Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I've been remaking one of my space marine chapters for the hell of it. Also to see if I could make a better and more entertaining space marine chapter using the resources from the 40k universe. But one question I constantly wonder is when space marine chapters do have traitors from their own chapter. who is sent to deal with it? Does the chapter hunt them down or do they send a special task force to deal with it? Or do they just send the Ordos after them?

I currently have a chapter, have a certain Astartes who abandoned his post and killed a bunch of Deathwatch Space Marines and turned to slaanesh. Most definitely the chapter would not let the guy live.

Should I write a particular unit or some sort of traitor hunter that the chapter has.

The chapter has a history of having some Astartes going completely rogue. (They are a Dark Angels Successor Chapter). I had some old lore about them but I am planning on rewriting it so they are bit more professional..... And better in general.

They whole of the chapter would hunt them down, they are the fallen and a secret that the chapter does not want the inquisition knowing about

 Great White wrote:
They whole of the chapter would hunt them down, they are the fallen and a secret that the chapter does not want the inquisition knowing about

Well basically the secret would be out if that marine attacked a deathwatch watch fortress. Even though he served as one.

I'd suspect that most Chapters would hunt down their traitors themselves; it's an embarrassment to have to ask for help from other forces and to have to admit your traitors at all. A specific unit isn't strictly necessary, but the Dark Angels at least maintain the Ravenwing for that purpose.

Killing Deathwatch marines? I'd be surprised if his Chapter heard about it before the Inquisition.

Depending on the circumstance the Chapter could be given a chance to hunt the traitor, or it could be phrased as a "request" they'd better not turn down. If one of the murdered marines was from a Chapter of higher standing they might demand or be awarded the right to hunt the traitor.

All assuming the Inquisition doesn't want to handle it themself for some reason, ofc. Or simply keep it secret.

Please delete, wrong post.

Spetulhu wrote:
Killing Deathwatch marines? I'd be surprised if his Chapter heard about it before the Inquisition.

Depending on the circumstance the Chapter could be given a chance to hunt the traitor, or it could be phrased as a "request" they'd better not turn down. If one of the murdered marines was from a Chapter of higher standing they might demand or be awarded the right to hunt the traitor.

All assuming the Inquisition doesn't want to handle it themself for some reason, ofc. Or simply keep it secret.

Yup I am probably going to think of something to hunt the guy down.

But of course I will have him escape and join a chaos renegade group.

This sounds like a good army for my Confessors to go after. A custom chapter designed around the idea of hunting imperial forces who have betrayed the IoM.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/611138.page

I have a squad of DA vets and a company master painted up to be Guardians of the Covenant (one of the successor chapters), when I run them in a game I say that they're in the system hunting down a group of Fallen and just so happened to join up with my regular DA for the current battle. For fluff, ya know? And because I love the paint for them, they're silver armor with crimson robes, but didn't want to devote an entire army to them.

Spetulhu wrote:
Killing Deathwatch marines? I'd be surprised if his Chapter heard about it before the Inquisition.

Depending on the circumstance the Chapter could be given a chance to hunt the traitor, or it could be phrased as a "request" they'd better not turn down. If one of the murdered marines was from a Chapter of higher standing they might demand or be awarded the right to hunt the traitor.

All assuming the Inquisition doesn't want to handle it themself for some reason, ofc. Or simply keep it secret.

Yeah this is how i'd see it too.

I'd be surprised that the entire chapter was not purged because of this though... Entire marine chapters have been purged for reasons lesser than that. Also, usually kept secret until someone found out. But so blatant a kill, turning against the Deathwatch? lol

The chapter would have to "repent" a lot...

 Icculus wrote:
This sounds like a good army for my Confessors to go after. A custom chapter designed around the idea of hunting imperial forces who have betrayed the IoM.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/611138.page

The entire chapter has not betrayed the imperium. A single Astartes has.

The chapter has had individuals turn not entire units.

I'd be surprised that the entire chapter was not purged because of this though... Entire marine chapters have been purged for reasons lesser than that. Also, usually kept secret until someone found out. But so blatant a kill, turning against the Deathwatch? lol

The chapter would have to "repent" a lot...

The actions of one marine usually would not lead to a chapter being destroyed or purged. Seeing as the ultramarines and the Sons of gulliman and chapters in general have Astartes that go traitor.

I have a squad of DA vets and a company master painted up to be Guardians of the Covenant (one of the successor chapters), when I run them in a game I say that they're in the system hunting down a group of Fallen and just so happened to join up with my regular DA for the current battle. For fluff, ya know? And because I love the paint for them, they're silver armor with crimson robes, but didn't want to devote an entire army to them.

O.o what.

Well originally in the lore the Chapter sends those who have been disobedient to the DeathWatch, and the chapter sends a representative to watch them.

The chapter has a history within itself of having those things happen. But they are known to also not having great relations to the Dark Angels.

 Asherian Command wrote:

 Icculus wrote:
This sounds like a good army for my Confessors to go after. A custom chapter designed around the idea of hunting imperial forces who have betrayed the IoM.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/611138.page

The entire chapter has not betrayed the imperium. A single Astartes has.

