New fluff for Sanguinius and the Blood Angels

[Donkeycow]

An avatar fluff wise is stronger then any hive tyrant or carnifex. Also Mephiston still gets owned by a Trygon at the end. Calgar freaking one hit k-o's a freaking avatar, an incarnation of a god... that fluff is way more over the top if you ask me. Also mephiston has some backing for being a total god of combat anyway, calgar is just a Chapter Master.

[calgar101]

Thats not my only gripe. I just feel that this is all being way over done. Dorn and the Imperial Fists were the Emperors Praetorians...

 

Also Mephiston kills both! One after another..

[StrangeGuy]

Everybody's fluff is over the top! It's supposed to be that way! It's all truth filled lies! !! !!! ! !! and another !!

[JamesI]

Everybody's fluff is over the top! It's supposed to be that way! It's all truth filled lies! !! !!! ! !! and another !!

pretty much.

[Deaders]

Why are Space Wolves better fighters than other marines? Because they're born, bred, trained, and equipped that way. The SWs also seem to have a lot of extra close combat weapons laying around for their Grey Hunters, which other chapters are lacking. ;) They have acute senses, because they have... acute senses. :) They have counter charge, because they're always wanting to scrap, but they're cunning/controlled enough to shoot their bolters that much longer before they (counter)charge into their enemies.

 

The other marines lack these geneseed, temperamental, or equipment based advantages. Though in the fluff, these advantages all come with drawbacks. SWs constantly fight the beast within, for fear of becoming Wulfen, are constantly fighting for personal glory, and have some serious problems with authority. These things aren't exactly modeled in the game though. Imagine having allied Inquisitors "go missing" like commissars used to in Catachan armies.

 

The Blood Angels are of a similar vein. They're born (or reborn as it were) more gifted than others with stabler geneseeds. They're all gorgeous hunks of man, have a natural affinity for flying around in the sky, excel at close combat, have some fancy-dancy wargear they were given (or "stole" if you're a mechanicus) during the Great Crusade, and are incredibly noble. They're also hotheaded, feared/mistrusted by allies they die to protect, and all either die in combat, or degenerate into completely insane berserkers who can't tell friend from foe (a particularly awful ending for someone who lived his life trying to protect and better the lives of all humans). The Blood Angels and all their successors are also all dying chapters.

 

In comparison, you have the other "codex" chapters. The RGs are all master tacticians who can apparently sneak up on a sentry while wearing terminator armor. Why do they get to be so stealthy? Salamanders have better melta/flamer/thunder weapons. Why do they get to be better artisans? Imperial Fists are stubborn bastards who get to be eternal warriors toting around s10 thunder hammers. Why do they get to be so brave? The Ultramarines have a big, wondrous empire, are extremely efficient recruiters, are extremely well disciplined, and have completely stable geneseed. Why do they get to live in a utopia and have better control of themselves, while other chapters have to recruit from death worlds and have debilitating personality quirks?

 

As far as the fluff goes, you could choose a chapter that's going to stay in control of themselves, kill the enemy quickly enough as space marines, and then give you a warm smile and some fresh, cold milk; or you could choose a chapter that's going to abandon its lines to charge at the enemy wanting to club it with a lascannon, and cause a bunch of collateral damage to buildings, or even fellow allies. Or you could journey over to the Fang and get shot out of the sky because you have a big "I" on the side of your ship.

 

That being said, why does one chapter get to be better than another at swinging a stick around (or get pokier sticks), while another chapter gets to be more disciplined or more intelligent? I don't know. Why don't I look like Brad Pitt? Why don't I play like Michael Jordan? Why didn't I figure out the theory of relativity like Einstein? Because not everyone is born the same. Some of us have different strengths or weaknesses than others. It's variety from nature.

 

As for the game? If the chapters, or the different races even, didn't excel in different areas (shooting, counter charging, assaulting, vehicles, having big scary dudes, etc.), then the game would be pretty boring. It would lack the variety of real life. We might as well have 1 guardsman each, line them up 12" away from one another, and roll dice to see who kills who first.

 

@ripath: That was rhetorical question. :P Not only does he give up on rescuing his chapter, he actually figured out a way to get his crazy berserkers to fight the good fight without killing a bunch of civilians, sororitas, or space wolves in the process!

[Meracalis]

In other news, Mephiston strangles Nurgle to death.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With his thighs.

[Deaders]

I thought that was Isha every time they get it on in her cage?

