Bear/Slavic themed Space Marines! HELP.

[Jeremiah2911]

Yeahhh that makes way more sense.

 

 

*Facepalm*

[Jeremiah2911]

So why would there be a fledgling Chapter with no homeworld to where this story would work?

[Ace Debonair]

While that story does work to an extent, why don't you just skip the crash landing part and have them just make the planet their homeworld and later realize that the environment has been mutating their gene-seed?

 

I'm with Raimeous on this one; it's a simpler solution that lets you spend more time exploring the chapter and less time explaining why/how they found the place by crashing into it. :D

[fivepointedstar]

Brothers Bjorn

Bear Lords

Ursa Guards

[Jeremiah2911]

Ursa Guard sounds pretty good. Grazi.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Sons of Ursula (Ursula being the Chapter planet)

 

Grudge Bearers (pun intended)

 

Grizzlies (might also work as the Grudge Bearers' elites, a la the Salamanders' "Firedrakes" or the Space Wolves' "Wolf Guard.")

[NemFX]

Okay then, since you still seem to be on the fence, here's some thoughts:

 

Blood fury: Perhaps a defect of the geneseed, spirit, or some after effect of the warp, the marine(s) briefly succumb to mind altering fury. They rush foreward in solo combat exhibiting strength and rage beyond a marines already impressive levels. The nickname for the condition was first coined when a marine, recovering from multiple wounds he received during combat, was trying to explain what overcame him.

 

As for chapter names, Kodiak Hunters sounds pretty sweet, no? Can kinda go both ways; they either hunt bears, or they are hunters LIKE bears. Maybe both. Maybe they have to kill one as a rite of passage or something.

 

As for colour scheme, dirty white, or light gray, with red bear scratch markings would be pretty awesome. Bluh. There's a Star Wars clone guy with those markings on his helmet, but I can't remember his name. Kinda looks like Jango Fett, but in white. Can't miss him.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

As for colour scheme, dirty white, or light gray, with red bear scratch markings would be pretty awesome. Bluh. There's a Star Wars clone guy with those markings on his helmet, but I can't remember his name. Kinda looks like Jango Fett, but in white. Can't miss him.

You mean Commander Wolffe, from Star Wars: The Clone Wars?

[NemFX]

hm.. no i dont think thats him. it was a dude with a white clone trooper helmet, with red diagonal slashes across the upper half of the helmet.. like if a bear swiped him in the head kinda thing.

[Jeremiah2911]

Okay, I like these:

 

Ursa Guard

Brotherhood of the Claw

Grudge Bearers (I have an intersting idea as to how to make this name fluffy, but with one condition: can chapters change names, and if so, how?)

 

What do y'all like best?

 

Hmmm I'm toying around with the white/red scrathes scheme in my head. Not a bad idea.

 

As for my chapter master's name, Arktos. It's Greek for bear, and Greek and Russian are closely related (St. Cyril invented the Russian written language yadda yadda yadda).

[Heru]

(I have an intersting idea as to how to make this name fluffy, but with one condition: can chapters change names, and if so, how?)

Yes, but speaking from personal experience it is far more trouble than it's worth.

[Jeremiah2911]

Do ou think you could explain how, or link me to somewhere that can?

[Heru]

DIY Guide - Naming your Chapter

 

See the renaming bit.

[PyronusSouria]

This isn't exactly what you've asked for, but it was an idea that dawned on me while reading the comments and I felt like I had to post it.

 

A genetic flaw that, instead of making them want to kill everything like most of the genetic flaws do, instead sends them into a deep catatonic state for an undetermined amount of time. Then once they wake up again, they become better in some way, depending on how long they were in that state. Call it Hibernation. If it doesn't work as a chapter wide flaw, maybe make a single character that fell into that state and woke up a better warrior.

 

Just a thought :P

[Jeremiah2911]

Thanks Heru Talon. You are correct, not even worth the hassle!

 

PyronusSouria: I actually REALLY like that idea. Or how about, regardless of what the army "counts-as", once he reaches a certain maturity level, a marine enters this state, during wwhich something happens (vision of the Emperor, physical changes, whatever) and after emerging from it, he is deemed worthy of becoming a squad sergeant, and the same process is repeated for higher honors. How's that?!

[PyronusSouria]

I like it. Before accepting any higher position, the marine must enter a state of Hibernation where things happen :lol:

[Bjorn Firewalker]

A genetic flaw that, instead of making them want to kill everything like most of the genetic flaws do, instead sends them into a deep catatonic state for an undetermined amount of time. Then once they wake up again, they become better in some way, depending on how long they were in that state. Call it Hibernation. If it doesn't work as a chapter wide flaw, maybe make a single character that fell into that state and woke up a better warrior.

Considering bears hybernate for SURVIVAL, let's simplify this. Whenever a Marine becomes a casualty, roll a D6 (alternately, take a leadership test). If you get a natural six, then the Marine enters a healing trance, known as "hybernation" to the Chapter; he automatically regains all wounds (returning from "the dead" if he has just one wound), and will return to battle in the following turn, but with a -1 penalty to his armor save, to represent damage to his armor.

