Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I have a few questions after reading about the daliy rituals of Space Marines on Lexicanum i hope you guys can answer my questions

1) Do the Marines ever take off there armor ? Or do they always wear it?
2) I have heard that the SM in a dreadnought is on a life support system and the dreadnought its self is the only thing keeping him alive is this true or wat?
3)when they meet for prayers do they read from a prayer book or do they just have simple prayers
4)Are the relics of the chapters only held sacred to the respective chapter ( like a thing of the primarchs) or are they like universal like say a bit of the Emperor's armor or a vile of his blood?
5) How long can Space Marines live because some chapters still have the living Primarchs makeing them 10,000+ years old

1) take off regularly. How do you fix something if you can't take it off?
2) true
3) both maybe?
4) chapter specific. Could be Legion specific too, since chapters are the sucessors of the Legions.
5) until they die.

'prayers' is a tricky one. Many Astartes are atheist. Or at least, thats what I'm given to believe.

This shall basically cover it:

Space Marines have very organised daily routines including combat duty, prayer and indoctrination sessions with very little free time. This lends itself well to the disciplined and monastic nature of the Space Marines. They also spend very little time resting, made possible by the training and implants.



0400 - Morning Prayer - Led by the Company Chaplain, the Space Marines renew their oaths to the Emperor and the company relics are displayed. This time is also used to give out orders, announcements and other administrative tasks.
0500 - Morning Firing Rites - The Space Marines engage in target practice with their personal and squad weaponry, awards and punishments are dispensed for consistently good or poor accuracy respectively.
0700 - Battle Practice - Generally this is close quarters oriented, however live fire or hazardous environment training may be done instead (or as well).
1200 - Midday Prayer - In addition to prayer any injured Space Marines can report to the Apothecary.
1300 - Midday Meal - Normally local wildlife killed during the morning activities.
1315 - Tactical Indoctrination - This can take many forms, from information on a new alien species or technology to strategy. A debrief of the morning's battle is common as well.
1500 - Battle Practice - This focuses more on combined tactics in conjunction with vehicles, Dreadnoughts and devastator squads and normally includes a trial of a new tactic introduced during the tactical indoctrination.
2000 - Evening Prayer - In addition to prayer, gene-seed testing may occur at this point.
2100 - Evening Meal - A feast (by normal human standards) is provided by the Chapter serfs, and some Chapter Masters may allow alcohol to be consumed.
2130 - Night Firing Exercises - If the chapter is based on a planet where there is no perceptible night or they are based on a fleet, firing exercises are under taken in exotic environments such as underwater, through dense fog or smoke or in zero gravity.
2315 - Maintenance Rituals - Each Space Marine is expected to maintain his own power armour and weapons, and it is often checked by the Chapter's Techmarines.
2345 - Free Time - Space Marines are permitted this time to reflect upon their duty to The Emperor, however many Chapter Masters regard free time as a frivolous waste, and a dangerous distraction in the extreme.
0000 - Rest Period - Space Marines are allocated 4 hours in which to sleep.


It should be noted that many chapters will not keep strictly by this agenda, and may shorten prayer times for example, or even cut out one of the activities in the list, such as free time, if the Chapter Masters do not approve of it.

Many chapters will rotate and randomise the daily schedule to keep the brethren alert and ready.

Kaldor wrote:'prayers' is a tricky one. Many Astartes are atheist. Or at least, thats what I'm given to believe.

Thats impossible because they worship the God Emperor as a God

It's actually the sarcofag keeping the Dreadnaught alive. I figure it works in a similar fashion to the sarcofags of the Gua'Uld of Stargate.

Mike101 wrote:

Kaldor wrote:'prayers' is a tricky one. Many Astartes are atheist. Or at least, thats what I'm given to believe.

Thats impossible because they worship the God Emperor as a God

No, actually a lot of them don't. Some do, but it's by no means a default.

Many Space Marines venerates the Emperor as their creator, not their god.

Mike101 wrote:
1) Do the Marines ever take off there armor ? Or do they always wear it?

They take it off regulary.

2) I have heard that the SM in a dreadnought is on a life support system and the dreadnought its self is the only thing keeping him alive is this true or wat?

This is true. They sedate him and keeping alive via life support, when they need him they just wake him up and send into battle.

3) When they meet for prayers do they read from a prayer book or do they just have simple prayers?

Sometimes they pray simple. But when some ritual is at hand they read prayers from book or follow their Chaplain.

4) Are the relics of the chapters only held sacred to the respective chapter ( like a thing of the primarchs) or are they like universal like say a bit of the Emperor's armor or a vile of his blood?

