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This idea came by in the Blood Angels box set thread, but I didn't want to go too far off-topic. I also think it is a separate topic worth discussing. With the explosion of Primaris units this year, is there starting to be Primaris units that could be called signature units for the first founding and some of the more famous chapters?

Because I don't know. I can only think of a few mostly obvious matches:

Ultramarines = Intercessors with Bolt Rifle
Salamanders = Aggressors with Firestorm Gauntlets, Eradicators
White Scars = Outriders

A few that tentatively match:

Iron Hands = Redemptor Dreadnoughts
Imperial Fist = Aggressors with Boltstorm Gauntlets
Raptors = Infiltrators
Dark Angels = Bladeguard
Black Templar = Bladeguard
Flesh Tearers = Assault Intercessors

I think all of the above could also be argued to some extent away from those chapter's signature units.

What do you think, if any yet, are the known chapters' signature Primaris units?

Note: To those who hate Primaris and everything they stand for, please just ignore this tread rather than threadcrap in it. I would hope that you know at this point that nearly all Dakkanuats (or anyone interested in Warhammer 40k) is well aware that Primaris space marines were/are not universally accepted by the 40k community and there is, and likely will always be, a section of the community that always think of Primaris as a blight on 40k, Games Workshop, miniatures war gaming and/or all human creative endeavors. So I would take it as a kindness for those not interested in Primaris space marines or the question posed in the OP to just slide on by. Tell you what, I'll even pretend that after every 3rd post there's something negative written about why Primaris space marines shouldn't be a thing or whatever. Thank you, in advance.

As an Iron Hands player I generally agree with Redemptors - I personally use more Invictor Warsuits than Redemptors, and Intercessors with stalker bolt rifles are/were the meta choice.

I feel like the Imperial Fists could just as easily be Intercessor with Bolt rifle as their signature as well, since it's more in line with the classic bolter weapons that they're supposed to excel with. But, Boltstorm Aggressors are well enough.

For Imp Fists. I might go with heavy intercessors, with the HB and rapid fire guns.

Space Wolves strike me as autobolt rifle intercessors, maybe the vet versions.

Do BA have their own death company intercessors? If not assaults.

I pretty much agree with what’s been said above.

Raven Guard - Eliminators

 Lord Blackscale wrote:
Raven Guard - Eliminators

RG should be some form of phobos, and Eliminators would fit well. If their rules didn’t just suck out loud, I might suggest reivers. They have the while hit and run guerrilla disruption warfare thing that’s kind of the RG’s MO.

I’d also say UM are the Auto Boltstorm Aggressors.

They’re trooper Calgars.

Hawk Lords = Storm Speeder
Minotaurs = Judiciar
Mantis Warriors = Bladeguard
Fire Hawks = Suppressors
Sons of Medusa = Heavy Intercessors
Carcharodons = Assault Intercessors

Slightly off topic but I wouldn't be surprised with as the 8th ed supplements get replace we see a spin off unit for each first founding chapter.

SW got Hounds of Morkai and BA got Death Co. Intercessors (mixed). If DA get something similar then it's probably a fair bet we'll see something for each. Maybe IF would be able to have 2 HB per 5 Heavy Intercessors as a Heavy Support option.

Somewhat related, but not exactly on topic:

The Deathwatch supplement introduced 3 new types of Kill Teams in order to more fully integrate the Primaris into an army whose signature "Hook" had previously only been available to old marines.

I think this was a great idea.

What do you think, if any yet, are the known chapters' signature Primaris units?

None. They all use them all.
I honestly think the idea of the special snowflake specialist marines with super-unique special rules has run itself into the ground.

White Scars. for example aren't the 'bike guys.' They're foot troopers with assault weapons. So intercessors with autobolt rifles are their real 'thing' and what they really want are melee primaris jump troops.

Raven guard should be sniper intercessors/heavy intercessors. The last thing they want is to be close.

Ultramarines- any, doesn't matter
Sallies- flamestorm aggressors, sure
Iron Hands- any, doesn't matter
IF- any bolt, doesn't matter beyond that.
Dark Angels- can't imagine why'd they'd want bladeguard specifically. They want to camp and shoot.
BA- still waiting for melee jump primaris. Beyond that, outriders and assault intercessors get them by.
SW- same as BA, it doesn't really matter if the +1 to melee rolls is to hit or to wound, they still want to do the same things.

I mean, if I were going with a "primaris list" and I wanted a list that really stuck to theme, I don't think it's possible to go wrong with just everything Phobos in Raven Guard. That list is essentially the envy of any infiltration-based faction out there, blowing the absolute crap out of trash factions like GSC/Eldar/Alpha Legion. Snipers, infiltrators, ambush attacks, anti-deep strike capabilities, traps, terrain-based abilities, they've got the entirety of the Sneaky Guys design space basically locked down and ain't nobody else got a single solitary crumb.

There's also an incredibly strong imperial fists siege list now with Heavy Boi troops and the stationary turrets added in to the game. Aesthetically more so than gameplay, tbh, because "Siege" doesn't really exist as a thing in 40k, given that you set two armies up within nose-licking distance of one another and just pummel each other and all fortifications are so bad nobody in their right mind would ever take them. Big, Blocky, Fugly Troops plus Big Blocky Fugly Tanks and paint them yellow.

