Successor Chapters and Themes

[RazorDaemon]

I know Themes and Traits sometimes do copy over to Successors, sometimes certain traits get boosted, but it seems more common for themes to get watered down leaving just a homage in name or insignia of the parent Chapter or Primarch. What are people's thoughts regarding a larger shift in theme, not just color. Like a Dark Angel successor being a Loyalist Egyptian theme?

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

Diverging from the common themes is kinda necessary imho to prevent everything being too much of the same.

[Ascanius]

My Iron Hands successors, the Storm Walkers, are a Crimson Fist-style "same icon, different colour scheme" chapter, mostly because I wanted to be able to use the Iron Hands upgrades but not paint black, because my Chaos Space Marines are Black Legion.

 

I don't think there's any problem with making an Egyptian-themed Dark Angels successor chapter, especially if you can find Egyptian-themed analogues for some elements of the traditional Dark Angels iconography.

 

For instance, the Dark Angels chapter symbol uses wings that are so stylised and squared-off that they resemble the crenellation blocks of a castle tower (albeit upside down).

 

Perhaps where wings appear in the imagery of your Egyptian-themed successor chapter they would look more like the wings of Ma'at, with the horizontal upper edge and the very wide wingspan, so the silhouette overall resembles a shallow bowl. 

 

Instead of mediaeval European monastic hoods per se, maybe when your chapter uses hoods they could have the extra "lappets" seen on the nemes that hang down in front of the shoulders - or the hoods could even just be nemes headdresses with extra cloth to shadow the face.

[Antarius]

I think different themes for successor chapters can make perfect sense, especially if tied to a recruiting world where those themes originate (40K often does the thing where one world is basically a reference to/spoof of one historic culture or civilisation - and/or a specific trope like vampires, etc.). So I think an "Egyptian style" successor chapter is totally doable, either with or without incorporating the parent chapter's "usual" themes (a BA successor migh be "Egyptian Vampires" for example).

[MoriyaSchism]

I'd probably lean on the secret society aspect of the Dark Angels for that Egyptian theme, but you'd just get Hermeticist or Freemason Marines that way. 

[Antarius]

Personally, I've toyed with the idea of creating a BA successor that was more focused on the tragedy of the chapter's past and basically using the BA symbol but painting the blood drop as a teardrop (I'm pretty sure something similar has already been done, but I've not been able to find the chapter in question). My idea was that I'd basically make them more like (historical) templars and less like renaissance vampires. I also briefly toyed with the idea of other uses for the DA chapter symbol, but I've not quite been able to convince myself that that's a good idea, as it is such an iconic symbol that it's difficult to use it as something else.

[SvenIronhand]

8 hours ago, MoriyaSchism said:

I'd probably lean on the secret society aspect of the Dark Angels for that Egyptian theme, but you'd just get Hermeticist or Freemason Marines that way. 

Probably closer to Hermeticism, considering Freemasonry is a early modern tradition. 

[Brother Tyler]

While there are certainly some Chapters that are little more than carbon copies of their predecessors, the variation found within the official Chapters makes it very clear that successors can often be notably distinct from their predecessors. The textbook example is the Mortifactors, one of the Primogenitors, which has developed to incorporate the headhunting culture of their homeworld, Posul, such that they are quite different from both the Ultramarines Legion and most of the other Primogenitors. Another example is the Exorcists, who incorporate an occult theme that is quite different from the other scions of Rogal Dorn.

 

Ultimately, while a Chapter may be influenced by its predecessor (if that predecessor was involved in its initial development), the more important influences are from the Chapter's homeworld and the world(s) from which it draws its recruits.

 

A Chapter bearing the gene-seed of Lion El'Jonson could very easily incorporate cultural influences that are quite different from the European stylings of the Dark Angels Chapter. One whose thematic elements draw upon Ancient Egypt could be fascinating and distinct.

[RazorDaemon]

8 hours ago, Antarius said:

Personally, I've toyed with the idea of creating a BA successor that was more focused on the tragedy of the chapter's past and basically using the BA symbol but painting the blood drop as a teardrop (I'm pretty sure something similar has already been done, but I've not been able to find the chapter in question). My idea was that I'd basically make them more like (historical) templars and less like renaissance vampires. I also briefly toyed with the idea of other uses for the DA chapter symbol, but I've not quite been able to convince myself that that's a good idea, as it is such an iconic symbol that it's difficult to use it as something else.

I actually do have a BA Successor with a light blue drop. I went heavy into the Greek theme visually, a lot more Muscle Curiasses, some Sectioned/Pteruges Shoulders and Corinthian Helmets

[Inquisitor_Lensoven]

You can also find new ways to integrate the typical tropes of your chapter’s lineage.

 

my BA successors make a lot of art, very BA right? The also give that art away to the people of their homeworld every sanguinala, making their homeworld very wealthy, because even the ‘working class’ gets something made by the chapter throughout the year, and they can sell those trinkets and works of art to rogue traders or general off world merchants who then sell them to the rich on other worlds.

 

every sanguinala the planetary governor rounds up all those convicted of serious crimes from the prisons, and ships them off to the chapter. What does the chapter do with them? The governor and people likely assume they’re enslaved or turned into servitors or something.

in reality they’re livestock for the chapter so they can indulge in the drinking of blood on a regular basis.

its relatively unusual for  BA successors to engage willingly in the non consensual drinking of blood from mortals outside the heat of battle.

[RazorDaemon]

My Successors aren't 100% fleshed out, some things I do have is that my BA Successors hold Gladiator/Olympic Games, and victors in that receive the green laurels somewhere on their armor, and it is a prerequisite for Veteran status in addition to usual battlefield prowess and seniority. Also the Death Company has deep blue X's instead of red, and they symbolize the Rivers of Hades.