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IS it true that space marines can spit acidic blood and if they eat flesh they can obtain the owner of saids flesh's memories? Im just interested on how a human becomes a space marine

The Betcher's gland allows the space marine to spit acidic saliva, not blood.
The Omophagea is what allows a space marine to eat someone flesh or drink their blood and gain their memories.

A human becomes a space marine after being recruited by a chapter, the methods of recruitment vary wildly as some only take from the strongest of a couple specific tribes on their home planet while others just take young men they happen to see fighting extremely bravely. You do have to be a younger male to qualify though

At first they recruit the most brutal fighters from the darkess corners of the imperium.

Then throught surgery they implant about 17 organes.

Both those that Gamble said, a third lung, a second heart, a second stomache for digesting anything, a ear implant to protect from sonic attack and help with balance....ect
The lexicanium and wiki both are very helpfull for those organs.

Halmyr wrote:At first they recruit the most brutal fighters from the darkess corners of the imperium.

Well, almost. The Space Marines cannot just recruit from "anywhere" - they have their assigned fiefs from which they may draw new Initiates, though governors of individual worlds may also grant the right of recruitment as a "thankyou" to Chapters that have helped them in times of need, as has happened with the Hiveworld of Necromunda when the Imperial Fists aided in its defense against the Orks.

But yes, all recruits need to be male, and the implantation process usually begins at ages 10-14. In addition to gender and a young age, genetical compatibility is also a factor, and finally they have to have a suitably simple mind to facilitate the hypno-indoctrination (but this will make them smarter), which is why the feral warriors of Deathworld tribes and wild youngsters of Underhive gangs make excellent recruitment stock.

I recommend GW's Index Astartes I - it's a great read and has an extensive article on the intricacies, benefits and risks of the creation process. Index Astartes I-IV furthermore also deal with various individual Chapters' unique methods of recruitment.

Lexicanum has a whole thing on the creation of a space marine.

its really complicated apparently and the chance of sucess is low but with the large numbers that are brought in. Some are bound to suceed.

This might help.

It is the Index Astartes article that Lynata is referring to.

http://redelf.naxx.ru/w40k/ia/w40k_ia_roi.html

It does not go into much detail about how they obtain recruits. In addition too Lynata's comments they can be awarded a new recruiting world for their actions, petition the Adeptus Terra to be allowed to recruit from a new world, if say theirs has been destroyed or in the case of the Space Sharks, as spoils of war.

 Pilau Rice wrote:
This might help.

It is the Index Astartes article that Lynata is referring to.

http://redelf.naxx.ru/w40k/ia/w40k_ia_roi.html

It does not go into much detail about how they obtain recruits. In addition too Lynata's comments they can be awarded a new recruiting world for their actions, petition the Adeptus Terra to be allowed to recruit from a new world, if say theirs has been destroyed or in the case of the Space Sharks, as spoils of war.

Wow - this is very useful blog, it has old index astartes fluff - TY @Pilau Rice

I've never actually seen any instance of a Space Marine using the Belcher's Gland, is it just not very effective or something?

 SudoGhost wrote:
I've never actually seen any instance of a Space Marine using the Belcher's Gland, is it just not very effective or something?

The Chaplain in Purging of Kadillus uses it, IIRC. Spat acid right in a nob's (or it may have been a warboss, it's been a while since I read the book) eyes and fethed them up pretty bad.

 SudoGhost wrote:
I've never actually seen any instance of a Space Marine using the Belcher's Gland, is it just not very effective or something?

You meant read yes? The main character in Brothers of the Snake (attempts to) use his Betchers Gland.

Its just not a common use gland from what i have read thats all...normally, a SMs basic loadout will cover his offensive needs, its a last resort thing anyway from what i can tell, and in that case, most fluff has a different answer than 'and he made the enemies face dissolve'...

Do SM start off as normal human size and as they are 'worked upon" do they grow?

Pwn'd You wrote:Do SM start off as normal human size and as they are 'worked upon" do they grow?

