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I would have thought the answer was no, since they KNF.

However the start of the 2nd Night Lords novel has



That really irked me, and I thought the author could have easily come up with a different plot device for them finding the location.

What say the rest of you?

It depends largely on the Author and the theme of the book.
Having a space marine holding out on the NL, in their very own book doesn’t seem like something which would earn much positive feedback from the fan community.

Conventional torture? Not a chance.

Some warp-aided mind wizardry against which there is little defence outside of being a psyker? Sure, why not.

Well, depends.

If the Inquisition was doing the torture, hell yeah he would.

Considering the kind of torture possible (psychic for example) and that the Night Lords were capable of keeping people alive after flaying their skin IIRC, I can see it as possible.

AFAIK, Huron may use similar methods to turn some to his cause?

Torture seemed to work well enough in The Gildar Rift, especially when threatened with the removal of the Progenoid gland.

But there is all kinds of things they can do, its not like marines are immune to pain, or the urge of self preservation.

As well it depends on the point of view. If its from the POV of Chaos Marines...of course the torture works. But if Uriel Ventris is being tortured he gives up nothing.

'And They Shall Know No Fear' - it's fear they're immune to, not pain. They might not be scared of being tortured but pain will still influence them. A Space Marine is a perfect candidate for prolonged torture - their bodies advanced healing capabilities (instant clotthing) etc means you can keep them alive for absolutely ages and be able to do whatever you wanted to them (within a certain scope). They will break eventually just like any human, question is how long would it take? Before anyone jumps in and says "Well it must be longer than an Imperial Guardsman", history has shown us that there are humans who, despite the physical or mental trauma they're subjected to as 'torture', have been able to take whatever information they had to the grave with them.

Isn't this like a superhero question, like "who would win, the Hulk or Wolverine?" The answer, pretty much always, is "whoever is the hero of that story."

Of course marines have their breaking point.

Its unlikely that normal humans could break them, certaintly nothing that would work on a human would work on a marine.


But a psyker or another space marine could certaintly make a marine crack, eventually. Its still not going to be easy but its not impossable.

Everyone breaks eventually. The only matter is how long. Space marines would be easier. Take longer sure, but you don't have to be so gentle. You can remove a heart or lung, they've got spares! and depending on who it was doing the torturing, they might even be able to grow it back and do it again, and again... there's almost nothing you couldn't do to them and they'd be able to take it. Taking damage and healing it quickly is what they're designed to do. All it would take is time.

 Grey Templar wrote:
Of course marines have their breaking point.

Its unlikely that normal humans could break them, certaintly nothing that would work on a human would work on a marine.

I think you're underestimating the human capacity for inflicting pain. Then again, I doubt a skilled torturer would classify as a normal human being.

Still, Dark Angels torture any Fallen they capture regularly, and some do succumb.

Bran Dawri wrote:

 Grey Templar wrote:
Of course marines have their breaking point.

Its unlikely that normal humans could break them, certaintly nothing that would work on a human would work on a marine.

I think you're underestimating the human capacity for inflicting pain. Then again, I doubt a skilled torturer would classify as a normal human being.

Still, Dark Angels torture any Fallen they capture regularly, and some do succumb.

Ok, you are a normal human torturer. Someone brings you a restrained Astartes to break. You have no real knowledge of Astartes biology or anything.


Water Torture. Not going to work.

Psychological stress(without a psyker involved) Not going to work.

Searing brands. Not going to work.

Beating the snot out of him. Not going to work.

I'm not a torturer, so I don't know what kind of twisted things they can do to people to make them talk, nor would I like to imagine them.

In any case, searing brands could certainly work. Not at once, and probably not on their own, but I do know enough about it to know that real torture is a protracted affair.

Well the Inquisition does have some methods of torture that can last almost indefinitely. Imagine something like water boarding, for say a century without stopping for a moment.

One of the ways they discovered one of these was simply stasis boxes found on most ships. Pretty much the only problem would be finding one big enough.

