidingBehindTheLanguageBarrier: Intentionally invoked with battle-cant, a language each Chapter selects for use in combat situations. Typically, it's the same language of their homeworlds (Baalite for the Blood Angels, Fenrisian for the Space Wolves, Macraggian for the Ultramarines) but because the average Imperial enemy will have only bothered to learn [[CommonTongue Imperial Gothic]] (if even that), this ensures that the Astartes have a means to transmit sensitive tactical information without letting the enemy learn anything.
* HighlyConspicuousUniform: See BlingOfWar above. Also, this quote pretty much sums things up:
--> "The uniforms of the Imperial Guard are camouflaged in order to protect their wearers by hiding them from sight. The principle is that what the enemy cannot see he cannot kill. This is not the way of the Adeptus Astartes. A Space Marine’s armour is bright with heraldry that proclaims his devotion to his Chapter and the beloved Emperor of Mankind. Our principle is that [[BrightIsNotGood what the enemy can see, he will soon learn to fear...]]"
* HonorBeforeReason - Space Marines take pride in their chapter colors, and the overwhelming majority of them refuse to wear camouflage. This results in scouts of the ImperialFists chapter trying to sneak through terrain in [[HighlyVisibleNinja bright yellow armor]]...
** The Raven Guard and their successor chapters successfully avert this. If the situation calls for it, they will change their armor color, and chapter sign. However, this has caused some...disagreements among some other chapters.
*** That said: When ''everyone else'' has given up on saving innocent civilians, warriors of the Raven Guard WILL stay behind to save ''every'' single last one of them, ALONE if necessary.
* HopeBringer -- For the Imperial Guard and common civilians...assuming they haven't been called in for an Exterminatus.
* IGaveMyWord -- Keeping oaths is an important matter to many chapters.
* ImAHumanitarian:
** Thanks to their BioAugmentation, Space Marines can absorb memories from the flesh of those they eat.
** Blood Angels in late stage red thrist succumb to this but they are usually killed before that.
* InHarmsWay -- Once the battle's done, the Marines are off to the next warzone.
* InterserviceRivalry -- Present among many chapters.
** The Ultramarines distrust any chapter which doesn't embrace the Codex Astartes.
** The Blood Angels and their descendants are mistrusted over the Black Rage.
** Nobody likes the Marines Malevolent.
** The most famous rivalry is between the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves, where they actually select champions from each group to fight it out, which is surprisingly non-fatal.
* ItsRainingMen -- Drop Pods are basically capsules containing a squad of Space Marines that are fired at a planet from orbit, and hit without noticeably slowing down. Drop Pod assaults are a signature Marine tactic, as few foes can recover from a surprise attack that instantly drops dozens of Marines in the middle of your base camp.
* JackOfAllStats -- Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch of the Ultramarines, penned the ''[[BigBookOfWar Codex Astartes]]'', the book detailing Space Marine organization and tactics. His chapter tries to follow the book religiously, resulting in an extremely well-rounded fighting force that defines the Space Marines.
* TheJuggernaut -- The role of Space Marine Terminators, wearing ancient suits of armor that make them NighInvulnerable. They can approach situations that even [[ImplacableMan a normal Space Marine's]] PowerArmor would struggle to weather.
* KillItWithFire -- As befits their namesake, the Salamanders like flamers and meltaguns. Pretty much all the Space Marines will consider it, though.
* KnightTemplar -- Most Space Marines to some extent, but especially the Black Templars chapter. They run around the galaxy in crusades known for (occasionally) wiping out entire planetary populations, and their extreme zeal even has the Inquisition worried, especially since they ignore the recommended thousand-man maximum for Chapter size and thus might number somewhere around ''50,000'' or more, but no one outside of perhaps the Templars' own chapter masters can say for certain what their true numbers are, other than that if they were ever assembled in one place, they would be a force vast enough to easily constitute a significant threat to the entirety of the Imperium if they wanted to (which they very much [[TheAtoner do not]]).
* MeaningfulRename -- Several Legions were renamed when they found their primarch.
** None more meaningful than the Grey Knights. Their name and color symbolizes the tenuous morality of the 41st millennium.
* TheMedic -- The Apothecaries. And as the {{Grim Dark}}ness of the far future lacks anything even remotely similar to [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar the Geneva Conventions]]...
** CombatMedic -- They are no less capable {{SuperSoldier}}s then their more official SuperSoldier brethren.
*** When an Apothecary is ordered to attack in ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'':
---> "Death or healing! I care not which you seek!"
* MercyKill:
** "The Emperor's peace."
** The motive for civilian kills committed by Grey Knights (which, given how daemonic corruption works, isn't that far-fetched).
* MiniMecha -- When a Space Marine veteran or hero is mortally wounded but recovered, he is [[ManInTheMachine placed in a life-supporting sarcophagus]] and installed in a Dreadnought. As such, Dreadnoughts are held in awe by the rest of their Chapters, and seen as links to their past. Not to mention the fact that they're incredible warriors who are basically walking tanks whose possible armament includes [[GatlingGood Assault cannons]], {{Power Fist}}s, built in [[MoreDakka Storm Bolters]] and [[KillItWithFire Flamers]], and have absolutely no fear of death (they already died once, so how much scarier can it be?). The most famous of all Dreadnoughts is [[SpaceWolves Bjorn the Fell-Handed]].
* MysteriousPast -- Many chapters have their share of secrets, but the Blood Ravens' past is particularly shrouded in mystery. Their records don't extend back very far, so they have no idea where their homeworld is or what "parent" legion they were based off of. Furthermore, one of their commanders destroyed Blood Ravens relics [[VideoGame/DawnOfWar recovered on the planet Kronus]] before anyone else could examine them, and in the same campaign Chaos forces mockingly called him "[[NotSoDifferent brother]]." The Blood Ravens chapter motto is "Knowledge is Power, Guard it Well."
* NoOneGetsLeftBehind:
** The Space Marines take care to recover their fallen brothers' progenoid glands, which contain the genetic information necessary for creating the next generation of Space Marines.
** Captain Kayvan Shrike and his forces are known for multiple instances of saving civilians when everyone else had given up on them, and they are heroes among the citizens of the Imperium.
* NumberTwo -- After the Chapter Master, the ranking member of the Chapter is the First Captain and usually his designated successor.
* OneGenderRace -- Apparently all the implants just don't work right on women. Of course, the Sisters of Battle come very close to female Space Marines. [[InternetBackdraft Not that it stops many fans, and the outrage from suggesting such a thing.]]
** Even if the implants did work on women, the physiological changes they cause are so profound it might be hard to tell the difference without checking their crotch.
* OneManArmy -- In the propaganda, anyway. [[CutscenePowerToTheMax They're powered appropriately in order to be competitive on the tabletop]].
* OurVampiresAreDifferent -- A motif played with, but mostly downplayed and RetConned out in recent editions.
** The Blood Angels chapter makes extensive use of blood in religious ceremonies, and as part of their transformation process spend a year in a casket-like chamber. This despite the fact that the Chapter's founder Sanguinius was known as the Angel for his [[{{Bishonen}} good looks]] and feathered wings, and most Blood Angels inherit his physical beauty.
*** Older fluff used to give them all pale skin, red eyes, and black hair. It's been [[RetCon retconned]] since.
* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent -- Oddities in the {{Space Wol|f}}ves' gene-seed manifest as lengthened canines, as well as heightened senses allowing them to detect enemy locations and morale purely by sense of smell. They also carry a defect which manifests as the Curse of the Wulfen, which transforms the Marine into a slavering, bestial monster. Experiencing this is a standard part of the induction of every Space Wolf aspirant. There are three possibilities at that initial point: either their body stabilises and they become a full Marine, it doesn't and they... don't, or it ''appears'' to stabilise, only to manifest the Curse in the heat of battle.
** In the novel ''Battle of the Fang'', the Wulfen are kept isolated inside the Fang, and are only brought out for dire circumstances.
** Fittingly, the Space Wolves and Blood Angels [[FurAgainstFang don't get along too well]], though not to the extent of their other rivalries.
* OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions -- While the Space Marines venerate the God-Emperor, building cathedrals and monasteries in his name and praying to him for intercession on the battlefield, many chapters do not see him as an actual god (a view the Emperor himself subscribed to) but a [[AFatherToHisMen father-figure]] to be emulated.
** The Ecclesiarchy isn't too thrilled with this, but over the millenia, they and the Astartes have fallen into a pattern of "agreeing to disagree", where the Ecclesiarchy does not treat the Space Marines like heathens, and the Space Marines do not use their legacy as descendants of the Emperor to usurp the Ecclesiarchy's roll of ministering to the masses. On very rare occasions a particularly zealous cardinal or haughty captain might say something so egregious that the other side cannot ignore. Such "disagreements" are usually resolved swiftly, but not always without blood being spilled first...
