The Hydra Knights - An Index Astartes

[Cryptix]

Index Astartes

The Chapter Symbol

#1A24EB - Blue

#D1C92A - Gold

Brother Ahuum, a "God Hand" Veteran and Captain of the 8th Company

Origins
The Hydra Knights are an Ultramarines successor of the 21st, or "Cursed", Founding. Certain brothers, known as the God-Hands have the strange ability to "see" into the warp, allowing them to see the Astronomicon as a bright light and more importantly to read the Tides and waves of the warp. However, this ability comes with a curse; the brothers of the Hydra Knights have an exceptionally large presence in the Warp, and are haunted by demons wherever they go. If this wasn't bad enough, they have to hide these mutant brothers from the notice of the Inquisition and the Navigator houses, in fear of extermination. The chapter loses ships very frequently due to demonic invasion, caused by the intense closeness to the warp allowing demons to invade the minds of God-Hands and take over. The largest takeover so far has been a battle-barge, 3 strike cruisers, and 5 destroyers lost to Tzeentch's forces.

Home World/Homeworld
The Hydra Knights Homeworld of Carthage V is a Hive World located in the Segmentum Obscurus. This of course intensifies the chapter's curse with its proximity to the Eye of Terror, so they have settled as the protectors, but not rulers, of the Athens system, which holds many valuable Forge Worlds and their resource providers. Cathrage V itself is very advanced as a result, with the Crystal spires of the Hive Cities extending past the cloud wall. Much of Cathrage V is covered in water, with only a few permanent land masses. Many of its people live on "life-lands," massive floating communities that trade with other life-lands by boat. Occasionally, wars break out between the life-lands, and the planet enters a period known as "the Burning of the Seas," which almost always ends with the two life-lands that started the war being purged by the Hydra Knights and the others have their recruit and food taxes increased.

Combat Doctrine
The Hydra Knights have a very fluid combat doctrine, founded on the backs of information from forward scouts. Much of the battle forces sent by Hydra Knights are devoted completely to finding information on where the enemy command center is and attacking with the most force at the specific points. A common weapon for these Astartes is the Shotgun or Hand-Flamer, used in combination with Scout teleport homers to create accurate drop pod assaults concentrating the most fire-power in the smallest place.

Organization/Organisation
The Chapter is organised into 5 "Battlehosts," each with a tactical company and a reserve company of some sort. The 5th Battlehost is an exception, made up of the 1st Veteran company and the 10th Scout company. This Battlehost is known as the Divine Storm, and is deployed almost exclusively in boarding actions, with the scouts deployed via boarding pods allowing for the Terminator equipped 1st company.

Beliefs
The Hydra Knight's are deeply mystical, believing in the Emperor as not just a father, but a benevolent lighthouse, the calm in the storm. They depend on him for protection, and are forever indebted to the sacrifices he made.

Gene-seed/Geneseed
As has been noted before, the gene-seed of the Hydra Knights is linked to the warp. Most times, this will just cause the brother to glow "brighter" in the warp, marking the chapter for constant demon attacks and inquisitorial scrutiny. However, a select cursed few have an ever deeper connection. They can predict the flow of the warp uncannily, and can even see into the warp itself. The souls of these select few, known as "God Hands" within the chapter, are similar to that of Eldar psykers in power, and they are under constant bombardment by warp forces.

Battle-cry/Battlecry/Chapter Motto
"Like the Hydra, we rise again!"

USING A Hydra Knights ARMY IN WARHAMMER 40,000
Any Hydra Knights squad in Power Armor and without Jump Packs may take up to two Land Speeder Storms as a dedicated transport.
Any Hydra Knights Tactical squad may trade their Power Armor for Carapace Armor, gaining Move Through Cover, Infiltrate, and Scout.
A single Captain per Hydra Knights detachment may be upgraded to a God Hand for +25 points. If this is done, then the detachment gains +1 to all reserve rolls and may begin rolling for Reserves on turn one. If this upgrade is taken, then a single Honor Guard unit may be upgraded to God Hand Veterans as well, counting as being equipped with teleport homers and becoming a Brotherhood of Psykers with access to Santic and Malefic Daemonology.

[Doctor Perils]

Right, I'll jump in right at the start: be careful of the 21st founding. It can be a brilliant tool when used correctly, but a damning one when used lazily. I know I've fallen into the trap, and it was hard pulling myself back out.

