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This is of course a reference to the hundreds of Spacemarine Sergeants and Various HQ/Special characters who never seem to get hurt.

Why?

Because they are "important" in the fluff.

Thelaugher wrote:This is of course a reference to the hundreds of Spacemarine Sergeants and Various HQ/Special characters who never seem to get hurt.

Where do you get this idea from?

Most characters did start with their helmet but take it off when its damaged.

A viable answer ( additionally to their importance in the storyline ) could be the low BS of their opponent or the absence of snipers.

So that they CAN SEE THE SNIPERS![\gears of war reference]

Every special character in DoW 2 had no helmets, so did various primarchs, ...and have you seen the SM codex?

Because the hemets actually compose of giant magnets that not only attract bullets, but anything that could in any way hurt the ones without helmets. Makes brilliant sense =p

Oshova

Sergeant Kirk, Techmarine Spock, Apothecary McCoy, and Brother Ricky are deep striking down to the planet. Guess who's not coming back.

Because:

A) Emperor protects.

B) You would think their bald head looks like a head in the enemy's scope? Nope!
it looks like the blinding glinting SUN.

All of my Marines keep their helmets on.

Well, there is some sense to keeping your helmet on. It *might* stop a bullet.

On the other hand, you take the helmet off, and you got full benefit of your senses, only sacrificing the potential chance of surviving a bullet.

That seems like a pretty common trade-off a soldier might make. Except it makes no fething sense why an Astartes should ever take off their helmet, considering their air filters, vox casters, HUD displays, data streams from the auspex, and a lot more stuff I can't even remember seems to be located in their helmet.

Sure, a primarch or some really famous leader might want his men to see him smiling during a particularly tough spot.

Fair enough, taking off your helmet is survivable, if slightly awkward, and it doesn't automatically paint a bullseye on you. The part where the guys *with* helmets consistently die from headshots is reeeee-he-heeee-eeeallly beginning to be an overplayed hand, though. Jeez, if you want to kill off some random anonymous marines, would it hurt you to show some originality? Have them step on a landmine, jumped by a rabid ferret, choking on a toothpick, whatever.

Because so many of the SM with helmets on are actually watching TV on their HUD and are not paying attention to what is going on around them.

So that's why Terminators just walk through walls instead of opening doors

If you look in the back of the Rhino, you'll notice a TV. Because the Vindicator is based on the Rhino's model, it has the TV as well. That way you can blame missed shots on the aimer, as his stories were on.

A marine should very rarely take off their helmet in battle, I believe there was a story in either the 2nd ed SW codex or early inferno mags where a SW vetren did, the story said that the squad leader would normally have repremanded him for doing that, but knew that his experience meant that his senses were better without it (they were tracking the enemy at the time)

The helmets cook their heads

Yeah a Space Wolf's senses are better than any technology, so taking off the helmet would help with that . . . but then you're also not very likely to be shot at when you're tracking lol

Oshova

Didn't there used to be rules for non-helmeted marines in RT/2ed?

Like, a non-helmeted marine is more likely to drown or something...

Why do some SM not wear helmets?

Because it makes them feel cool!

Unless they are on a lava world, in which case they would be pretty damn hot.

Space Wolves and Blood Angels are the only chapters with justifiable reasons to not wear their helmets at almost all times.

Space Wolves because of their Acute Senses from the Canis Helix, and Blood Angels so they can satisfy their thirst after cleaving some heretics.

Just don't take your helmet off infront of an Inquisitor . . . lol

Oshova

I think

Headshot is dangerous enough to kill marine even in helmet.
So,who live longer realize uselessness of helmet when hit on head.

Agreed.
But almost all of my models have helmets because they look cooler : D.

Another thought just crossed my mind, wouldn't there be a likely chance that they go to a planet with NO oxygen?

Well, yes, but there's nothing forcing them to land on that planet without their helmets. Besides, I think fluff-wise Astartes can survive a limited amount of time in a vacuum.

The book Fulgrim kind of points out why sergeants wouldn't wear helmets - because (Depending on the army) if a shot hits you in the head, you're going to die or get seriously injured, helmet or not. Also, Space Wolves have heightened senses as a result of drinking the canis helix, so they're actually far more effective without that helmet.

Removing the helmets improve's their screaming abilities, deafning the enemy. Taktical y'see .

While not as fun of an explanation...and I guess probably too a little "metagamey", I just assume that they DO wear helmets in battle and that my miniatures represent only a rough approximation of what is actually going on, with the helmets off for easy identification. I also assume that any drawings of marines with their helmets off are just propaganda. Helps me justify why "super special forces" seem to always be involved in last stands and heroic defenses.

As for my marines, I have always assumed they are fairly practical. They wear bright armor for the psychological effect, all of my skirmishes are special forces missions, and the distances represented in a skirmish are never to scale with the models.

High ranking officers and sergeants sometimes have some force field or a Iron Halo or they are protected by a plot armor.

Tek wrote:Didn't there used to be rules for non-helmeted marines in RT/2ed?

Like, a non-helmeted marine is more likely to drown or something...

The intro to Rogue Trader in White Dwarf has one of the Brother Marines thanking his machine spirit because of his helmet's eyepieces. They're on some crazy world where if the suns are so powerful that you go instantly blind if you don't wear protective eyewear.

I'm pretty sure that Kid Kyoto did a Retro Review of it.

Because they are lucky. The reason they just took off their helmet is because the shot that just hit them in the head punched a hole through their helmet rather than their skull.

In the SW omnibus they do have a bit in their where they were attacked by some mutagenic chaos vapors and the SWs put their helmets on, but don't like having their senses cut off.


All my SMs have their helmets on BTW, because i hate painting skin