* ThePaladin:
** Grey Knights. Being that this is 40K, well...
** Played much straighter with the Salamanders.
* PapaWolf - Quite ''literally'' in the case of the Space Wolves when it comes to protecting innocents.
** None more so than Logan Grimnar, their Chapter Master, who '''declared war''' on the Inquisition for murdering the Guardsmen and their families on Armageddon for just having ''seen'' Chaos Daemons. Since that day, the Ordos have been (somewhat) less trigger happy with the [[ApocalypseHow Exterminatus button]], lest they have hundreds of Wolves ''literally'' howling at their door.
** Though the Raven Guard are ''substantially'' less passionate than the Space Wolves, their compassion for innocents is '''equally''' as strong. Even if they must do so by themselves, they WILL [[NoOneGetsLeftBehind rescue each and every last innocent civilian from behind enemy lines]], no matter how long it takes.
** While [[WeAreStrugglingTogether engaged in operations alongside the Marines Malevolent during the Third War for Armageddon]], Chapter Master Tu'Shan of the Salamanders nearly provoked a private war between his chapter and the Marines Malevolent when the latter suggested a massive artillery strike on a refugee camp that had come under Ork attack. [[GodzillaThreshold It wasn't the idea that set Tu'Shan off, such things having been grimly necessary]]; it was instead the [[JerkAss cavalier and dismissive]] manner of the suggestion (essentially boiling down to "KillEmAll and let the Emperor sort 'em out") that hit Tu'Shan's berserk button.
* PhotographicMemory -- The BioAugmentation done to the Space Marines leaves their memories as close to eidetic as possible, so they can recall potentially vital information in after-action debriefings.
* PowerBornOfMadness:
** Ever since Mephiston mastered the Black Rage, he seems to exist in a permanent state of TranquilFury. One side effect of this is being able to kill orks with his bare hands (in game terms, his strength is higher than it is even allowed for human size models, enough to treat regular humans as MadeOfPlasticine).
** Blood Angels and successors suffering from the Black Rage or Red Thirst in general are this. Left in an UnstoppableRage from their gene-flaw, they become [[OneManArmy so brutal in combat]] that nothing short of death will stop them. Even severing limbs won't stop them, it'll just slow them down and make them even ''more'' pissed off.
* PoweredArmor -- A standard Space Marine has better protection than other races' elite troops. Then there's the Tactical Dreadnought or "Terminator" armor, which can carry [[GatlingGood miniguns]] one-handed and survive being stepped on by ''[[HumongousMecha Titans]]''.
* PowerFist -- The trope namer is a piece of wargear usable by most characters, but standard issue for Space Marine Terminators.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy -- Space Marines are an analogue of medieval knightly orders, and possess a chivalry of sorts. They don't let this get in the way of genocide or xenocide, however.
* RageHelm -- Mark VII helms. Marks II through VI are less angry looking, but no less scary.
* RedOniBlueOni -- Leman Russ and Lion El'Jonson. Their chapters (the Space Wolves and the Dark Angels) have inherited the rivalry.
* ScaryBlackMan -- The Salamanders chapter, in a strange way. A weird interaction with their gene-seed gives them [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] and onyx-colored skin, the latter because their homeworld has a weak magnetosphere and the gland that changes skin color to alter based on radiation is stuck in overdrive. They also love flamer and melta weapons. They also have a very nasty army list, so all such weapons count as twin-linked, and any Thunder Hammers are master-crafted.
* SergeantRock -- Any Brother-Sergeant is this.
* ShouldersOfDoom -- Proudly displaying the Chapter badge.
* SpaceMarine -- ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Duh]].'' They specialize in planetary assaults. And everything else, for that matter.
** [[DisneyOwnsThisTrope Games Workshop has also trademarked the words]].
* TheStoic:
** The Dark Angels, a trait inherited from their Primarch, Lion El'Johnson.
*** Because of this, he initially didn't get along with [[BoisterousBruiser Leman Russ]], seeing him as a [[DumbMuscle boisterous idiot]] while Russ thought the Lion was an [[{{Jerkass}} insufferable pompous prick]]. They eventually became VitriolicBestBuds, but their respective chapters are still bitter rivals.
*** Very nearly canonical, especially since the Imperial Fists and Salamanders Legions were equally, if not ''more'', stoical than the Dark Angels, and there's no indication that the Space Wolves have ever had any problem with them.
** The Iron Hands.
* StrongerWithAge: Spaces Marines just get more and more BadAss as time goes by. The Chapter Master of the Blood Angels, [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Dante#.T9pZr9Wmp_F Dante]], is held to be the oldest living Space Marine who hasn't been confined to a Dreadnought, has lived for over 1300 years, and certainly isn't showing any signs of slowing down.
* SuperSoldier -- Eight feet tall, a lifespan measured in centuries, spending every waking moment either in battle or training for it... and those are your basic Space Marines. Now consider their [[EliteMooks veterans]]...or [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Chapter]] [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority Masters]]...or the [[PhysicalGod Primarchs]].
* SuperToughness
* TankGoodness -- While the humble Predator tank is a versatile fighting vehicle, the baddest thing on tracks beyond the Imperial Guard's super-heavy vehicles is the Land Raider, the Space Marines' transport from hell. Essentially a rolling bunker, it packs a punch with two twin-linked lascannons and a twin-linked heavy bolter, has the highest armor rating in the game on all facings, and can carry a squad of Space Marines (or worse yet, Terminators) right to the enemy's front line.
** And then you get to the variants, which carry such wonderful toys as [[MoreDakka multiple racks of rapid-firing bolters]], [[KillItWithFire oversized flamers]], rocket artillery, melta cannons, [[GatlingGood miniguns]], grenade launchers, [[{{BFG}} oversized grenade-launching miniguns]]...
* TimeAbyss -- Space Marines can live for centuries or millennia. Dante has been Chapter Master of the Blood Angels for 1,100 years, and Bjorn the Fell Handed of the Space Wolves fought during the Great Crusade ten thousand years ago.
* TokenMinority -- The Salamanders have the majority of black Space Marines (see ScaryBlackMan above), while the White Scars have the Asians.
** In the latest Space Wolves codex one of the Wolf Lords is noted to be dark skinned, belonging originally to a dark skinned people living in the southern oceans of Fenris who are mostly traders rather than warriors. As a result dark-skinned Fenrisians are rarely chosen to serve in the Chapter. This would make them BlackVikings [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]].
* TrainingFromHell -- Starts when aspirants are [[ChildSoldiers in their early teens]], and [[TheSpartanWay tries to whittle down a hundred to a single neophyte]]. They're actually deployed as Scout squads before they've finished the transformation into full-fledged Space Marines.
* TreacheryCoverUp -- The reason the Dark Angels chapter call themselves [[TheAtoner the Unforgiven]]. During the HorusHeresy, a faction of their soldiers rebelled out of confusion or [[GreenEyedMonster jealousy]]. These Fallen Angels are hunted mercilessly by the Dark Angels, so that they may grant them [[DeathEqualsRedemption absolution]] after [[ColdBloodedTorture vicious torture]], and finally restore the chapter's honor. [[spoiler:There is also the theory that the ''Dark Angels'' are the traitors, who sat out the Horus Heresy to see who would win.]]
* TrueCompanions: For all the moral ambiguity in the franchise, this is one virtue that the Space Marines generally espouse and embrace. From day one of training, Space Marines are taught the value of working with their fellow Marines and refer to each other as brothers. Since they share organs derived from a single being, and grew up together during training, this is as close to family as they actually have. It's actually one of the few psychological weaknesses that a Space Marine can have--the need for the companionship of their fellow Astartes.
* VitriolicBestBuds -- Surprisingly, Lion El'Johnson and Leman Russ. They hated each other for a while, but eventually patched things up, becoming firm friends while paradoxically remaining bitter rivals. Their descendants however, lack the 'best friends' part of the relationship.
* WarriorMonk -- Not only do Space Marines possess nigh-unshakable faith in their role as favored champions of the God-Emperor, they also live in Fortress-Monasteries and refer to each other as "Brother."
* WeirdnessCoupon -- Space Marines in general have this. Many of them are jerks, mutants or have exotic beliefs, but the Inquisition glosses over their minor heresies because of their necessity. And then you get into individual examples:
** The Space Wolves wouldn't open the Codex Astartes in a dire toilet-paper shortage, worship Fenrisian spirits alongside the Emperor, and defy Inquisition orders. They have the skills, ferocity, political power, and heroic reputation to get away with it.
** The Blood Angels are vampiric berserkers whose Death Company members have caused just as many friendly fatalities as enemy fatalities. Being descended from the most politically martyred Primarch has major advantages.
** The Ultramarines have a massive feudal empire despite the Codex explicitly stating that Space Marines are only allowed control of a single planet at most. Being the legion which more or less rebuilt the Imperium and has the most stable gene-seed has its advantages.
