TCFKA the Red Ravens - The StormCrows the "Villta Veiðin"

[gripschi]

Iam Happy to See, that you Put my Suggestion to such good use. I stumbled over thus organsation layout by luck.

 

I hadnt put such detail thought in it. But i can surley use some of your clearification too.

 

The total number are high, but i think with many Vehicles Crew its somewhat reasonable.

Maybe try to recalculte toward 4-4500 in total? Then they wont be "Black Templars" Size.

 

But its Up to you what evolp out there.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Iam Happy to See, that you Put my Suggestion to such good use. I stumbled over thus organsation layout by luck.

It makes sense to me to use a structure like that. Every company has a cadre of specialist troops to assign as needed and also their headquarters element.

 

 

I hadnt put such detail thought in it. But i can surley use some of your clearification too.

I tend to try to think these things through since taking it to a logical conclusion helps. I hope what I did is of use.

 

 

The total number are high, but i think with many Vehicles Crew its somewhat reasonable.

Maybe try to recalculte toward 4-4500 in total? Then they wont be "Black Templars" Size.

One of the main problems is that codex chapters neglect the support troops and only give the 1000 number to restrict the amount of infantry which the Chapter maintains, the librarius, Reclusiam, Techmarines, Armored forces, and Air Forces are all ignored totally. It states 10 companies of 100 astartes each, well that's just infantry, unless you're telling me that the main fighting force of a Codex chapter takes up driving tanks and flying gunships. My chapter only has around 2,920 infantry which is still considerably smaller than the Black Templars 4,000- 4,500 astartes.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

So the revised order of battle goes like this:

 

1st battalion - Kommandant

- Battalion command squad, Vexilia, Librarian Consul, Chaplain Consul, Primus Medicae

 

1st Company (Veteran Company) - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Librarius cadre, Reclusiam cadre, Apothecarion cadre, special troops (3 Blade Guard Veteran Squads)

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 squads of Terminators

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 squads of Vanguard Veterans

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 2 Squads of Sternguard Veterans

   - 1 squad of Veteran Intercessors (20 men)

- 2 Relic Leviathan Dreadnoughts

- 2 Relic Contemptor Dreadnoughts

 

2nd Company (Seeker Company) - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Librarius cadre, Reclusiam cadre, Apothecarion cadre, special troops (1 Eradicator Squad and 2 Eliminator Squads)

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Recon Squads (1st bat uses a mix of Infiltrators and Incursors)

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Recon Squads (1st bat uses a mix of Infiltrators and Incursors)

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 2 Intercessor Squads (20 men each)

   - 1 Assault Intercessor Squad (20 men)

- 4 Invictor Tactical Warsuits

 

3rd Company (Recon Company) - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Librarius cadre, Reclusiam cadre, Apothecarion cadre, special troops (3 Eliminator Squads)

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Recon Squads (Infiltrators)

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Recon Squads (Infiltrators)

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Outrider Squads

- 4 Invictor Tactical Warsuits

 

4th Company (Destroyer Company) - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Librarius cadre, Reclusiam cadre, Apothecarion cadre, special troops (3 Suppressor Squads)

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Close Support Squads (Inceptors)

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Fire Support Squads (Aggressors)

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Battle line Squads (Heavy Intercessors)

- 4 Redemptor Dreadnoughts

 

5th Company (Battle Company) - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Librarius cadre, Reclusiam cadre, Apothecarion cadre, special troops (2 Devastator Squads)

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Tactical Squads (20 men each)

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Tactical Squads (20 men each)

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Assault Squads (20 men each)

- 2 Contemptor Dreadnoughts

- 2 Venerable Dreadnoughts

 

6th Company (Tactical Company) - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Librarius cadre, Reclusiam cadre, Apothecarion cadre

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Tactical Squads (20 men each)

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Tactical Squads (20 men each)

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Tactical Squads (20 men each)

 

7th Company (Tactical Company) - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Librarius cadre, Reclusiam cadre, Apothecarion cadre

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Tactical Squads (20 men each)

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Tactical Squads (20 men each)

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Tactical Squads (20 men each)

 

8th Company (Assault Company) - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Librarius cadre, Reclusiam cadre, Apothecarion cadre

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Assault Squads (20 men each)

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 2 Riever Squads

   - 1 Assault Centurion Squad

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Inceptor Squads

 

9th Company (Devastator Company) - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Librarius cadre, Reclusiam cadre, Apothecarion cadre

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Devastator Squads

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Aggressor Squads

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Hellblaster Squads

 

10th Company (Recon Company) - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Librarius cadre, Reclusiam cadre, Apothecarion cadre

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Scout Squads

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Scout Squads

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 2 Infiltrator Squads

   - 1 Incursor Squad

 

The First Battalion is the primary expeditionary force for the Storm Crows. The Second Battalion does not use primaris marines as extensively as the First Battalion does, and uses the original Heresy equipment for their respective companies in significantly greater numbers. For instance, the Second Battalion's Seeker company uses appropriately equipped seekers in addition to their minimal use of incursors and uses only only one intercessor squad a tactical squad and an assault squad.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

So after receiving my Horus Heresy Book 3: Extermination and reading Corax and Deliverance Lost, I'm going to have to do a massive rewrite on my fluff.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

+++ INQUISITORIAL RECORD +++

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD

 

 

FROM: ORDO HERETICUS

 

TO: ORDO ASTARTES

 

SUBJECT: UNKNOWN ASTARTES

 

DATE: M38.850.??? [DATE CODE PARTIALLY CORRUPTED]

 

Initial contact was made with the Storm Crows on planet [REDACTED], having been engaged in combat operations with forces of chaos. The Ordo Hereticus was summoned to the world in response to the governor's request for aid. A chaos cult was detected upon the surface of [REDACTED], and Inquisitorial forces were requested to purge the threat. Initial contact with the Astartes was non existent. Reports from field operatives described Astartes clad in dark slate grey MkIV battleplate bearing a dark red raven emblem. Reports indicated that the marking seemed to be a variation of the old emblem of the XIXth Legiones Astartes. Other Legiones Astartes iconography, including squad markings also adorned the armor, though in subdued tones. The Astartes were non-communicative with Inquisition forces, and even made hostile moves towards us when our operations overlapped.

 

Further investigation upon the cleansing of [REDACTED] indicated that the people of the world were not unfamiliar with these Astartes. They referred to them as the Wild Hunt, and it bears mention that many people had gone missing as if by magic. The people said that these warriors would sweep through a world leaving destruction in their wake. They apparently abduct anyone who is swept up in their path, never to be heard from again. They are also viewed as an ill omen among the superstitious, and that news from other worlds they have visited report that great devastation is left in their wake. Some even believe them to be a divine punishment unleashed upon the wicked by the God-Emperor.

 

This is all we have to report at the moment.

 

+++ END TRANSMISSION +++

 

 

+++ INQUISITORIAL RECORD +++

 

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD [FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY]

 

FROM: [REDACTED]

 

TO: ORDO ASTARTES PERSONNEL

 

SUBJECT: STORM CROWS, CHAPTER, ADEPTUS ASTARTES

 

DATE: M38.855

 

After the Ordo hereticus first made contact with these Astartes five years ago we have since established dialogue. They introduced themselves as the Storm Crows, the XII chapter of the XIX Legiones Astartes. Upon consulting records, it was confirmed that they had been reported lost during the Great Scouring in M31. They made a full report of their activities during the intervening timeframe, and reported that they had been using a world called Alfheim, in the Segmentum Tempestus, as their primary recruiting grounds while also drawing recruits from warzones they had passed through. Many of their warriors had the characteristic ashen complexion and fully black eyes common to the Raven Guard gene seed. Many warriors wore pelts and talismens as well as having etched wards and runes into their armor. Furthermore they eschewed the use of a formal Librarius or Reclusiam, instead using informal structures they referred to as "Brotherhoods". Having been drawing heavily from the World of Alfheim, apparently since the days of the Great Crusade, they had taken on a distinct cultural identity which was far removed from the original Raven Guard of Deliverance. Apparently though, there are still Deliverance and Terran born Astartes serving in the ranks of the Storm Crows, giving them a distinct link to their roots as a chapter of the Nineteenth legion. They do maintain a highly structured and extensive Apothecarion. These apothecaries train adepts among the squads who are capable of performing limited duties of apothecaries.

 

Unfortunately they bristled at the suggestion that they were required to submit to following the Codex Astartes. They argued that the old Legion Structure had served them well for millennia and would not change. Part of this change also required the founding of a Librarius and Reclusiam, which they also refused. The issue became contentious when Inquisitor [REDACTED] asserted that their loyalty was suspect, because they refused to submit to the Codex Astartes. They particularly had issue with the reduction in squad size and the separation of psykers into a librarius. Instead, they insisted on adhering to the Edict of Nikea. They train their psykers within their brotherhood to be expert in the use of their powers. Pykers are forbidden from using their powers in all but the direst circumstances. Their Chaplains monitor the psykers to ensure that the edicts are observed, and any who use their powers without appropriate cause are marked for censure and punished.

 

The Storm Crows have a high incidence of psykers, most of which are latent, manifesting their Primarch's ability to hide from organic sight. Their incidence of fully realized psykers is roughly one in five, meaning that there are usually four in each legion squad. These psykers are dispersed in the squads to provide each squad a tactical advantage when battling chaos. It would  seem that the Storm Crows have directed the majority of their attention to fighting the forces of chaos. Upon further investigation, they will parlay and cease hostilities against Eldar in order to confront a chaos threat. In at least one instance they unleashed an Ork Waagh upon an unpopulated world in order to crush a Chaos threat.

 

They have declared it their intent to declare a crusade upon the forces of chaos and the traitor legions and tear out the taint root and stem. One stipulation they have accepted from the Codex Astartes is the need to be more selective in their recruiting practices. Though they still intend to take initiates from warzones wherever they find them.