[Jeremiah2911]

^Good idea, nut not quite the effect I was going for. Besides, it doesn't necessarily need to transfer to gameplay, and I don't see why every aspect of bears' hibernation needs to correlate directly. They are loosely inspired by bears and their characterisitics. Thanks though!

[Destecado]

How about calling the chapter Jagerbar? Roughly translates as “Hunter Bear”

 

I heard the name on a television show (Grimm), of all places. Going with the bear theme, you may want to consider using the colors of the coat of arms of the city of Bern (Switzerland) You already have the black and red. All you would need to do is add some yellow.

 

If possible, I would also like to suggest an alternative color scheme for their armor. This color scheme might be based off of the coloration of an indigenous species of fauna, which actively hunts people. The Jagerbar might be a legendary beast feared by the population of the planet…or at least settlements that live in certain geographical regions of the planet.

 

What about stark white armor or a winter camouflage pattern? If you are going to link the chapter back to the White Scars, then a similarity in coloration would not be that unexpected. Lighter grey tones for the armor might also work. This could provide a ‘canvas” on which each marine could personalize his armor; adding designs and ornamentation. If the recruits are drawn from tribal cultures, they might have tribal markings or other symbols painted or alternately carved into their armor. Like the runes of Space Wolves, this pictograms and other symbology may have deeper meanings.

 

 

Below is some potential background that could tie into your concept:

 

The Jagerbar’s (Kermodei in the local dialect) fur is stark white, which allows it to blend in with the snowy, ice choked regions where it can be found. Since this is a xenos species and not a terrestrial bear, you can blend the legends of animals such as the polar bear with other cryptids (legendary or mythical creatures) such as the Yeti. Eskimo legends tell of humans learning to hunt from the polar bear. The are also stories of polar bears actively hunting humans as a food sorce.

 

Inuit legends speak of polar bears as being similar to men…only putting on their fur when they leave their dwelling. Similarly there is a relationship between the Yeti and the concept of a wild-man or “man-bear”. One possibility for the origin of the word Yeti is as a corruption of the word “meti”, which in a regional Tibetan dialect is a term for “bear”.

 

Both polar bears and Yetis have also been associated with the spirit world. There are legends that associate them as being both beneficial and malevolent. Both are considered elusive and intelligent. One of their malevolent aspects is as man-eaters. In this aspect the yeti has been associated with the Rakshasa. Rakshasa are noted for possessing venomous fingernails and for being shapeshifters, illusionists and magicians. They are also thought to possess people and animals. Sounds like the work of chaos to me.

[DarkLiege]

How about calling the chapter Jagerbar? Roughly translates as “Hunter Bear”

 

I heard the name on a television show (Grimm), of all places. Going with the bear theme, you may want to consider using the colors of the coat of arms of the city of Bern (Switzerland) You already have the black and red. All you would need to do is add some yellow.

 

If possible, I would also like to suggest an alternative color scheme for their armor. This color scheme might be based off of the coloration of an indigenous species of fauna, which actively hunts people. The Jagerbar might be a legendary beast feared by the population of the planet…or at least settlements that live in certain geographical regions of the planet.

 

What about stark white armor or a winter camouflage pattern? If you are going to link the chapter back to the White Scars, then a similarity in coloration would not be that unexpected. Lighter grey tones for the armor might also work. This could provide a ‘canvas” on which each marine could personalize his armor; adding designs and ornamentation. If the recruits are drawn from tribal cultures, they might have tribal markings or other symbols painted or alternately carved into their armor. Like the runes of Space Wolves, this pictograms and other symbology may have deeper meanings.

 

 

Below is some potential background that could tie into your concept:

 

The Jagerbar’s (Kermodei in the local dialect) fur is stark white, which allows it to blend in with the snowy, ice choked regions where it can be found. Since this is a xenos species and not a terrestrial bear, you can blend the legends of animals such as the polar bear with other cryptids (legendary or mythical creatures) such as the Yeti. Eskimo legends tell of humans learning to hunt from the polar bear. The are also stories of polar bears actively hunting humans as a food sorce.

 

Inuit legends speak of polar bears as being similar to men…only putting on their fur when they leave their dwelling. Similarly there is a relationship between the Yeti and the concept of a wild-man or “man-bear”. One possibility for the origin of the word Yeti is as a corruption of the word “meti”, which in a regional Tibetan dialect is a term for “bear”.

 

Both polar bears and Yetis have also been associated with the spirit world. There are legends that associate them as being both beneficial and malevolent. Both are considered elusive and intelligent. One of their malevolent aspects is as man-eaters. In this aspect the yeti has been associated with the Rakshasa. Rakshasa are noted for possessing venomous fingernails and for being shapeshifters, illusionists and magicians. They are also thought to possess people and animals. Sounds like the work of chaos to me.

 

I agree with what Destecado said. Since watching the tv show: Grimm, i think that you could have, what they call 'the hunt' as part of training the initiates.