** The Dark Angels spend most of their time trying to hunt down the Fallen, whose existence is more or less an open secret within the Inquisition. Being the first Space Marine Legion means that an [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner Inquisitor]] needs some damn good evidence to declare them Excommunicate Traitoris.
** The Black Templars utterly reject the Codex Astartes, take persecution of mutants and psykers [[KnightTemplar to a level beyond even other Space Marines]], and are almost as large as one of the original legions. [[ChurchMilitant Their extraordinary zeal]] is such that the Inquisition can find no fault with their conduct, and their sheer size makes it impossible for anybody but their own High Marshal to exert control over the chapter.
* WolverineClaws -- Lightning Claws are Power Weapons with three or four claws attached to a PowerFist. Very popular among Terminators in general and the Raven Guard in particular.
** Space Wolves have a slightly more powerful variant in the form of Wolf Claws.
* TheWorfEffect -- Due to the Astartes' toughness, new threats are often expressed in terms of how many Space Marines they killed. The Tyranids, for example, are introduced by wiping out the Ultramarines' 1st company and nearly overrunning their homeworld, while the Necrons are shown blowing holes in ''both'' sides of a Land Raider with a single energy weapon.
* WouldNotShootACivilian -- Depending on the chapter.
** Generally it's more like they ''[[BlackAndGreyMorality prefer]]'' not to shoot civilians unless they [[IDidWhatIHadToDo really have to]]. Again, [[CrapsackWorld this setting]].
''See also ''Literature/BloodAngels'', ''SpaceWolf'', ''Literature/{{Ultramarines}}'', ''Literature/GreyKnights'', ''Literature/SoulDrinkers'', BloodRavens, ImperialFists, ''Literature/{{Salamanders}}'', ''Literature/DarkAngels'''
----
!The Space Marines
[[quoteright:344:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/baldwin3_1687.jpg]]
->''And They shall know no Fear.''
Ten thousand years ago, when the [[MessianicArchetype Emperor]] led his Great Crusade to reunify humanity, he did so at the head of twenty legions of genetically-engineered {{Super Soldier}}s: the Adeptus Astartes, also known as the Space Marines or the Angels of Death. Each of these legions was based off of and led by one of the Primarchs, the Emperor's clone-sons who were blessed with the strength, wisdom, and charisma to become great leaders of men. But in the hour of mankind's greatest triumph, [[HorusHeresy fully half of these legions turned upon the Emperor]], and nearly undid all that he had accomplished. After this grand betrayal, the loyalist legions were reorganized into thousand-man strong organizations called chapters, and new ones were founded to help protect the Imperium. Today there are around a thousand chapters of Space Marines, either based on specific homeworlds, ruling entire regions of space, or patrolling the stars in formidable fleets. Recognizing no authority other than the Emperor himself, Space Marines either lead their own crusades to fight the enemies of mankind, or answer petitions for assistance. They stand apart from the Imperium despite serving it, just as they protect humanity despite transcending it.
The Space Marines are the iconic faction of ''40K''; they are [[PoweredArmor power armored]], [[SuperpowerfulGenetics genetically-engineered]] {{Super soldier}}s, and fanatics to the Imperial creed to a man. Fear and doubt are cast aside, and pleas of mercy and terror-inspiring battle cries alike fall on deaf ears. They will never compromise, never surrender, never tire; the Emperor demanded the galaxy be his, and the Space Marines have fought for the past ten thousand years to make it so. They have become figures of religious awe and terror: the Emperor's Angels of Death. ''"The enemies of man fear many things,"'' goes the Imperial slogan. ''"They fear discovery, defeat and death. But most of all, they fear the wrath of the Space Marines!"''
The Space Marines can be split in terms of style among their founder legions:
||align=center border=2 width=70%
|| '''''Chapter''''' || '''''Armor color''''' || '''''Primarch''''' || '''''Institutionally''''' || '''''Specialties''''' || '''''Chapter Master''''' ||
|| '''Black Templars''' || Black, white Pauldrons || Rogal Dorn || [[KnightTemplar Crusading]] || Close combat || Helbretch ||
|| '''Blood Angels''' || Red || [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Sanguinius]] || [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Vampiric]] || Close combat, [[TelePortation deep striking]] || Dante ||
|| '''Blood Ravens''' || Red, bone pauldrons || Unknown[[note]]Speculated to be Magnus the Red[[/note]] || [[CuriosityIsACrapshoot Knowledge-seeking]] || Psychic powers || Gabriel Angelos ||
|| '''Dark Angels''' || Dark Green (with white robes) || [[WildChild Lion El'Jonson]] || [[TreacheryCoverUp Paranoid]] || Fast attack, [[EliteMooks Terminator armour]], hunting the Fallen || Azrael ||
|| '''Deathwatch''' || Black, silver Pauldron || Various || [[AbsoluteXenophobe Xenocidal]] || Battling aliens, special ops || Unknown ||
|| '''Grey Knights''' || Unpainted ceramite || Unknown (possibly the Emperor) || [[IncorruptiblePurePureness Pure]] || Battling Chaos || Kaldor Draigo ||
|| '''Imperial Fists''' || Yellow || [[TheStoic Rogal Dorn]] || [[TheSiege Fortified]] || Siege warfare || Vladamir Pugh ||
|| '''Iron Hands''' || Black and silver || [[ThePerfectionist Ferrus Manus]] || [[MachineWorship Mechanical]] || Bionics || Kadran Stronos ||
|| '''Legion of the Damned''' || Black with flame-and-skeleton imagery || Roboute Gulliman || Doomed || [[BigDamnHeroes Appearing in the nick of time]] || N/A ||
|| '''Raven Guard''' || Black || [[RebelLeader Corvus Corax]] || [[InTheBack Tricky]] || Precision attacks || Unknown ||
|| '''Salamanders''' || Green, black pauldrons || [[UltimateBlacksmith Vulkan]] || [[TheBlacksmith Forging]] || Close-quarter fire-fights, [[ProHumanTransHuman protecting civilians]], [[KillItWithFire flamers]] || Tu'Shan ||
|| '''Space Wolves''' || Gray, yellow and/or red pauldrons || [[RaisedByWolves Leman Russ]] || [[HornyVikings Viking]] || Assault || Logan Grimnar ||
|| '''Soul Drinkers''' || Purple, gold, bone || Rogal Dorn || [[DefectorFromDecadence Rebellious]] || Assault, deep striking, boarding || Sarpedon ||
|| '''Ultramarines''' || Blue || [[PromotionToParent Roboute Guilliman]] || [[HonorBeforeReason Institutionalized]] || [[JackOfAllStats Generalists]] || Marneus Calgar ||
|| '''White Scars''' || White || [[LightningBruiser Jaghatai Khan]] || [[DynamicEntry Mobile]] || Fast attack, [[BadassBiker warbikes]] || Jubal Khan ||
|| ''' Legions II & XI''' || [[OrwellianEditor RECORDS EXPUNGED]] ||||||||||
|| [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Loyal_Space_Marine_Chapters_%28List%29 Loyal Chapters]] |||| [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Lost_Chapter Lost Chapters]] |||| [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Renegade_Space_Marine_Chapters_%28List%29 Renegade Chapters]] ||||
Some other notes regarding the chapters:
* Almost ''two thirds'' of the Space Marine chapters are descended from the Ultramarines.
* The Black Templars are an offshoot of the Imperial Fists. They do not conform to the [[BigBookOfWar Codex Astartes]], and do not limit their numbers to one thousand Marines as most other Chapters do, consisting instead of almost five times that number.
* The Deathwatch is the chamber militant of the Ordo Xenos of the Inquisition, composed of Marines from various chapters and used against alien invasions. It is the only major branch of the Inquisition not to have received an army and Codex yet.
* The Grey Knights are the chamber militant of the Ordo Malleus of the Inquisition, and owing to their specialization, have no successor chapters.
* Many chapters do not have their primarch identified in game materials; indeed, some, such as the BloodRavens, canonically do not know which founder legion they came from.
* There are two Legions that have apparently [[OrwellianEditor been stricken from all records]], and nobody knows what happened to them.
Depending on which version of fluff you read, they can be [[OneManArmy invincible gods of war]] or [[EliteMooks just gene-enhanced elite soldiers]].
On the tabletop, Space Marines are a well-rounded and forgiving army. They are a very popular starting army, coming in the box sets and with a decent ten-man squad coming in at £19.95/$35. The average Space Marine is very effective in both ranged and close combat, not to mention as well-armed and -armored as most armies' elite soldiers. Needless to say, ''elite'' Space Marine soldiers are terrifying prospects to face, be they veteran marines in hulking nigh-invulnerable armor, or critically-wounded soldiers entombed in a walking tank. However, this makes Space Marines expensive in terms of point costs, so they are almost always outnumbered by their opponents. Not that this should particularly worry them...