What's the trap you ask? It stems from wanting to make your unique chapter too unique, assigning physical qualities that aren't usual even for Space Marines to suit your story, or just for rule of cool. In other words, it's often used as a way of making an easy Mary Sue. When used like that, it rarely seems convincing.

 

For a 21st Founding Chapter to become something convincing for the 40k universe, it has too really focus on the Curse of the chapter, and not on what the reason for it's creation was.

Let's look at a couple of canon examples:

• The Lamenters were created to eradicate the twin curses of the sons of Sanguinius. Okay. We here that they were largely successful (for a few millenia at least). Okay. However, is that the main story of the Lamenters? No! The Lamenters' whole history and identity is defined by their bad luck, that is the thing people remember about them;
• We don't even know what the Black Dragons were created for, however, I think it's probable they were not created in order to have bones and horns growing everywhere. That is their curse, but once again their whole identity, as they have embraced their curse, but are still wary of it, since they know that they would be exterminated by the Inquisition in a heart beat, should the truth ever become known.

With that in mind, I still want to say that some awesome DIY can come from the 21st Founding. Tbh, I haven't got any examples in mind right now, but they are out there. Because of that, I'm not saying you shouldn't create them as a 21st Founding, but you should beware of how you go about it.

 

From the ground up, a Cursed Chapter should be designed with their curse in mind, what it is (whether physical, intangible, esoteric...) how the chapter deals with it, how others deal with it, etc.

 

Another problem with many 21st Founding chapters is that the aimed changes aren't actually necessary, both from an in-universe perspective and a story-telling perspective. It is way more interesting to see a hero do heroic stuff outside his natural environment, seeing how he adapts to challenges and threats that he isn't used to.

 

 

Now that the pompous preaching is over ;) let's go into more specifics for your chapter:

• The colour scheme might need a few less colours: as a rule of thumb, you shouldn't have more then three main colours (imho), because beyond that it becomes mishmashy (I'm only counting the main armour parts - ceramite, soft armour - not the metallics or the eye lenses). Within those three, at least two should have a good contrast. In your case, I think simply removing the red or black should work :)
• Why should the Mechanicus ask for a Space Marine Chapter (which is out of their control) to hold a ressource which is extremely valuable to them, when they have the means of doing it themselves? Don't forget it's the Mechanicus that creates new chapters for the HLoT, so if they have the means of genetically modifying SMs, they have the means of vat-growing servitors or Skitarii for underwater combat, and they definitely have the means of building their own subs.
• What is the Chapter's Curse, and where is the give and take in both the Astartes physical form (which can be linked to their curse, but it doesn't have to), and their Power Armour? Engineering (be it genetic or otherwise) and optimisation aren't simply a case of making something better: they are a balancing act. If one functionality is made better, another one suffers. Now I know that Engineering in the 41st Millenium is vastly different from what it is today, but the Grimdark setting means that there will generally be more "Take" then "Give".
• Why do you want to make your chapter so specialised in Deep Sea operations? We know Astartes can fight underwater, and well (that time the Space Wolves took on the Tau on an oceanic world). The multi-lung they already have already acts as gills, and fluorescent skin sounds more like a Doctor Manhattan cosplay then anything of actual use in combat.

 

Now, I'm being a bit harsh, but only because I think you can take it (you've done some good work with the Forge-fathers, and creating a sector  is an ambitious project). You have a good start to an unusual chapter, which I think has great potential: however, I can also see a lot of traps ahead of you, and I hope that by writing the way I have you'll be able to navigate your way around those, if you hadn't already identified those.

 

So yeah, no inherent problems to this begining, look forward to seeing the rest :tu:

[Banjoboy]

A good example of a 21st Cursed Founding DIY chapter is Octavulg's Bronze Prophets. It contains a healthy amount of mystery, which is important when writing an index astartes, which can sound better with limited rather than all-knowing narration, don't explain everything.

 

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/154021-ia-bronze-prophets/

 

And a few notes from GW's more recent direction of the cursed founding, which used to be just fun and interesting mutations. Whereas before it was Fire Hawks mutated into Legion of the Damned, Minotaurs are angry, Lamenters are literally haunted, the focus has increasingly swapped to the Chapters finding themselves cursed with tragic natures rather than tragic genetics. The Fire Hawks were decimated at Badab and then lost in the warp, the Minotaurs for all their skill are only not viewed with suspicion because they fulfill the hounds of the emperor role, specializing in killing their cousins, and the Lamenters while falling to their gene-seeds normal mutations find themselves shattered by impossibly bad luck. Even if the Hydra knights succeeded with their gene-seed, they'd still be seen with suspicion, due to the known controversy the chapters of the founding have been "cursed into."