Sort of. It seems to be a side-effect of the gene-therapy. Keep in mind that the new recruits are still children, so they are still in the process of natural growth. With all the drugs and chemicals etc pumped into their bodies, I presume they just grow a little more than they would have otherwise. It's like steroids for the whole body!

It may also be of note that the truly impressive characteristic about Space Marine growth is not how high they become (for 7 feet may be something that a normal human may achieve as well), but how wide they get. The whole mass, the package.

I've always been interested in the selection process for Space Marine chapters. It must be insanely intense, to the point that we would laugh at it... I mean, of course there's a limit to what teenagers (or children?) can do with their human genes, so it must be difficult to determine who to keep and who to sack.

Do the Space Marines themselves have a hand in training the "recruits", or is there some sort of training group, aside from scout marines?

 Samus_aran115 wrote:
I've always been interested in the selection process for Space Marine chapters. It must be insanely intense, to the point that we would laugh at it... I mean, of course there's a limit to what teenagers (or children?) can do with their human genes, so it must be difficult to determine who to keep and who to sack.

Ultimately the process alters their biology so significantly, what you start with (physically) is probably relatively unimportant. What they'd be screening for was compatibility with the procedures. Lack of mutation, corruption, genetic disease, etc. The modifications themselves do all the work and mold the child as it grows. Scientifically airtight? Not really. But it's sci-fi/fantasy tech, lol. So long as we can say "Well we can't prove it wouldn't work, it can fly.

Samus_aran115 wrote:Do the Space Marines themselves have a hand in training the "recruits", or is there some sort of training group, aside from scout marines?

That really depends on the individual Chapter, though the Marines themselves are usually too busy to bother with anyone but actual Scouts - that is, recruits who have survived the implantation and indoctrination process.

The selection process seems to be 50% arbitrary - as much governed by actual science (genetic compatibility) as by a Chapter's own cultural superstition, which may add further "redundant requirements" to what the technical aspect would demand. For example, the Salamanders recruit their initiates at an even earlier age (6-7), but the kids then spend their first years as blacksmiths before implantation is even an option. Does that make them better Marines? Ehh ...

Come to think of it, selection isn't even necessary, not in a society that is already absolutely dedicated to their patriarch. Almost any selectee would go to extreme lengths to prove themselves in the most extreme way possible. I'm sure the ultramarines look for strong chins, while the blood angels look for handsome people with curly hair, and the imperial fists look for people with... a penchant for destroying things?

Like a poster above said, what the body initially looks like is irrelevant, since everything is going to be changed and new organs are going to be growing inside of them, their skeleton is going to go nuts and their brain will get bigger.

Although my question was answered, I just have more questions now.

 Lynata wrote:

Pwn'd You wrote:Do SM start off as normal human size and as they are 'worked upon" do they grow?

Sort of. It seems to be a side-effect of the gene-therapy. Keep in mind that the new recruits are still children, so they are still in the process of natural growth. With all the drugs and chemicals etc pumped into their bodies, I presume they just grow a little more than they would have otherwise. It's like steroids for the whole body!

It may also be of note that the truly impressive characteristic about Space Marine growth is not how high they become (for 7 feet may be something that a normal human may achieve as well), but how wide they get. The whole mass, the package.

Its not a side effect, its an active part of the process. The recruits are given drugs and chemicals in their diets so that increased bone growth occurs (with the uptake of compounds to strengthen the bones) and so that muscle growth is vastly improved (giving larger and more efficent muscles).

The process of becoming a Space Marine is long so givestime for a slow but continual growth to full size.

Personally, I wouldn't even call them human anymore. They are freaky fighting machines.

Proof below o.o

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111113082446/warhammer40k/images/c/c0/PhilipSibberingSpaceMarineHeights.jpg

BluntmanDC wrote:Its not a side effect, its an active part of the process.

That was referring purely to the height, not muscle mass / general build of an Astartes. At least I assumed that was Samus_aran115 was getting at.

Evileyes wrote:Proof below o.o
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111113082446/warhammer40k/images/c/c0/PhilipSibberingSpaceMarineHeights.jpg

You know, it always kind of bothered me that the chart shows the average height of a human, yet not the average height of a Space Marine but rather the high end of the scale. The height almost seems to be a matter of pride for some fans.

