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Best swordsmen-Legion


Frater Cornelius

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Depends on Style, weapon and technique. 

 

Going by stereotypes is never a good idea but if you were to say culturally, a fist with a broad sword was even in combat with a white scar and a katana like weapon. Now swap the weapons over or make it a broad sword or kata only fight. I'd lean towards the warrior armed with their weapon of choice/legionary up bringing. Not that I would bar them from still being a total nightmare of an opponent even with a weapon they don't favor/use that often. 

Only one Legion has a rule specifically for skill with a sword. Emperor's Children just have a rule for fighting well in general, but the specific sword focus of the Dark Angels inclines me to believe they win this one hands down. There will be a spectrum of combat ability from individual legionary to legionary, but in general the Angels will take it. 

The fists and dark angels are the two legions that specialize in duelling swords. The scars use a curved cavalry sword and the ultramarines use a gladius which is designed to be used with a shield. The Emperors children specialize in using a spear, the world eaters and space wolves like axes the death guard like scythes the salamanders hammers the blood angels like two handed swords, the Raven guard like claws the alpha legion would rather knife you in the back the night lords have a type of chain bill and every other legion don't really care as long as you die. So realistically its beatwean the dark angels and fists and out of the two I would Say dark angels as outside the templars the fists focus more on siege craft.

I would call the IF First Company a bit of an outlier though. This trend is not represented within the entire Legion. I have no idea about DA, but they seem to have more swords scattered around. Makes sense, given how they are a mix between between Arthurian and medieval knights.

 

Since you mentioned spears though, I find it actually rather funny how underrepresented the most common weapon in historical warfare is in 40k and 30k. Not that Warhammer has a lot in common with history though :D

Only the Fist first company is associated with swords. Everybody else seems to favor axes. Enough to include them on the legion seal. The Fists don't have the 'everybody is a swordsmen' mentality the way the Dark Angels do. The Emperor's Children are good with anything they practice with. The sword is associated heavily with Terra, and the Templars derive their roots from there, while the axe is a more utilitarian weapon that fits the nature of Inwit for all the same reasons it fits in with the Space Wolves. Similarly, the Dark Angels draw from Terra and Caliban where there are cultural affinities for the sword.

 

The spear is under represented because it is the weapon of the untrained militias throughout history. It's meant to keep your opponent at a distance. The Romans were so effective because a block of shielded men with short stabbing swords, well trained and in formation could make easy work of farmers and shepherds drafted and given rudimentary training. A space marine has no need of a spear, which is why every spear you see them with isn't actually a spear.

The Emperors Children in the fluff were more swordsmen than specialising in spears, they just happen to have spears as their specific weapon. Emperors Children, White Scars and Dark Angels would probably be the top three in general with swords, with very different styles, with others very close behind.

 

Actually yeah, the EC were just about perfection with all weapons. There is a lot of stuff about them as swordsmen though, between things like Lucius and the Palatine Blades.

As much as I  would like to say the Imperial Fists  It really is only the Templar Brethren who are swordsman. 

Id probably say The Dark Angels given their rules for fighting with swords and the fact that a couple pieces of their wargear are blades 

Emperors Children also spring to mind 
 

I wouldn't call the Emperor's Children a legion of swordsmen since they practiced until they reached perfection with all and any weapons. Dark Angels however did focus on swords. Just like World Eaters (and possibily the War Hounds before them if Lhorke teaching Khârn to use axes extended beyond two space marines) were a legion of (chain)axemen, even if the Emperor's Children or Imperial Fists could give them a run for their money.

I wouldn't call the Emperor's Children a legion of swordsmen since they practiced until they reached perfection with all and any weapons. Dark Angels however did focus on swords. Just like World Eaters (and possibily the War Hounds before them if Lhorke teaching Khârn to use axes extended beyond two space marines) were a legion of (chain)axemen, even if the Emperor's Children or Imperial Fists could give them a run for their money.

 

Not entirely accurate on the World Eaters part leading up to the Khorne worship. Especially after the coming of Angron, The World Eaters used a very large variety of weapons in which they were proficient in using. Pit fights usually had (in the references I have found) a choice in weaponry and so many close combat weapons would be covered. 

 

The Dark Angels I would say would be your cover "swordsman" legion, with the Emperor's Children falling into the same field as the Blood Angles, Space Wolves and World Eaters (prior to the khornfest) as a "melee" legion posterboy.

If the legions were to put forward their best swordsmen in a fight or tournament, I could see the winner being amongst the following three chapters, each for their own reason and style:

 

Dark Angels - Likely the most skilled and most balanced of the three, but likely the least flexible

White Scars - The most unpredictable and underestimated, with skill enough to take advantage 

Emperor's Children - Likely the most precise in training and execution, the least likely to make a mistake

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