 

The Storm Crows, in our determination, border on Renegade and would be declared such if not for their unwavering loyalty to the Emperor and the Imperium of Man. We are assured through their actions of the last eight millennia that their loyalty is not in question.

 

The Storm Crows bear closer scrutiny, as we do not know the full extent of their operations, only that which they have shared. They seem to be every bit as guarded as the Descendants of the Lion. They insist that they have always been and always will be, the Emperor's Hidden Hand.

 

Ave Imperator

 

+++ END TRANSMISSION +++

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job on the new story sections. I'm surprised the Chapter Librarius is organized as multiple "Brotherhoods" instead of under a central authority (the Chief Librarian); I thought this lack of a central authority would increase the risk some Librarians would seek to increase their powers via techniques and technologies for which they don't understand the risk, e.g., holding seances for spirits from the Warp (which may include Chaos Daemons), and using artifacts of "mysterious" origin (which may include Chaos relics). Does the Chapter have safety measures in place, in case one of its Librarians acts so foolishly- maybe a "Fatherhood" of Senior Librarians who police the Brotherhoods and punish those who stray too far?

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Good job on the new story sections. I'm surprised the Chapter Librarius is organized as multiple "Brotherhoods" instead of under a central authority (the Chief Librarian); I thought this lack of a central authority would increase the risk some Librarians would seek to increase their powers via techniques and technologies for which they don't understand the risk, e.g., holding seances for spirits from the Warp (which may include Chaos Daemons), and using artifacts of "mysterious" origin (which may include Chaos relics). Does the Chapter have safety measures in place, in case one of its Librarians acts so foolishly- maybe a "Fatherhood" of Senior Librarians who police the Brotherhoods and punish those who stray too far?

So It all goes back to the Edict of Nikea. The Chaplains of the Chapter are the watch dogs, who make sure that the Psykers don't go against their orders to not use their powers. The Librarius is a single brotherhood, while the chaplains form a different brotherhood. The Chaplains also look after the adherence to the Imperial Truth, ensuring loyalty to the Imperium above all else. The Brotherhood of Mystics (the informal librarius) is intended to ensure that psykers are trained to use their powers to ensure stability, but it is an informal structure. There's no chief librarian, as such, as a formalized position, the same can be said of the reclusiam. There are generally fewer Chaplains, usually one Senior Chaplain and a couple of assistants per company. The Psykers generally accept the ruling that they are not to explore their powers or otherwise mess around with warp touched artifacts. They serve as a safety mechanism in themselves to prevent corruption by chaos artifacts. The Chaplains review uses of psychic power and if they deem that it was in error, the perpetrator is usually marked for censure, which can be an execution if the breach was significant enough.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The Librarius and Reclusiam's informality makes me think of how real-world resistance groups are organized, compared to national armies; makes sense, considering Corax's history. Is the Chapter's leadership also informal, e.g., a Captain can openly insult his Chapter Master, who'll respond with insults instead of demanding his execution for the disrespect shown? (I'm taking inspiration from how US Army Special Forces operators are described in the book Black Hawk Down. The operators use a "Chinese Congress" in place of formal staff meetings, in which they openly use profanity, with no regard for rank.)

[Brother Lunkhead]

I like your new narrative and the chapter order of battle you posted 25 Oct 20  The non-codex compliant approach looks interesting, but I'm still a little fuzzy on how it looks when executed in the field. I suppose this will come in time as you develop more narratives.

 

The informal Librarius and the way Librarians are dispersed throughout the Chapter looks good and should work just fine. I am however, not sure about how the Chapter interprets "adhering to the Edict of Nikea". 

 

 

...they insisted on adhering to the Edict of Nikea. They train their psykers within their brotherhood to be expert in the use of their powers. Pykers are forbidden from using their powers in all but the direst circumstances. Their Chaplains monitor the psykers to ensure that the edicts are observed, and any who use their powers without appropriate cause are marked for censure and punished.

The Emperor's edict at Nikea FORBADE the Legions from utilizing psychers with the exception of Navigators and Astropaths. The Librariums were to be disbanded and former Librarians were not to use their powers at all. The Chaplains/Wardens were created to ensure that the Edict was enforced. Now, some Legions definitely disobeyed this edict to one degree or another. Magnus and his Thousand Sons flat out, completely disobeyed. The White Scars maintained their Stormseers (details on the how's and why's are a bit sketchy), and even Lehman Russ (who openly supported and sponsored the Edict) maintained Rune Priest (the justification here being that the Space Wolves believed Rune Priests derived their powers from the soul of Fenris and not from the Warp).

 

So, my question is, how exactly do the Storm Crows interpret the Edict of Nikea? Is their interpretation an intentional act of misinterpretation based on convenience or is it simply a misinterpretation based on their understanding of the Edict as it was handed down to them. Either way is fine.

 

Looking forward to seeing more narratives from you here

Edited May 22, 2021 by Brother Lunkhead

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

The Librarius and Reclusiam's informality makes me think of how real-world resistance groups are organized, compared to national armies; makes sense, considering Corax's history. Is the Chapter's leadership also informal, e.g., a Captain can openly insult his Chapter Master, who'll respond with insults instead of demanding his execution for the disrespect shown? (I'm taking inspiration from how US Army Special Forces operators are described in the book Black Hawk Down. The operators use a "Chinese Congress" in place of formal staff meetings, in which they openly use profanity, with no regard for rank.)

I'm still taking some nods from the Old Norse and Germanic tribes. If the insult were grievous enough it might end up in a fistfight, but no one would be executed for an insult regardless of who was the object of it. They have developed more leniency because of their isolated history, and having seen the state of the legion after Istvaan V they would be reluctant to waste valuable resources. The Astartes are also very careful, they don't read insults into comments, very little is taken personally. If a Veteran Sergeant tells the Chapter Master that his plan is flawed and wasteful, the Chapter Master listens. Officers are also chosen by a council of peers, and confirmed by an immediate superior. So Veteran Sergeants decide that a warrior is skilled enough to fill a vacancy, and the Lieutenant approves the promotion. Same way all the way up. The Chapter Master is different, he's chosen from among the Captains and the vote must be a two thirds majority or better. As a result, officers are often chosen who have the respect and confidence of their peers. As such, rank is a reflection of leadership ability rather than experience.

 

 

I like your new narrative and the chapter order of battle you posted 25 Oct 20  The non-codex compliant approach looks interesting, but I'm still a little fuzzy on how it looks when executed in the field. I suppose this will come in time as you develop more narratives.

 

The informal Librarius and the way Librarians are dispersed throughout the Chapter looks good and should work just fine. I am however, not sure about how the Chapter interprets "adhering to the Edict of Nikea".

Yeah. I'm going to be altering the order of battle a bit, as the chapter insists on keeping the 20 man squad structure. They rarely operate as a full squad, instead breaking down into smaller 5 man fireteams enabling a single squad to execute complex maneuvers. The squad is the smallest organizational structure in the chapter, since fireteams are informal. Each fireteam knows who is in it, and they're always the same, but the squad is the smallest unit in the Table of Organization and Equipment (TO&E).

 

The Librarius is informal because it doesn't exist in the TO&E. Officially a psyker is no different from a regular battle brother. The Librarian Brotherhood is something that the psykers formed on their own, to ensure that they maintain control over their powers. The Chaplain Brotherhood is the watch dog, and ensures that the chapter remains compliant. It is the chaplains who determine if a psyker needs to be censured. Basically a psyker is only allowed to use his powers to combat chaos, and even then it must be dire circumstances, like killing an Enemy Sorcerer or preventing their position from being overrun by Daemons. Exceptions exist, and that's why the Chaplains are the one who determine if a psyker needs censure.

 

They found that strict adherence to the Edict of Nikea was troublesome when fighting Chaos with their few numbers, especially when sorcerers are involved.

 

 

...they insisted on adhering to the Edict of Nikea. They train their psykers within their brotherhood to be expert in the use of their powers. Pykers are forbidden from using their powers in all but the direst circumstances. Their Chaplains monitor the psykers to ensure that the edicts are observed, and any who use their powers without appropriate cause are marked for censure and punished.

The Emperor's edict at Nikea FORBADE the Legions from utilizing psychers with the exception of Navigators and Astropaths. The Librariums were to be disbanded and former Librarians were not to use their powers at all. The Chaplains/Wardens were created to ensure that the Edict was enforced. Now, some Legions definitely disobeyed this edict to one degree or another. Magnus and his Thousand Sons flat out, completely disobeyed. The White Scars maintained their Stormseers (details on the how's and why's are a bit sketchy), and even Lehman Russ (who openly supported and sponsored the Edict) maintained Rune Priest (the justification here being that the Space Wolves believed Rune Priests derived their powers from the soul of Fenris and not from the Warp).

 

So, my question is, how exactly do the Storm Crows interpret the Edict of Nikea? Is their interpretation an intentional act of misinterpretation based on convenience or is it simply a misinterpretation based on their understanding of the Edict as it was handed down to them. Either way is fine.

 

Looking forward to seeing more narratives from you here

In most cases they follow the edict. That's why psykers are dispersed throughout the chapter's squads, there is no formal librarius. Psykers are trained by older Psykers to control and focus their powers, mostly to ensure that there is no accidental use of their powers and so that they can develop the mental defenses against corruption. Only when fighting chaos, can psychic power be unleashed, a fight fire with fire approach. The Storm Crows don't seek to add psykers to their number, but rather just allow them to occur naturally within their ranks. The higher rate of incidence of psykers would be a mutation of their gene seed due to campaigning so close to the Eye of Terror during the Great Scouring.