Many relics of specific Chapter are only sacred to it. But other Chapters will respect them and threat them like holy as well. ( From DoW II wargear we can see that Blood Ravens have many relics from other Chapters and they hold them dear like their original Chapter ).

5) How long can Space Marines live because some chapters still have the living Primarchs makeing them 10,000+ years old

That we don't know, it is rumored that they are immortal but no Space Marine lives long enough for that to be proven.
Oldest Space Marine outside Dred is Dante of the Blood Angels ( he has more then 1000 years ), oldest would be Bjorn - Space Wolves Dred, he still remember the Emperor before he was attached to the Golden Throne.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Beaviz81 wrote:Many Space Marines venerates the Emperor as their creator, not their god.

They see him as Father and the greatest Human that ever lived.
He himself told them that he is not a God and they respect that.
I am only not sure for Grey Knights... to me it seems they venerate Emperor as a God.

Yes, they do take off their armor; the Blood Angels are mentioned as wearing robes while in their Fortress-Monasteries, and the Blood Ravens are mentioned to wear robes while practicing unarmed combat. As for prayers, I think it's more of reflecting on your duties, swearing/renewing oaths of allegiance/vengeance, etc., since while Astartes venerate their Primarchs and the Emperor, it's kinda like ancestor worship, they don't actually believe the Emperor is a god, but rather a god-like Human. The Astartes concept of divinity is vague; to most 40k Humans, divinity is divinity in the classic sense, but for Astartes, it's more of an ideal rather than something you believe in.

As for age, well, since the Emperor is immortal, and the Astartes are in sense His grandsons (sounds of Ministorum priests gagging in the background), Astartes logically are immortal also, as long as they don't get killed. They may be superhuman, but they're still Human for all that. IMO, the Emperor is not a god; the biggest proof of that is His current confinement to the Golden Throne. While He may be reborn, it's only an offshoot of His origins as the gestalt reincarnation of ancient Mankind's shaman-guardians.

Dreadnoughts - it's mentioned somewhere that when not being asked for advice/Chapter history/sent into battle, Dreadnought sarcophagi are kept in stasis mode, where the occupant is in deep sleep. The sarcophagus is very strong, stronger than the Dreadnought, so even the Dreadnought is destroyed, as long as the sarcophagus is intact, the occupant will survive. Otherwise...

Of course they remove the armour. They clean and maintain their power armour 2315 - Maintenance Rituals - Each Space Marine is expected to maintain his own power armour and weapons, and it is often checked by the Chapter's Techmarines.

That for me is physically impossible to do if you don't remove your armour. That's like a SWAT-team never removing their armour. Yeah right. The power armour can even be equipped alone, as the Custodes does that. The Astartes instead have a worrying ritual where they get dressed together.

Beaviz81 wrote:
That for me is physically impossible to do if you don't remove your armour. That's like a SWAT-team never removing their armour. Yeah right. The power armour can even be equipped alone, as the Custodes does that. The Astartes instead have a worrying ritual where they get dressed together.

Very disturbing image, but no. Among all the Imperial organizations, no others hold to the Imperial Doctrines of: 'Kill the mutant, abhor the deviant, purge the alien' as much as the Adeptus Astartes. So it's not gonna happen. Not even the Blood Ravens, for all their obsession with knowledge acquisition, would allow that to happen. Besides, Astartes psycho-hypnotic indoctrination removes those urges from an Astartes from Initiate onwards. At least, it does with loyalists...the Emperor's Children and other Slaaneshi, I don't even want to think about it...

Speaking of donning/removing armour - is it generally accepted that a Marine can don/remove his armour without assistance?

And if so, would the same go for Terminator armour as well? Or would Terminator armour still require some kind of assistance?

Skits wrote:Speaking of donning/removing armour - is it generally accepted that a Marine can don/remove his armour without assistance?

And if so, would the same go for Terminator armour as well? Or would Terminator armour still require some kind of assistance?

Terminator armor requires assistance. Not sure with power armor.

The only Space Marines I don't think removes their Power Armour is the followers of Nurgle, and I really want to retain my lunch, so thought complete.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I think power armour can be removed on their own. The Custodes does that alone, the Astartes undresses together. Though I think the authors thought lockerroom-mentality, not Spartan mentality, which would be extremely sick.

Automatically Appended Next Post:
I think power armour can be removed on their own. The Custodes does that alone, the Astartes undresses together. Though I think the authors thought lockerroom-mentality, not Spartan mentality, which would be extremely sick.