'''Notable tropes'''
* AbnormalAmmo:
** The standard small arm for every SpaceMarine fires .75 caliber rocket-powered armor-piercing explosive rounds.
** The elite Sternguard have ammunition for their small arms that makes them pretty much capable of dealing with any sort of infantry threat.
* AngstWhatAngst: {{In-universe}} with the Blood Angels. Despite being cursed to relive the GeneticMemory of their Primarch Sanguinius' death when the enter battle until prolonged exposure eventually overcomes their ability to distinguish vision from reality and they turn into [[TheBerserker berserk killers]], they are also one of the most optimistic chapters. They have inherited Sanguinius' 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]].
* ArmCannon:
** It's common for {{Power Fist}}s to be armed with integrated Storm Bolters, but the Grey Knights typically wear their wrist-mounted Storm Bolters on their regular gauntlets.
** The Angelus-pattern boltgun is a wrist mounted bolter issued to the Sanguinary Guard (the PraetorianGuard of the Blood Angels).
* ArtMajorBiology -- As is common for the setting, this is the only possible reason (besides the ever-present RuleOfCool) for the physiological changes and organ implants that go into creating a Space Marine.
* {{Asexuality}} -- By the time a Space Marine is done with training, they have few impulses beyond fighting and killing in the name of the Emperor, and thus have no interest in sex.
* AttackAttackAttack:
** The Blood Angels in particular are known for being very aggressive, even by the standards of Astartes, and their strategies typically involve getting to grips with the enemy as soon as possible. Their forces tend to be pulled forward by their assault squads, with their other elements providing support to that offensive thrust. While they can adapt to a variety of situations and tactics like other chapters, their geneseed flaw means that any of them can be overcome by the [[UnstoppableRage Black Rage]] at any time in combat. Thus focusing on aggressively attacking tends to be their most reliable strategy since they do not have to alter their plan if one of their marines goes LeeroyJenkins with BloodLust. Some of their successor chapters, such as the [[MeaningfulName Flesh Tearers]], go [[UpToEleven even further]] with this.
** The Black Templars have several special rules reflecting their absolute fanaticism and hatred for the enemy, even when it might go against sound tactical logic, such as getting free moves towards the enemy ''when they get shot at'', having to take leadership tests to shoot enemies who are not the closest to them, being Fearless in close combat, and having a Vow that forces them to charge any enemy unit they are able to, in exchange for getting Preferred Enemy against EVERYONE.
* AwesomePersonnelCarrier -- The Space Marines' signature ground transport is the humble Rhino, a simple but incredibly durable and versatile vehicle that serves as the basis for most of their {{tank|Goodness}}s, and due to being based on a tractor template can run on almost anything. If necessarily, they'll power it with ''wood''...or ''corpses''.
* {{Badass}} -- Officially held to be the most Badass group in the series, and with plenty to back it up, so let's get started:
** BadassArmy -- One of the best examples in the series.
** BadassBeard -- The Space Wolves love their beards.
** BadassBiker -- Those Marines on bikes, especially the White Scars.
** BadassBoast -- "And we shall know no fear!"
** BadassBookworm -- Librarians aren't just the Chapter's psykers, they're also the Chapter's record keepers.
** BadassCape -- Captains often wear capes with their armour. The Salamanders take this one step further by having their capes made of ''dragon'' scales.
** BadassCreed -- Each Space Marine Chapter has a Catechism of Battle, a war cry that invokes their Primarch and/or the Emperor in battle.
** BadassCrew -- Every Company, whether it's a Veteran Company, Battle Company, Reserve Company, or Scout Company, will be made of up to one hundred Badasses. Every squad, whether it's composed Assault, Devastator, or Tactical Marines, will be composed of up to ten Badasses.
** BadassInCharge -- Space Marine Chapter Masters, Captains, and Sergeants ''need'' to be this.
** BadassGrandpa -- Most Space Marine will live centuries before finally being killed. Many of the Chapter Masters are this by default, in particular Commander Dante, Marneus Calgar, and Logan Grimnar.
** BadassLonghair -- Popular among the Blood Angels, Raven Guard, and Space Wolves.
** BadassLongRobe -- The Dark Angels wear their robes ''over'' their power armour.
** BadassMustache -- Popular with the Imperial Fists and White Scars.
** [[RedBaron Badass Nickname]] -- The Emperor's Angels of Death.
** BadassPreacher -- Chaplains, who tend to the spiritual needs of the Chapter and are just as dangerous combatants.
** BadassTeacher -- By design, the relatively young [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Mentors chapter]] are this to the Imperial Guard, and conversely consider older, more established chapters to be this to themselves. The [[GadgeteerGenius Adeptus Mechanicus]] also tends to use them as [[WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys field-testers]] for their latest designs and upgrades.
** BadassTransplant -- When an Iron Hands Aspirant becomes a Neophyte, they remove their left hand and replace it with a bionic. Upon becoming a full battle brother, they replace the right hand. They start getting more bionics the further they climb the ranks of the Company.
** CulturedBadass -- Part of the hat of the Blood Angels as their long lifespans (by Astartes standards) allows them the time to practice and master art as well as war, which contrasts their more...[[TheBerzerker iconic image]].
** FourStarBadass -- Any Chapter Master worth his power armor is this.
** HandicappedBadass -- What do you do when you find a mortally wounded Space Marine lying atop dozens of enemy corpses? ''[[ManInTheMachine Put him in a Dreadnought]]''.
* BerserkButton -- Several:
** Mention [[WouldNotShootACivilian targeting civilians]] in front of the Salamanders.
** Blaspheming the Emperor (or the chapter's Primarch) within earshot of the more zealous chapters.
** Suggest shaving or haircuts to Space Wolves, or, if you're an Inquisitor, declare Exterminatus around these guys. 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.
** Mention treachery and heresy around the Dark Angels. You'll live just long enough to regret it...[[spoiler:because they'll torture you horrendously until you do. Then they'll kill you.]]
** The Blood Angels have one that causes the Black Rage, turning them from noble warriors into gibbering madmen. The problem is that after ten thousand years they ''still'' don't know what sets it off.
** Mention the Soul Drinkers near any of the other Imperial Fists successors, and see how long you can handle their Pain Glove.
** Do not, under any circumstances, threaten the gene-seed of a fallen battle-brother. Even those chapters with rules about noncombatants or honorable behavior will ''forget them'' for as long as it takes to destroy you and everything you have ever built or loved.
* BewareTheNiceOnes -- The nicer Chapters (mainly the Salamanders, Ultramarines, Space Wolves, Blood Angels, Imperial Fists, and Raven Guard) can be some of the most dangerous enemies in the setting.
* {{BFG}} -- All the Space Marines guns are huge, because they're the only ones who can hold them.
* {{BFS}} -- Power swords, chainswords, force swords...basically any sword a Space Marine will wield will be about half the height of a regular human.
* BigBookOfWar -- The Codex Astartes
* BigBrotherInstinct -- The nicer chapters towards non-combatants and the Imperial Guard if they're putting up a good fight.
* BigDamnHeroes -- For many of the Imperium's battles, the turning point came when the Space Marines arrived from orbit.
** This is quite literally all the Legion of the Damned do.
* BioAugmentation -- The source of their SuperSoldier status, particularly embodied in the 19 specifically-engineered organ implants that are present in all Space Marines. [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Creation_of_a_Space_Marine See this for the entire process]].[[note]]For various reasons, some chapters have lost a couple of the implants; nevertheless, all have the most essential two, the Progenoids and the Black Carapace.[[/note]]
* {{Bishonen}} -- Sanguinius, Primarch of the Blood Angels, was ''very'' handsome. The Blood Angels are also known for a refined aesthetic.
* BizarreHumanBiology -- The result of all the aforementioned extensive BioAugmentation. Many Black Library writers and ''40K'' characters use the term "posthuman" to define the status of the Astartes, because their physiological differences from normal humans are so vast.
* BlingOfWar -- Oh, yes. Purity seals, prayer inscriptions, shiny battle honors, wolf pelts and fangs, giant fireproof lizard skins, suits of ''solid gold power armor''... the Marines ''love'' their bling.
** BlingBlingBang -- Their weapons are not exempt.
* BloodBrothers -- Many chapters engage in ritually imbibing the blood of their fellow marines. It is believed that the Omophagea implant (which allows them to process {{Genetic Memor|y}}ies of biological material they consume) is likely a big source of why these rituals came about. In this manner, the Marines share traces of memory with each other, [[TrueCompanions further solidifying their bond with each other]], and the blood of the fallen will be consumed that [[DueToTheDead the living might better remember them]]. For some geneseed strains, mutations in the Omophagea implant give them a greater thirst for blood, and their blood ceremonies are more frequent and more well known. The Blood Angels and their successors are the best known of these.
* BodyguardingABadass -- Chapter Masters, no slouches themselves, often have bodyguards.