[jb85]

To be fair the Imperial Fist Index Astartes describes them as acting as the Emperor's Praetorians throughout the Great Crusade, long before they returned to Terra. And making Sanguinius Commander-in-Chief directly clashes with the events potrayed in the novels and collected visions where Dorn takes leadership of the remaining Imperial forces. IIRC the Blood Angels and Custodian Guard manned the walls during the Siege, with the Fists holding the Imperial Basilica. The Fists subsequently returned to the palace in the Sky Fortress as the Siege progressed.

And here I was under the impression that the Imperial Fists were the Emperor's Praetorians late in the Great Crusade, after one of the future-Traitor Legions lost it. Don't have my IA on me, but I believe it was the Word Bearers, who lost it because they were moving too slowly and building huge temples.

 

Not sure if the Word Bearers were ever mentioned in that role (although they were repremanded for their slow progress).

 

IF Index Astartes

 

The Legion's early actions were extremely successful; while the Great Crusade pushed forward, the Imperial Fists acted as the strategic reserve of the Emperor's forces. Able to deploy quickly and reliably where and when required, the Imperial Fists struck the decisive blow in many battles. Their detailed planning made them especially efficient at sieges and their resolute endurance made them superb city fighters. They remained the Emperor's Praetorians throughout the campaign and when he returned to Terra to build a capital from which to rule an Empire of a million worlds, the Emperor took Rogal Dorn with him. Dorn was charged with the task of fortifying the Imperial Palace, an honour that did not go unnoticed by the other Primarchs.

[ripath]

@ripath: That was rhetorical question. tongue.gif Not only does he give up on rescuing his chapter, he actually figured out a way to get his crazy berserkers to fight the good fight without killing a bunch of civilians, sororitas, or space wolves in the process!

 

that still doesn't stop the manly tears!

[Marshal Rohr]

- Sanguinius and the Blood Angels Legion served as the Emperor's own Honour Guard, fighting at the Emperor's side during the Great Crusade.

 

Does anyone else feel like GW just kicked them in the nuts?

[StrangeGuy]

I did at first, but then I justified it to myself and all is well.

[Freakish87]

ya i have a huge problem with the necrons and sons of sanguinius "teaming up" the necrons would have no since of the phrase. They hate all living things. And why did the tyranids attack there.....they always bypass worlds that are "Dead" necron tomb worlds.......i hate matt ward he has no concept of the back ground of the game...sheeeeeesh.

 

other wise there is some awesome stuff in this book.

 

Appreciated this is a borderline necromancy reply but I've only just got in from work ;)

 

Necrons may hate all life but by no means are they stupid.

 

Pretty sure that the Necrons have become familiar with Tyranids over the past millenia and know that Tyranids are a far greater threat to their existence than the Astartes.

 

It would make sense to cooperate because of the threat that Tyranids are to the galaxy as a whole. The Necrons have plenty of other opportunities to make Pariahs out of Space Marine Librarians but they wont be able to do that if every psyker out there has been digested and turned into gaunts :)

 

Now the orks, I can understand them not wanting to team up with anyone because they just live to fight, but the Necrons are cold tacticians and have their own survival to consider, there's only so many of them, Nids are endless.

 

Ok trumpet blown. ;)

[darth_giles]

Appreciated this is a borderline necromancy reply but I've only just got in from work ;)

 

Necrons may hate all life but by no means are they stupid.

 

Pretty sure that the Necrons have become familiar with Tyranids over the past millenia and know that Tyranids are a far greater threat to their existence than the Astartes.

 

It would make sense to cooperate because of the threat that Tyranids are to the galaxy as a whole. The Necrons have plenty of other opportunities to make Pariahs out of Space Marine Librarians but they wont be able to do that if every psyker out there has been digested and turned into gaunts :)

 

Now the orks, I can understand them not wanting to team up with anyone because they just live to fight, but the Necrons are cold tacticians and have their own survival to consider, there's only so many of them, Nids are endless.

 

Ok trumpet blown. :o

I disagree.

 

I'd say its more likely that the 'crons had an interest in one or more of the Marines who were there. Possibly Mephiston, if that's the fight I'm thinking of. Its a case of "Ok, I'll help you, but you don't know that when we're done, I'm going to steal half your guys."

[Malachi n'Ral]

GW fluff has always, and will always, contradict itself at several points. Really no use in getting into arguments about who was body-guarding who because it said in IA this, but in the Heresy books that, and now in this Codex this...It's fluff, it's meant to be fun and make you care more about your little plastic men. If you like the fluff that says one thing, roll with it. If you like the fluff that some another thing, roll with it. Neither is wrong.

