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I am reading the excellent Deliverance Lost by Gav Thorpe and its come to reading it that certain Raven Guard commanders (Captain Agapito Nev and his Brother Branne) were normal humans before becoming Marines under Corax, members if his resistance movement.

I was under the impression that you could only undergo the Marine genetic processes as young boys growing up?

How could they become Marines?


CB

No young men could become marines too, for example some of the Lion's knights becoming Dark Angels, some were too old though like Luther.

Some of the older ones had genetic treatments and implants. They weren't quite as good but they were close.

purplefood wrote:Some of the older ones had genetic treatments and implants. They weren't quite as good but they were close.

Similar to Luther, he was too old to become a marine but was given genetic alteration to bring him almost on par with the Lion himself.

The Mad Tanker wrote:

purplefood wrote:Some of the older ones had genetic treatments and implants. They weren't quite as good but they were close.

Similar to Luther, he was too old to become a marine but was given genetic alteration to bring him almost on par with the Lion himself.

Wait i thought it was the influence of the Chaos Gods that made him on a par with the Lion

Tiarna Fuilteach wrote:

The Mad Tanker wrote:

purplefood wrote:Some of the older ones had genetic treatments and implants. They weren't quite as good but they were close.

Similar to Luther, he was too old to become a marine but was given genetic alteration to bring him almost on par with the Lion himself.

Wait i thought it was the influence of the Chaos Gods that made him on a par with the Lion

The genetic alterations and implants put him probably above most marines (Primarch being able to get whatever they want... usually) but the Chaos gods put him around or above the Lion.

It is also important to note that the Legionary Marines were no held to the same standards as modern Marines. During the Great Crusade, the process for making Marines was a bit more flexible. It is strongly implied that after the Codex Astartes set down standards for recruitment and training of Marines in order to reduce or eliminate the aberrations that caused the Heresy, the recruitment pool was reduced to only young boys who could undergo the full process of indoctrination and modification.

So, yes, Crusade Marines could be inducted slightly later in life, but 40K Marines cannot.

Requirements

Recruits must be fairly young, because implants often do not become fully functional if the recipient has reached a certain level of physical maturity. They must be male because the zygotes are keyed to male hormones and tissue types. Only a small percentage of people are compatible to receive the implants and hypno-suggestion to turn them into Marines. Before the process of implantation begins the potential recruit receives tissue compatibility tests and psychological screening. If the testing proves successful the recruit becomes a neophyte. After the organ implantation process he becomes an initiate.1

Even once the organs are implanted they are generally inactive or useless without associated training and hypnotherapy and chemical treatment. Most recruits join the ranks as a brother between the age of 16-18 years.

Veteran Sergeant wrote:It is also important to note that the Legionary Marines were no held to the same standards as modern Marines. During the Great Crusade, the process for making Marines was a bit more flexible. It is strongly implied that after the Codex Astartes set down standards for recruitment and training of Marines in order to reduce or eliminate the aberrations that caused the Heresy, the recruitment pool was reduced to only young boys who could undergo the full process of indoctrination and modification.

It is also my opinion.

In addition, it is stated repeatedly in the fluff that the "gene-tampering" technology involved in the creation of marines is far less understood in 40K than it used to be in 30K. So it would be fair to assume that during the Great Crusade, the nascent imperium had the knowledge required to mold random, grown up men into "not quite but almost" marines. Keep in mind that the Emperor was still alive at that time, as were the terran scientists involved in the creation of the primarchs and the first SM. So it would be fair to assume that they could turn any human into almost anything.

Yer it is more to do with the lack of understanding and ability, without the Emperor and rational scientific method the IoM has problems making superhumans unless done in a very regimental way.