 

They see what they're doing as adhering to the spirit of the Edict, to prevent psykers from dabbling in the arcane mysteries like the Thousand Sons did, and to prevent psykers from posing a risk to their battle brothers, rather than the letter of the Edict. As such, the psykers of the Storm Crows are somewhat less capable than true librarians. They can erect walls of force to protect their brothers, or smite foes, or empower their blades, and the like, but their powers are primarily focused on combat applications. They are permitted to use their abilities passively to detect traces of warp manipulation or to sense objects imbued with warp energies. Also, having learned from the aftermath of Istvaan V, they may be called upon to probe minds to detect infiltrators, as the Alpha Legion had, which led to the failure of the Raptors.

 

The Storm Crows are a practical sort. Psykers are useful, but they cannot be encouraged to study the Arcane Mysteries, which they feel a formal librarius does. At the same time, each psyker knows that they should rely on their intelligence, equipment, physical ability, and skills to win battles, as the warp is fickle and their psychic powers too unreliable to build battle plans around.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

So senior Librarians choose as students Marines with psychic potential, and individually train these Marines, the way a knight trains a squire? Does the Chapter have specific terms for identifying a Librarian's training and experience level, the way "page, squire, knight" do for knights, or "apprentice, journeyman, master" do for those in a craftsman's guild? Or does it simply reuse the Codex terms "Lexicanium, Codicier, Epistolary"? Edited May 22, 2021 by Bjorn Firewalker

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

So senior Librarians choose as students Marines with psychic potential, and individually train these Marines, the way a knight trains a squire? Does the Chapter have specific terms for identifying a Librarian's training and experience level, the way "page, squire, knight" do for knights, or "apprentice, journeyman, master" do for those in a craftsman's guild? Or does it simply reuse the Codex terms "Lexicanium, Codicier, Epistolary"?

It's more informal like a mentor and student arrangement, since there's no actual structure. Junior psykers will often learn from more than one mentor as it's a more of a collective sharing of knowledge and experience. Also since there's no formal librarius, it also doesn't bar psykers from serving as officers, so you might have a Veteran Sergeant who is a psyker or a captain, or even the Chapter Master. Psykers are not encouraged to develop their abilities beyond control and utility. Though psykers are widespread among the Storm Crows, their use is extremely limited.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

So I've been giving some thought to how the Storm Crows would organize themselves. They would organize into self contained fighting forces called Strike Companies. A typical Strike company might look something like this:

 

2nd Strike Company  - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Apothecarion cadre, Chaplain

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant

   - 1 Battle Line Squad (20 men)

   - 1 Fire Support Squad (20 men)

   - 1 Close Support Squad (20 Men)

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 1 Battle Line Squad (20 men)

   - 1 Fire Support Squad (20 men)

   - 1 Close Support Squad (20 Men)

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 1 Battle Line Squad (20 men)

   - 1 Fire Support Squad (20 men)

   - 1 Close Support Squad (20 Men)

- 8 Invictor Warsuits/Dreadnoughts

 

Each Strike Company is supported by several squadrons of aircraft, a tank company (spartan assault tanks, and predators), a tank destroyer platoon (saber strike tanks), a strike cruiser capable of performing drop pod assaults, and a flotilla of smaller frigates.

 

The Order of battle for the Storm Crows would look something like this:

 

1st Company (Veterans) - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Apothecarion cadre, Chaplain

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Terminator squads (20 Men each)

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Veteran squads (20 men each) (Mix of Veteran Tactical Marines and Veteran Intercessors)

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Dark Fury Squads (20 Men each)

- 8 Dreadnoughts (Leviathans and Contemptors)

 

Strike Companies 2-5 - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Apothecarion cadre, Chaplain

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant

   - 1 Battle Line Squad (20 men)

   - 1 Fire Support Squad (20 men)

   - 1 Close Support Squad (20 Men)

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 1 Battle Line Squad (20 men)

   - 1 Fire Support Squad (20 men)

   - 1 Close Support Squad (20 Men)

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 1 Battle Line Squad (20 men)

   - 1 Fire Support Squad (20 men)

   - 1 Close Support Squad (20 Men)

- 8 Invictor Warsuits/Dreadnoughts

 

The point of the Strike Companies is to increase tactical flexibility. The First Company Veterans are never deployed as a single force and are deployed alongside strike companies headed for active warzones to provide a heavy assault element for breaking sieges or stalemates. A First company detachment usually looks like this:

 

1st Company detachment - Løjtnant

- 1 Terminator Squad (20 men each)

- 1 Veteran Squad (20 men each)

- 1 Dark Fury Squad (20 men each)

 

The rest of the Chapter's companies are unspecialized and typically used for garrison duty at the Rookery and as instructors for unaugmented initiates. They also serve as a replacement pool for the Strike Companies. They are unspecialized because every member of the Storm Crows Chapter is trained to use any piece of equipment. Each Løjtnant may equip his squads as best fits their strengths. As of the beginning of the Indomitus Crusade, Primaris Marines were dispersed throughout the chapter, though the Strike companies make more extensive use of them. The Garrison Companies look like this:

 

6th -9th Companies - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Apothecarion cadre, Chaplain

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Squads (20 men each)

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Squads (20 men each)

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3 Squads (20 men each)

 

The final company is the Recruit company. Unlike Codex Chapters, every member of the Storm Crows is trained as a Recon Marine, and with the specialized modifications made to their armor, power armor suffices for the role as well as scout armor. Scout armor is often used by the Battle Line squads of the Strike Companies. The Recruit Company uses the old legion methods and so recruits are fully outfitted in as little time as possible. The recruit company trains initiates in the use of their armor and rotates them into the Garrison Companies to be cross trained as Heavy weapons specialists, tactical specialists, or assault specialists. The Recruit Company Looks very similar to the Garrison Companies:

 

10th Company (Recruits)- Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Apothecarion cadre, Chaplain

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3-5 Squads (20 men each)

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3-5 Squads (20 men each)

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant

   - 3-5 Squads (20 men each)

 

The size of the recruit platoons can vary, sometimes each platoon could be up to five squads of 20 men, depending on how many recruits are taken in.

 

The Storm Crows disdain the Codex Astartes seeing it as restrictive and inflexible. Their doctrine of operating in small teams at the squad level is part of their doctrine of tactical flexibility, allowing a single squad to cover the same ground as four, while additionally giving them the ability to react independently and prevent the entire squad from being wiped out.

[Brother Lunkhead]

Thanks for your extrapolations and orders of battle. They clear up a lot of points for me  I still have some queries though. To speed things up a bit, I'll be highlighting quotes from you in blue as references for my comments.

 

They see what they're doing as adhering to the spirit of the Edict, to prevent psykers from dabbling in the arcane mysteries like the Thousand Sons did, and to prevent psykers from posing a risk to their battle brothers, rather than the letter of the Edict. As such, the psykers of the Storm Crows are somewhat less capable than true librarians. They can erect walls of force to protect their brothers, or smite foes, or empower their blades, and the like, but their powers are primarily focused on combat applications. They are permitted to use their abilities passively to detect traces of warp manipulation or to sense objects imbued with warp energies. Also, having learned from the aftermath of Istvaan V, they may be called upon to probe minds to detect infiltrators, as the Alpha Legion had, which led to the failure of the Raptors.

 

This looks to me that they are following the spirit of the Edict as they understand it, based on how they were given it, but not as it actually was. The Emperor's ultimate goal was to virtually eliminate humanity's contact with the Warp  (much like the Eldar). That was the point of his Webway Project. The point of the Edict of Nikea, not just to keep the Legions from dabbling in the mysteries of the Warp, but to minimize their contact with the Warp as much as possible. That was the spirit to which the letter was to apply. Of course, it turned out that the Edict of Nikea jumped the shark and left the loyalist Legions disarmed to an extent when the HH errupted.

 

The Storm Crows are a practical sort. Psykers are useful, but they cannot be encouraged to study the Arcane Mysteries, which they feel a formal librarius does. At the same time, each psyker knows that they should rely on their intelligence, equipment, physical ability, and skills to win battles, as the warp is fickle and their psychic powers too unreliable to build battle plans around.

 

Keep in mind that the Librarius was not just a school of training and study for developing the powers of the Librarians. It's primary purpose was that of an actual Library. It is a chapter's primary repository of knowledge in the form of chapter history, science, medicine, culture, war strategy/tactics, galactic cultures, etc. Librarians were not only the collectors and preservers of this knowledge, but were required to study and understand it. That's what made Librarians so valuable. Not only were they the bearers of the unique weapons of the Warp, but valuable advisers in the areas of strategy, tactics, and military intelligence.

 

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with your approach to Librarians. Your way can work too. I'm just saying you still need a repository and purveyor of knowledge. Perhaps the Chaplaincy could fulfill this function

 

Officially a psyker is no different from a regular battle brother.

 

Well..... that's not really true is it They really are "officially" recognized as different. They are integrated into the Chapter like regular Battle Brothers, but they have additional and different training and additional rules of engagement as well.

 

The Storm Crows disdain the Codex Astartes seeing it as restrictive and inflexible. Their doctrine of operating in small teams at the squad level is part of their doctrine of tactical flexibility, allowing a single squad to cover the same ground as four, while additionally giving them the ability to react independently and prevent the entire squad from being wiped out.

 

That was the point of the Codex, to eliminate the restrictions of the Principia Belicosa under which the Legions were organized and fought under, and increase the flexibility of the new Astartes fighting forces. The structure of the Codex chapters, and especially the Battle Companies was designed by Guilliman to maximize flexibility of the basic fighting unit in as wide a variety of combat environments as possible. It's true some chapters have a more restrictive view of the Codex, but even chapters that are considered Codex compliant, like the White Scars and the Raven Guard exhibit very different characteristics on the surface than what might be considered the most classic model (arguably) of compliance, the Ultramarines. Yet, they are still considered Codex compliant. On the surface, I'm not seeing how the Storm Crows force structure is any more flexible and battle philosophy is better than any of the wide variety of Codex compliant chapters.