* BoisterousBruiser -- The {{Space Wol|f}}ves in general. Their current Great Wolf, Logan Grimnar, is a charismatic and unquestionably heroic individual in a galaxy of {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s, who actually objects to the Inquisition killing off Imperial Guardsmen who know too much. Leman Russ, the Space Wolves' Primarch, only joined the Emperor after a DrinkingContest...and a ''PowerFist to the head.'' [[MadeOfIron And the former was the reason he had a headache after, not the latter.]]
* BruiserWithASoftCenter - The "nicer" chapters outside of battle, namely Ultramarines (and their offshoots), Salamanders, Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Imperial Fists, and Raven Guard:
** Ultramarines are stoic yet fair rulers who treat their subjects with respect '''and''' dignity, something of a rarity in the vast morass of the Imperium.
** Salamanders are the only chapter that live with their human families outside battle, and hence have closer ties to their humanity than other chapters do. This same regard for humanity also means that the Salamanders will fight to protect civilians and non-combatants more than most Chapters, and they will often stick around to help repair the damage done to civilian infrastructure.
** The Blood Angels and Space Wolves in particular are open sentimentalists who are prone to ManlyTears '''and''' TenderTears, and are textbook examples of the GentleGiant when it comes to innocent civilians and children.
** The Imperial Fists and ''some'' of their successors work together with Planetary Defence Forces rather than taking over command, operate independently or counter to Imperial Forces like most Codex chapters, exceptions being the Soul Drinkers and the Black Templars.
** The Raven Guard often refuse to abandon civilians unless there is absolutely no other choice. Captain Kayvan Shrike actually doesn't abandon them even if there ''isn't'' a choice.
* BulletProofFashionPlate -- The Space Marine's PoweredArmor is undoubtedly tough, but they rarely show any of the grime from mud, blood, and debris one would expect them to get caked with when wading through the kind of high-intensity firefights they tend to be deployed for. This is {{justified|Trope}} by some of the fluff that says they have servitors dedicated to scrubbing down and cleaning their armor and vehicles immediately after a deployment so that [[HighlyConspicuousUniform their heraldry is always displayed clearly]] when they deploy next. The official Citadel tank painting guide recommends that weathering on Space Marine tanks be kept very slight to reflect this.
* CanonImmigrant -- The Blood Ravens chapter, invented for ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'' and embraced by Games Workshop.
* TheCaptain -- Each company is lead by a Brother-Captain, who also usually holds some sort of logistical position within the Chapter (such as Master of the Arsenal, Fleet, Recruits, etc). The senior most of the these is the Captain of the First Company (aptly named First Captain) who serves as the second-in-command of the Chapter.
* [[ChainsawGood Chainsword Good]] -- Chainswords are a common, and arguably signature, melee weapon amongst the Space Marines.
** Less used are the Chainfist (a power fist with a chainsaw on it) and the Chainaxe.
* ChurchMilitant -- The majority of Space Marines maintain that the Emperor was a powerful man, but a man nonetheless. Their general devotion to him, though, frequently approaches the line to this trope, while other chapters, such as the Black Templars and White Consuls, are this more outright.
** The Black Templars rarely take to the field without being led by a "Joan-Of-Arc" like champion, chosen by praying until one of them receives a vision from the Emperor, only "Joan" in this case happens to be a fanatical killing machine before receiving visions from the Emperor and the awesome relics bestowed on the chosen one.
* CombatMedic -- Apothecaries. Unlike the traditional idea of battlefield medicine, due to the nature of Space Marine physiology, almost any injury sustained in field that would need assistance in treating it is likely to be fatal for the Marine, so the Apothecary simply makes the process less painful. He then rips a massive hole in the Marine's chest and neck to remove the geneseed that is literally more precious than the Marine.
* CombatPragmatist:
** Chapter Master Gabriel Seth of the Flesh Tearers. He has a special rule stating that anyone who rolls a 1 to hit him in melee immediately takes a Strength 4 hit as he punches them in the face or [[GroinAttack knees them in the crotch]].
** Lukas the Trickster is the dirtiest fighter in the Space Wolves Chapter. He went so far to win a fight through trickery, he had one of his hearts replaced with a stasis bomb that, should he be killed in battle, will detonate, trapping his killer and he in a stasis field, where they can only hear Lukas' laughter for the rest of eternity.
* CrazyPrepared -- Their BioAugmentation. A lot of it makes sense - the secondary heart, ribcage-turned-bulletproof-armor, ultra-fast clotting, night vision, and increased muscle mass all make sense for improving a soldier...but the ability to darken their skin to resist radiation, go into suspended animation to as a response against mortal wounds, be treated to resist a vacuum and extreme temperatures, an extreme sense of taste to be able to identify many common chemicals in what they taste, and spitting metal-corroding acid seem like The GodEmperor of Mankind kinda overdid it, despite being useful.
** This line from ''DawnOfWar'' sums it up nicely:
--->"Remember, you cannot ambush a Space Marine. [[ProperlyParanoid They expect treachery at every turn]]. The most you can do is confirm their suspicions."
* DarkIsNotEvil -- Well, no ''more'' evil than average.
** The Raven Guard is actually noteworthy for using subtlety in battle, specializing in covert operations, guerrilla warfare, and surgical strikes. One of the more intellectual chapters, they generally lack numbers and brute force, but prefer to disable the enemy with pinpoint strikes and leave the mop-up to others. The Raven Guard is in fact one of the most nice chapters to its home planet. It is not an uncommon sight to see a Raven Guard mixing in or helping the populace.
*** Raven Guard Captain Kayvaan Shrike actually makes a point of rescuing beleaguered civilian populations and defense forces, long after all other Imperial commanders had given them up as a lost cause.
** The Dark Angels aren't evil so much as paranoid, neurotic, and obsessive over their chapter's [[TreacheryCoverUp dark secret]].
** Chaplains, period.
** Nearly {{averted|Trope}} with the Relictors; their sanctioning means they're pretty much on living on borrowed time for using Chaos Daemon Weapons and other relics the Inquisition frowns upon.
** Played very straight by the Legion of the Damned, who are Space Marines driven insane after being lost in the warp and afflicted by a strange disease there. As a result of those factors, they are all {{Death Seeker}}s adorned in black, flames, skulls and bones on their equipment, but they are loyal to the Emperor still and their method of trying to die is in BigDamnHeroes actions, appearing in the nick of time to aid desperate situations for Imperial forces.
* DeadManSwitch -- Space Wolves hero Lucas the Trickster had one of his hearts replaced with a stasis bomb. If he's killed it goes off, freezing him and his killer into an imperishable monument to his ego.
* DeathFromAbove:
** Space Marines typically arrive via the ubiquitous [[DropShip Thunderhawk]] [[GunshipRescue gunship]] and/or [[ItsRainingMen drop pods]].
** Jetpack-equipped Assault Marines tend to make their presence known by [[GoombaStomp suddenly landing on their enemies]] before breaking out the [[ChainsawGood chainswords]].
** Blood Angels air drop their Land Raiders (a cross between [[AwesomePersonnelCarrier an APC]] and [[TankGoodness a main battle tank]], and a [[BaseOnWheels fortress with treads.]])
* DestructiveSavior -- The Space Marines can win nearly any battle they fight, but will often leave whole cities devastated in the process.
* {{Determinator}} -- "A fortress will not stop the Space Marines, although it may slow them down." The Imperial Fists in particular are legendary for their determination even for Space Marines.
** The Imperial Fists wear a device called a Pain Glove, which stimulates your senses so that you feel the strongest pain that can possibly be felt by your nervous system. The Fists wear these casually on a regular basis.
*** Although [[ALlThereInTheManual background fluff]] implies genetic degredation has given all Imperial Fists strong masochistic tendencies, which would certainly help with their ability to fight on whilst ignoring damage.
* DropTheHammer -- Thunder Hammers are ginormous mallets wrapped in an electrical field that stuns whatever they don't pulverize. The Salamanders chapter in particular favors them as part of the Cult of Prometheus, rituals tied closely with their Primarch's history as a legendary blacksmith.
* DueToTheDead:
** All Chapters are fanatical about reclaiming their geneseed; individual chapters have distinctive, and often elaborate, rites and honors for their dead.
** It gets more complicated with Dreadnoughts. Tradition dictates that upon reawakening a Dreadnought the attendants read out a list of his accomplishments, which can take a long time for quite a number of them. In the event of a Dreadnought being destroyed, the chapter will hold a second funeral, only it's a little more awkward what with the size of the deceased's remains and issue of differentiating between when he was alive and when he was dead etc...
* DungeonBypass: Terminators are specifically designed for such tactics (primarily space boarding actions) - they have teleporters to get past the enemy lines, the heaviest armor to keep them alive when away from support, and power fists to make their own door whenever needed.