Yes they could

Space Marines are not really affected by pain all that much. I think there was a quote from one of the books that had a Space Marine state that pain stemed from the fear of death. And since they Know know fear, and Know that death is nothing to them pain would not be the way to go. Yeah it will hurt them, they may even wince a bit, but they can shut themselves down and even go into coma mode if they take too much damage. What one would really have to do to a space marine would be pschological tourture. Get inside their mind and show them how they have failed their Emperor, the Imperium and their Chapter.

Although I think if one were to attempt to remove a progenoid gland it might make a SM sweat a little.

 Grey Templar wrote:

Bran Dawri wrote:

 Grey Templar wrote:
Of course marines have their breaking point.

Its unlikely that normal humans could break them, certaintly nothing that would work on a human would work on a marine.

I think you're underestimating the human capacity for inflicting pain. Then again, I doubt a skilled torturer would classify as a normal human being.

Still, Dark Angels torture any Fallen they capture regularly, and some do succumb.

Ok, you are a normal human torturer. Someone brings you a restrained Astartes to break. You have no real knowledge of Astartes biology or anything.


Water Torture. Not going to work.

Psychological stress(without a psyker involved) Not going to work.

Searing brands. Not going to work.

Beating the snot out of him. Not going to work.

What would an Astartes torturer have over a normal human torturer in any regards aside from physical strength?

And we don't know that psychological stress won't work. Certainly marines have "lost it" before (e.g. in Flight of the Eisenstein), and have shown to lose their senses and sense of reality when in dreadnoughts. They may not know fear, but fear is not the only way to break something, and their mental capacities aren't perfect. Deprive them of stimuli or only weird/confusing stimuli, dope them up, leave for long periods of time, likely would work over time. Likewise Marines aren't immune to pain, and as others noted are perfect candidates for torture given that one could do horrific things to them over and over and over and not even a Marine is going to be allright after that if you have the time to keep them in such a position for an extended period of time. Having bones broken over and over, or set to heal in awkward/painful manners and rebroken again, etc. Marine's aren't psychologically invincible.

It'd likely be much more difficult and time consuming, but there's no reason why a marine couldn't be broken (and have been broken).

 Melissia wrote:
Well, depends.

If the Inquisition was doing the torture, hell yeah he would.

And if they break with an inquisitor imagine when a Dark Eldar does it.

Probes...
So many probes...

Yes given time and right tools

Its more a case of making sure the Asartes prisoner does not find a way to kill himself - in the adudio drama with the NL's



The Night Lords are good at it - they do it a lot as do the Dark Eldar who may have had thousands of year so practice.

Bottom line: A Space marine can and will break............ but it won't be easy or quick.

 Grey Templar wrote:
Ok, you are a normal human torturer. Someone brings you a restrained Astartes to break. You have no real knowledge of Astartes biology or anything.

Water Torture. Not going to work.

Psychological stress(without a psyker involved) Not going to work.

Searing brands. Not going to work.

Beating the snot out of him. Not going to work.

That's not even a drop in the ocean of the hideous techniques humanity has developed over several thousand of years of interrogation whether for information, confession to a crime/heresy or mere perverse enjoyment. If you do some research you'll soon find means of torture that will turn your stomach.

Regular torture? Not a chance. He'd laugh it off, or die trying.

Chaos is damn good at torture, and the Night Lords are probably exceptional at it. Even without warpcraft, they can keep you alive for years of pure agony, experienced over the course of a few hours of reality.
Then there's the mind-screw, in which he's got images of the imperium being doomed even if he resists, and possibly even worse if he resists, his brothers dying in flames, etc, etc.

Chaos is REALLY EVIL. They have unimaginable levels of it.

Well if any Space Marine is most likely to break another would you not assume its going to be a NL?

They are Astartes who is specialize in terror tactics and excel at torture.

Remember Variel The Flayer in the NL series? IIRC his mere presence around most Red Corsairs made them uncomfortable because he was infamous at torturing SM and CSM alike.