The chapter has had individuals turn not entire units.

So multiple individuals? All out of one chapter. I dont think that either the Confessors or the Inquisition will buy your defense. Obviously something is wrong with the geneseed if this continues to happen. If there is a history of individuals turning traitor more recently than the Horus Heresy, you better believe there will be some major investigations in to the chapter as a whole.

 Icculus wrote:

 Asherian Command wrote:

 Icculus wrote:
This sounds like a good army for my Confessors to go after. A custom chapter designed around the idea of hunting imperial forces who have betrayed the IoM.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/611138.page

The entire chapter has not betrayed the imperium. A single Astartes has.

The chapter has had individuals turn not entire units.

So multiple individuals? All out of one chapter. I dont think that either the Confessors or the Inquisition will buy your defense. Obviously something is wrong with the geneseed if this continues to happen. If there is a history of individuals turning traitor more recently than the Horus Heresy, you better believe there will be some major investigations in to the chapter as a whole.

Well their chapter was almost complete destroyed after their homeplanet was blown up. A very few amount went rouge because they had lost hope. The chapter afterwards was able to regain itself and decided to hunt down its traitors.

Considering it has been like 10 or 12 over the past three hundred years. I think that would be common. Considering that the Blood Ravens had half their chapter turn renegade.

Plus what could they do to a chapter that is spread across the galaxy and is loyal?

 Asherian Command wrote:

 Icculus wrote:

 Asherian Command wrote:

 Icculus wrote:
This sounds like a good army for my Confessors to go after. A custom chapter designed around the idea of hunting imperial forces who have betrayed the IoM.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/611138.page

The entire chapter has not betrayed the imperium. A single Astartes has.

The chapter has had individuals turn not entire units.

So multiple individuals? All out of one chapter. I dont think that either the Confessors or the Inquisition will buy your defense. Obviously something is wrong with the geneseed if this continues to happen. If there is a history of individuals turning traitor more recently than the Horus Heresy, you better believe there will be some major investigations in to the chapter as a whole.

Well their chapter was almost complete destroyed after their homeplanet was blown up. A very few amount went rouge because they had lost hope. The chapter afterwards was able to regain itself and decided to hunt down its traitors.

Considering it has been like 10 or 12 over the past three hundred years. I think that would be common. Considering that the Blood Ravens had half their chapter turn renegade.

Plus what could they do to a chapter that is spread across the galaxy and is loyal?

Well these are all good things to consider I think. When writing the fluff for a chapter it's good to come up with how they are seen by other forces.

So perhaps you can include something in there about they have had to undergo Inquisition interrogation but always came up clean. So the fact that some go traitor is a mystery. Or perhaps they have kept it a secret that they have lost certain individuals.

Anyway, just stuff to think about it. It is your own fluff after all so you can come up with whatever story you want. That's the beauty of custom chapters.

 Asherian Command wrote:

 Great White wrote:
They whole of the chapter would hunt them down, they are the fallen and a secret that the chapter does not want the inquisition knowing about

Well basically the secret would be out if that marine attacked a deathwatch watch fortress. Even though he served as one.

Sorry to hear about your Chapter's untimely demise then.

Best of luck with the next one.

 Veteran Sergeant wrote:

 Asherian Command wrote:

 Great White wrote:
They whole of the chapter would hunt them down, they are the fallen and a secret that the chapter does not want the inquisition knowing about

Well basically the secret would be out if that marine attacked a deathwatch watch fortress. Even though he served as one.

Sorry to hear about your Chapter's untimely demise then.

Best of luck with the next one.

Hahaha. No. I highly doubt the Inqusition would get rid of a space marine chapter because a dozen Astartes went rouge, and one of them happened to go crazy and kill a bunch of deathwatch marines and summoning a demon even though he has the pariah gene (lulz whut?)

Well these are all good things to consider I think. When writing the fluff for a chapter it's good to come up with how they are seen by other forces.

So perhaps you can include something in there about they have had to undergo Inquisition interrogation but always came up clean. So the fact that some go traitor is a mystery. Or perhaps they have kept it a secret that they have lost certain individuals.

Anyway, just stuff to think about it. It is your own fluff after all so you can come up with whatever story you want. That's the beauty of custom chapters.

The chapter is highly secretive. Though they often used by inqusition because of how good they are versus Xenos Creatures. Infact most of the Deathwatch in the ghoul stars are often lead by Wanderers. Well according to my lore XD. AS GW rarely talks about the ghoul stars.

I have had the chapter usually fight with Imperial Guard Regiments as a sort of back up, as the chapter has so few actually means of supporting like other chapters, they act very much like the Mentors Legion mixed with the Raptors.

