A disturbing trend ...

[Helias_Tancred]

I remember when the Reclusiarch command squad set was released I found it odd that a head sans helmet was also provided for the chaplain model? The lore stressed it was a hallmark of the space marine chaplain that they rarely if ever remove their skull helmet unless alone or with other chaplains? But hey, its this guy and that messed up old Ultramarines Chaplain (Cassius) that had half his face eaten off by Tyranids. I get that.

Fast forward well into the primaris space marine release, and ever-increasing chaplain models are also shipping with a bare head on the sprue, some with the bare head intended as how it should be built, and lacking a skull helm. Accompanying this are Black Library book covers depicting helm-less chaplains, I just saw the soon-to-be-released Flesh Tearers novel that has the chaplain character showing off his Sanguinius genetic traits for his face. lol.

When I got into the hobby Chaplains always had a very stern and menacing vibe compared to the marines they led or tended to. Part of that was the fact they rarely ever revealed their faces. This is obviously a gripe post, but I for one prefer that old standard is maintained among the product line. It adds to the genre vs taking away a special element from it.

I don't always agree with what GW does, and this is one of them. 

 

 

[Lord_Ikka]

I wouldn't say it is that big of a deal- out of the last four chaplains they've released, only the Indomitus box/Honoured of the Chapter box Chaplain is unhelmed without any other option. He also, like Cassius, has considerable bionic parts on half his face. Grimaldus, the Chaplain with the hooded coat, and the Chaplain on a Bike are all fully skull-helmed, with only the biker Chaplain having a bare-face head option in the box (and I don't know of anyone personally who has used it on theirs). So I'd say the majority of new Chaplain models conform to the standard fluff of Chaplains' having a skull helm.

 

As far as the Black Library stuff goes, I rarely pay attention to the covers so can't comment on whether or not they have a lot of unhelmed Chaplains. I certainly haven't noticed many of the Chaplains depicted in the novels going without their helms. 

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

Even if a kit didn’t come with a bare head you could always swap the helmet out, and there are FB ones that come with one.

[Majkhel]

We could theorize it's part of the trend to humanify Astartes. 

I always put helmets on my Chaplains' heads including the Indomitus one. That particular head by the way is in the strict top 5 of Marine faces for me as far as expression and sculpt quality goes. It's simply awesome and I'm happy it was made and that I still have one more in my bitz box

Edited September 8, 2022 by Majkhel

[Xenith]

I was going with the standard head on my Indo chappy, however I do recall that lore snipped and you're making me reconsider...

I think the Indo chappy was more a call back to the model that inspired it, as opposed to moving away from that fluff. 

 

[Blindhamster]

I also thought reclusiarchs did go unhelmeted, where regular chaplains generally did not.

that said, as others have noted, not wearing a helmet isn't entirely new, even for chaplains.

[Chaplain Killmer]

I would not call it a trend, because even in the metal days we got Chaplains that didn't wear their helmets - maybe most prominent the old Chaplain on bike and his counterpart on foot.

[Orange Knight]

Most Chaplains still have helmets. I don't think anything has changed ...

 

 

[Marshal Reinhard]

Theres been unhelmeted chaplains since forever. There's no real trend to speak of.

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

That old fluff seems particularly badly written.

It implies chaplains never take off their armor or walk around with only their helmets on when not wearing armor.

[Captain Idaho]

I don't mind the idea of a helmet only Chaplain to be faceless servants of the Empeor and all, but I have a 3rd edition Chaplain without a helmet and there's definitely art and models from 2nd edition with Chaplains without their helmets.

Do we have any modern Chaplains with helmetless bonces besides the alternative heads? I guess not since we don't have metal models anymore?

Edited September 9, 2022 by Captain Idaho

[Brother Tyler]

I don't see anything in either of the Index Astartes articles on Chaplains (1st and 3rd editions) that implies that they never remove their helmets. Nor do I see anything in any of the codices that I've checked (admittedly, I've only checked the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 8th editions so far). Where is this lore that implies that Chaplains never remove their helmets?

[WARMASTER_]

12 hours ago, Brother Tyler said:

I don't see anything in either of the Index Astartes articles on Chaplains (1st and 3rd editions) that implies that they never remove their helmets. Nor do I see anything in any of the codices that I've checked (admittedly, I've only checked the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 8th editions so far). Where is this lore that implies that Chaplains never remove their helmets?

It comes from Helreach I believe? Grimaldus says chaplains rarely take off their helms around their brothers and never to outsiders of the chapter

he then proceeds to show a titan princeps his face…..

Much like the quote from the same book “We don’t wear his symbol… We are his Symbol” it’s a great little piece of world building but definitely not the definitive rule  

 

[WARMASTER_]

On 9/8/2022 at 7:09 PM, Inquisitor_Lensoven said:

That old fluff seems particularly badly written.

