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So I'm writing a story about the Imperium vs heretics and I'm stumped on describing the enemies forces from an imperial perspective. Would the imperium be able to discern the identity of different portions of a heretic fleet?

Could a commander look at a chaos fleet and tell that it is made up of Black Legion, along with Slaanesh and Tzeentche followers?

A lot of the Chaos Legions are just as proud of thier heraldry as the Space marines are so, yes if your dealing with them. I'm not sure about a cult fleet.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
and by chaos legions i mean Chaos Space Marines

 Mr Nobody wrote:
So I'm writing a story about the Imperium vs heretics and I'm stumped on describing the enemies forces from an imperial perspective. Would the imperium be able to discern the identity of different portions of a heretic fleet?

Could a commander look at a chaos fleet and tell that it is made up of Black Legion, along with Slaanesh and Tzeentche followers?

It depends on which element of the Imperium encounters them. Imperial Navy elements and space marines in the novels can seemingly indentify most chaos ships or types based on reputation, ship layout or knowledge on when they rebelled. Indentifying CSM warbands is much more limited to the Inquisition and Adeptus Astartes, since the general public is being kept in the dark about Chaos, they know about rebels and traitors existing though.

The IG will recognize, for example, an infamous Traitor Regiment or Warband, such as the Blood Pact of the Gaunt's Ghosts series. The average IG officer is not going to know the difference between a World Eater Legionnaire and a Noise Marine on sight.

The Navy will be able to use their various auspex systems to analyze and identify enemy vessels, which probably broadcasts certain identifying codes that announce its name as the "Throne of Sin" or whatever.

If he meet them before he would.

What Psienesis said.

I'm not exactly sure whether I read this in BFG or a licensed product, but in regards to the Navy, it almost sounded as if they even keep records of enemy warships, tracking their positions and engagements in association with the name. And adding said name to an Imperial warship's own battle record if it manages to capture or destroy it, of course.

Outside of Chaos... I doubt anyone knows much about the different Ork clans outside of the Ordo Xenos and some specific Chapters with plentiful Ork experience (like Shrike's 3rd Company Raven Guard). It's not like your average Ork would stop to explain the difference...

Eldar could be one way or the other. On the one hand, it seems as though Craftworld Eldar are closely tied to their location and known to military Imperials because of it (for instance, Ulthwe being close to the Eye of Terror means that Cadians will recognise their colour schemes). However, there are also instances where Dark Eldar have been confused for Craftworld Eldar by their victims.

For BFG I always thought there were records of chaos ships because they were at one point owned by the imperium before they went traitor.

Other than infamous xeno entries like certain ork killa-cruzas (that had reach mammoth proportions) or eldar priate ships, the imperial navy wouldn't just recognize a ship.

nomotog wrote:
If he meet them before he would.

Someone would have needed to tell said IG officer, "Look, scrub, that guy in the pink and blue? That's a Noise Marine. That guy there with the pair of chain-axes and the blood smeared all over his armor? That's a Minotaur, don't feth with him and his mob... but the guy with the chain-axes and blood-smears and spikes? That's a World-Eater."

Most times, positive identification of the Arch-Enemy's elite units (which CSM most certainly are) requires some sort of specialist who both possesses the knowledge, and the right to possess such knowledge. Such specialists are generally found within the Inquisition or very-high-ranking Imperial Guard circles (like a Lord-General and his command staff). Usually, CSM will just be "Traitor Marines" or "the bastard sons of the Emperor" or similar label, until they identify themselves or someone who knows comes along and tells them.

For BFG I always thought there were records of chaos ships because they were at one point owned by the imperium before they went traitor.

Other than infamous xeno entries like certain ork killa-cruzas (that had reach mammoth proportions) or eldar priate ships, the imperial navy wouldn't just recognize a ship.

There is that, too, though two ships of the same model would require some other form of identifying features in order to establish positive ID. If the "Throne of Sin" and the "Damnatus Aeterna" are both Gothic-class cruisers who were taken by Chaos at roughly the same time, there'd be no way to use historical data to determine which is which. At least the way that I look at it, and extrapolating from the ID broadcasts that Titans use (as depicted in Titanicus), these imposing war-machines are only too happy to tell everyone who, exactly, has arrived to ruin your day.

The IN probably classifies Eldar, Ork, and other Xeno vessels by size, function and capability, insofar as they are able, though they may not know what the vessel's name is if it has not been encountered. The IN probably knows, say, that that ship there is an Eldar Cruiser, while those smaller Eldar vessels are frigates. That frigate is a destroyer, that one's a missile-boat and that one there is just a bulk transport, but is ignorant of the actual names of these vessels. Same with Ork, Tau, Necron, etc. vessels.

Aren't the imperial records on necron vessels very sketchy though?

They aren't encountered that often and rarely leave anyone who can say what was what.

And on top of that identifying them in battle seems to be quite hard too.

Many imperials are aware of traitors or pirates but many don't know they worship the chaos gods. Many more think that space marines, even imperial ones are legends.

Chaos ships have a tendency to scream their name over and over, and the chaos ships where once imperial ones, so naval officers should recognise the make, unless its too heavily defiled and warped...

Psienesis wrote:

That guy there with the pair of chain-axes and the blood smeared all over his armor? That's a Minotaur, don't feth with him and his mob... but the guy with the chain-axes and blood-smears and spikes? That's a World-Eater.

Is the commander a normal human? I imagine its most likely they would identify them as traitors, probably as traitor marines (but then how would they know just what soldiers are aboard the traitor fleet) and be killed by Inquisitors for knowing so much as the names of the different Chaos Gods,

I'm guessing the shape and color of a ship would be very telling. Green and rotting Nurgle, Purple/pink and lpainted bright colors Slaanesh, etc...
I'm guessing most are identified by some sort of signiture code though.