* DynamicEntry: Assault Marines, [[JetPack jump pack]]-equipped close combat specialists, often find that hundreds of pounds of armored Space Marine is an [[GoombaStomp effective weapon in itself]].
** In the [[VideoGame/DawnOfWar video]] [[VideoGame/Warhammer40000SpaceMarine games]] based on the franchise, Assault Marines are even shown using brief flares of their jump packs across an open surface to send themselves literally crashing into the enemy they are charging.
*** Happily, this was implemented into Sixth Edition as the "Hammer of Wrath" rule.
* EmergencyTransformation -- Mortally-wounded Space Marines with enough fighting spirit are interred within life-support sarcophagi that can "pilot" the walking tanks/tombs called Dreadnoughts.
* FamedInStory -- Dreadnoughts are universally renowned within their chapter. Most players can name Bjorn The Fell-Handed, Tankred, [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/DawnOfWar Davion Thule]]]], [[HeyItsThatGuy and that Ultramarine one who's older than Bjorn]].
* FangsAreEvil:
** Averted with the Blood Angels and Space Wolves, who possess fangs as part of mutations in their gene-seeds, and are counted among the nicest Chapters.
** Played straight with the Cacharadons, one of the most brutal chapters. They file their teeth to be like a shark's.
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: A lot of the chapters fit this:
** The Ultramarines are Greco-Romans
** The {{Space Wol|f}}ves are Vikings
** The White Scars are [[BadassBiker Mongols on motorcycles]] rather than horses.
** The Black Templars are Teutonic Knights.
** The Imperial Fists are 19th Century Prussians
** [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Some consider the Crimson Fists to be Germany in the post-World War 2 reconstruction prior to 1949]], which causes a lot of awkwardness when we compare the Germanic imagery of the Imperial Fists and think of the [[HeelFaceTurn fate]] of the [[RedRightHand Soul]] [[ImAHumanitarian Drinkers]].
* FearlessFool -- "And they shall know no fear"...but in the tie-in novels, this is generally depicted as hyperbole: they can and do feel fear, but they have utterly mastered it, often with the explicit observation that they would be fools not to. Within the tabletop game, all Space Marines have the ability 'Combat Tactics' to choose to fail a morale test (which causes them to retreat) should their player consider it prudent - though some characters allow you to play this trope straighter and trade this ability for something else.
** It has been established that part of the Space Marines' mental conditioning has left them biologically incapable of feeling a fear response. It's important to note, however, that the fear of ''death'' has been purged from their minds, but other fears (such as failure) can still be present.
* FeudalFuture -- In addition to Chapter Masters often serving as planetary governors of their homeworlds, Chapters are supported by a civilian population of Chapter Serfs, who perform the day to day duties of maintaing the fortress-monastery, farm work for the Chapter, etc. Descended from those who failed to become Space Marines, these people are generally better off than other planetary populations, with the added benefit of being on one of the most well defended planets in the Imperium. Well, as better off as one can live on the Feral[=/=]{{Death World}}s the Space Marines frequently call home. They also have one advantage only the Adeptus Mechanicus Forgeworlds get: They don't have to produce Imperial Guard battalions.
* FiveManBand: Your average Command Squad:
** TheHero: The Captain
** TheLancer: The Veteran Sergeant
** TheBigGuy: The Company Champion
** TheSmartGuy: The Apothecary
** MacGuffinGuardian: The Standard Bearer
** SixthRanger: The Heavy Gunner.
* GeneticMemory:
** The curse of the Blood Angels chapter. Combat has a chance of triggering the genetic memory of their Primarch's violent death, causing the Blood Angel to slip into [[UnstoppableRage the Black Rage]] as they start reliving the event and forgetting their own identity. Such unfortunates are grouped in the Death Company and sent into the worst fighting in search of a merciful death in combat.
** More generally, this is the function of the [[BioAugmentation Omophagea implant]].
* GeniusBruiser -- The average Space Marine is trained under a BigBookOfWar that tries to predict every tactical situation ever, and how to deal with it. A Space Marine may find himself stagnant in his training and end up staying as an Assault or Devastator Marine instead of becoming a Tactical Marine, as a Tactical Marine is meant to be able to adapt and be fluid in any battle situation while the formers stick with melee and ranged combat, respectively. Commanders from Sergeants on up are even better. Then we have Librarians -- as befits their name, they are record-keepers and tactical advisers to the Chapter, as well as terrifying {{psychic|Powers}} warriors just as adept with their conventional weapons as any other Marine.
* GentleGiant -- Salamanders, Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Ultramarines, Imperial Fists and Raven Guard [[BigBrotherInstinct when it comes to innocents]].
* GlorySeeker -- Some, though their indoctrination causes many to feel being a SpaceMarine is already achieving glory. That being said, Space Marine chapters are almost universally proud and only accept the missions that they choose to take on. Inevitably, they choose only the thickest of the fighting, and the most dangerous and critical of missions. When participating in joint operations with other Imperial forces, this often comes across as glory seeking, hogging the most important tasks and garnering most of the credit, regardless of how the Space Marines themselves see it.
* GoodIsNotNice -- A trait of all "good guys" in this universe...
* GunshipRescue -- This is virtually the entire purpose of the Thunderhawk Gunship. While it is also used as a DropShip for insertion and recovery, its purpose beyond that is to remain on station and serve as the Marines' air support. Any Marine force on the ground is likely to have a Thunderhawk come to their aid when they run into something too big for even them to handle alone, and given that they are often committed to the most dangerous actions and need quick recovery once achieving their objective, it will often be used to rescue them from still-hot battle zones.
* HandCannon -- The bolt pistol, the standard-issue Space Marine sidearm, is fully automatic and shoots rocket-propelled armor-piercing explosive rounds capable of coring a man's torso and blasting apart light vehicles. Their standard-issue longarm, the bolter, is the same thing with even better range.
* [[SheCleansUpNicely He Cleans Up Nicely]] -- Blood Angels recruit from the nomadic scavenger tribes who roam the [[AfterTheEnd radioactive wasteland]] of their homeworld, Baal. These tribesmen generally suffer from cankers, lesions, and melanoma as the outward symptoms of the harshness of their existence. As they are inducted and implanted while sleeping in a life support sarcophagus over the course of a wakeless year, they are gradually transformed into perfect-bodied beings with a trace of [[{{Bishonen}} Sanguinius' own beauty]]. In this manner, they are purified of their humanly imperfections in senses both literal and metaphorical.
* HeroicWillpower -- All Marines have this in spades.
** Chief Librarian Mephiston of the Blood Angels succumbed to the Black Rage while trapped in rubble, but somehow remained in control and sane, ultimately fighting the bloodlust off. The Blood Angels, an army of blood-crazed eight-foot killing machines armed with [[ChainsawGood chainsaw swords]], call him "The Lord of Death," making him clearly a man not to trifle with.
** Chaplain Lemartes from the recent Blood Angels Codex is a close second. Like Mephiston, he succumbed to the Black Rage, but by willpower alone managed to stop himself from going completely batshit insane. The difference is that while Mephiston mastered the Black Rage, Lemartes merely keeps it in check.
* HidingBehindTheLanguageBarrier: Intentionally invoked with battle-cant, a language each Chapter selects for use in combat situations. Typically, it's the same language of their homeworlds (Baalite for the Blood Angels, Fenrisian for the Space Wolves, Macraggian for the Ultramarines) but because the average Imperial enemy will have only bothered to learn [[CommonTongue Imperial Gothic]] (if even that), this ensures that the Astartes have a means to transmit sensitive tactical information without letting the enemy learn anything.
* HighlyConspicuousUniform: See BlingOfWar above. Also, this quote pretty much sums things up:
--> "The uniforms of the Imperial Guard are camouflaged in order to protect their wearers by hiding them from sight. The principle is that what the enemy cannot see he cannot kill. This is not the way of the Adeptus Astartes. A Space Marine’s armour is bright with heraldry that proclaims his devotion to his Chapter and the beloved Emperor of Mankind. Our principle is that [[BrightIsNotGood what the enemy can see, he will soon learn to fear...]]"
* HonorBeforeReason - Space Marines take pride in their chapter colors, and the overwhelming majority of them refuse to wear camouflage. This results in scouts of the ImperialFists chapter trying to sneak through terrain in [[HighlyVisibleNinja bright yellow armor]]...
** The Raven Guard and their successor chapters successfully avert this. If the situation calls for it, they will change their armor color, and chapter sign. However, this has caused some...disagreements among some other chapters.
*** That said: When ''everyone else'' has given up on saving innocent civilians, warriors of the Raven Guard WILL stay behind to save ''every'' single last one of them, ALONE if necessary.
* HopeBringer -- For the Imperial Guard and common civilians...assuming they haven't been called in for an Exterminatus.
* IGaveMyWord -- Keeping oaths is an important matter to many chapters.
