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I wasn't sure what to call them, but I was wondering if many other chapters had 'traits' in their geneseed similar to that of the excessive canine growth in space wolves or the obvious Flaw in blood angels. I also know of the jet black skin of the salamanders, but that is due to the radioactive planet, Nocturne, they inhabit. If anyone could help me with that, it would be greatly appreciated!!

Dark Angels are naturally paranoid and secretive. Supposedly, that's why the High Lords have not requested any more Dark Angel chapters even though they have not a single known aberration in their gene-seed.

Imperial Fists have something wrong with a few of their organs... nothing major though.
Ravenguard also have something wrong with a few of their organs.

The Black Dragons have a malfunctioning Ossmodula, causing bone-crests and scythe-like talons to grow from their brow and elbows. The Flame Falcons suddenly started to spontaneously immolate. While this didn't hurt them, the Inquisition didn't like such silly matters and sent the Grey Knights to mop them up.

The Lamenters supposedly have bad luck... this is such a laughably ridiculous defect in their gene-seed i don't think this actually counts as a defect.
The Wolf Brothers (Only known successors of the SW) were disbanded due to genetic instability.

AlmightyWalrus wrote:The Black Dragons have a malfunctioning Ossmodula, causing bone-crests and scythe-like talons to grow from their brow and elbows. The Flame Falcons suddenly started to spontaneously immolate. While this didn't hurt them, the Inquisition didn't like such silly matters and sent the Grey Knights to mop them up.

The cursed founding would be better put on a seperate section for geneseed flaws as they are crazy wierd/abnormal and most likely down to the meddling of tech priests.

Geneseed faults are past down from parent chapters to successors, ie a chapter desended from the Blood Angels will share the blood angels faults.

A successor chapter can develop new geneseed mutations but it cannot 'fix' geneseed mutations past down to them

As a very large proportion of chapters are descended from the very stable gene stock of the Ultramarines so most likely will not have significant geneseed faults.

Salamanders and Ravenguard genefaults are not widely spread as they have few successor chapters, while the Space Wolves gene fault is unique due to the fact that only fenrisian humans can carry the space wolf geneseed without genetic instability.

The Red Scorpions are probably the least 'flawed' of all Space Marine Chapters.

Now I know it's Forge World, but still.

From Imperial Armor 9;

"Despite the Red Scorpions' long and unimpeachable record of service, there are still those within the Adeptus who distrust them on the grounds that their origins as a Chapter remain a complete mystery, as does the identity of the founding to which they belong or the primogenitor Chapter from which their gene-seed has been taken. A gene-seed which, other than being notable for its extreme lack of any form of deterioration or corruption, bears no specific hallmarks that would allow it to be sourced (even inconclusively), to one of the original Space Marine Legions."

...and extremely isolationist as a result.

"As a Chapter, they are extremely xenophobic, and for no cause or in dire need will they ever consider serving alongside or allying with the alien, even at the cost of their own lives. Furthermore they are extraordinarily intolerant of any genetic deviation from the pure human form, and despise abhumans, mutants or augments of any kind, and have often refused to fight as brothers in arms with any such 'abomination'. The only exception they allow being those few they deem to have been the work of the Emperor's own divine hand (the Adeptus Astartes and the Navigators, for example), and even then, there are limits to what they will readily tolerate."

They even...

"Save for the Chapter itself and a handful of high ranking members of the Administratum, the Red Scorpions have kept the exact location of the Zaebus system and the safe routes through the treacherous passages required to reach it a deathly secret, thus ensuring their security and the safety of their recruiting stock."

Personally, I think this says a lot about what is considered 'pure', who knows what is 'pure', who cares what is 'pure'.

Just some food for thought in this discussion... which I thnk is nifty.

The Ultramarines all have OCD

Thanks everyone!! There's a lot more than I thought, and I love that bit of red scorpions fluff!!

Space Wolves are naturally awesome but i don't know much else...