Outriders, assault intercessors mounted in Inceptors, Biker chaplain, Khan on a bike, Invaders and...lord, I don't even remember its doofenshmirtz-ass name the land speeder thing. That's a fairly solid White scars list. At least, as solid as any 'high-speed' firstborn marine list.

Honestly, there's not *that* much you can do with Firstborns that you can't do with Primaris at this point outside of the big hole of Jump Packs. can't for the life of me imagine why actual jump pack assault marines have not been added in to primaris yet.

We're also missing missile launchers technically as well. I don't know, maybe those are getting cut from the heavy weapon roster for being too plain jane un-trademarkable.

Ultramarines have an actual signature primaris unit. The victrix honor guard.

 footfoe wrote:
Ultramarines have an actual signature primaris unit. The victrix honor guard.

Amazingly, Bladeguard Veterans work even better as a unit and aren't arbitrarily limited to Ultramarines only.

I think it'll be based around the upgrade sprues. So that's 5 tacticus and 3 gravis pads. My shout for the DA is Hellblasters or Inceptors.

the_scotsman wrote:

 footfoe wrote:
Ultramarines have an actual signature primaris unit. The victrix honor guard.

Amazingly, Bladeguard Veterans work even better as a unit and aren't arbitrarily limited to Ultramarines only.

depends what you want, Victrix guard IIRC have a bodyguard function that's pretty useful

I'd be interested in seeing further SM chapters getting signature units. UM have the Victrix Honor Guards, BA have the Death Company Intercessors and Wolves have the Hounds of Morkai, although the latter two are just models with new paint jobs.

DA could get some sort of Primaris jetbike for the Ravenwing.
Salamanders could get a unit with long range flamethrowers.
Iron Hands could get special Primaris dreadnoughts with more weapon options
Imperial Fists should get Primaris breachers
White Scars should be able to take outriders as troops and get more mounted character options (just make a upgrade sprue with captain, library, apothecary, techmarine and champion heads, arms, and backpacks)
Black Templars are in an odd place because they are a melee army that are outclassed by Scars, BA, and Wolves. My guess is they should get some sort of unit that helps them counteract psychic powers.

While they can be the one-and-the-same, I didn't mean signature units to be the exclusive units of a well known chapter. Take a restaurant for example. It may be the only place in town to serve Mazzamurru, but it is known for its spaghetti and meatballs which they would call their signature dish. So yes, the Ultramarines do have the Victrix Guard, but are they the Primaris unit that comes to mind when one thinks about Ultramarine Primaris?

It definitely isn't for me. I go with the Bolt Rifle Intercessor since like the Ultramarines it is kinda vanilla, pretty flexible and makes good use of Chapter Tactics and Super Doctrine of the chapter. That could just be me though.

Honestly, Victrix Guard shouldn't really *be* a unique unit. I'd much rather prefer that Victrix Guard are just Bladeguard Veterans, and modify the Bladeguard Vets to be able to have a 2 man unit (giving people who buy the kit the ability to kitbash the third model either as a 3rd Bladeguard, or as a Lieutenant or Captain or other cool looking model), and give all Bladeguard the bodyguarding ability (maybe even tie to stratagems).

Then just throw in some flavour text about "In the Ultramarines, some Bladeguard Veterans are part of the Victrix Honour Guard, an elite bodyguarding cadre."

As for "signature" Chapter units, I'd say:
DA - Intercessors, maybe Infiltrators or Hellblasters. For all their bells and whistles, the DA are 4/5ths Codex Compliant. I say Infiltrators to get a bit of that fast moving Ravenwing flavour in, but Veteran Intercessors in the Deathwing could be fun too. Hellblasters bring that lovely plasma flavour.
WS - Outriders or Infiltrators. White Scars aren't always mounted, but they're well known for it, but small Phobos armoured units in Impulsors feel WS too.
SW - Reivers. Hunters, stalkers, less "traditional" armour, and emphasis on CQC tactics.
IF - Heavy Intercessors, or Incursors. Big armour, big bolter focus, or that pinpoint accurate, mine-laying side of siege warfare.
BA - Assault Intercessors. Still a Codex Chapter, but with a close combat spin.
IH - Either Heavy Intercessors or Boltstorm Aggressors. All about durability and laying down swathes of fire.
UM - Intercessors. Flexible and reliable.
Sal - Flamestorm Aggressors, because burn baby, burn.
RG - Infiltrators, Reivers, or Eliminators. Reivers have that speed and close combat element that the RG love, and I think stealth close combat is more of a RG trait than their long-range stealth (which I feel is more a Raptors feature), but all the same, Eliminators would fit. Infiltrators have access to the comms array and Helix Adept, which fit the "stuck behind enemy lines need for self-reliance" theme.

Raven Guard are Infiltrators with Coms.

Raptors are Incursors.

Iron Hands would be redemptors and Intercessors with auto bolt rifles (and maybe Gladiators).

Rievers are very much a Flesh tearers, BA, SW, Carcharodons - type unit; deffo not a Raven guard/ successor signature(terror troops are too noisy).

Being a pioneer of the trip-battalion Imperial Fists from 8th edition; I can assuredly say Aggressors are very poor IF units. Any real Son of Dorn will avoid anything that doesn’t have a bolt gun (and only a bolt gun)

Heavy Intercessors fit the Bill best. Standard gun with the holy Heavy Bolter. Those lovely things can kill a knight in one round pretty easy (as a fist).