 

Once again, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying or even inferring that you are incorrect in your approach, or that you should comply with the Codex in your force structure. I'm just saying that on the surface, it doesn't look any better. My critique here is not to change your mind, just give you some food for thought.

 

One thing that might help give me a better visual is to see what the weapons load out of your squads and combat teams look like. The tools that they possess will tell a lot about the variety of problems they can deal with on the ground. I'm talking about combat situations and not about a particular enemy they are facing.

 

4th Company (Destroyer Company)

I like that I've a Destroyer Company in my Hospitallers Militant Chapter.

 

Don't take any of my observations and critiques as suggesting in any shape or form that you are wrong or that you need to change anything. These are all just things to think about. I like what you are doing here and look forward to seeing more.

Edited May 23, 2021 by Brother Lunkhead

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Thanks for your extrapolations and orders of battle. They clear up a lot of points for me  I still have some queries though. To speed things up a bit, I'll be highlighting quotes from you in blue as references for my comments.

 

They see what they're doing as adhering to the spirit of the Edict, to prevent psykers from dabbling in the arcane mysteries like the Thousand Sons did, and to prevent psykers from posing a risk to their battle brothers, rather than the letter of the Edict. As such, the psykers of the Storm Crows are somewhat less capable than true librarians. They can erect walls of force to protect their brothers, or smite foes, or empower their blades, and the like, but their powers are primarily focused on combat applications. They are permitted to use their abilities passively to detect traces of warp manipulation or to sense objects imbued with warp energies. Also, having learned from the aftermath of Istvaan V, they may be called upon to probe minds to detect infiltrators, as the Alpha Legion had, which led to the failure of the Raptors.

 

This looks to me that they are following the spirit of the Edict as they understand it, based on how they were given it, but not as it actually was. The Emperor's ultimate goal was to virtually eliminate humanity's contact with the Warp  (much like the Eldar). That was the point of his Webway Project. The point of the Edict of Nikea, not just to keep the Legions from dabbling in the mysteries of the Warp, but to minimize their contact with the Warp as much as possible. That was the spirit to which the letter was to apply. Of course, it turned out that the Edict of Nikea jumped the shark and left the loyalist Legions disarmed to an extent when the HH errupted.

 

Originally, they adhered to the letter and actual intent of the Edict, as Corax had mandated. In the wake of the Horus Heresy and the Great Scouring, they still understood what the Edict was intended to do. However, the Knowledge that the Emperor was interred on the Golden Throne and his great work unfinished, it was deemed necessary to modify their understanding of the Edict. They realized that severing Humanity's connection to the warp was now impossible. So they minimize their interaction with the warp, while allowing themselves to keep a potent weapon against Chaos.

 

 

The Storm Crows are a practical sort. Psykers are useful, but they cannot be encouraged to study the Arcane Mysteries, which they feel a formal librarius does. At the same time, each psyker knows that they should rely on their intelligence, equipment, physical ability, and skills to win battles, as the warp is fickle and their psychic powers too unreliable to build battle plans around.

 

Keep in mind that the Librarius was not just a school of training and study for developing the powers of the Librarians. It's primary purpose was that of an actual Library. It is a chapter's primary repository of knowledge in the form of chapter history, science, medicine, culture, war strategy/tactics, galactic cultures, etc. Librarians were not only the collectors and preservers of this knowledge, but were required to study and understand it. That's what made Librarians so valuable. Not only were they the bearers of the unique weapons of the Warp, but valuable advisers in the areas of strategy, tactics, and military intelligence.

 

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with your approach to Librarians. Your way can work too. I'm just saying you still need a repository and purveyor of knowledge. Perhaps the Chaplaincy could fulfill this function

They don't need an actual librarius for that. The whole Chapter is devoted to the acquisition of knowledge and they see themselves as wardens of forgotten histories. One of the duties of the Recruit Company is to maintain and curate the accumulated knowledge of the Chapter. In this sense, the entire chapter is a librarius. Every member of the Chapter is expected to understand the texts. The Captains often maintain a reading list for the Brothers under their command.

 

This is a nod to Odin's twin ravens Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory). The Storm Crows are heavily influenced by the folklore of their adopted homeworld of Alfheim. Alfheim is a world heavily influenced by Scandinavian culture particularly Norse, and many traditions and folklore was passed down from the original settlers. Alfheim is a world of harsh tundra, temperate forests and mountains. The temperate rain-forests of the world had led the settlers to name the world after the mythical Land of the Elves, which is said to be lush and beautiful. The people of Alfheim have an almost spiritual connection to their world. The original settlers were largely Norse and Germanic Pagans and a minority of Celtic Pagans which all shared some similar folkloric traditions. This folklore forms a core part of allegory for the Storm Crows and their rituals.

 

 

Officially a psyker is no different from a regular battle brother.

 

Well..... that's not really true is it They really are "officially" recognized as different. They are integrated into the Chapter like regular Battle Brothers, but they have additional and different training and additional rules of engagement as well.

I suppose that's true. What I meant was that each Psyker is not separated out and held apart from regular battle brothers. They may have heard the wise words of Azhek Ahriman, when he said that his brothers should not use their powers to do things which they can do with their hands, for one day they might find themselves without access to their powers.

 

 

The Storm Crows disdain the Codex Astartes seeing it as restrictive and inflexible. Their doctrine of operating in small teams at the squad level is part of their doctrine of tactical flexibility, allowing a single squad to cover the same ground as four, while additionally giving them the ability to react independently and prevent the entire squad from being wiped out.

 

That was the point of the Codex, to eliminate the restrictions of the Principia Belicosa under which the Legions were organized and fought under, and increase the flexibility of the new Astartes fighting forces. The structure of the Codex chapters, and especially the Battle Companies was designed by Guilliman to maximize flexibility of the basic fighting unit in as wide a variety of combat environments as possible. It's true some chapters have a more restrictive view of the Codex, but even chapters that are considered Codex compliant, like the White Scars and the Raven Guard exhibit very different characteristics on the surface than what might be considered the most classic model (arguably) of compliance, the Ultramarines. Yet, they are still considered Codex compliant. On the surface, I'm not seeing how the Storm Crows force structure is any more flexible and battle philosophy is better than any of the wide variety of Codex compliant chapters.

 

The Storm Crows see the numerical restriction as a hindrance. Veterans had greater access to the armory and would frequently carry heavy and special weapons into battle. This practice was extended to non veterans, virtually eliminating the need for support squads. The ability for a fireteam advance with suppressing fire from a heavy bolter was seen as highly valuable. Veterans wielding combi-weapons would often fill the role that support squads once filled. Their numbers are roughly double that of a standard Codex Compliant Chapter, especially after reinforcement by Primaris Astartes. One Strike Company contains double the number of Astartes as a standard Codex Company, which allows them to cover double the amount of ground. When the Inquisition presented the Codex Astartes to the Storm Crows, they insisted that it must be followed to the letter. It's less about their way being better, and more about the idea of, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

 

One thing that might help give me a better visual is to see what the weapons load out of your squads and combat teams look like. The tools that they possess will tell a lot about the variety of problems they can deal with on the ground. I'm talking about combat situations and not about a particular enemy they are facing.

I thought I'd respond to this one separately. Each Strike company will look a bit different but here's the 2nd Strike Company:

 

2nd Strike Company  - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Apothecarion cadre, Chaplain

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant (Phobos)

   - 1 Battle Line Squad (20 men) - Intercessors

   - 1 Fire Support Squad (20 men) - Eliminators and Suppressors

   - 1 Close Support Squad (20 Men) - Rievers

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant ( Moritat)

   - 1 Battle Line Squad (20 men) - Tactical Squad, clad in stealth modified MkIV plate (Often deployed as Recon)

   - 1 Fire Support Squad (20 men) - Heavy Weapons Squad (Heresy Era formation)

   - 1 Close Support Squad (20 Men) - Assault Squad (alternatively equipped as Destroyers)

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant (Tacitus)

   - 1 Battle Line Squad (20 men) - Heavy Intercessors

   - 1 Fire Support Squad (20 men) - Aggressors and Eradicators

   - 1 Close Support Squad (20 Men) - Inceptors

- 4 Invictor Warsuits

- 2 Leviathan Dreadnoughts

- 2 Contemptor Dreadnoughts

 

The thing is, they operate a lot like special forces, equipping themselves as needed to face the particular mission. What is above is a generic loadout.

 

 

4th Company (Destroyer Company)

I like that I've a Destroyer Company in my Hospitallers Militant Chapter.

 

Don't take any of my observations and critiques as suggesting in any shape or form that you are wrong or that you need to change anything. These are all just things to think about. I like what you are doing here and look forward to seeing more.

 

With the switch towards the Strike Companies, the dedicated companies are not a thing I'm doing any more. I appreciate you bringing up things that I may have not thought about.

 

[Brother Lunkhead]

Good detailed response there sir Once again, to save time I'll highlight your words in blue (teal) as reference to my comments.

 

Originally, they adhered to the letter and actual intent of the Edict, as Corax had mandated. In the wake of the Horus Heresy and the Great Scouring, they still understood what the Edict was intended to do. However, the Knowledge that the Emperor was interred on the Golden Throne and his great work unfinished, it was deemed necessary to modify their understanding of the Edict. They realized that severing Humanity's connection to the warp was now impossible. So they minimize their interaction with the warp, while allowing themselves to keep a potent weapon against Chaos.