The flame falcons who were also conceived in the "cursed founding", who are covered in flames that dont hurt the marines but only those they attack. They got declared renegade and mostly wiped out by grey knights heres the lexicanum article http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Flame_Falcons

yeenoghu wrote:The Ultramarines all have OCD

Agreed

Are the Salamanders all black or just the majority of them?

Simo429 wrote:Are the Salamanders all black or just the majority of them?

All...

The Imperial fist's gene seed lacks the ability to grow the Betcher's gland or the Sus-An membrane, this means that neither they nor their successors can spit acid or go into suspended animation.

In addition the Imperial fists seem to have an obsession with inscribing bones, but this is not present in any of their successor chapters.

It has been suggested that the Black Templars have hormonal deficiencies, which makes them over active and quick to anger.

Luco wrote:Dark Angels are naturally paranoid and secretive. Supposedly, that's why the High Lords have not requested any more Dark Angel chapters even though they have not a single known aberration in their gene-seed.

Which actually has nothing to do with their gene-seed...

It's the way they're indoctrinated. 'Trust no one outside of the Chapter' and the idea that a 'Moment of laxity breeds a lifetime of Heresy' are the two biggest philosophies of the Unforgiven and their Successors, which in turn...leads to them being paranoid and secretive.

Uhlan wrote:The Red Scorpions are probably the least 'flawed' of all Space Marine Chapters.

Nope, that would be the Grey Knights. No corruption, no destabilization, no flaws.

Is there actually any flaw with smurfs? I reckon swolves and blangels have it the worst, on account of turning in slavering devouring uncontrollable beasts whoes only urge is to kill pretty much anything they can lay their hands/claws on, but there seems nothing wrong with Ultras.

purplefood wrote:The Lamenters supposedly have bad luck... this is such a laughably ridiculous defect in their gene-seed i don't think this actually counts as a defect.
The Wolf Brothers (Only known successors of the SW) were disbanded due to genetic instability.

According to Imperial Armour, the Lamenters have to be retconnec and now also suffer the Black Rage, for it's mentioned that they also have the Death Company.

EmilCrane wrote:In addition the Imperial fists seem to have an obsession with inscribing bones, but this is not present in any of their successor chapters.

I believe this is due to the chapter's culture, and not to a flaw in their geene-seed. Which would explain why their successor chapters don't do the same.

On the matter of the lamenters' geene-seed defects, it should be noted that this successor chapter of the BA was not suffering from the black rage or any other of their primogenitor's curse until the badab war.

Kanluwen wrote:

Luco wrote:Dark Angels are naturally paranoid and secretive. Supposedly, that's why the High Lords have not requested any more Dark Angel chapters even though they have not a single known aberration in their gene-seed.

Which actually has nothing to do with their gene-seed...

It's the way they're indoctrinated. 'Trust no one outside of the Chapter' and the idea that a 'Moment of laxity breeds a lifetime of Heresy' are the two biggest philosophies of the Unforgiven and their Successors, which in turn...leads to them being paranoid and secretive.

Its also one of the foremost traits of El' Jonson. The indoctrination merely enforces it.

Luco wrote:

Kanluwen wrote:

Luco wrote:Dark Angels are naturally paranoid and secretive. Supposedly, that's why the High Lords have not requested any more Dark Angel chapters even though they have not a single known aberration in their gene-seed.

Which actually has nothing to do with their gene-seed...

It's the way they're indoctrinated. 'Trust no one outside of the Chapter' and the idea that a 'Moment of laxity breeds a lifetime of Heresy' are the two biggest philosophies of the Unforgiven and their Successors, which in turn...leads to them being paranoid and secretive.

Its also one of the foremost traits of El' Jonson. The indoctrination merely enforces it.

It's not a 'trait' though.

It's simply a personality quirk.

To give an example: Ultramarines aren't becoming masters of tactics simply because they're Ultramarines. They're having to be indoctrinated and trained for it.

