Legion symbols of rank/honors

[blackoption]

After going over through the FW Horus Heresy book for the again, I started wondering what rank symbols the Legions use.  I know that it is going to vary from legion to legion as well, but I am looking for what we know for certain.

 

 

Confirmed Honors

Vertical Crested Helm: Used for Praetors OR used as symbol of membership to Legion Elite (ala Phoenix Guard) (FW HH: Betrayal Pg 110)

Hortizontal Crested Helm: Sign of a Rank, (SGT or above) and a terran tradition.  Colors scheme may determine rank. (FW HH: Betrayal Pg 72)

Aquilla Militaris: 40K aquila... though specific use is unknown. (example ref needed)

Leather "pteruges": Terran tradition, mark of Centurion or Higher (FW HH Betrayal Pg 110)

Raptor Imperialis: Battle Honor: Specific criteria is unknown (FW HH Betrayal PG 72)

 

Confirmed Legion Squad Markings

Legion Tactical Squad: Upward facing Arrow (FW Website) *Standard Ultramarine Tactical squad Marking

Legion Tactical Support Squad:  Horizitonal Arrows: pointing both ways (FW Website) *Standard Dark Angel Tactical Squad Marking

Legion Assault Squad: Four way arrow. (FW Website)  *Standard Codex Assault Squad Marking

Legion Breacher Squad: Downward pointed Crossed Swords  (FW Website)

Legion Recon Squad: Lighting bolt in a circle, two color mix.  (FW Website)

Legion Destroyer Squad: Unknown Name (FW Website)

Legion Rapier Battery: Explosion Symbol within Circle (FW Website)

Legion Heavy Support Squad: Devastator Chevron (FW Website)

 

 

 

However, this hardly a list. I am aware each legion could award rank/honors differently, but there are common themes that cross legions.

 

Implied honor/rank Symbols and Legion Specific markings:

 

Ultramarine "Red Helm": Initially a mark of censure, Post Calth becomes mark of a strike force leader. (BL Know No Fear)

Ultramarine "White Vertical Crest": Identifier for a possible Company First Sergeant or similar position. (Reference needed)

 

Sons of Horus "Serpent-eye": Signifies Lodge Membership, Used in Sons of Horus and Emperor's Children (FW HH: Betrayal: PG 111)

Top Knot: Symbol for a Legion Sergeant. or higher in the Son's of Horus Legion and the sign of the squad leader of Palatine Blades (assumed based on FW Open house pictures and FW HH: Betrayal pg 73)

Alternate Color Scheme: Used to distinguish Veterans of the Catalan Reavers and Justarin Terminators for the Sons of Horus. (FW HH: Betrayal PG 73 and FW Website)

 

Helmet "Stripe": Used to determine Squad leader/ Sergeants. (Example used. DG SGT pg 130 FW HH: Betrayal)

 

World Eaters Brazen Helmet Color: Signify veteran status, used in conjunction with multiple legion symbols. (FW HH Betrayal: PG 90)

 

Inferred Symbols

Skull: The 40K symbol for Sergeant...  I'm guessing this is a Legion hold over as well.

Laurels: Another 40K Honor... I also believe it is a hold over from the legion days.

 

Unknown:

Iron Halo: We know it (as a shield) is available for Praetors only... but did the wargear or the honor come first?

Crux Terminatus: The sign of a Veteran in 40K, but so far only used on a Legion champion....

 

I hope to update this as I have not seen a compiled record of this nature yet. Since we have one for characters and fleets, this could also be a useful resource.

[Jim AMM realgenius]

I think transversely crested helm would go down all the way to Sergeant or squad leader.  Rapier Laser Destroyer comes with a horizontal crest, as do the Mk II and Mk IV Command Upgrade set and are listed as "Legion Sergeant Helmets".  The Mk III Command upgrade contains a longitudinally crested helm, also listed for Sergeants.  Betrayal says the transverse crest is a "Terran rank signifier" (pg 72).

 

So I think the only rule is that crests signify rank; Sergeant or higher.

 

Also mentioned in Betrayal is the "Aquilla Militaris", which is the familiar double-headed eagle that wasn't universally used as in 40k.

 

There's also the Cthonian serpent-eye glyph for Lodge members in Sons of Horus.

[Vazzy]

I personally use crests as a sign of rank with color determining seniority.

[Excessus]

I use nothing! Why should an Alpha Legionnaire give away his skill level for free? The enemy will just have to guess blindly...hehe...  ;)

[blackoption]

@Excessus: Alpha legion would have to be difficult now wouldn't it.

 

I had always though the horizotal crest was a centurion thing, but just because a certain ultramarine captain has the crest doesn't mean it has to be a Captain. I've edited the inital post.

 

I also added the Ultramarine "Red Helm" bit from Know Now fear.

 

I remember reading somewhere that a Single headed eagle was a sign of a terran veteran, but I cannot remember the source. Anyone else remember reading such a thing?

[Balthamal]

The leather kilts are also used to denote rank (that of centurion and upwards I believe)

[Excessus]

Well, I guess that the Alpha Legion could have 'obvious' leaders in their ranks...as decoys I mean... :)

[depthcharge12]

The leather kilts are also used to denote rank (that of centurion and upwards I believe)

I believe those things are called pteruges. Don't ask me how I know. I loved knights as a kid.

[ChaosLord Leon Enaek]

I loved knights as a kid.

When you post this on a site dedicated to plastic space warriors it shows that the more things change the more they stay the same :)

[Durfast Spiritwolf]

The leather kilts are also used to denote rank (that of centurion and upwards I believe)

I loved knights as a kid.

