Geneseed mutation

[Conn Eremon]

So, I have a quick question. I love making Space Marine Chapters, and I love using the Rites of Battle supplement to give it a bit of random life to it. It lets me focus on the things I like, such as the Chapter's culture or history, and settles for me what I'd get caught up on. I've made far too many Chapters that are just useless text files in my computer somewhere. A few, however, I have enjoyed and expanded a lot on, and will try to write about them in the Liber Astartes forum, and will eventually get around to purchasing models to represent them.

 

Well, one thing I wanted to ask about is related to a result I got for one of those few, that of a Doomed Chapter that cannot replicate either Black Carapaces or Progenoid zygotes. There's also a little chart that says that White Scars have a 20% mutation/degeneracy chance, however that whole chart just makes zero sense over-all, and is contradicted by the paragraphs that are writing specifically about it. But, I decided to use it as a ready statistic to show how often this mutation occurs, because I don't want a Chapter that lasts only a single generation of Marines. I'm also choosing the Progenoid zygote as what can't be replicated. So, one out of every five Marines inducted into the Chapter is unable to replicate any Progenoids.

 

My question is, is this a feasible mutation? I've been thinking of saying that instead of being unable to replicate them at all, just be unable to replicate the second one. The first one gets removed like all the others, generally when their days as a Scout are over. But the second one, the one removed at death, has a 20% chance of never growing. Is this a good idea, or should it be brushed under a rug with the likes of the Missing Legions or Traitor Gene-seed?

[Race Bannon]

Sure, why not? Go for it B)

[b1soul]

There's also a little chart that says that White Scars have a 20% mutation/degeneracy chance

 

Isn't their geneseed stated to be pure in the fluff?

[Conn Eremon]

There's also a little chart that says that White Scars have a 20% mutation/degeneracy chance

 

Isn't their geneseed stated to be pure in the fluff?

 

No outright mutations like the Imperial Fists, Blood Angels, or Salamanders, but not as pure as the Ultramarines or the Dark Angels. More like the Iron Hand levels of purity. Nothing seems wrong with the gene-seed, but the Marines end up being incredibly savage, like the Iron Hands with their flesh is weak thing. Even though I would call that a cultural thing, it's for some reason blamed on their genetic make-up.

[Commander Proteus]

You could go with either of those as fluffy background, sure. If you're trying to make your own IA for the chapter though, you might have to get creative in how they circumvent those shortcomings.

 

For example, the black carapace is the whole reason that marines can interface with their armor. Without it, they basically need something else in order to do this. Matrix-style neuro-link? Doc Oc spinal connection? Would they be "enhanced" similarly to the Calabanite Dark Angels who were too old to join the Legion normally?

 

For the progenoids, this basically means that you need some other way of passing the genes onto the next generation of marines, or they need to constantly get the gene seed from some other source. Possibly something like an old piece of technology, storing some bloodline that can actually re-create gene seed? A rare leftover from the unification wars?

 

My two cents. Good luck!

 

-Proteus

[Conn Eremon]

For the progenoids, this basically means that you need some other way of passing the genes onto the next generation of marines, or they need to constantly get the gene seed from some other source. Possibly something like an old piece of technology, storing some bloodline that can actually re-create gene seed? A rare leftover from the unification wars?

 

My two cents. Good luck!

 

-Proteus

 

Well, considering that this Chapter would place a massive importance and weight on genetic purity, having a major dislike for those Chapters that have most mutated and a 'kill on sight' mentality for all abhumans, those one out of five that are unable to replicate the second gene-seed are incredibly ostracized. Not exactly the Dark Angels' little secret, but something like it. They would treat them as their private shame. Those few who would have this issue would have no hope for advancement, no hope to ever truly be a part of the fraternity. Once they are removed from the Scouts, and their first, and in their case only, progenoid gland is removed, they are placed into non-Codex formations reminiscent of the Death Company of the Blood Angels, called Hunter/Seeker Units. Not exactly like the Death Company though, as each Hunter Unit is a collection of 40 Marines instead of a full company, but each of these Marines serves a term as a Seeker first, an attempt to honor these brethren by giving them the task of guarding the recruitment worlds and seeking recruits. But they would be fielded similarly, as shock troops herded into the enemy. Not because they've become monstrous, but because they're impure. They wouldn't be treated like cattle, but more like a sad cousin of whom Fate has conspired against. To go along with this Chapter's Primarch Above All cult and the Dark Eldar as their arch nemeses, and to differentiate some from the Death Company, I'll have the Chapter believe that when the Khan was sucked into the Warp fighting the Dark Eldar, it was in fact a Webway Gate. Khan was taken by the Dark Eldar, and is still their captive at Commoragh. Therefore, every time an active Webway Gate is captured, any and all Hunter Units at hand are sent in with the order "Return with the Khan, or not at all." So far, it's been the latter.

 

The way in which they would deal with this, to accommodate this, is . . . well, not really at all. The Chapter would always be under-strength, being able to field only eight companies, including the Veteran and Scout companies and excluding the Hunter/Seekers. Because of the severe attrition rate among the Hunter Units, the Chapter will always be below a thousand Marines, and generally only have about two to three Units at a time. Since these Hunter Units take away from those who would otherwise go to battle-ready companies, each of them are generally under-strength as well. Going along with the whole 20% thing, I'm basically saying that the whole Chapter only operates at about 80% effectiveness at their very best. They're not exactly Codex-adherent as is, but I'd rather avoid the typical non-Codex way of being over-strength, like the Black Templars and Space Wolves as the two biggest examples of non-Codex Chapters. I feel that going this way will still permeate the whole 'Doomed' Chapter thing by keeping them constantly below par, but not so bad as to make them ineffective as a fighting force.

[Andrew J]

I like the idea. Gives them a good bit of mystery without going over the top. I would say though that maybe instead of being at 80% all the time why do they not just recruit even more than regular chapters or constantly to keep the level as high as possible? My thinking would be that would make up the 20% difference.

 

Just a thought.

[Conn Eremon]

I like the idea. Gives them a good bit of mystery without going over the top. I would say though that maybe instead of being at 80% all the time why do they not just recruit even more than regular chapters or constantly to keep the level as high as possible? My thinking would be that would make up the 20% difference.

 

Just a thought.

 

Because of how much it fit with other things, honestly. They have very powerful ties to their homeworlds, to the point that outside of the Veteran and Scout companies, each company takes one of these worlds as their personal recruitment center and stronghold. For instance, the 3rd Company recruits from Marrune, a world that's mostly water. All recruits from Marrune join the Scout company as normal, however when they become full-fledged Marines they will be forwarded to the 3rd Company directly. They recruit from six worlds. Take away the two hundred in the Veteran and Scout companies, and the two hundred with genetic impurities, and you have six hundred left. A company for each world.

 

Sure, each Company could be bigger to accommodate, but I don't know how easy that could be done, and I don't think I'd want to anyways. The Black Templars, Space Wolves, and Blood Angels all do this, but they are exceptionally major players in the 40k galaxy. This Chapter wouldn't be able to compare to their history and political power, and so I don't think they'd have the sort of pull to get extra gene-seed. That'll be the Chapter's reasoning for not doing that, they just simply can't get their hands on enough. In truth, it's because I don't want them to veer any further from the Codex, and it just seems like makes them a bit more unique.