The Predators

[Zephyro]

Having just started Sm, I found the guides here most helpfull for making my own chapter, that I hereby present.

 

First I would like to ask however, if my chapter name already exists, because I think it might.

 

But for the chapter..

 

Index Astartes: The Predators

 

Origins:

 

Created by using the Salamanders chapter geneseed, The Predators were built for deadly terrain combat.

 

Training on various deathworlds, learning the in's and out's of infiltration, assaulting and more.

 

However, when assaulting the deathworld ''Xemolai'' , half of the Predators chapter was decimated by incoming eldar fire, shooting them to bits as they had just as much knowledge of the world as the Predators.

This should never be able to happen again, the Predators needed backup fire to clear out the key positions and dangerous units.

 

Immediatly a huge recruition process was set in action. All of these marines were instead of assaulting, trained for shooting. In honour of the dead predators, these Shooting marines were clad in red power armour and called the Avengers, and the left over Predators the Stalkers.

 

The chapter is therefore now divided into 2 halves, 1 assaulting, 1 shooting, in different armours, but still wearing the same badges, and having the same purpouse and command.

 

Homeworld:

 

Their homeworld is the Deathworld of ''Kazlam'', which has lots of different enviroments to train with.

 

It became theirs after the purging of a huge army of eldar, especially rangers, trying to establish itself on the planet.Using the uppermost of their skills against these other hunters, the Predators in the end came on top.

Having seen the planets enviroment, the homeworld was given to The Predators.

 

Combat doctrine:

 

The Predators are all about stalking their prey, without it knowing, and destroying it went it least expects it.

It's famous for it's increidbly well infiltrating and assaulting skills, and uses lots of assault weapons.

 

It also gots some backup fire squads, riding around in razorback or other vehicles, to get the best shots possible at the enemy, and destract them from the real threat.

 

Heavy weapons such as the predator tank, are not used that much, but not a really rare sight.

 

Landspeeders and bikes however are used only when the situation really demands it, as the enviroment is too thick and harsh for these vehicles to go through.

 

 

Organisation:

 

The Predators follow the normal Codex Astertus only for the basic outlines with this.

 

Their first company consists of terminators and veterans.

The second and third companies consist of the armies infiltrating tactical and assault squads.

The 4th and 5th companies consist of backup shooting squads, consisting of tactical and devastator squads.

The 6th and 7th Companies consist of reserves for both tactical options.

The 8th company is the all vehicle company, consisting of landsspeeders, the tanks of the chapter, dreadnoughts and bikes.

The 9th and 10th chapter consist of the chapters scouts.The 9th consists of battlehardened squads, while the 10th consists of the new recruits.

 

Beliefs:

 

The Predators think of the Emperor as the only true god, but do not ultimately hate the beliefs of other Xenos races.They even have respect for the way the Night lords of Chaos fight, but despise their beliefs and betrayal of the emperor.

 

They believe an enemy should never be weary of it's opponent, until it is too late.

Nobility and such things are laughed at, as these features are for the weak.

 

Battlecry:

From the shadows we shall strike!

 

Rules:

 

Cleanse and purify:

 

They're an assaulting chapter, and the harsh enviroments they work in are not suited for thing like lascannons and such most of the time.

 

See but don't be seen:

 

They use their enviroment to the uppermost, and strike from the shadows.

 

Eye to eye:

 

Bikes+trees/rocks/swamps etc.=bad/strange/dumb.

 

Well, hope that was enough, maybe I'll add more later

[Commissar Molotov]

Alright, there's some interesting thoughts here. Now, your name will get a bit of stick, in part because of the well-known Predator films, but also because of the Predator, the main battle-tank used by the Astartes.

 

The idea of a chapter trained especially for use on deathworlds is an interesting one. Space Marines are hardier than a guardsman, and their enhanced biologies would allow them to survive where many others wouldn't.

 

You might have to detail the Xemolai conflict further - how exactly were the chapter in a position to be decimated? Which Xenos race were they fighting (it sounds you're about to say Tau, but don't forget that the Tau are too recent for any major upheaval in your chapter).

 

What exactly do you mean by 'second geneseed process'? It sounds like you were talking about using a second gene-seed, but I'm guessing you mean that the chapter started a large recruitment process, similar to the Crimson Fists? It's interesting how the chapter decided to change their doctrines, allowing cooler heads to prevail.

 

Regarding 'Revenge Half' and 'Stalker Half' it might be better to simply name them the Avengers and the Stalkers.

 

I'd also suggest you change your homeworld's origins. The Kroot are only recently becoming known on a galactic scale.

[Orkdung]

Id reply, but it seems Molotov has covered the bases. Nice work :blush:

[space wolf]

I dont want to be a kill joy here, but I was under the impression that marines received intense training in both Close Combat and Marksmanship, and it was only their armerment that determined how they fought?

[Commissar Molotov]

It's entirely possible that as a chapter grew more and more accustomed to a particular style of fighting, their training would slowly shift more and more to emphasise that style of fighting. After the chapter was decimated, the chapter realised that they hadn't been balanced enough and so they changed their fighting styles, and requisitioned heavier weaponry to aid them in that goal.

[Zephyro]

I've changed it a bit to you guys comments.

 

I want to add more info about them, but that'll be for later (bit late now :))

[Commissar Molotov]

Alright, there's a few more interesting ideas here. Now, I think that you have a very strong theme in the idea that a chapter suffered heavy losses, realised how ignorant/blind they'd been and has now adopted a more 'balanced' combat doctrine.

 

So, focus a bit on the Xemolai conflict - why did the Predators get decimated? Were they overconfident? Arrogant? It's interesting to make your chapter three-dimensional - benefits and character flaws, which can often be the most interesting part of a chapter creation process. The guilt and humility that your chapter undergoes whilst trying to reconfigure to be tactically (and strategically) flexible.

 

Also, focus on your homeworld. Who lives there? What kind of deathworld is it? Deathworlds don't have to be jungle, it's just a world where life is near impossible. What kind of people live there? What kind of cultures do they have? How has that affected the Predators?

 

With at least two major conflicts against the Eldar, do your marines dislike the Eldar at all?