 

So, for practical reasons, the Storm Crows no longer follow the Edict of Nikea just like most loyalist chapters. The difference is psycher marines are dispersed throughout the Chapter and their rules of engagement is more restricted. But, let's not pretend that they still follow the Edict, because they don't.

 

It's interesting to note that the GW lore and fiction suggests that Warp corruption seldom if ever centers on those Astartes who utilize the warp, i.e. the Librarians This would suggest that the centralized Librarius system works pretty well. However, your decentralized approach and restrictions on Psycher Marines should work as well, and it adds nice diversity to the unofficial lore here in THE LIBER

 

They don't need an actual librarius for that. The whole Chapter is devoted to the acquisition of knowledge and they see themselves as wardens of forgotten histories. One of the duties of the Recruit Company is to maintain and curate the accumulated knowledge of the Chapter. In this sense, the entire chapter is a librarius. 

 

Actually, in this sense the Recruit Company is the Librarius.... and that works fine too.

 

The Captains often maintain a reading list for the Brothers under their command.

 

That's a nice touch with actual historical basis. Many military forces have reading lists for all or many ranks as they have in centuries past.

 

This is a nod to Odin's twin ravens Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory). The Storm Crows are heavily influenced by the folklore of their adopted homeworld of Alfheim. Alfheim is a world heavily influenced by Scandinavian culture particularly Norse, and many traditions and folklore was passed down from the original settlers. Alfheim is a world of harsh tundra, temperate forests and mountains. The temperate rain-forests of the world had led the settlers to name the world after the mythical Land of the Elves, which is said to be lush and beautiful. The people of Alfheim have an almost spiritual connection to their world. The original settlers were largely Norse and Germanic Pagans and a minority of Celtic Pagans which all shared some similar folkloric traditions. This folklore forms a core part of allegory for the Storm Crows and their rituals.

 

I like this.

 

When the Inquisition presented the Codex Astartes to the Storm Crows, they insisted that it must be followed to the letter. It's less about their way being better, and more about the idea of, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

There are many SM chapters in the official lore that don't follow the Codex, so I'm not sure this is a thing. I don't think many Chapter Masters are going to allow that kind of access to the Inquisition. They would consider it outside of their purview. As far as force structure goes, the Inquisition is going to be more concerned with chapters that exceed overall force numbers outside those mandated by the Codex.

 

I thought I'd respond to this one separately. Each Strike company will look a bit different but here's the 2nd Strike Company:

 

2nd Strike Company  - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Apothecarion cadre, Chaplain

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant (Phobos)

   - 1 Battle Line Squad (20 men) - Intercessors

   - 1 Fire Support Squad (20 men) - Eliminators and Suppressors

   - 1 Close Support Squad (20 Men) - Rievers

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant ( Moritat)

   - 1 Battle Line Squad (20 men) - Tactical Squad, clad in stealth modified MkIV plate (Often deployed as Recon)

   - 1 Fire Support Squad (20 men) - Heavy Weapons Squad (Heresy Era formation)

   - 1 Close Support Squad (20 Men) - Assault Squad (alternatively equipped as Destroyers)

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant (Tacitus)

   - 1 Battle Line Squad (20 men) - Heavy Intercessors

   - 1 Fire Support Squad (20 men) - Aggressors and Eradicators

   - 1 Close Support Squad (20 Men) - Inceptors

- 4 Invictor Warsuits

- 2 Leviathan Dreadnoughts

- 2 Contemptor Dreadnoughts

 

The thing is, they operate a lot like special forces, equipping themselves as needed to face the particular mission. What is above is a generic loadout.

 

I was just looking for generic loadout anyway, so thank you. 

 

FYI.... Loadout actually refers to weapons each troop type carries in combat, but your list (which is actually an order of battle list) suffices. Your order of battle is primarily made up of Primaris. Is the Storm Crows now mainly a Primaris chapter?

 

On the surface your chapter force structure does not look very efficient, but it is interesting and rather unique. Also, if it works for the Chapter, then that should be good enough

 

With the switch towards the Strike Companies, the dedicated companies are not a thing I'm doing any more. I appreciate you bringing up things that I may have not thought about.

 

That's fine. I did notice that you do have a Destroyer Squad, and that's cool

Edited May 24, 2021 by Brother Lunkhead

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

Good detailed response there sir Once again, to save time I'll highlight your words in blue (teal) as reference to my comments.

I like to think about this kind of stuff. I like to think that I'm my chapter master.

 

 

Originally, they adhered to the letter and actual intent of the Edict, as Corax had mandated. In the wake of the Horus Heresy and the Great Scouring, they still understood what the Edict was intended to do. However, the Knowledge that the Emperor was interred on the Golden Throne and his great work unfinished, it was deemed necessary to modify their understanding of the Edict. They realized that severing Humanity's connection to the warp was now impossible. So they minimize their interaction with the warp, while allowing themselves to keep a potent weapon against Chaos.

 

So, for practical reasons, the Storm Crows no longer follow the Edict of Nikea just like most loyalist chapters. The difference is psycher marines are dispersed throughout the Chapter and their rules of engagement is more restricted. But, let's not pretend that they still follow the Edict, because they don't.

 

It's interesting to note that the GW lore and fiction suggests that Warp corruption seldom if ever centers on those Astartes who utilize the warp, i.e. the Librarians This would suggest that the centralized Librarius system works pretty well. However, your decentralized approach and restrictions on Psycher Marines should work as well, and it adds nice diversity to the unofficial lore here in THE LIBER

 

I suppose you could look at it that way. I suppose that it would be more fair to say they'd like to, but reality of chaos is making it hard. I suppose where they differ from most is that they only break the edict when it concerns chaos. Otherwise they refuse to use psykers. Eldar witch? That's what the bolter and blade are for. Daemonic incursion? Kill it in warpflame. So in the strictest sense, they don't follow the edict.

 

 

They don't need an actual librarius for that. The whole Chapter is devoted to the acquisition of knowledge and they see themselves as wardens of forgotten histories. One of the duties of the Recruit Company is to maintain and curate the accumulated knowledge of the Chapter. In this sense, the entire chapter is a librarius. 

 

Actually, in this sense the Recruit Company is the Librarius.... and that works fine too.

I suppose. What I intended is that the entire chapter is responsible for gathering and cataloguing knowledge in the field, while the recruits curate the collection as an additional duty. Every battle brother is encouraged to provide after action reports and lessons learned to the records, to enhance the knowledge of the chapter. Only officers are required to provide reports, but every member of the chapter is a potential source of insight.

 

 

The Captains often maintain a reading list for the Brothers under their command.

 

That's a nice touch with actual historical basis. Many military forces have reading lists for all or many ranks as they have in centuries past.

I decided to add in an element from my own military experience. Since I wanted my Chapter to feel like they are students of war, but actually capable of fulfilling Guilliman's vision for the astartes after the conclusion of the great crusade. Guilliman wanted Warrior-Kings, but the Storm Crows took it a step further and decided that that was too limited a role, and that they should ply their transhuman minds to a myriad of pursuits that suit each warrior's talents. Some might be statesmen, others might be poets, philosophers, artists, teachers, or any number of pursuits which could enrich humanity.

 

 

This is a nod to Odin's twin ravens Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory). The Storm Crows are heavily influenced by the folklore of their adopted homeworld of Alfheim. Alfheim is a world heavily influenced by Scandinavian culture particularly Norse, and many traditions and folklore was passed down from the original settlers. Alfheim is a world of harsh tundra, temperate forests and mountains. The temperate rain-forests of the world had led the settlers to name the world after the mythical Land of the Elves, which is said to be lush and beautiful. The people of Alfheim have an almost spiritual connection to their world. The original settlers were largely Norse and Germanic Pagans and a minority of Celtic Pagans which all shared some similar folkloric traditions. This folklore forms a core part of allegory for the Storm Crows and their rituals.

 

I like this.

I love Norse mythology and European folklore, and I wanted them to have a unique flavor. Additionally, I was going to say that some of the Terran born of the original legionnaires were recruited from among Nordyc, and provided their own cultural spin among the Xeric tribesmen who formed the bulk of the Terran-born Raven Guard. Coupled with heavy recruiting from a heavily Norse influenced culture would enhance the Norse feel of the Chapter. To further their quest for knowledge was the discovery of a memory core pre-dating the fall of old night, and in it many things were discovered. Knowledge about ancient religions (still practiced on Alfheim) including a form of Christianity. Also in this memory core were pict scans of old religious manuscripts, notable for their beautiful calligraphy or their historical significance (the Gutenburg bible, the first instance of moveable type printing). While the Storm Crows are a secular bunch, their cultural heritage instills a certain respect for the beliefs of the past. On the whole, the Storm Crows adhere to the Imperial Truth, and are scientifically minded and put little stock in superstition.

 

 

When the Inquisition presented the Codex Astartes to the Storm Crows, they insisted that it must be followed to the letter. It's less about their way being better, and more about the idea of, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

There are many SM chapters in the official lore that don't follow the Codex, so I'm not sure this is a thing. I don't think many Chapter Masters are going to allow that kind of access to the Inquisition. They would consider it outside of their purview. As far as force structure goes, the Inquisition is going to be more concerned with chapters that exceed overall force numbers outside those mandated by the Codex.

That's fair. Their force structure does allow them to be approximately double the numbers of a codex compliant chapter. They don't really recognize the Inquisition's authority. At their rediscovery they had been out of contact with the Imperium for almost 9000 years. So all they knew was that these "Inquisitors" were representatives of the Imperium. Their relationship has soured with the Inquisition, going so far as to deem them heretics under the Orthodoxy of the Imperial Truth. They'll arrange for Inquisitors, who get in their way, to have "accidents" or "disappear". The Chapter Master has also just blatantly killed Inquisitors for threatening a compliant human population. They see the Inquisition as a threat to Humanity itself, very much mirroring their views about the Ecclesiarchy.

