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I was reading through a Writing 101 website's help section and one of the authors was upset that he kept writing Mad Scientists accidentally destroying the world. It got me thinking about 30k and 40k. While science has turned into a magical art there aren't Mad Scientists really in 40k.

Even the Dark Mechanicum is more aligned with magic than technology. Heretechs binding daemons to machines and such.

The Mechanicus itself is so against progress that many times Techpriests are censored for their experiments. Even the most mundane ones if it goes against the STCs. Just read Mechanicum where one of the main characters was almost thrown in jail for optimizing one of her "computers".

Perhaps Fabius Bile could be considered a Mad Scientist. But it still stands that most of these Mad Scientists are in league with Chaos. They aren't innovating too far they are looking for the shortcuts to innovation through unholy means. More of a sorcerer/apothecary (In the traditional sense) than a scientist.

Just a thought, what do you think?

The traditional role of mad scientist, certainly as far as the Imperium is concerned, is now given to the ignorant pawn of the Chaos Gods - the mad zealot as you call them. They're the ones messing with things they don't understand, experimenting and looking for shortcuts to power. The idea of technology as religion in the Imperium is interesting but it's always sat a little uneasy with me, given the need GW has to release new models all the time. Seems like the Imperium's just fine with new things when it suits them. Given how zealous and closed-minded the Mechanicum are you'd have thought they'd have destroyed the Primaris on sight.

Slipspace wrote:
The traditional role of mad scientist, certainly as far as the Imperium is concerned, is now given to the ignorant pawn of the Chaos Gods - the mad zealot as you call them. They're the ones messing with things they don't understand, experimenting and looking for shortcuts to power. The idea of technology as religion in the Imperium is interesting but it's always sat a little uneasy with me, given the need GW has to release new models all the time. Seems like the Imperium's just fine with new things when it suits them. Given how zealous and closed-minded the Mechanicum are you'd have thought they'd have destroyed the Primaris on sight.

Its hard to crucify a radical member of your techno-religious order and declare his inventions heretical when he has the backing of one of the Emperor's sons, who's also the head of one of the larger chapters of space marines.
Pretty sure the Ultramarines chapters are the biggest with the most foundings.

I'm sure the more conservative Magos would just love to excommunicate Cawl, but they can't without being branded as traitors by Guilleman's followers.

Maybe the IOM lacks the trope but Xenos have Meks, Haemonculi, and a few others to fill the gap

Yeah, I'd say that Ork Meks/Painboys and Drukhari haemonculi are the closest thing to mad scientists in 40k.

As far as the whole "GW need to release new models all the time" thing, they can simply say that the Imperium unearthed a new STC on some random world in the butt crack of nowhere whenever they have anything new to release.

If you want mad scientists, look to Ork Mekaniaks and Dark Eldar Haemonculi.

Haemonculi are part mad scientist and part cenobite cosplayer.