* ImAHumanitarian:
** Thanks to their BioAugmentation, Space Marines can absorb memories from the flesh of those they eat.
** Blood Angels in late stage red thrist succumb to this but they are usually killed before that.
* InHarmsWay -- Once the battle's done, the Marines are off to the next warzone.
* InterserviceRivalry -- Present among many chapters.
** The Ultramarines distrust any chapter which doesn't embrace the Codex Astartes.
** The Blood Angels and their descendants are mistrusted over the Black Rage.
** Nobody likes the Marines Malevolent.
** The most famous rivalry is between the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves, where they actually select champions from each group to fight it out, which is surprisingly non-fatal.
* ItsRainingMen -- Drop Pods are basically capsules containing a squad of Space Marines that are fired at a planet from orbit, and hit without noticeably slowing down. Drop Pod assaults are a signature Marine tactic, as few foes can recover from a surprise attack that instantly drops dozens of Marines in the middle of your base camp.
* JackOfAllStats -- Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch of the Ultramarines, penned the ''[[BigBookOfWar Codex Astartes]]'', the book detailing Space Marine organization and tactics. His chapter tries to follow the book religiously, resulting in an extremely well-rounded fighting force that defines the Space Marines.
* TheJuggernaut -- The role of Space Marine Terminators, wearing ancient suits of armor that make them NighInvulnerable. They can approach situations that even [[ImplacableMan a normal Space Marine's]] PowerArmor would struggle to weather.
* KillItWithFire -- As befits their namesake, the Salamanders like flamers and meltaguns. Pretty much all the Space Marines will consider it, though.
* KnightTemplar -- Most Space Marines to some extent, but especially the Black Templars chapter. They run around the galaxy in crusades known for (occasionally) wiping out entire planetary populations, and their extreme zeal even has the Inquisition worried, especially since they ignore the recommended thousand-man maximum for Chapter size and thus might number somewhere around ''50,000'' or more, but no one outside of perhaps the Templars' own chapter masters can say for certain what their true numbers are, other than that if they were ever assembled in one place, they would be a force vast enough to easily constitute a significant threat to the entirety of the Imperium if they wanted to (which they very much [[TheAtoner do not]]).
* MeaningfulRename -- Several Legions were renamed when they found their primarch.
** None more meaningful than the Grey Knights. Their name and color symbolizes the tenuous morality of the 41st millennium.
* TheMedic -- The Apothecaries. And as the {{Grim Dark}}ness of the far future lacks anything even remotely similar to [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar the Geneva Conventions]]...
** CombatMedic -- They are no less capable {{SuperSoldier}}s then their more official SuperSoldier brethren.
*** When an Apothecary is ordered to attack in ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'':
---> "Death or healing! I care not which you seek!"
* MercyKill:
** "The Emperor's peace."
** The motive for civilian kills committed by Grey Knights (which, given how daemonic corruption works, isn't that far-fetched).
* MiniMecha -- When a Space Marine veteran or hero is mortally wounded but recovered, he is [[ManInTheMachine placed in a life-supporting sarcophagus]] and installed in a Dreadnought. As such, Dreadnoughts are held in awe by the rest of their Chapters, and seen as links to their past. Not to mention the fact that they're incredible warriors who are basically walking tanks whose possible armament includes [[GatlingGood Assault cannons]], {{Power Fist}}s, built in [[MoreDakka Storm Bolters]] and [[KillItWithFire Flamers]], and have absolutely no fear of death (they already died once, so how much scarier can it be?). The most famous of all Dreadnoughts is [[SpaceWolves Bjorn the Fell-Handed]].
* MysteriousPast -- Many chapters have their share of secrets, but the Blood Ravens' past is particularly shrouded in mystery. Their records don't extend back very far, so they have no idea where their homeworld is or what "parent" legion they were based off of. Furthermore, one of their commanders destroyed Blood Ravens relics [[VideoGame/DawnOfWar recovered on the planet Kronus]] before anyone else could examine them, and in the same campaign Chaos forces mockingly called him "[[NotSoDifferent brother]]." The Blood Ravens chapter motto is "Knowledge is Power, Guard it Well."
* NoOneGetsLeftBehind:
** The Space Marines take care to recover their fallen brothers' progenoid glands, which contain the genetic information necessary for creating the next generation of Space Marines.
** Captain Kayvan Shrike and his forces are known for multiple instances of saving civilians when everyone else had given up on them, and they are heroes among the citizens of the Imperium.
* NumberTwo -- After the Chapter Master, the ranking member of the Chapter is the First Captain and usually his designated successor.
* OneGenderRace -- Apparently all the implants just don't work right on women. Of course, the Sisters of Battle come very close to female Space Marines. [[InternetBackdraft Not that it stops many fans, and the outrage from suggesting such a thing.]]
** Even if the implants did work on women, the physiological changes they cause are so profound it might be hard to tell the difference without checking their crotch.
* OneManArmy -- In the propaganda, anyway. [[CutscenePowerToTheMax They're powered appropriately in order to be competitive on the tabletop]].
* OurVampiresAreDifferent -- A motif played with, but mostly downplayed and RetConned out in recent editions.
** The Blood Angels chapter makes extensive use of blood in religious ceremonies, and as part of their transformation process spend a year in a casket-like chamber. This despite the fact that the Chapter's founder Sanguinius was known as the Angel for his [[{{Bishonen}} good looks]] and feathered wings, and most Blood Angels inherit his physical beauty.
*** Older fluff used to give them all pale skin, red eyes, and black hair. It's been [[RetCon retconned]] since.
* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent -- Oddities in the {{Space Wol|f}}ves' gene-seed manifest as lengthened canines, as well as heightened senses allowing them to detect enemy locations and morale purely by sense of smell. They also carry a defect which manifests as the Curse of the Wulfen, which transforms the Marine into a slavering, bestial monster. Experiencing this is a standard part of the induction of every Space Wolf aspirant. There are three possibilities at that initial point: either their body stabilises and they become a full Marine, it doesn't and they... don't, or it ''appears'' to stabilise, only to manifest the Curse in the heat of battle.
** In the novel ''Battle of the Fang'', the Wulfen are kept isolated inside the Fang, and are only brought out for dire circumstances.
** Fittingly, the Space Wolves and Blood Angels [[FurAgainstFang don't get along too well]], though not to the extent of their other rivalries.
* OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions -- While the Space Marines venerate the God-Emperor, building cathedrals and monasteries in his name and praying to him for intercession on the battlefield, many chapters do not see him as an actual god (a view the Emperor himself subscribed to) but a [[AFatherToHisMen father-figure]] to be emulated.
** The Ecclesiarchy isn't too thrilled with this, but over the millenia, they and the Astartes have fallen into a pattern of "agreeing to disagree", where the Ecclesiarchy does not treat the Space Marines like heathens, and the Space Marines do not use their legacy as descendants of the Emperor to usurp the Ecclesiarchy's roll of ministering to the masses. On very rare occasions a particularly zealous cardinal or haughty captain might say something so egregious that the other side cannot ignore. Such "disagreements" are usually resolved swiftly, but not always without blood being spilled first...
* ThePaladin:
** Grey Knights. Being that this is 40K, well...
** Played much straighter with the Salamanders.
* PapaWolf - Quite ''literally'' in the case of the Space Wolves when it comes to protecting innocents.
** None more so than Logan Grimnar, their Chapter Master, who '''declared war''' on the Inquisition for murdering the Guardsmen and their families on Armageddon for just having ''seen'' Chaos Daemons. Since that day, the Ordos have been (somewhat) less trigger happy with the [[ApocalypseHow Exterminatus button]], lest they have hundreds of Wolves ''literally'' howling at their door.
** Though the Raven Guard are ''substantially'' less passionate than the Space Wolves, their compassion for innocents is '''equally''' as strong. Even if they must do so by themselves, they WILL [[NoOneGetsLeftBehind rescue each and every last innocent civilian from behind enemy lines]], no matter how long it takes.
** While [[WeAreStrugglingTogether engaged in operations alongside the Marines Malevolent during the Third War for Armageddon]], Chapter Master Tu'Shan of the Salamanders nearly provoked a private war between his chapter and the Marines Malevolent when the latter suggested a massive artillery strike on a refugee camp that had come under Ork attack. [[GodzillaThreshold It wasn't the idea that set Tu'Shan off, such things having been grimly necessary]]; it was instead the [[JerkAss cavalier and dismissive]] manner of the suggestion (essentially boiling down to "KillEmAll and let the Emperor sort 'em out") that hit Tu'Shan's berserk button.
* PhotographicMemory -- The BioAugmentation done to the Space Marines leaves their memories as close to eidetic as possible, so they can recall potentially vital information in after-action debriefings.
* PowerBornOfMadness:
** Ever since Mephiston mastered the Black Rage, he seems to exist in a permanent state of TranquilFury. One side effect of this is being able to kill orks with his bare hands (in game terms, his strength is higher than it is even allowed for human size models, enough to treat regular humans as MadeOfPlasticine).
