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Hey guys,

I was trying to think of niche Marine designs (though I have no intention to acutally model any of them) and I wondered if GW has done shamanistic tribes as a Marine model before.

I've been told that the Dark Angels were originally Native Americans and I am aware of some Marines that use portents or even "magic" (like the Mortifactors, who communed with their ancestors through blood magic) but I think I've thought of a fairly nice aesthetic.

I'd like to see Marines that are modelled around shamanistic cultures. Rather than using Chaplains and Librarians, perhaps they could use a hybrid: Literally a Shaman, I'm imagining a Marine model kneeling on the ground throwing bones to the floor or something...

Marines themselves could wear tribal face paints and have various decorations on their armour; such as cloaks made of feathers, or feather motifs on the armour, bone necklaces, carved wooden additions to shoulderpads... the list is quite endless.

I'm just imagining "savages" (I don't mean the term offensively) who have been given the Emperor's gift and clad in armour alien to their culture... Perhaps they venerate the Emperor in their own way (since ever Space Marine cult is different) by imagining him to be some manifestation of an existent deity, they may believe the same thing about the Omnissiah as on their homeworld they have no technology perhaps machines could represent to them "Ordered nature", the Omnissiah could be a dity responsible for the logical constructs within the natural world: Thus they would have no qualms about "desecrating" their armour with carvings, feathers, ponchos, capes, warpaint...

Really I think that's an awesome aesthetic, if GW ever did something similar or you know of any conversions, please show me!

Communicating with the dead??? HERESY!!! PURGE THE UNCLEAN!!!!

Now that that's out of the way, the closest you can get to shamanistic is the space wolves & even then the inquisition BARELY tolerates them because of their fanatical devotion to the Imperium.

Also where does it say that DA were originally Native Americans? I have never heard or seen anything to suggest such.

I remember hearing some things about that on the forums but can't remember where. Hence why their terminators have feathers on them as well as their HQ choices and I think their veteran Marines also have some on them somewhere iirc.

Emrab wrote:I remember hearing some things about that on the forums but can't remember where. Hence why their terminators have feathers on them as well as their HQ choices and I think their veteran Marines also have some on them somewhere iirc.

I've read both the horus heresy books on the DA. The feathers are because when the Imperium 1st came to caliban the marines were remarked as arriving like Angels. Hence the angelic wings that were added to the orders downward pointing sword.

Shas'O Dorian wrote:

Emrab wrote:I remember hearing some things about that on the forums but can't remember where. Hence why their terminators have feathers on them as well as their HQ choices and I think their veteran Marines also have some on them somewhere iirc.

I've read both the horus heresy books on the DA. The feathers are because when the Imperium 1st came to caliban the marines were remarked as arriving like Angels. Hence the angelic wings that were added to the orders downward pointing sword.

But before the Heresy books the original DA were native american types. Currently fluff-wise, your correct, but I think it's a throwback for those older players.

Ah I see

Yes Sir it is indeed a throwback. In all honesty I really need to read the HH books and will get to it eventually. I will try and find some older references to the Native american theme and I shall talk to my brother about it as he loves DA and has played them for a while.

Casper comes to save the day.

The Dark Angels culture and background is heavily influenced by the Knights Templar, the Teutonic Knights and by the poem 'The Dark Angel' by Lionel Johnson, although the novella Deathwing portrays their recruitment from tribes based heavily upon Tribes Like Native Americans, but their Recruitment Varies from generation to generation as Portrayed in the Novel Angels of Darkness.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Marines_(Warhammer_40,000))

After the Heresy, the Dark Angels recruited from a single planet (known as the Plains World) whose inhabitants resembled Native Americans

(http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Dark_Angels)

Its unfortunate that there is no reference to it in the codex. Perhaps when we get a new one this interesting bit of fluff will be included.


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My suggestion for bitz would be the DA Vets box. It has an assult cannon with feathers and you can paint the raised details on the shoulder pads brown to make them look like wood. You could also paint "warpaint" on their helmets.

Shas'O Dorian wrote:Communicating with the dead??? HERESY!!! PURGE THE UNCLEAN!!!!

It's in the Graham whateverhisname Ultramarines novel set on Tarsis Ultra:

Hey there, long time lurker, first time poster and I just wanted to chime in.

I really like the idea of a shamanistic space marine chapter, and I think you could do alot with the fluff and the modeling/painting. Particularly, I think a chapter based on Pacific North West Native American/Canadian Tribes would be sweet as hell. If I ever decide to make a marines army its the approach I will be taking. You could look at alot of cool art and iconography for inspiration for sure. Fluff wise, I would place them on a feral world, with the peoples there seeing the marines/emporer as spirits and what not, while the marines themselves might hold on to some sort of the planets traditions and beliefs. Maybe they would recognize the emperor but would relate him to the planets mythology. That way they could argue with the inquisition if they were accused of heresy. Anyway, I really like the idea.

Who do you think they could be founded from though? Space wolves maybe, but I think I heard that there are no SW second founding chapters right?

Shamanistic Marines... You mean like Space Wolves?

Space wolves are kind-of a shamanistic chapter yeah, but that's about all I can think of. The ritual and individual nature of the Grey Knights makes me want to mention them as well, but they are heavy on the ritual, and don't really have a 'shamanistic' aspect (if they did, well, imagine an entire tribe of nothing but shamans :/ that'd be the grey knights. There's so much ritual and superstision in everything they do though (like the Emperor's Tarrot) so they might fit the theme your going for, even if they don't have a very shamanistic astetic)

SPACE WOLVES
SPACE WOLVES
SPACE WOLVES
SPACE WOLVES
SPACE WOLVES
ever heard of them?

The White Scars librarians are called Storm Seers, as far as I remember. That, along with their nomadic roots, sounds pretty shamanistic to me, but there's very little fluff to actually confirm this.

Shaman =/= viking.

Morgrim wrote:Shaman =/= viking.

No, but Wolf Priests and Rune Priests stray far enough from the typical codex to be considered as something like tribal witch doctors. Still, since I have yet to meet a shaman, I'm not exactly sure what his job description would be, so I'd say roll with either the Wolves or the Scars.

Don't forget the Rainbow Warriors...