Vaktathi wrote:What would an Astartes torturer have over a normal human torturer in any regards aside from physical strength?

The hype, obviously.

But yeah ... Black Templars Pain Glove, anyone? Dark Angels Interrogator-Chaplains? Space Marines getting tortured and reaching their breaking point has been in GW's background for decades. The necessary tools can be operated by anyone who has hands.
That's not to say that everyone succumbs. There are many references in the fluff telling of Space Marines (and humans, before the fans start to think this is something unique to SM again...) resisting torture up to their death. But at the same time, there are also many references of both Marines and humans giving up.

 Grey Templar wrote:
Its unlikely that normal humans could break them

Oh please, Inquisitors could break Marines pretty damned easy compared to some of the stuff they have to break on a regular basis.

The Inquisition may not be as sadistic as the Dark Eldar, but unlike the DE, they're on a mission from the Emperor and NOTHING will stop them. They have the power, the authority ,and the indomitable will to do whatever they have to do to keep the Imperium alive. In many ways, this actually makes them more frightening to be tortured by than the DE. A Dark Eldar might torture you for fun ,but he'll get bored of it eventually, and then one way or the other, it will end.

An Inquisitor will never get bored. It won't end until you break and tell them EVERYTHING you know and literally barrq your soul to them. And then they'll keep going-- just in case you missed something.

 Melissia wrote:

 Grey Templar wrote:
Its unlikely that normal humans could break them

Oh please, Inquisitors could break Marines pretty damned easy compared to some of the stuff they have to break on a regular basis.

The Inquisition may not be as sadistic as the Dark Eldar, but unlike the DE, they're on a mission from the Emperor and NOTHING will stop them. They have the power, the authority ,and the indomitable will to do whatever they have to do to keep the Imperium alive. In many ways, this actually makes them more frightening to be tortured by than the DE. A Dark Eldar might torture you for fun ,but he'll get bored of it eventually, and then one way or the other, it will end.

An Inquisitor will never get bored. It won't end until you break and tell them EVERYTHING you know and literally barrq your soul to them. And then they'll keep going-- just in case you missed something.

Well they torture people for fun AND because their existence depends on it, and they are very creative at that, I don't think an inquisitor would be better at torture than a DE (specialized in doing it, of course).

 Polvilhovoador wrote:

 Melissia wrote:

 Grey Templar wrote:
Its unlikely that normal humans could break them

Oh please, Inquisitors could break Marines pretty damned easy compared to some of the stuff they have to break on a regular basis.

The Inquisition may not be as sadistic as the Dark Eldar, but unlike the DE, they're on a mission from the Emperor and NOTHING will stop them. They have the power, the authority ,and the indomitable will to do whatever they have to do to keep the Imperium alive. In many ways, this actually makes them more frightening to be tortured by than the DE. A Dark Eldar might torture you for fun ,but he'll get bored of it eventually, and then one way or the other, it will end.

An Inquisitor will never get bored. It won't end until you break and tell them EVERYTHING you know and literally barrq your soul to them. And then they'll keep going-- just in case you missed something.

Well they torture people for fun AND because their existence depends on it, and they are very creative at that, I don't think an inquisitor would be better at torture than a DE (specialized in doing it, of course).

In the Space Marine novels I would say the Inquistors and DE both tortured some Ultramarines equally. Only difference was the Inquistion called it a "test" LOL

And the Inquisitor could have gotten so much worse, as well-- merely a test, because it really wasn't the worst he could throw at them.

As the worst torture that the Inquisition can throw at someone will shatter their minds.

Read Atlas Infernal.

Those ways can make a Space Marine give up.

 Brometheus wrote:
Read Atlas Infernal.

Those ways can make a Space Marine give up.

That's the same book that had an Inquisitor kill an entire squad of Grey Knight Terminators simply by flashing them with a Blank embryo. So yeah, not the best source.