But yes, apart from that I actually agree with this interpretation of their phsyique. They're literally human oxen!

 Pwn'd You wrote:
IS it true that space marines can spit acidic blood and if they eat flesh they can obtain the owner of saids flesh's memories?

Yes but bear in mind that Matt Ward wrote the codex
You wont find many references to marines spitting acid and eating flesh to obtain its owners meomries.

kinda along these lines, are scouts huge as well, and why are they scouts and not full fledged marines? are they scouts first then marines?

 Pwn'd You wrote:
kinda along these lines, are scouts huge as well, and why are they scouts and not full fledged marines? are they scouts first then marines?

A scout is a marine in training, yes. And I'd imagine the size of a scout depends on how long they've been one, for example a brand new scout with just a few implants might be the same size as a regular human while a scout that has all the implants sans black carapace might be the size of a Space Marine.

Ive tried to look it up but im confused on what the black carapace is actually for

 Pwn'd You wrote:
Ive tried to look it up but im confused on what the black carapace is actually for

It is a black, sheet-like organ implanted directly under the skin and after the various hook-up nodes and ports (think humans outside of the computer in The Matrix movies) it allows the marine to interface directly with his power armor.

If you want to know what it is like becoming a space marine, read the novel Space Marine by Ian Watson. It tells the story of three boys from Necromunda that are recruited into the Imperial Fists chapter, and while it has been deem "heretical" by GW, it still has a pretty accurate description of the whole process. A plus side with the book is that is actually a pretty damn good piece of science fiction to boot.

A space marine's ability to use his different organs depends on which chapter he's from because some organs become redundant and no longer work, but as far as I know some of the Ultramarines (namely Learchus) can eat an enemy's brain and gain their knowledge to say pilot a tau skimmer.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:

 Pwn'd You wrote:
Ive tried to look it up but im confused on what the black carapace is actually for

It is a black, sheet-like organ implanted directly under the skin and after the various hook-up nodes and ports (think humans outside of the computer in The Matrix movies) it allows the marine to interface directly with his power armor.

If you want to know what it is like becoming a space marine, read the novel Space Marine by Ian Watson. It tells the story of three boys from Necromunda that are recruited into the Imperial Fists chapter, and while it has been deem "heretical" by GW, it still has a pretty accurate description of the whole process. A plus side with the book is that is actually a pretty damn good piece of science fiction to boot.

The Black Carapace is also armour, giving a greater degree of protection to a marine even when out of his armour.

Im reading flight of the einsein and it mentioned something about feeling pressure on his carapce, so it like underskin armor that allows the sm to be more "one" with his armor?

Pwn'd You- thats exactly what it is. Its a USB jack under the skin that makes their power armor better. Also, in regards to the flesh thing, yes they can do it, Sarpedon eats a mutant brain in the first Soul Drinkers book

 BluntmanDC wrote:

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:

 Pwn'd You wrote:
Ive tried to look it up but im confused on what the black carapace is actually for

It is a black, sheet-like organ implanted directly under the skin and after the various hook-up nodes and ports (think humans outside of the computer in The Matrix movies) it allows the marine to interface directly with his power armor.

If you want to know what it is like becoming a space marine, read the novel Space Marine by Ian Watson. It tells the story of three boys from Necromunda that are recruited into the Imperial Fists chapter, and while it has been deem "heretical" by GW, it still has a pretty accurate description of the whole process. A plus side with the book is that is actually a pretty damn good piece of science fiction to boot.

The Black Carapace is also armour, giving a greater degree of protection to a marine even when out of his armour.

Where did you find that information? As far as i know. the Black Carapace is implanted only in the torso of the marine, not the whole body. While it is described as hardening after implantation, I have never seen anything suggest that it serves as "back up armor." The ribs in their ribcage flatten out and grow on top of each other like a kind of plate mail, but that is to protect the chest cavity (where most of the vital gene-seed organs are located). This is caused by the Ossmodula which also laces the rest of the skeleton with ceramite with the proper diet.