Im pretty sure unless they had some actual mondo influence (like first founding chapter levels) some of the inquisition (especially any puritan quisitors) will be up in arms ready to remove any chance of heresy, while the radicals or middle ground would probably go for some more in dept inquiring (actually investigating)

if the chapter is all for hiding secrets then chances are even they would probably get ready to destroy the chapter

 Desubot wrote:
Im pretty sure unless they had some actual mondo influence (like first founding chapter levels) some of the inquisition (especially any puritan quisitors) will be up in arms ready to remove any chance of heresy, while the radicals or middle ground would probably go for some more in dept inquiring (actually investigating)

if the chapter is all for hiding secrets then chances are even they would probably get ready to destroy the chapter

WEll there secrets are more about the enemy they faced on their homeplanet.



Their Secrets are not as bad as many would think. They just have secrets in the ways they train and how they act in general. That being that they are quite resistant to the warp and chaos corruption. But sometimes their aspirants do go crazy if they possess certain abilities.

Well you know how that still goes with the inquisition
If there are secrets, its there job to find out regardless of if it is relevant or not.

only reason they dont go knocking on DA or space wolf doors are IIRC there political pull for the former and get off my lawn for the lather.

 Desubot wrote:
Well you know how that still goes with the inquisition
If there are secrets, its there job to find out regardless of if it is relevant or not.

only reason they dont go knocking on DA or space wolf doors are IIRC there political pull for the former and get off my lawn for the lather.

Hmm so maybe they could be used by Inqusition as a sort of Xenos hunting group that is really REALLY good at killing xenos. And the Ordo Xenos secretly founded them sort of like the Mechancius did with Steel Confessors. I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

If your fluff to work, you need a fairly high power inquisitor suppressing information for there behalf. probably some flavor of radical inquisitor that has very close ties to the chapter to the point of no hiding secrets between.

 Desubot wrote:
If your fluff to work, you need a fairly high power inquisitor suppressing information for there behalf. probably some flavor of radical inquisitor that has very close ties to the chapter to the point of no hiding secrets between.

I'll have to plan it out then.

If anyone is onboard to throw stuff at the board.

Because right now the chapter calls themselves amongst the Forgiven. (Dark Angels who do not hunt the fallen)

Infact the Wanderers have since forgotten about their Dark Angel Traditions.


So I could write it that it was that the single member who went rogue had become a black shield and was not identified as a Wanderer. Thus not even the Inqusition would know who the Astartes chapter was that gave them the Astartes that went insane.

Throwing stuff:

My own fluff, which is not as "heretical" i'd say

I collect an army of DA who, just as it seems for you, decided that they'd stop hunting the Fallen. Being a DA sub-chapter, they split with some gene-seed samples for a new recruiting world, and are convinced that the new Gene-pool has "counter-acted" the Chaos-tendence originally in the DA pool.

Even something so slight as "not hunting" has however attracted the attention of the DA chapter, and they have sent Interrogator-Chaplain Talos with a company of Deathwing Terminators to "help" along during missions. This "help" is obviously an investigation, or "control" by the Founding chapter.

They still don't go "hunting", and are glad to have help, but because of this the Chaplain and Deathwing will not leave the chapter (pretty permanent, like, adopted some markings, etc...) and keep "Policing", reporting to the DA Chapter (who replaced the missing Deathwing already).

Take from it what you will, but as you can see, i'm of the mind that even something "very very tame" can almost mean a destruction of a Chapter. Turning on Deathwatch members.... is um.... as i say, extreme lol.

When you say:

Hmm so maybe they could be used by Inqusition as a sort of Xenos hunting group that is really REALLY good at killing xenos.

That's pretty much what i had in mind for "The chapter would have to "repent" a lot..."

 BlackTalos wrote:
Throwing stuff:

My own fluff, which is not as "heretical" i'd say

I collect an army of DA who, just as it seems for you, decided that they'd stop hunting the Fallen. Being a DA sub-chapter, they split with some gene-seed samples for a new recruiting world, and are convinced that the new Gene-pool has "counter-acted" the Chaos-tendence originally in the DA pool.

Even something so slight as "not hunting" has however attracted the attention of the DA chapter, and they have sent Interrogator-Chaplain Talos with a company of Deathwing Terminators to "help" along during missions. This "help" is obviously an investigation, or "control" by the Founding chapter.

They still don't go "hunting", and are glad to have help, but because of this the Chaplain and Deathwing will not leave the chapter (pretty permanent, like, adopted some markings, etc...) and keep "Policing", reporting to the DA Chapter (who replaced the missing Deathwing already).

Take from it what you will, but as you can see, i'm of the mind that even something "very very tame" can almost mean a destruction of a Chapter. Turning on Deathwatch members.... is um.... as i say, extreme lol.

When you say:

Hmm so maybe they could be used by Inqusition as a sort of Xenos hunting group that is really REALLY good at killing xenos.

That's pretty much what i had in mind for "The chapter would have to "repent" a lot..."

Well the chapter made its own type of a bolter, called a Widow Maker, and it is basically a bolter turned into an extremely powerful sniper rifle. I wrote some rules for them, and man my opponent let me use it once, and it was awesome, I had a lot less marines than other armies do but it was a good match as they count as heavy weapon and it takes them a turn to set up.

I think I could make it so that the chapter is quite shameful of being a Dark Angel successor and has gone out of their way to ensure others do not know what chapter they are from.

But yeah I will think about it.