It implies chaplains never take off their armor or walk around with only their helmets on when not wearing armor.

It’s really not badly written at all…

it’s implying that chaplains are a step apart form their brothers, the face a battle brother sees when they stare upon a Chaplains grim visage is the immortal emperors, he’s becoming an embodiment of the emperors wrath/Faith/Judgment etc 

In a practical sense it’s simply that a chaplain won’t be seen without his helmet in front of battle brothers [without sufficient rank] where as inside his personal chambers his obviously going to take off he’s armour/Helmet at certain points 

Edited September 10, 2022 by BladeOfVengeance

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

1 hour ago, BladeOfVengeance said:

It’s really not badly written at all…

it’s implying that chaplains are a step apart form their brothers, the face a battle brother sees when they stare upon a Chaplains grim visage is the immortal emperors, he’s becoming an embodiment of the emperors wrath/Faith/Judgment etc 

In a practical sense it’s simply that a chaplain won’t be seen without his helmet in front of battle brothers [without sufficient rank] where as inside his personal chambers his obviously going to take off he’s armour/Helmet at certain points 

Lol, ok so they’re just randomly walking around the ship, or the fortress monastery in a helmet and no other armor, or just hardly ever take their armor off?

which is it? Either way both sound like poorly thought out.

[WARMASTER_]

5 hours ago, Inquisitor_Lensoven said:

Lol, ok so they’re just randomly walking around the ship, or the fortress monastery in a helmet and no other armor, or just hardly ever take their armor off?

which is it? Either way both sound like poorly thought out.

I can’t tell if you’re being purposely obtuse? They obviously just wouldn’t remove their armour around their brothers [Again of insufficient rank] which isn’t hard for Marines as they can and do wear their armour for months/years at a time 

 

[Brother Tyler]

If the implication is from Helsreach, it's only safe to say that it applies to the Black Templars Chapter. Regardless, it's given from the perspective of an unreliable narrator. The "fact" may be true from the perspective of Grimaldus, but that doen'st mean that it's actually true or that it applies beyond his own Chapter. It might be true for [some] other Chapters, but we don't have any evidence to that effect. Or is there official material that supports this concept for the Adeptus Astartes as a whole and not just those within one Chapter?

 

Personally, I could see Chaplains [in some Chapters] following this practice. It's an example of assuming a role and the importance of certain regalia in embodying that role. There would clearly be times when Chaplains might remove their helmets in front of others, especially those of sufficient standing, but the constant wearing of their formal armour would signify both their perpetual devotion and their role within their Chapter. They might remove their helmets for meals, in private (either within their own cells when relaxing and/or among those of their order), and among senior members of the Chapter and the Imperium. Exceptions could also be made for when a Chaplain's helmet has been damaged and is undergoing repairs. An interesting aspect of this is that Chaplains might wear obscuring garments such as cowls, masks, etc. when "in public" without their helmets.

 

Ultimately, I look at it as an issue of having variation in models that doesn't necessarily reflect how the Adeptus Astartes operate. Helmets would typically be worn in combat [by the Adeptus Astartes], but models frequently have bare heads as a way of having some models, especially characters, stand out from the rest. The models are simply representations but don't depict what the actual individual is doing at that moment of the battle. For example, Marneus Calgar is almost always depicted without a helmet because that's how his miniatures are shown. However, he has a helmet. Even the original miniature showed his helmet (on a stand). If Marneus Calgar participates in a void battle, he's almost certain to be wearing his helmet in "reality" even though his model has a bare head. Likewise, Grimaldus doesn't shimmy around the battlefield holding his crozius aloft at all times. His model is simply posed that way as a snapshot representation of him in the moment.

[Blindhamster]

It’s similar to dante, he is noted as not taking off the mask generally because he looks old and believes the mask is a better symbol of strength. In private audiences with ranking blood angels, or when with his aide, he takes it off, but not for outsiders or even lower ranking blood angels generally. 
 

blood quest showed him without it, but blood quest also doesn’t match the modern official description -.which is white hair and looking legitimately old.

 

so chaplains often doing the same, to personify the role they represent makes sense.

[Lord_Ikka]

12 hours ago, Brother Tyler said:

Likewise, Grimaldus doesn't shimmy around the battlefield holding his crozius aloft at all times. His model is simply posed that way as a snapshot representation of him in the moment.

How dare you imply that Grimaldus ever lets his mighty crozius dip from an inspiring, beacon-like position!

[Sword Brother Adelard]

This is a very Black Templar thing, and I never build un-helmed Chaplains as a result.