 

 

Good detailed response there sir Once again, to save time I'll highlight your words in blue (teal) as reference to my comments.

 

Originally, they adhered to the letter and actual intent of the Edict, as Corax had mandated. In the wake of the Horus Heresy and the Great Scouring, they still understood what the Edict was intended to do. However, the Knowledge that the Emperor was interred on the Golden Throne and his great work unfinished, it was deemed necessary to modify their understanding of the Edict. They realized that severing Humanity's connection to the warp was now impossible. So they minimize their interaction with the warp, while allowing themselves to keep a potent weapon against Chaos.

 

So, for practical reasons, the Storm Crows no longer follow the Edict of Nikea just like most loyalist chapters. The difference is psycher marines are dispersed throughout the Chapter and their rules of engagement is more restricted. But, let's not pretend that they still follow the Edict, because they don't.

 

It's interesting to note that the GW lore and fiction suggests that Warp corruption seldom if ever centers on those Astartes who utilize the warp, i.e. the Librarians This would suggest that the centralized Librarius system works pretty well. However, your decentralized approach and restrictions on Psycher Marines should work as well, and it adds nice diversity to the unofficial lore here in THE LIBER

 

They don't need an actual librarius for that. The whole Chapter is devoted to the acquisition of knowledge and they see themselves as wardens of forgotten histories. One of the duties of the Recruit Company is to maintain and curate the accumulated knowledge of the Chapter. In this sense, the entire chapter is a librarius. 

 

Actually, in this sense the Recruit Company is the Librarius.... and that works fine too.

 

The Captains often maintain a reading list for the Brothers under their command.

 

That's a nice touch with actual historical basis. Many military forces have reading lists for all or many ranks as they have in centuries past.

 

This is a nod to Odin's twin ravens Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory). The Storm Crows are heavily influenced by the folklore of their adopted homeworld of Alfheim. Alfheim is a world heavily influenced by Scandinavian culture particularly Norse, and many traditions and folklore was passed down from the original settlers. Alfheim is a world of harsh tundra, temperate forests and mountains. The temperate rain-forests of the world had led the settlers to name the world after the mythical Land of the Elves, which is said to be lush and beautiful. The people of Alfheim have an almost spiritual connection to their world. The original settlers were largely Norse and Germanic Pagans and a minority of Celtic Pagans which all shared some similar folkloric traditions. This folklore forms a core part of allegory for the Storm Crows and their rituals.

 

I like this.

 

When the Inquisition presented the Codex Astartes to the Storm Crows, they insisted that it must be followed to the letter. It's less about their way being better, and more about the idea of, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

There are many SM chapters in the official lore that don't follow the Codex, so I'm not sure this is a thing. I don't think many Chapter Masters are going to allow that kind of access to the Inquisition. They would consider it outside of their purview. As far as force structure goes, the Inquisition is going to be more concerned with chapters that exceed overall force numbers outside those mandated by the Codex.

 

I thought I'd respond to this one separately. Each Strike company will look a bit different but here's the 2nd Strike Company:

 

2nd Strike Company  - Kapten

-Company command squad, Vexilia, Apothecarion cadre, Chaplain

- 1st platoon - Løjtnant (Phobos)

   - 1 Battle Line Squad (20 men) - Intercessors

   - 1 Fire Support Squad (20 men) - Eliminators and Suppressors

   - 1 Close Support Squad (20 Men) - Rievers

- 2nd platoon - Løjtnant ( Moritat)

   - 1 Battle Line Squad (20 men) - Tactical Squad, clad in stealth modified MkIV plate (Often deployed as Recon)

   - 1 Fire Support Squad (20 men) - Heavy Weapons Squad (Heresy Era formation)

   - 1 Close Support Squad (20 Men) - Assault Squad (alternatively equipped as Destroyers)

- 3rd platoon - Løjtnant (Tacitus)

   - 1 Battle Line Squad (20 men) - Heavy Intercessors

   - 1 Fire Support Squad (20 men) - Aggressors and Eradicators

   - 1 Close Support Squad (20 Men) - Inceptors

- 4 Invictor Warsuits

- 2 Leviathan Dreadnoughts

- 2 Contemptor Dreadnoughts

 

The thing is, they operate a lot like special forces, equipping themselves as needed to face the particular mission. What is above is a generic loadout.

 

I was just looking for generic loadout anyway, so thank you. 

 

FYI.... Loadout actually refers to weapons each troop type carries in combat, but your list (which is actually an order of battle list) suffices.

I see, well let me explain a bit more. In the tactical squad, though they use legion squad sizes, the tacticals generally equip a heavy bolter with suspensor web for every five troopers. The Tactical Squad is a fire and maneuver element, and the point of the unit is to advance the heavy weapon. Intercessors also generally follow this same formula, regardless of whether they are heavy intercessors or not. A tactical or intercessor squad will always have a heavy bolter, and an auxiliary grenade launcher, and another marine may take a combi-weapon either plasma or melta to operate as the anti-armor specialist.

 

I'm actually drawing on real world experience here. In a four man fireteam you have a team leader, a grenadier, an automatic rifleman, and a rifleman. The Regular rifleman usually also has the lightest load and gets to carry the anti-armor weapons (an AT-4 or a SMAW) Since Space Marines work in squads of no less than five, there's an extra rifleman, and so one of them gets to take a combi-weapon to serve the role of anti-armor specialist. Generally the extra rifleman is the one in five psyker, so that way fireteam responsibilities are distributed. This is where the flexibility comes into play.

 

The Phobos and Gravis squads are different since they're generally utilizing specialized mission equipment. Phobos especially will carry things like melta-bombs, plasma charges, and suppressed boltguns to aid in stealth. To further this, the Phobos equipped marines are generally always Mor Deythan. They possess the Primarch's ability, the shadow walk, they can literally cloud the senses of others and avoid detection by biological means. They can literally disappear from sight. The Gravis armored astartes are basically what they are on the tin.

 

 

 

Your order of battle is primarily made up of Primaris. Is the Storm Crows now mainly a Primaris chapter?

The 2nd Strike Company uses more primaris than any other Company. I chose to represent the 40k elements of my collection. However, most of the new astartes being created by the Chapter use the primaris version of their gene seed, so most of the Recruits will be primaris. Many Sergeants elect to attempt to cross the Rubicon Primaris in order to preserve the integrity of the Chapter's leadership as they make the transition. Several Deliverance and Terran born Legion veterans have successfully made the transition. They continue to make extensive use of firstborn astartes, especially in the legion specific formations such as seekers, destroyers, and nullificators. Moritats often lead destroyer platoons, and Vigilators often lead Seeker Platoons. Nullificators exist outside of the standard company structure, and are a special formation of their own. They are made up of veterans of the Horus Heresy and the Great Scouring, clad in warded cataphractii armor weilding archaic aether-shock mauls. They also still make use of Jetbikes, as they still exist in their armories.

 

One thing to note, Destroyer Platoons and Moritats are usually made up of shadow killers, Men who have succumb to the Sable Brand (Ash Blindness as it is called by Terran Born), a flaw where overly stressed astartes find their skin to drain of color, their eyes to darken (reseembling theeir Primarch) prematurely, and their temperament to fall into suicidal rage, killing all enemies before them until they die or run out of enemies. As their Primarch did before them, they are gathered into units where their suicidal tendencies can be useed to tactical benefit.

 

But no, overall they are not a Primaris Chapter, yet.

 

 

On the surface your chapter force structure does not look very efficient, but it is interesting and rather unique. Also, if it works for the Chapter, then that should be good enough

As I detailed earlier, once you get to the typical tactical and intercessor squad breakdown, the flexibility starts to come into focus. Each strike company has a mix of special reconaissance/raiding elements, quick response forces (QRF), and heavy assault elements, allowing a single company to execute a variety of missions. One thing is that the order of battle I posted, does not account for the armor and air support they command, and utilize a combined arms approach to multiply the force that any one element can bring to bear. It's based somewhat on the USMC's Marine Expiditionary Unit (MEU) or the US Army's Regimental/Brigade Combat Team (RCT/BCT) concepts. The Idea is to have a self contained fighting force which doesn't require outside units to function effectively. Each Strike company uses different units to accomplish these core functions but thosee core functions are always present in a strike company.

 

Additionally, a commander of a Strike Company is a Captain (Kapten, in the dialect used by the Storm Crows) by rank, Strike Captains are referred to as such, to differentiate them from the other Captains.

 

 

With the switch towards the Strike Companies, the dedicated companies are not a thing I'm doing any more. I appreciate you bringing up things that I may have not thought about.

 

That's fine. I did notice that you do have a Destroyer Squad, and that's cool

While I'm not doing dedicated companies, platoons might be dedicated. I like destroyers.

 

Another thing I was thinking about was having them pick up and "adopt" orphans of betrayal, which could contribute to deviations from standard Raven Guard Practices as they learn new ways of waging war, like terror tactics from Night Lords Loyalists, and Siege breaking tactics from Loyalist Iron Warriors, and may possibly their psychic potential and discipline from a handful of loyalist Thousand Sons. Essentially they're Raven Guard but have absorbed elements from other legions. Just an Idea I was playing with.

 

Edited May 30, 2021 by Ulrik_Ironfist

[Brother Lunkhead]

 

I love Norse mythology and European folklore, and I wanted them to have a unique flavor. Additionally, I was going to say that some of the Terran born of the original legionnaires were recruited from among Nordyc, and provided their own cultural spin among the Xeric tribesmen who formed the bulk of the Terran-born Raven Guard. Coupled with heavy recruiting from a heavily Norse influenced culture would enhance the Norse feel of the Chapter. To further their quest for knowledge was the discovery of a memory core pre-dating the fall of old night, and in it many things were discovered. Knowledge about ancient religions (still practiced on Alfheim) including a form of Christianity. Also in this memory core were pict scans of old religious manuscripts, notable for their beautiful calligraphy or their historical significance (the Gutenburg bible, the first instance of moveable type printing). While the Storm Crows are a secular bunch, their cultural heritage instills a certain respect for the beliefs of the past. On the whole, the Storm Crows adhere to the Imperial Truth, and are scientifically minded and put little stock in superstition.