I still do, in fact I'm up to my neck in them in my part time PhD

[Onisuzume]

Skull: The 40K symbol for Sergeant... I'm guessing this is a Legion hold over as well.

Incorrect, actually.

The Red Skull signifies a squad leader, which would be the one leading whatever combat squad the sergeant isn't leading.

Also, if you believe in Rogue Trader-era: helmet stripes (amongst other things).

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y185/Onisuzume/Dark%20Angels/CrimsonFists01c.jpg

[blackoption]

@Depthcharge.

 

Are the fabric/cloth ones also called "pteruges"?  Emperor's Children, Ultramarines, Blood Angels, and other legions also have the (for lack of a better term) honor'd loin clothe.

 

@Oni

Although I recongize that the RT era the original source for alot of material.... I have to wonder how much have been reconned.  I am looking for stuff that we can referrance in Horus Heresy books (both BL and FW) as legion tradtions. I am pretty sure that the RT lore predates the establishment of the Legions. But can we confirm that it was used in the Heresy sources?

[depthcharge12]

@blackoption

After a quick look through all I could find was a similiar one to the pteruges called "habergeon" which was a mail/chain link covering instead of the studded leather.

 

Honestly the clothes on the front that you see are just loincloths till I can find a better, more dignified, name for them. Oddly enough most parts of the armor use old French names mixed with a little English (throwback to 100 years war)

 

Maybe if Pèpe le Vesper takes a glance on this thread he could find the French name because my school limited grasp on French doesn't do the trick. Though I'm afraid to ask him.....it might turn into a sarcastic remark....le towel ;)

 

But then again the French wore dresses (bases) over their armor. Sounds like EC to me....

[Heretical]

hmm this is a pretty awesome thread, i wonder how well this will tie into my death guard army however, i know they hate ceremonial and uneccessary 'bling' on their armour..

[Durfast Spiritwolf]

A green helmet stripe seems to be used to define sergeant rank in the DG in Betrayal.

[mysteriousmaskedmystery]

i think the helmet stripes could be different colors for different legions, since it wouldn't really show up on a blood angel, for instance, but even in RT, not every chapter used them, and not every trooper.  that picture above is for crimson fists, but even then it wasn't universal across the chapter.  it's sort of like the helmet stripes were a fad among the second founding chapters that fell out of style with time.  as often as i've seen that picture, i've never seen an army painted with all those different helmet stripes.  would love to be proven wrong though.

 

also, you have a lot of legion specific markings that probably could be extrapolated from their 40k version, such a BA helmet colors, white scar honor markings, etc...

[blackoption]

I think triple M is right about the Helmet stripe, but there is an example in the Betrayal rule book. As a result, I added it to the list.

 

I've also identified the references where I could.

 

@ MMM

I think that your deduction is a safe one. However, until there is a confirmed example in the HH, I won't add it to the list. My goal is to have small database for Legion Astartes honors open to everyone.  I doubt it will ever be all inclusive, but it is my hope that this could be a useful resource.

[Onisuzume]

Well, C:DA also suggests that the Dark Angels made use of it, since the Consecrators supposedly use pre-heresy colour schemes.

[mysteriousmaskedmystery]

i'm just saying that helmet stripes are talked about, but are never universally applied, even in the same armies, and their use has changed, both in the fluff time line, and in how GW has used them for its art and display models over time.  as a for instance, we know that red helmets for sergeants are a codex marking that many chapters supposedly adopted, but now in HH fluff, it wasn't until the heresy itself that it became something other than a mark of shame, so to me at least, it's unlikely that any legion was using a red helmet for sergeants.  so do we then assume that the legions used colors like the ones in the RT picture?  or did the UM for instance still use a white stripe for vet sergeants?

 

my point about helmet stripes is that they are hit and miss at best.  maybe they will become a sort of replacement in some legions for the original terran head crests?

[blackoption]

I have to agree with MMM on this point. But there is an example of a helmet stripe in the Betrayal rule book for a loyalist DG sergeant.  However, he is the only DG sergeant with that particular identifier, it cannot be confirmed that the stripe does indeed signify rank when other DG sergeants do not have that marking.  (however, the DG were known for eschewing marks of rank and honor altogether, so we cannot rule it out as a rank signifier either)

[Onisuzume]

as a for instance, we know that red helmets for sergeants are a codex marking that many chapters supposedly adopted, but now in HH fluff, it wasn't until the heresy itself that it became something other than a mark of shame, so to me at least, it's unlikely that any legion was using a red helmet for sergeants. so do we then assume that the legions used colors like the ones in the RT picture? or did the UM for instance still use a white stripe for vet sergeants?

Red helmet for sergeants is non-standard codex marking, actually.

Red Skull insignia are the standard marking for sergeants/squad leaders.

[blackoption]

But that is codex standard.... which may or may not be legion standard. 

[blackoption]

Minor update.  The Ultramarine Forum pointed out that a "White Vertical Crest" is used to identify a possible Company First Sergeant for the Ultramarine Legion. (Even if the speaker is of Word Bearer origin.)

 

Also added the alternate paint schemes for elite units (Catalan and Justarin only thus far).

[blackoption]

Forgive the Double Post, but I updated the lists based on changes to the Forge World Website.  I am hoping more goodies and information will be released in the next week or so.

[The4thHorseman]

Any Idea what the Missing Equipment Badges are?  It would appear that the two Classified Badges are a Mushroom Cloud which would be good for Rad Weapons and the other appears to be a Sideways Skeletal Hand, idk. Anyway we are however, Missing Badges for Rocket Launcher, Melta, Las-cannon and Plasma those all existed during Rogue Trader. Also I guess we'd have to make a Volkite Badge seeing as thats New.