In addition to the quotes from Helsreach everyone is aware of, there are several references to it in The Eternal Crusader. In an early scene the High Marshal is in his chambers, he has been de-armoured and is wearing robes. The Master of Sanctity enters with a member of the Death Sceptres Chapter:

"The doors clanked back on giant cogs into the Eternal Crusader’s internal bulkheads. Master of Sanctity Theoderic walked into Helbrecht’s rooms. As tradition demanded, the Chaplain wore his battleplate and helmet. Captain Naroosh of the Death Spectres followed. He too wore his full armour. ‘My lord,’ said Theoderic. He waited until the doors were shut and removed his skull helm, exposing a face that was timeless in the Adeptus Astartes way, free of the signs of genes unwinding with age, but unmistakeably ancient. Leathery and hard, it was a face that was inexpressive because it had had time to try every permutation of expression and found them all inadequate. The single stripe of hair running down his skull was brilliant white. Five service studs were screwed into his forehead in the shape of a cross – two hundred and fifty years of service. The serfs averted their eyes. Only the marshals, the Inner Circle knights and the others of the Chaplain brotherhood were permitted to look upon the unshielded face of a Black Templar warrior-priest. Helbrecht’s face became stonier still that Theoderic should unmask before an outsider, but he did not voice his disapproval. Naroosh was a captain of a Chapter after all, albeit a foreign one, and worthy of the honour. The truth was that Helbrecht’s reaction was a personal one, and to comment on what he regarded as Theoderic’s lapse would be discourteous to his guest, unwelcome as he was."

The only person in the room who didn't remove their helmet was Naroosh, apparently not one Death Sceptre had removed their helmet for the entire time they had been with them.

In reference to the question of whether they walk around with helmets, or hardly take their armour off, it's the latter:

" The adamantium doors of the Temple of Dorn creaked open, and Helbrecht entered. From the vast crossing of the third transept, three hundred and seventy-six ash-smeared faces watched his approach, their eyes catching the light of the wide iron fire bowl at their centre. The warriors of the Ghoul Stars Crusade were broken into three roughly equal fighting companies, their officers at the front, watched over by several war-priests in full armour. Aside from the Chaplains, the brethren wore the rough robes of penitents."

The issue returned again in Blood and Fire, where Grimaldus, immediately post Helsreach is considering whether to train an initiate to be a Chaplain, (it's like a long interview at this stage) and Grimaldus asks Cyneric to do the same:

"The Eternal Crusader is a fortress in the void; it would take months to traverse if one walked every hallway and chamber. I led Cyneric through the corridors, taking the grinding elevators between decks, heedless of whether we moved through populated areas or not. My targeting reticule leapt from door to door, figure to figure, scrolling with biometric data and basic scanning lore. As we stood on one of the ascension platforms, rising up through the decks, I turned to regard Cyneric’s plain, scarred features and a thought occurred to me. To my shame, it was one that should have occurred to me much earlier. ‘Put your helmet back on.’He hesitated before obeying, from surprise rather than disobedience. As it clicked into place at his collar seals, he looked back at me through the red eye-lenses of a stylised, riveted Mark VI Corvus helm. The question was within the gaze. I offered him the answer. ‘You may remove it with the Chapter’s lord-commanders, but never with your other brethren. You are no longer you, Cyneric. A Chaplain is the Chapter’s history and its future, manifest in one man. Your features must be the deathmask of the Emperor.’I tapped the gaunt cheekbones of my helm’s silver skull faceplate. ‘Your brothers must forget your face, as they have forgotten mine.’Cyneric nodded, though I sensed he was not convinced. He knew he must use these months to prove he deserved a skull helm, but the logic of my order escaped him. After all, his helm’s faceplate was not the visage of immortal death I wear. Not yet, at least. I could have replied to his doubt by reciting a cold truth: that he still wore the helm of an Adeptus Astartes warrior, one of the Emperor’s genetic descendants, and the galaxy was conquered by millions of those emotionless, impersonal masks in the era we sought to embody. If he lacked a skull helm, his warrior’s visage was almost as appropriate. But there was a time to preach, and a time to teach. ‘Cyneric,’I replied. ‘Behave as if you already carry the responsibilities you seek to earn.’ Another nod, less hesitant and more satisfied."

It came up again in the recent Helbrecht novel, but I don't have that one on Kindle yet to copy and paste from. In one early scene Helbrecht goes to see the new Champion. Both Are unarmoured and robed. They are in a small prayer cell together with Grimaldus, who is armoured, and Helbrecht does internally note the fact that this takes up a lot of space in the small cell.

Later, when they are travelling to the book's main destination, his command squad are sparring to pass the time, this is mostly done in robes, but the chaplain with them can only be sparred with when his opponent is armoured, as he will not remove his armour in their presence.

I don't know if there are other chapters who are so particular about helmets, but I know others definitely aren't. There's a story in the recent compendium "The Successors" where a Chaplain, of the Carcharadon Astra I believe(?) Is on a desert shrine world, and he went off into the desert alone and wearing just minimal robes, he would have returned to the shrine in full view of his brothers, had things not gone awry.