AlmightyWalrus wrote:

Uhlan wrote:The Red Scorpions are probably the least 'flawed' of all Space Marine Chapters.

Nope, that would be the Grey Knights. No corruption, no destabilization, no flaws.

Oddly enough, I never think of the Grey Knights as 'Space Marines' in the same vein as the rest of the Adeptus Astartes. To me, even though they are, in fact Space Marines, they are so far and away 'different' from the norm I place them in the same way I place the Custodes ...in the same brotherhood more or less, but separate and distinct. In both cases above, the gene-seed is 'rumored' to come directly from the Emperor and unless you consider the Emperor the ultimate Space Marine then they are a bit different in that aspect. The primarchs from whom almost all the rest of the Space Marines descend are genetically altered superhumans. From what I understand, the Emperor, depending on which fluff you read, is not an genetically augmented superhuman and may not be 'human' (in the strict sense of the word anyway) in the first place.

Though considering all that I have read, things come to mind about the Grey Knights and the Custodes. I do not know if the Custodes exhibit similar psychic powers as the GK. So what do they receive from the Emperors gene-seed? Is it purity, psychic enhancement, or both? And, being that the Emperor is not a Space Marine and has no Space Marine augmentations how did the GK and Custodes get their Space Marine organs since they do not descend from a primarch or, for that matter, do the primarchs even have the organs of the Space Marines? Am I simply missing something?

Small points of semantics I guess, but it is a pretty interesting discussion.

Grey Knights are, at least right now, not receiving their psychic abilities from their Gene-Seed.

Psyker powers can't be transmitted that way seemingly.

purplefood wrote:

Simo429 wrote:Are the Salamanders all black or just the majority of them?

All...

Interesting

Does anyone know if this is down to their gene seed or the fact that all their recruits are black?

Simo429 wrote:

purplefood wrote:

Simo429 wrote:Are the Salamanders all black or just the majority of them?

All...

Interesting

Does anyone know if this is down to their gene seed or the fact that all their recruits are black?

Their gene-seed reacts to the extreme radiation on their homeworld Nocturne, turning their skin jet-black.

Wow!! There's so much! loving the facts guys!

Sledgio wrote:Wow!! There's so much! loving the facts guys!

Well, you opened up the can o' worms with which to feed all the 'fluff-nuts'.

Kanluwen wrote:

Luco wrote:

Kanluwen wrote:

Luco wrote:Dark Angels are naturally paranoid and secretive. Supposedly, that's why the High Lords have not requested any more Dark Angel chapters even though they have not a single known aberration in their gene-seed.

Which actually has nothing to do with their gene-seed...

It's the way they're indoctrinated. 'Trust no one outside of the Chapter' and the idea that a 'Moment of laxity breeds a lifetime of Heresy' are the two biggest philosophies of the Unforgiven and their Successors, which in turn...leads to them being paranoid and secretive.

Its also one of the foremost traits of El' Jonson. The indoctrination merely enforces it.

It's not a 'trait' though.

It's simply a personality quirk.

To give an example: Ultramarines aren't becoming masters of tactics simply because they're Ultramarines. They're having to be indoctrinated and trained for it.

I thought actions and drives were considered traits? Tactics aren't a natural trait whereas paranoia is a natural trait, though it is certainly buttressed with the conditioning. There are people who are naturally paranoid, but no one will step foot on a battlefield and tell you what you can do with what without even knowing the capabilities of the units in play.

Nostromans (Night Lords) are very pale and have no irises (their eyes are all pupil) though like the salamanders this is because of their homeworld.

I'm painting mine with a Riddick like eye-shine (the 3 guys without helmets anyways)

Seemingly, the geneseed rewrites and changes the aspirant into whatever the primarch's form was. So Salamander geneseed transforms white bread guys into very black guys, and Night Lord geneseed transforms black guys into very white guys.