A Question on Command Staff for new Chapters

[Brother Argent]

Oh great and mighty elders of the Forumites, mighty gods of the DIY Chapters, I come before you're divine presence to plead for wisdom in my great quest for enlightenment in the ways of the Great Immortal God-Emperor of Manking and, uh, so on...

 

I'm a long time lurker here, secretly consuming all the many ideas of the other posters here to bolster my own ideas. Anyway I have a question regarding one of the many Chapter ideas I've come up with. The basic idea behind this Chapter is that they are of Ultramarine geneseed yet I wished to make them like a cross between Black Templar and Space Wolves. The idea was this: Founded with Ultramarine geneseed (as many chapters are) they were appointed a command staff of Space Wolves (as Space Wolf geneseed is unstable and the High Lords decided to try to create anther Chapter similar to the Wolves to combat a particular threat, unsure what) The Chapter is fairly new and recently settled a feudal world as their homeworld and have taken up much of the whole knightly imagery of what the Templars where, this is possibly due to an earlier presence of Black Templar on the planet and the inhabitants of the planet have adopted much of their customs. I was hoping to have the whole idea of conflict with their founding Chapter due to the dislike between SW and Ultramarines and have them as some kind of wolf knights idea.

 

Anyway my main question is this, would it be "fluffy" for the Chapter to be made from the geneseed of Ultramarines but have a command staff of Space Wolves or would it be mixed command staff? If not is their any other ideas on how to get around the idea?

 

So, thoughts?

[Brother-chaplain Astador]

I would stay compltely away from that idea buddy, I dont think its at all plausible without sounding too harsh

 

Its just that, why would the high lords try to create a chapter similar to the SW? why not blood angels? ravenguard etc etc?

 

What you could do however, is have your chapter made of ultramarines geneseed - and because of perhaps proximity to the warp, a bad encounter in the warp, or the genetic makeup of your actuall aspirants on your home planet - your marines exhibit the same type of 'curse' that plagues the space wolves, incridibly hirsuite, long canines etc - BUT that this is something that happens over time, perhaps taking 2 or 3 hundred years to fully develop and eventually become rampant within the marines system, because of this, all of the Veterens/commanders (oldest and most experianced) of the chapter would suffer from this 'blight' but not the regular marines (similar to the death company)

 

I think this could give you a good idea for conflict with their founding chapter as the Ultramarines might see this as a debasement of their own geneseed, and look down upon your chapter.

 

I think this could also be a reason for your chapter to have black templar like-traits - they themselves would somehow feel shamed, or guilty at their own perceived imperfection so they could be on some kind of neverending Penitent crusade for somethign they perhaps perceive as failure on their part.

 

OR

 

Perhaps you could make them a cursed founding chapter?...and tampering with their geneseed somehow caused wulfen-like traits within the chapter, this way the chapter could be at war with itself almost - it would have noble and ultramarine-esque ideals on the inside, but outwardly, bestial and animalistic, much like the space wolves

this internal conflict could also be a reason for the knightly/crusade theme..

 

 

Perhaps....to keep your original idea, close to the time of your chapters inception, you aided the space wolves in a battle (perhaps for fenris itself) or in a nearby territory, and your chapter and the space wolves - althoguh polar opposites, you being from the stock of proud roboute guilliman, and them being from the stock of the wolf-like Lehman russ, your chapter and the SW formed a strong bond throughout the campaign/battle one that extends to even this day

 

to show their gratitude, and to fortify the bond of brotherhood that had been forged in battle - the chapter master of the Space Wolves granted you permission to recruit - temporarily from Fenris, giving that your chapter had taken heavy losses, and your battle barges needed repairing so you would not be able to reach your home system for some time

 

 

a few, maybe 4 centuries later, only a handful of marines that fought with the SW now live - the fenrisian recruits, over the decades upon decades they gained a hardy reputation and forged their own legends within the chapter, numbering now only ?, as some of the most experianced marines in the chapter they formed part of the Innier circle, the veterans of the first company. (one of these perhaps being your chapter master?) these marines, while exemplifying all the traditions and teachings of the codex astartes, were still Fenrisians by nature, and were aloof and fierce, because of this, much of their behaviour was emulated by marines below them. - they might not be ACTUALL wulfen, but they would be more..barbaric than the rest of your chapter, so there could be a schism caused by this..