 

Also keep in mind in regards to Thorn's comments about Skitarii doing it. The Imperium is very much meant to be hyper-compartmentalized in order to prevent another heresy. Space Marines do one thing, and explorator fleets do another, there's no reason they would be founded for a task so specific let alone one that the Admech already has people for. If you want to stick with relic ocean world, they should stumble upon it, for example claiming it as tithe in a crusade, only to discover it's deep secrets, placing the chapter into conflict with the AdMech.

[Cryptix]

I think I have a better idea. Instead of *literally* moving through water, their curse is that they have a greater "smell" in the Warp to demons. This comes attached to their ability from the 21st founding to see in the Warp, making them a lot damn better at navigating, essentially making them pseudo Astropaths. But, the moment they enter the Warp they're pretty much swarmed by demons attacking the Gellar Field.

[Doctor Perils]

Uh, a full chapter of Navigators? That sounds a bit broken. However, tone it down to (essentially) a few specialists, that are kept absolutely secret from Inquisitors, but also true navigators, as the later have enough influence to have a crusade called against a chapter. This would however afford you the unique position of having a force that no-one need know about with allegiances outside the chapter - that can be pretty massive in its own way.

 

Essentially, this can mean not only do they have a curse in the warp, but it can also prove to be a curse in realspace, should the wrong people find out.

 

But the Daemons thing needs to be really played up :) It'll probably mean that your chapter are seen as bringing bad luck, so you won't ever be allowed on board ships of other factions, and fleets might not want to travel with you (we already know sailors could be a superstitious bunch, and on true cause...)

 

Yup can be pretty cool :tu:

[Cryptix]

That actually make a lot of sense. After all look at the Roman navy.

 

(Psst. I'll save you the trouble. There is none.)

 

So basically, they're librarians can see in the warp, but they have to stay out of limelight of the inquisition and administratum so whenever they arrive at a battle they fight quickly and in secret and then leave. Another part of their curse: they pretty much get no glory, often having their achievements pawned on to other chapters. They are forever but ghosts in the warp, slowly dying and will be forgotten soon if no one does anything.

[Doctor Perils]

That can work yes. Though I'd probably make them part of a new separate specialist corps, it'll prove less confusing.

 

However, they could still wear librarian blue, to avoid attention. Just avoid naming them librarians, since they aren't psykers but mutants

[Cryptix]

Homeworld is done.

[Banjoboy]

Are you going to rewrite it in a more narrative way, with a. It more high gothic diction, or is that the final form you're planning?

[Cryptix]

I'll rewrite, this is just me getting my ideas down.

[Banjoboy]

It's a cool idea for a home world, the life-lander/upper hiver/lower hiver dichotomy would be an interesting to explore, the life landers could be more like the Cretans or the Minoans and other more Aegean groups of Greece, while the Hivers represent the Greek mainland between the upper Hivers who are like Greek and Spartan citizens, compared to the under Hivers who are like plebs

[Cryptix]

Combat doctrine done. Most likely going to change due to generic as hell.

[Cryptix]

Organization done.

[Cryptix]

Everything's done! Just waiting for critique now.

[Doctor Perils]

Looking good :) I think most of the concerns have been adressed :)

 

One thing I'd say is make sure to always remain consistent with the name of your homeworld - sometimes you call it Carthage, sometimes Athens. Stick to Carthage, it's more interesting and their are less carthaginian influences in pop culture :tu:

 

I wonder if it would be possible to have a more extended version of their history, probably by giving one exemplary battle :) I wouldn't bother with a full timeline, but some other important events of the chapter's history would be welcome.

 

Your example of the time the chapter lost a battle barge and three strike cruisers seems to be a traumatic enough event in their history to deserve a larger mention (or at least a name) - also, I'd dial it back a bit, as that sounds like nearly half the chapter's fleet taken at a single time. For such a heavily nautical-themed chapter, that wouldn't only mean trouble in terms of the story later, it also makes them sound slightly incompetent (and that's not what we want ;) ) - I'd probably recommend fleshing it out enough to say that x number of ships were engaged, and at least x/10 were able to escape, battered but alive.