[Freakish87]

Appreciated this is a borderline necromancy reply but I've only just got in from work :D

 

Necrons may hate all life but by no means are they stupid.

 

Pretty sure that the Necrons have become familiar with Tyranids over the past millenia and know that Tyranids are a far greater threat to their existence than the Astartes.

 

It would make sense to cooperate because of the threat that Tyranids are to the galaxy as a whole. The Necrons have plenty of other opportunities to make Pariahs out of Space Marine Librarians but they wont be able to do that if every psyker out there has been digested and turned into gaunts :)

 

Now the orks, I can understand them not wanting to team up with anyone because they just live to fight, but the Necrons are cold tacticians and have their own survival to consider, there's only so many of them, Nids are endless.

 

Ok trumpet blown. :P

I disagree.

 

I'd say its more likely that the 'crons had an interest in one or more of the Marines who were there. Possibly Mephiston, if that's the fight I'm thinking of. Its a case of "Ok, I'll help you, but you don't know that when we're done, I'm going to steal half your guys."

 

Oh don't get me wrong I actually considered that before I wrote my post and agree that they may take interest in certain individuals.

 

I just think that sometimes the Tyranid threat gets played down sometimes. They were described in their 4E book as the be all end all bad guys, they will just consume anything they come across and move on to another galaxy like they have done so many times before.

 

The Necrons have a motivation, a goal, as do the Space Marines, the threat of the nids is more important to each of them than to each other. Whether they cooperated directly or not I'd have to question, more like they just both saw a higher target priority and it came across as 'Allying'. Who's to know until I get my grubby fingers on the book and draw my own conclusion ^_^

[Meracalis]

Whether or not they fought together, the fact that the Blood Angels "thought turning on those they had so recently fought alongside to be distasteful." is pretty clearcut. That's taken straight from the book, and you can't really swing that to be "OH THEY JUST ATTACKED FROM DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS AND THEN WERE WORN OUT" etc etc.

[BrotherMoses]

*Insert explitives here*

 

The Blood Angels were the sword of the Emperor during the crusade whereas the Imperial Fists were the shield(and sometimes power fist :)).

[Deaders]

Wut.

[Meracalis]

I think it's kind of amusing how everyone just denies fluff they don't like.

 

Go read the book yourself if you don't believe it.

[BrotherMoses]

I don't have the book yet, but if thats in there I'll be a touch sad.

 

O, and that would be a greater daemon of Sanguinius. :)

[Deaders]

Those are quotes or paraphrases.

 

I'm also not sure what any of that has to do with the BA's role(s) in the Great Crusade. :P

[Julius Firefocht]

Mephiston isn't "just" a marine any longer.

 

965.M41 The Temptation of Mephiston.

 

"Daemon Prince M'Kar the Reborn traps Chief Librarian Mephiston in the crystal caverns of Solon V. He attempts to lure Mephiston onto the path of the Renegade, accusing him of being firmly on the path to daemonhood. Rejecting M'kar's dastardly deceptions, Mephiston throttles the life out of his captor, but not before a sinister seed of doubt worms its way into his heroic heart."

 

Eldrad took enough of an interest in him to make sure that he survives the battle at the Hives of Hollonan (where he kills boatloads of tyranids).

 

Some believe him to be a saviour; others are wary of how he's been changed.

 

He used to be very talkative, and spent as much time around his fellow marines as he could. Now, he doesn't talk unless it's a dire time, and spends "hours alone in thought". His face shows that he's troubled, and:

 

"there are whispers that Mephiston paid a dreadful price for his resurrection, that when he mastered the Black Rage something altogether more terrible took its place. / such rumours are baseless / but Mephiston keeps his secrets close, and only time will reveal the truth.."

 

He's OTT for a marine... because he's not a marine, or even just a librarian. He's basically a demon prince / greater demon. But of who?

 

 

Away with your baseless 4chan fluff! Listen not to the heretic brothers!

 

The Blood Angels were the sword of the Emperor during the crusade whereas the Imperial Fists were the shield(and sometimes power fist :P).

 

I would not call that "baseless 4chan fluff" if I were you. I can vouch for the authenticity of the fluff that Deaders put up for Mephiston. Its all real.

[BrotherMoses]

Regardless, the fluff prestented there is nothing more than vicious rumour even if it should be in the codex.

[Meracalis]

Again, you can deny it if you like, but I'm holding the book right now and I can give you any part of it word for word.

[BrotherMoses]

Yes yes, I understand that. They have to include some false rumours and paranoia to give the codex some 'verisimilitude'. Its not that big a deal really.