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I am in the early stages of starting a Space Marine army. My idea is build a deepstrike/drop pod force. But I am trying to decide what which legion my Chapter descends from. Based on a fluff information that I have below and that I want the army to be a drop deepstrike/drop pod army, which chapter tactics or codex would be the best fit? (but I would like to stay away from Blood Angles because my friend already has that army so I would like to do something different)

The basic background of my army is this. My chapter was founded in the 36th millennium and was orginally called "The Emperor's Sword." Early in the Chapter's history it fought against was a huge Chaos insurgency on a hive planet that required many Chapters working together to defeat it. After a terrible series of costly battles the united Space Marine Chapters drove off the Chaos Marines, smashed the Chaos armies, and killed the demon princes leading the attack. At that point Space Marine Chapters saw no foes on the world worthy of their skills and withdrew to have the remnants of the PDF and participating IG units to mop up what was left of the Chaos insurgency, which had been reduced to conducting limited guerrilla warfare. The planetary leadership pleaded for some of the Space Marine to stay behind to help them finish the war. But all of the Chapter leaders deemed a mop up operation as beneath them and left the planet, including my Chapter. Three millennia later my Chapter's Battle fleet passed by this planet and stopped to pick up supplies before moving on. To the Chapter Masters horror they found a dead world. Upon investigation my Chapter learned that the planet they fought on so long ago was not able to overcome the Chaos guerrilla fighters. The corruption spread and eventually the Inquisition ordered a total bombardment to the planet, leaving nothing but a lifeless a bombed out shell of a hive world.

This shocked the Marines of the Emperor’s Sword. There was a profound since of guilt that Chapter had abandon this world out of pride. The Chapter Master realized that they had failed in service the Emperor by putting the desire of the Chapter for glory over the needs of the Imperium. To make reparations for this failure the Chapter made a vow of penitence. It changed its name to the “The Emperor’s Shield” and made it its mission to come to the aid of any Imperial world in need. The Chapter reformed their battle tactics to a rapid response force with an emphases on orbital assault. The chapter keeps its vow of penitence by traveling far and wide though out the Imperium responding to of planetary distress signals. Over the centuries the “The Emperor’s Shield” has saved dozens of worlds from raids and invasions from Xenos and traitors alike. They have been known to land of a world, and turn the tide of wars in a matter of days. Only to stay on the planet for years, or even decades, to provide assistance and defense as the war torn worlds are rebuilt. This method of operation has endeared the Chapter to many of the High Lords of Terra, but many of the other Space Marine Chapters view them with suspicion and distain. Believing they are too closely associate themselves with Non-Space Marines and do not maintain the appropriate aloofness from mundane day to day functions of the Imperium, by dirtying their hands with “lesser” duties such as post-war peacekeeping and rebuilding operations. They are even known, derisively, by some Chapters as “The Emperor’s Bookkeepers.”

Despite this reputation and distrust from other Chapters their experience in Drop Pod insertion warfare is unmatched and they are fierce warriors.

If your after a deep strike heavy army you could look at Grey Knights. They are a small elite army with a lot of deep strike options. Termies, Storm Ravens and Dreadknights all have deep strike. Supporting psydreads can be carried on Storm Ravens so you don't have to go without some long range tank busting support.

alternatively you could look at just a normal Space Marine army and gear them towards your ideal army.

Sounds cool. I'd go with the normal codex. You can just tailor it to suit your orbital assaulty needs.

Just saying maybe shrike as a army hq? Gives everyone fleet... And assault squads can get pods for few so why not?

great background. - i agree with Brother Mar - they are an elite army known for being able to make a serious influence on wars in the matter of days. Plus, the Grey knights are known for their nemisis weapons and shields - so its good for the name too!

Blood angels get do deep strike half their drop pods on the first turn and when units with jump packs deep strike they get to re-roll to come in and the scatter 1d6" instead of 2d6"


brilliant

I suggest vanilla codex marines or blood angels, using drop pods and such. Vanilla codex allows for your marines to have fleet, making sure they hit melee faster, blood angels have some other tricks and more resiliency.

I'm gonna vote vanilla marines as well. Use a chapter master counts as for orbital bombardments as well.

rednecroncryptek wrote:great background. - i agree with Brother Mar - they are an elite army known for being able to make a serious influence on wars in the matter of days. Plus, the Grey knights are known for their nemisis weapons and shields - so its good for the name too!

The only stormshield carried by a Grey Knight is the one on Draigo. Not even the Dreadknight has one. Also Grey Knights are very differentiated and making an own chapter with their rules is something I would frown about.

If you say you want to create your own chapter and have already some fluff for it then I would say stick with the vanilla-dex as the existence of a successor-chapter with an own codex is something that is hard to just 'look over' about and stick it in your fluff afterwards. For example as a part of the Blood Angels Legion your chapter would have invested much more time to overcome the Red Thirst (hunt Fallens for DA, be savage for SW ), than intervening in all those conflicts you want them to be in.

Also something only the vanilla-marines get is the Ironclad. An awesome unit that works really well in droppod-lists