 

Brother Lunkhead, on 24 May 2021 - 10:20 AM, said:http://bolterandchainsword.com//public/style_images/carbon_red/snapback.png

When the Inquisition presented the Codex Astartes to the Storm Crows, they insisted that it must be followed to the letter. It's less about their way being better, and more about the idea of, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

 

There are many SM chapters in the official lore that don't follow the Codex, so I'm not sure this is a thing. I don't think many Chapter Masters are going to allow that kind of access to the Inquisition. They would consider it outside of their purview. As far as force structure goes, the Inquisition is going to be more concerned with chapters that exceed overall force numbers outside those mandated by the Codex.

 

That's fair. Their force structure does allow them to be approximately double the numbers of a codex compliant chapter. They don't really recognize the Inquisition's authority. At their rediscovery they had been out of contact with the Imperium for almost 9000 years. So all they knew was that these "Inquisitors" were representatives of the Imperium. Their relationship has soured with the Inquisition, going so far as to deem them heretics under the Orthodoxy of the Imperial Truth. They'll arrange for Inquisitors, who get in their way, to have "accidents" or "disappear". The Chapter Master has also just blatantly killed Inquisitors for threatening a compliant human population. They see the Inquisition as a threat to Humanity itself, very much mirroring their views about the Ecclesiarchy.

Several chapters have butted heads with the Inquisition to the point of violence (the Space Wolves and Flesh Tearers for example) and gotten away with it (somewhat) while others have been sanctioned (with extreme prejudice) for less (the Celestial Lions come to mind). I wouldn't make a habit of disappearing Inquisitors. While the Storm Crows may not like the Inquisition and may from time to time come into conflict with them, it would be foolish to be blind to the authority they possess. Remember, in the grimdark future of the 40Kverse, there is no such thing as burden of proof, and due process is a bolt round. And while that may work both ways, the Inquisition has more resources to draw on.

 

 

One thing to note, Destroyer Platoons and Moritats are usually made up of shadow killers, Men who have succumb to the Sable Brand (Ash Blindness as it is called by Terran Born), a flaw where overly stressed astartes find their skin to drain of color, their eyes to darken (reseembling theeir Primarch) prematurely, and their temperament to fall into suicidal rage, killing all enemies before them until they die or run out of enemies. As their Primarch did before them, they are gathered into units where their suicidal tendencies can be useed to tactical benefit.

 

I'd forgotten about the Shadow Killers. That looks good.

 

Brother Lunkhead, on 24 May 2021 - 10:20 AM, said:http://bolterandchainsword.com//public/style_images/carbon_red/snapback.png

On the surface your chapter force structure does not look very efficient, but it is interesting and rather unique. Also, if it works for the Chapter, then that should be good enough

 

As I detailed earlier, once you get to the typical tactical and intercessor squad breakdown, the flexibility starts to come into focus. Each strike company has a mix of special reconaissance/raiding elements, quick response forces (QRF), and heavy assault elements, allowing a single company to execute a variety of missions. One thing is that the order of battle I posted, does not account for the armor and air support they command, and utilize a combined arms approach to multiply the force that any one element can bring to bear. It's based somewhat on the USMC's Marine Expiditionary Unit (MEU) or the US Army's Regimental/Brigade Combat Team (RCT/BCT) concepts. The Idea is to have a self contained fighting force which doesn't require outside units to function effectively. Each Strike company uses different units to accomplish these core functions but thosee core functions are always present in a strike company.

Ah ha I suspected that was the organizational structure you were going for (that's why I was interested in seeing your troop loadout). That should work just fine.

 

 

Another thing I was thinking about was having them pick up and "adopt" orphans of betrayal, which could contribute to deviations from standard Raven Guard Practices as they learn new ways of waging war, like terror tactics from Night Lords Loyalists, and Siege breaking tactics from Loyalist Iron Warriors, and may possibly their psychic potential and discipline from a handful of loyalist Thousand Sons. Essentially they're Raven Guard but have absorbed elements from other legions. Just an Idea I was playing with.

That's a very interesting idea, with lots of potential. However, you might be overloading your chapter. A chapter with too many skills and abilities can run the danger of looking like the Ultramarines (not excelling in any one area, but competent over a broad area) and risk overshadowing the skill set that your chapter excels at, thus muddling it's unique look. Giving your chapter so many skill sets also runs the risk of making them look like a Mary Sue chapter (even if they aren't). I suggest you keep this idea to build another chapter around.

 

Overall, the Storm Crows are shaping up quite nicely. Looks to be a very interesting and unique chapter. I'm looking forward to seeing more.... just try not to kill off too many Inquisitors

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

 

 

I love Norse mythology and European folklore, and I wanted them to have a unique flavor. Additionally, I was going to say that some of the Terran born of the original legionnaires were recruited from among Nordyc, and provided their own cultural spin among the Xeric tribesmen who formed the bulk of the Terran-born Raven Guard. Coupled with heavy recruiting from a heavily Norse influenced culture would enhance the Norse feel of the Chapter. To further their quest for knowledge was the discovery of a memory core pre-dating the fall of old night, and in it many things were discovered. Knowledge about ancient religions (still practiced on Alfheim) including a form of Christianity. Also in this memory core were pict scans of old religious manuscripts, notable for their beautiful calligraphy or their historical significance (the Gutenburg bible, the first instance of moveable type printing). While the Storm Crows are a secular bunch, their cultural heritage instills a certain respect for the beliefs of the past. On the whole, the Storm Crows adhere to the Imperial Truth, and are scientifically minded and put little stock in superstition.

Thanks!

 

 

That's fair. Their force structure does allow them to be approximately double the numbers of a codex compliant chapter. They don't really recognize the Inquisition's authority. At their rediscovery they had been out of contact with the Imperium for almost 9000 years. So all they knew was that these "Inquisitors" were representatives of the Imperium. Their relationship has soured with the Inquisition, going so far as to deem them heretics under the Orthodoxy of the Imperial Truth. They'll arrange for Inquisitors, who get in their way, to have "accidents" or "disappear". The Chapter Master has also just blatantly killed Inquisitors for threatening a compliant human population. They see the Inquisition as a threat to Humanity itself, very much mirroring their views about the Ecclesiarchy.

Several chapters have butted heads with the Inquisition to the point of violence (the Space Wolves and Flesh Tearers for example) and gotten away with it (somewhat) while others have been sanctioned (with extreme prejudice) for less (the Celestial Lions come to mind). I wouldn't make a habit of disappearing Inquisitors. While the Storm Crows may not like the Inquisition and may from time to time come into conflict with them, it would be foolish to be blind to the authority they possess. Remember, in the grimdark future of the 40Kverse, there is no such thing as burden of proof, and due process is a bolt round. And while that may work both ways, the Inquisition has more resources to draw on.

Obviously they'd rather just go behind the Inquisitor's back to get things done and just minimize the Inquisitor's ability to interfere. While they didn't at first, they do now understand the authority they possess, but they don't recognize its validity. They have ancients who fought by the Emperor's side (Unification wars and Pre-Ullanor), and know how he'd feel about the Inquisition and Ecclesiarchy. It would be more fair to say that they butt heads more than end up in open conflict.

 

 

One thing to note, Destroyer Platoons and Moritats are usually made up of shadow killers, Men who have succumb to the Sable Brand (Ash Blindness as it is called by Terran Born), a flaw where overly stressed astartes find their skin to drain of color, their eyes to darken (resembling their Primarch) prematurely, and their temperament to fall into suicidal rage, killing all enemies before them until they die or run out of enemies. As their Primarch did before them, they are gathered into units where their suicidal tendencies can be used to tactical benefit.

 

I'd forgotten about the Shadow Killers. That looks good.

Yeah, I thought about potentially having them like my nullificators as a formation outside of the company structures, because of their specialized nature.

 

 

 

Brother Lunkhead, on 24 May 2021 - 10:20 AM, said:http://bolterandchainsword.com//public/style_images/carbon_red/snapback.png

On the surface your chapter force structure does not look very efficient, but it is interesting and rather unique. Also, if it works for the Chapter, then that should be good enough

 

 

As I detailed earlier, once you get to the typical tactical and intercessor squad breakdown, the flexibility starts to come into focus. Each strike company has a mix of special reconnaissance/raiding elements, quick response forces (QRF), and heavy assault elements, allowing a single company to execute a variety of missions. One thing is that the order of battle I posted, does not account for the armor and air support they command, and utilize a combined arms approach to multiply the force that any one element can bring to bear. It's based somewhat on the USMC's Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) or the US Army's Regimental/Brigade Combat Team (RCT/BCT) concepts. The Idea is to have a self contained fighting force which doesn't require outside units to function effectively. Each Strike company uses different units to accomplish these core functions but those core functions are always present in a strike company.

Ah ha I suspected that was the organizational structure you were going for (that's why I was interested in seeing your troop loadout). That should work just fine.

I figured that once I explained a bit more in detail that the flexibility would start to become evident.

 

 

Another thing I was thinking about was having them pick up and "adopt" orphans of betrayal, which could contribute to deviations from standard Raven Guard Practices as they learn new ways of waging war, like terror tactics from Night Lords Loyalists, and Siege breaking tactics from Loyalist Iron Warriors, and may possibly their psychic potential and discipline from a handful of loyalist Thousand Sons. Essentially they're Raven Guard but have absorbed elements from other legions. Just an Idea I was playing with.