 

Let's say you have 100 initiates, you let them loose into the woods and let them, well, kill each other. when the bells ring, the hunt stops and whoever is left becomes marines. If you have more that survive this rite, then just pitch them to a no hold bar to the death match with the whole chapter watch. but this kind of match is rare as not much initiates survive to do this. this also lets the marines see who is strong, smart and at the same time able to adapt to the ever change situation. Yet this 'rite' makes the initiates become rivals with one another, making them not be sociable, like bears sort of.

 

this is just something i thought of. use it however you like or change whatever you want. good luck with your DIY!

 

P.S: thanks for reminding me of the tv show: Grimm, Destecado.

[Destecado]

P.S: thanks for reminding me of the tv show: Grimm, Destecado.

 

You’re welcome. I’m just hoping it doesn’t get cancelled before the plot has a chance to unfold. I guess we should be thankful it’s not on Fox.

 

I like your “Hunt” idea, but I’m not sure if they should really pit future battle brothers against each other. It could lead to “training accidents” or possibly even “friendly fire incidents” (Klingon Promotions) once they are inducted as battle brothers. A friendly rivalry is fine, but equating it with killing each others could prove a recipe for disaster. Besides, there are plenty of things out there to kill them without them killing each other.

 

I’m considering building a DIY Hounds of Deimos army, where part of the training consists of the trainees (I plan on using the stat line and equipment for Neophytes from the Black Templar codex) are dropped into active warzones. They haven’t undergone the transformation to full fledged space marines yet, but their training and conditioning should make them more than a match for most of the enemies they will face. And since they are not actually marines yet, the chapter uses them to pad out their numbers…keeping to the letter of the dictates of the Index Astartes, while pretty much doing as they please.

 

They recruits are not wasted as cannon fodder. These “live fire exercises” usually consist of recon missions, acting as decoys and executing raids against the enemy’s supply lines and infrastructure. The situations are dangerous, but the recruits are rarely pitted against an unbeatable foe. The chapter uses this as a method for weeding out the weak, slow and stupid recruits. It is also a team building exercise.

 

This mode of training was inspired by the precious little fluff that exists about the Sons of Antaeus space marines chapter…Captain Rakman of the Subjugators chapter reported that the Sons of Antaeus showed up unexpectedly and opened a 2nd front forcing the Eldar pirates to attempt to redeploy. This resulted in the destruction of the Eldar raiding force…Unasked for and unexpected help, with no explanation of why they were there. Once the shooting stopped, I can just as easily picture them loading back up into their Thunderhawks and Storm Ravens and being on their way without bothering to stop for any pleasantries.

 

Such live fire training might also work for the Jagerbar…or they could potentially have hunting preserves set up on various Death Worlds or on specific regions of a single planet. All manner of beasties could reside in or be brought into these “game preserves”. Another possibility is to use prisoners as the opponents. If they succeed in killing or capturing the recruit, they can gain their freedom…an alternate for penal troops from the IG. Such training could be a modification of the SERE training used by the United States military. Instead of Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape, for space marine training, it may be modified to Survival, Evasion, Reconnaissance and Engagement (or possibly Elimination)

 

I’m picturing the scene from Rambo: first Blood Part II, where he systematically eliminates all of the Vietnamese soldiers and the Russian “observers”. If Sly Marbo can do it, it should be within the abilities of a space marine apparent. To make things interesting, the recruit would not have armor and would be equipped with minimal supplies.

[DarkLiege]

Such live fire training might also work for the Jagerbar…or they could potentially have hunting preserves set up on various Death Worlds or on specific regions of a single planet. All manner of beasties could reside in or be brought into these “game preserves”. Another possibility is to use prisoners as the opponents. If they succeed in killing or capturing the recruit, they can gain their freedom…an alternate for penal troops from the IG. Such training could be a modification of the SERE training used by the United States military. Instead of Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape, for space marine training, it may be modified to Survival, Evasion, Reconnaissance and Engagement (or possibly Elimination)

 

I could see this working for the chapter also. Its just that in my case, with the 'Hunt' thing you could have the ]I[ come in to see what is happening which might make it more interesting or be ban are traitors.

 

this is something i found while coming up with this idea of a chapter having animal sects where a marine could be a part of an animal like a spider represents a librarian or a coyote represents a scout. This is a website that might help you out a bit more: http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Gurahl

 

Enjoy :)

[Lysimachus]

Have to say that of all the names mentioned so far I like Grudge Bearers most, it still has that Slavic/bear-ish feel to it, but without being as obviously 'WE ARE SPACE BEARS!!!' as many of the others are.

 

It's also a very simple name to explain away, chosen by a Chapter Master who had a habit of bearing grudges/being very vindictive towards those enemies who he felt had given him particular offense, and he passed along this attitude to the Chapter he trained. They could be of pretty much any gene line, although I'd probably go either WS, UM or maybe even IF as they're quite grudge-y already?

 

The actual bears can easily come in a bit later as part of the homeworld that they find/are given.

[DarkLiege]

Just wondering, by any chance do you want our chance to have fetishes like the space wolves like bear teeth, bear furs and such?

[Jeremiah2911]

Absolutely. Sorry for the silence, not on Turkey Break anymore ;)