** Blood Angels and successors suffering from the Black Rage or Red Thirst in general are this. Left in an UnstoppableRage from their gene-flaw, they become [[OneManArmy so brutal in combat]] that nothing short of death will stop them. Even severing limbs won't stop them, it'll just slow them down and make them even ''more'' pissed off.
* PoweredArmor -- A standard Space Marine has better protection than other races' elite troops. Then there's the Tactical Dreadnought or "Terminator" armor, which can carry [[GatlingGood miniguns]] one-handed and survive being stepped on by ''[[HumongousMecha Titans]]''.
* PowerFist -- The trope namer is a piece of wargear usable by most characters, but standard issue for Space Marine Terminators.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy -- Space Marines are an analogue of medieval knightly orders, and possess a chivalry of sorts. They don't let this get in the way of genocide or xenocide, however.
* RageHelm -- Mark VII helms. Marks II through VI are less angry looking, but no less scary.
* RedOniBlueOni -- Leman Russ and Lion El'Jonson. Their chapters (the Space Wolves and the Dark Angels) have inherited the rivalry.
* ScaryBlackMan -- The Salamanders chapter, in a strange way. A weird interaction with their gene-seed gives them [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] and onyx-colored skin, the latter because their homeworld has a weak magnetosphere and the gland that changes skin color to alter based on radiation is stuck in overdrive. They also love flamer and melta weapons. They also have a very nasty army list, so all such weapons count as twin-linked, and any Thunder Hammers are master-crafted.
* SergeantRock -- Any Brother-Sergeant is this.
* ShouldersOfDoom -- Proudly displaying the Chapter badge.
* SpaceMarine -- ''[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Duh]].'' They specialize in planetary assaults. And everything else, for that matter.
** [[DisneyOwnsThisTrope Games Workshop has also trademarked the words]].
* TheStoic:
** The Dark Angels, a trait inherited from their Primarch, Lion El'Johnson.
*** Because of this, he initially didn't get along with [[BoisterousBruiser Leman Russ]], seeing him as a [[DumbMuscle boisterous idiot]] while Russ thought the Lion was an [[{{Jerkass}} insufferable pompous prick]]. They eventually became VitriolicBestBuds, but their respective chapters are still bitter rivals.
*** Very nearly canonical, especially since the Imperial Fists and Salamanders Legions were equally, if not ''more'', stoical than the Dark Angels, and there's no indication that the Space Wolves have ever had any problem with them.
** The Iron Hands.
* StrongerWithAge: Spaces Marines just get more and more BadAss as time goes by. The Chapter Master of the Blood Angels, [[http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Dante#.T9pZr9Wmp_F Dante]], is held to be the oldest living Space Marine who hasn't been confined to a Dreadnought, has lived for over 1300 years, and certainly isn't showing any signs of slowing down.
* SuperSoldier -- Eight feet tall, a lifespan measured in centuries, spending every waking moment either in battle or training for it... and those are your basic Space Marines. Now consider their [[EliteMooks veterans]]...or [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Chapter]] [[AsskickingEqualsAuthority Masters]]...or the [[PhysicalGod Primarchs]].
* SuperToughness
* TankGoodness -- While the humble Predator tank is a versatile fighting vehicle, the baddest thing on tracks beyond the Imperial Guard's super-heavy vehicles is the Land Raider, the Space Marines' transport from hell. Essentially a rolling bunker, it packs a punch with two twin-linked lascannons and a twin-linked heavy bolter, has the highest armor rating in the game on all facings, and can carry a squad of Space Marines (or worse yet, Terminators) right to the enemy's front line.
** And then you get to the variants, which carry such wonderful toys as [[MoreDakka multiple racks of rapid-firing bolters]], [[KillItWithFire oversized flamers]], rocket artillery, melta cannons, [[GatlingGood miniguns]], grenade launchers, [[{{BFG}} oversized grenade-launching miniguns]]...
* TimeAbyss -- Space Marines can live for centuries or millennia. Dante has been Chapter Master of the Blood Angels for 1,100 years, and Bjorn the Fell Handed of the Space Wolves fought during the Great Crusade ten thousand years ago.
* TokenMinority -- The Salamanders have the majority of black Space Marines (see ScaryBlackMan above), while the White Scars have the Asians.
** In the latest Space Wolves codex one of the Wolf Lords is noted to be dark skinned, belonging originally to a dark skinned people living in the southern oceans of Fenris who are mostly traders rather than warriors. As a result dark-skinned Fenrisians are rarely chosen to serve in the Chapter. This would make them BlackVikings [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]].
* TrainingFromHell -- Starts when aspirants are [[ChildSoldiers in their early teens]], and [[TheSpartanWay tries to whittle down a hundred to a single neophyte]]. They're actually deployed as Scout squads before they've finished the transformation into full-fledged Space Marines.
* TreacheryCoverUp -- The reason the Dark Angels chapter call themselves [[TheAtoner the Unforgiven]]. During the HorusHeresy, a faction of their soldiers rebelled out of confusion or [[GreenEyedMonster jealousy]]. These Fallen Angels are hunted mercilessly by the Dark Angels, so that they may grant them [[DeathEqualsRedemption absolution]] after [[ColdBloodedTorture vicious torture]], and finally restore the chapter's honor. [[spoiler:There is also the theory that the ''Dark Angels'' are the traitors, who sat out the Horus Heresy to see who would win.]]
* TrueCompanions: For all the moral ambiguity in the franchise, this is one virtue that the Space Marines generally espouse and embrace. From day one of training, Space Marines are taught the value of working with their fellow Marines and refer to each other as brothers. Since they share organs derived from a single being, and grew up together during training, this is as close to family as they actually have. It's actually one of the few psychological weaknesses that a Space Marine can have--the need for the companionship of their fellow Astartes.
* VitriolicBestBuds -- Surprisingly, Lion El'Johnson and Leman Russ. They hated each other for a while, but eventually patched things up, becoming firm friends while paradoxically remaining bitter rivals. Their descendants however, lack the 'best friends' part of the relationship.
* WarriorMonk -- Not only do Space Marines possess nigh-unshakable faith in their role as favored champions of the God-Emperor, they also live in Fortress-Monasteries and refer to each other as "Brother."
* WeirdnessCoupon -- Space Marines in general have this. Many of them are jerks, mutants or have exotic beliefs, but the Inquisition glosses over their minor heresies because of their necessity. And then you get into individual examples:
** The Space Wolves wouldn't open the Codex Astartes in a dire toilet-paper shortage, worship Fenrisian spirits alongside the Emperor, and defy Inquisition orders. They have the skills, ferocity, political power, and heroic reputation to get away with it.
** The Blood Angels are vampiric berserkers whose Death Company members have caused just as many friendly fatalities as enemy fatalities. Being descended from the most politically martyred Primarch has major advantages.
** The Ultramarines have a massive feudal empire despite the Codex explicitly stating that Space Marines are only allowed control of a single planet at most. Being the legion which more or less rebuilt the Imperium and has the most stable gene-seed has its advantages.
** The Dark Angels spend most of their time trying to hunt down the Fallen, whose existence is more or less an open secret within the Inquisition. Being the first Space Marine Legion means that an [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner Inquisitor]] needs some damn good evidence to declare them Excommunicate Traitoris.
** The Black Templars utterly reject the Codex Astartes, take persecution of mutants and psykers [[KnightTemplar to a level beyond even other Space Marines]], and are almost as large as one of the original legions. [[ChurchMilitant Their extraordinary zeal]] is such that the Inquisition can find no fault with their conduct, and their sheer size makes it impossible for anybody but their own High Marshal to exert control over the chapter.
* WolverineClaws -- Lightning Claws are Power Weapons with three or four claws attached to a PowerFist. Very popular among Terminators in general and the Raven Guard in particular.
** Space Wolves have a slightly more powerful variant in the form of Wolf Claws.
* TheWorfEffect -- Due to the Astartes' toughness, new threats are often expressed in terms of how many Space Marines they killed. The Tyranids, for example, are introduced by wiping out the Ultramarines' 1st company and nearly overrunning their homeworld, while the Necrons are shown blowing holes in ''both'' sides of a Land Raider with a single energy weapon.
* WouldNotShootACivilian -- Depending on the chapter.
** Generally it's more like they ''[[BlackAndGreyMorality prefer]]'' not to shoot civilians unless they [[IDidWhatIHadToDo really have to]]. Again, [[CrapsackWorld this setting]].
''See also ''Literature/BloodAngels'', ''SpaceWolf'', ''Literature/{{Ultramarines}}'', ''Literature/GreyKnights'', ''Literature/SoulDrinkers'', BloodRavens, ImperialFists, ''Literature/{{Salamanders}}'', ''Literature/DarkAngels'''