 

 

Either that, or because of recruiting from fenris, much of your chapter began to change - of course you would not have russ' wolf-like gene-seed, but the peopel of fenris are extremel barbaric & feral - so this would over the coruse of time have an effect on your chapter, eventually perhaps your whole ideoligy could change leading to conflicts (of the..not martial kind) with your parent chapter

 

Sorry if that is at all incoherent..its very late over here :S Im not too too sure on my second idea being totally plausbile anyway? But im sure other members;ll letcha know..

[Brother Argent]

Thanks for the reply,

 

To clear something up with my idea I'm not after something like the Wulfen or the funky mutations of the SW. Sorry if I was misleading as, although it isonly 3:30PM here I am extremely tired myself, having worked a few late nights and having early mornings. Anyway I've been thinking that as the main idea I'm after is the more culture of the SW, you know fierce, independant and slightly barbaric.

 

The idea I've kinda peiced together, with your idea, is that before the Chapter was formed the Ultramarine who would take on the role of the Chapter Master was leading a detatchment of marines against the Chaos forces on some frozen planet when they either a. fought beside the local inhabitants who were very Fenrisian or b. were loosing badly and the Space Wolves came to their aide. Despire the fundamental differences with the two forces they bonded and thus the culture of the new Chapter, when formed, was direcly effected. The Homeworld of the new Chapter is what gave them the Knightly idea but not as crusaderly as Templars, instead more feudal. The divide between the Chapter and their founding fathers is either because of the influence the Space Wolves had on the new chapter or their divergence from the Codex because of the cross of local culture with the homeworld and the people on the icy death planet. THis also and the fact that some of the marines on the ice planet were forced to take and purify parts of chaos armour as they were cut off from supply lines and needed to repair the armour during the campaign.

 

Another seperate idea is to combine both a and b, the Space Wolves defending the planet and its people because of their likeness to the Fenrisians.

[Lord Howland Greywolf]

I would like to point out that this is a good idea, because it is similar to mine. Not that there is anything wrong with sharing ideas, just dont call them Wolf Knights, scince that was the original name for my chapter and bears similarity with the current name.

I think one of the best ways is to think of them as saxons. Barbaric but getting into the idea of knightly chivlery.

 

link below.

[Ferrus Manus]

Anyway I've been thinking that as the main idea I'm after is the more culture of the SW, you know fierce, independant and slightly barbaric.

If thats what your after I'd say give the UM geneseed and the cadre from a UM lineage chapter. Then that chapter finds a homeworld X. After a few decades the chapter begins to absorb so of the ideas and beliefs of X, thus giving them the personality traits your after.

[Brother Argent]

Thanks for tyhe tips here, giving me a bit to think about. I'm liking the whole recruiting from icy planet (of doom) and its their culture that has affected the Chapter's ideas and then the influence of the new homeworld which is a feudal system. Perhaps I can have certain icons for those whom come from the different worlds.

 

As far as colour scheme goes I'm thinking silver armour with squad heraldry (think Grey Knights) on the right shoulder pad with their chapter symbol on the left. I'm not sure what colour it will be on the left shoulder but I'm considering green (mid green) and I'll possibly continue this onto the knee pads. Instead of the idea of Companies they have mixed the idea of Companies with noble households, thusly they are regarded as houses, not Companies, and their make up can vary greatly. I'm considering including scouts in the companies/houses and dropping the tenth company, but making it up to twelve houses. Or making it smaller and spreading the scouts out amongst the other Companies.

 

Anyway, I'm off to re-read the IA of Lord Howland's Knights of the Wolf. Anymore ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[XKhalilX]

as people mentioned just have them come from a savage cultured world. take a look at people such as the huns, visigoths, picts, ancient persians, turcoman of the steppes, etc.

 

that will give u some ideas to work with in terms of their "savagery"

[Brother Argent]

Just been playing around with the SM Painter and this is what I came up with

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/sm/bpe=...spacemarine.jpg

 

Not sure if that will work...

 

The right shoulder-pad will feature the squads heraldry and the saergent will wear a tabard with the squads heraldry on it. Going for the idea that the Seargent is the knight and marines in his squad are like his men-at-arms/retainers. When I invent chapter symbol it will be on the left shoulder, as per normal. Oh and the greyish colour is supposed to be a steel like colour and the orangeish yellow is gold, both on the shoulderpads and the gun. I'm kinda going for a early norman knight meets celt feel.

[XKhalilX]

like the color scheme. silver, white with gold :)