That's a very interesting idea, with lots of potential. However, you might be overloading your chapter. A chapter with too many skills and abilities can run the danger of looking like the Ultramarines (not excelling in any one area, but competent over a broad area) and risk overshadowing the skill set that your chapter excels at, thus muddling it's unique look. Giving your chapter so many skill sets also runs the risk of making them look like a Mary Sue chapter (even if they aren't). I suggest you keep this idea to build another chapter around.

I wasn't planning to overdo it, just picking up a handful here and there, and mostly Night Lords, Iron Warriors, and Thousand Sons. This would allow them to benefit from those while putting a distinctly Raven Guard twist on it. The idea was that these additions would enhance their tactics, not make them good at everything. Basically they would be used as a "red cell" or "OpFor". The Night Lords would be able to teach their terror tactics, which would play into the Chapter using their reputation for PsyOps, to degrade enemy morale. The Iron Warriors would be able to teach them about the intricacies of trench warfare, thus allowing them to refine their abilities to break stalemates and the knowledge of fortifications to learn how to break them. The Thousand Sons would be able to help teach their large numbers of psykers. That was the idea.

 

 

Overall, the Storm Crows are shaping up quite nicely. Looks to be a very interesting and unique chapter. I'm looking forward to seeing more.... just try not to kill off too many Inquisitors

 

Thanks, I'm putting a lot of effort into this. As for inquisitors... I make no promises...

 

[Brother Lunkhead]

 

Another thing I was thinking about was having them pick up and "adopt" orphans of betrayal, which could contribute to deviations from standard Raven Guard Practices as they learn new ways of waging war, like terror tactics from Night Lords Loyalists, and Siege breaking tactics from Loyalist Iron Warriors, and may possibly their psychic potential and discipline from a handful of loyalist Thousand Sons. Essentially they're Raven Guard but have absorbed elements from other legions. Just an Idea I was playing with.

That's a very interesting idea, with lots of potential. However, you might be overloading your chapter. A chapter with too many skills and abilities can run the danger of looking like the Ultramarines (not excelling in any one area, but competent over a broad area) and risk overshadowing the skill set that your chapter excels at, thus muddling it's unique look. Giving your chapter so many skill sets also runs the risk of making them look like a Mary Sue chapter (even if they aren't). I suggest you keep this idea to build another chapter around.

I wasn't planning to overdo it, just picking up a handful here and there, and mostly Night Lords, Iron Warriors, and Thousand Sons. This would allow them to benefit from those while putting a distinctly Raven Guard twist on it. The idea was that these additions would enhance their tactics, not make them good at everything. Basically they would be used as a "red cell" or "OpFor". The Night Lords would be able to teach their terror tactics, which would play into the Chapter using their reputation for PsyOps, to degrade enemy morale. The Iron Warriors would be able to teach them about the intricacies of trench warfare, thus allowing them to refine their abilities to break stalemates and the knowledge of fortifications to learn how to break them. The Thousand Sons would be able to help teach their large numbers of psykers. That was the idea.

To me, that still looks like way too much. I would suggest picking one of these. Thousand Sons and their emphasis on use of psychic powers sort of nullifies your idea of minimal use of psykers. Iron Warrior trench and seige warfare tactics would be nice, but seems to go against the Raven Guard flavor. Night Lord terror tactics would seem to fit best.

Edited May 31, 2021 by Brother Lunkhead

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

 

 

Another thing I was thinking about was having them pick up and "adopt" orphans of betrayal, which could contribute to deviations from standard Raven Guard Practices as they learn new ways of waging war, like terror tactics from Night Lords Loyalists, and Siege breaking tactics from Loyalist Iron Warriors, and may possibly their psychic potential and discipline from a handful of loyalist Thousand Sons. Essentially they're Raven Guard but have absorbed elements from other legions. Just an Idea I was playing with.

That's a very interesting idea, with lots of potential. However, you might be overloading your chapter. A chapter with too many skills and abilities can run the danger of looking like the Ultramarines (not excelling in any one area, but competent over a broad area) and risk overshadowing the skill set that your chapter excels at, thus muddling it's unique look. Giving your chapter so many skill sets also runs the risk of making them look like a Mary Sue chapter (even if they aren't). I suggest you keep this idea to build another chapter around.

I wasn't planning to overdo it, just picking up a handful here and there, and mostly Night Lords, Iron Warriors, and Thousand Sons. This would allow them to benefit from those while putting a distinctly Raven Guard twist on it. The idea was that these additions would enhance their tactics, not make them good at everything. Basically they would be used as a "red cell" or "OpFor". The Night Lords would be able to teach their terror tactics, which would play into the Chapter using their reputation for PsyOps, to degrade enemy morale. The Iron Warriors would be able to teach them about the intricacies of trench warfare, thus allowing them to refine their abilities to break stalemates and the knowledge of fortifications to learn how to break them. The Thousand Sons would be able to help teach their large numbers of psykers. That was the idea.

To me, that still looks like way too much. I would suggest picking one of these. Thousand Sons and their emphasis on use of psychic powers sort of nullifies your idea of minimal use of psykers. Iron Warrior trench and seige warfare tactics would be nice, but seems to go against the Raven Guard flavor. Night Lord terror tactics would seem to fit best.

 

I see what you're saying. So I'll just go with my original idea about why they have so many psykers, even though they heavily restrict their use (Mutation from campaigning near the eye of terror for too long during the great scouring). I'll Just stick with them having taken in some Night Lords and adapted the Terror Tactics and Psychological Warfare, though not to the same extent, though they might be willing to do things like leaving the bodies of tyrants and collaborators in public places to warn populations about the price of tyranny and treason. Or using terror to root out chaos cultists. It would really do a lot to make them feared by the majority of the imperium.

[Brother Lunkhead]

That looks like a good approach. Terror tactics are dicey to use effectively. I think aiming them mainly against specific targets like tyrants, collaborators and cults will be effective against those types of targets and send the right messages to the public. This approach is much more surgical and better than the Night Lord approach of spreading broad terror across entire populations to achieve compliance. This will give pause to the guilty and confidence to the population at large that justice is being done.

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

That looks like a good approach. Terror tactics are dicey to use effectively. I think aiming them mainly against specific targets like tyrants, collaborators and cults will be effective against those types of targets and send the right messages to the public. This approach is much more surgical and better than the Night Lord approach of spreading broad terror across entire populations to achieve compliance. This will give pause to the guilty and confidence to the population at large that justice is being done.

That was my hope. I was thinking that they'd be feared because of their tendency to leave bodies in their wake, but at the same time, their use of Mor Deythan would make their actions unseen. A plea for help from Imperial Citizens on a world where the local Governor has them under his boot heel, sees the Storm Crows show up and they kill his lackeys and they all end up on spikes in the town square, with no one any the wiser. Or very publicly at a mandatory celebration of the governor, a Storm Crows Astartes fades in from the gloom, rams a lighting claw through his torso and throws the body to the crowd and murders the lackeys in full view of the crowd. Showing them all that tyranny will not be tolerated. Or working with insurgents to install a more just governor.

 

Basically they very brutally deal with anyone who makes the lives of Imperial Citizens oppressively crap. Making the Imperium a better place, one savage murder at a time.

[Brother Lunkhead]

Nice 

[Ulrik_Ironfist]

So I detailed how the Tactical and Intercessor squads typically loadout, so I figured that I'd detail how the Recon/special forces elements load out. I also figured that I'd outline some of their combat doctrine as well.

 

For Reiver squads the loadout is usually a Bolt Carbine, Special issue Bolt Pistol, a Combat knife, frag and krak grenades. One in five is a psyker. One in Five is a helix adept (medic). One in five carries an auxiliary grenade launcher attached to his carbine. One in five is a demolitions specialist, and one in five is a team leader. Generally seeker squads follow this model as well. Reiver squads of the Storm Crows, like the seekers, use special issue ammunition to deal with a variety of targets. As the Reivers and seekers are all members of the Mor Deythan they share a similar role within the chapter. Seekers will occasionally deviate from this standard loadout when tasked with certain missions, which may require the use of more specialized weapons (such as combi-plas or combi-melta) to eliminate certain targets, while the Phobos equipped primaris squads are usually generalists. In some situations the team leaders may equip their carbines as combi-weapons.

 

Using their ties to the Raven Guard Chapter, they have had the Forgeworld of Kiavahr modify their weapon patterns to be modular, allowing them to equip optics, and reconfigure their weapons in order to facilitate rapid changes based on mission parameters. This notion of flexible and modular weapons is born of records from their data archives. They have a plethora of accounts detailing that soldiers wielded effective weapons which served not just as weapons but platforms for the mounting of devices which could be used to signal air support and designate targets, as well as assist in targeting their own weapons. Further separating the Patterns of weapons used by the Storm Crows is the addition of a collapsible buttstock to the standard bolt weapons used throughout the chapter.

 

The Storm Crows stress individual marksmanship, and are experts at using that marksmanship to sow confusion and disorder among enemy forces by eliminating commanders and warleaders. Among the records they found was a paper by an obscure author, which detailed a concept the author called "Entropy Based Warfare" in which the goal of combat operations was to structure operations to maximize the concepts of lethality, friction, and disruption.

 

The Storm Crows will often attack supply lines and command and control, while forcing an enemy to dedicate tremendous troop resources to hunting them down. Ambush tactics are therefore essential to maximize enemy casualties. Further enhancing their effectiveness is their own emphasis on robust command and control structures. This means that a single team of five can infiltrate, designate targets from hundreds of meters away, and have air assets strike the target, keeping the astartes out of danger.

 

The First Company detachments usually serve as heavy assault elements and use armor support such as land raiders and predator tanks.