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Alright, here's the deal; for whatever reason, some Inquisitor, say Ordo Malleus, is hanging out with some Deathwatch bros. Some Astartes pisses him off, to the point he's decided to make an example of this Marine himself. Now, the Asrtartes is a 9' fall superhuman whilst the Inquisitor, as badass as they seem to be, is still a tiny puny Terran.

Exactly what in the lore makes Inquisitors so insanely tough? Are they warded? Are they all minor Psykers(I know there are major ones too)? How would a hand-to-hand brawl between an Astartes and an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor go down, assuming both had their melee weapons and armor?

**EDIT**

Let me clear the air here; I'm talking out of game literature to back tabletop stats. I got a lot of relies of "Oh a space Marine would wipe the walls with em!" but. on the table, I think even the most basically equipped Inquisitor is going to massacre most basic Marines, even Sergeants. So no, most basic Marines would not wipe the walls with an Inquisitor, from a tabletop point of view. I'm just looking for info as to why that is.

The general answer is psykin', Emperor's Protection, and special, even alien or chaotic, weapons and armor.

Every Inquisitor is different. But, let us suppose she has a melta. She shoot one shot at the marine, and leave a small puddle of melted marine.

The Inquisitor most likely has his own enhancements plus better equipment like pre Heresy stuff even DAOT stuff and it's highly likely he would be a Psyker.

IIRC in one of the Soul Drinkers books an Inquisitor fought a marine and had a special gun and sword, The gun shot these really rare rounds and the sword could shatter into pieces and shoot towards an enemy and even with all that he only won when a statue crushed the Marine.

So IMO i would choose the Inquisitor over the Marine most of the time.

A marine would obliterate almost any human one on one.

However, as mentioned, Inquisitors have really cool toys that gives them an advantage over their opponent. I do believe they have a Rosarius type object? They get really powerful warp spawned weapons and they are often potent psykers.

Yeah the Inquisitors have all sorts of special gubbins that we don't really know about.

For Example, in one of the Ciaphas Cain books.. Amberley Vail has an in-built teleporter that will displace her randomly if she was about to be hit by something deadly.

That piece of equipment and others like it would help Inquisitors avoid the super-fast reflexes of a Space Marine. I really think a normal Astartes would be completely outmatched.

Thanks for the replies, good to know. Since Inquisitors are so mysterious, I think I'll chalk mine's unbelievable toughness up to a full body Emperor's Protection tattoo.

Sounds good to me

 ZakFaire wrote:
Thanks for the replies, good to know. Since Inquisitors are so mysterious, I think I'll chalk mine's unbelievable toughness up to a full body Emperor's Protection tattoo.

Sounds good to me

Noooo!! Heresy!!

Without some sort of bionics or protective equipment that would allow an Inquisitor to either A) keep up with a Marine's speed, or B) survive the Marine's initial attack, the Inquisitor is pretty much boned, regardless of what offensive weapons he/she has.

As Know No Fear shows us, Space Marine reflexes are so quick that they can draw their weapon, aim for the optimal kill-shot and make it in the time it would take for people to blink.

Give the Marine a bolt pistol and the Inquisitor a melta-gun and the Astartes will win the majority simply by drawing his pistol and blowing the Inquisitor's head off before he could fire. Have the Marine's bolt pistol be holstered and have the Inquisitor be already carrying his meltagun in hand, and the conclusion would probably be the same.

The Marine armed with a standard bolter would place a single round trough the skull of the inqusitor from a safe distance and then proced too walk away, and if armed with a bolt pistiol he would simple draw, aim and fire before the Inqusitor had time to even aim the weapon he/she was carrying.

The one who shoots first wins.

It really depends, of course the space marine would win if they were both unarmed and unarmoured, or if both were armed identically, but inquisitor almost always have psychic amplifiers meaning a simple "smite" or "iron arm" could mean victory, that's not including the force field generators they carry and more often than not, DAOT/ xenos/ demonic artefacts capable of shredding power armou


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Umm, just realised it says im from japan... no idea what that's about...

I guess it would come down to what equipment the Inquisitor was equipped. If it was Hector Rex then I think he would be pretty boss against an Astartes.

 blood guard26 wrote:
It really depends, of course the space marine would win if they were both unarmed and unarmoured, or if both were armed identically, but inquisitor almost always have psychic amplifiers meaning a simple "smite" or "iron arm" could mean victory, that's not including the force field generators they carry and more often than not, DAOT/ xenos/ demonic artefacts capable of shredding power armou


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Umm, just realised it says im from japan... no idea what that's about...

Edit your profile and put what country you really are from then. When you get to the "edit profile" page there should be a "country flag" option, just choose which one.

 BlaxicanX wrote:
Without some sort of bionics or protective equipment that would allow an Inquisitor to either A) keep up with a Marine's speed, or B) survive the Marine's initial attack, the Inquisitor is pretty much boned, regardless of what offensive weapons he/she has.

As Know No Fear shows us, Space Marine reflexes are so quick that they can draw their weapon, aim for the optimal kill-shot and make it in the time it would take for people to blink.

Give the Marine a bolt pistol and the Inquisitor a melta-gun and the Astartes will win the majority simply by drawing his pistol and blowing the Inquisitor's head off before he could fire. Have the Marine's bolt pistol be holstered and have the Inquisitor be already carrying his meltagun in hand, and the conclusion would probably be the same.

You know, this really makes me sweat when imagining the speed of Genestealers, daemons of slaanesh, and the two variants of Eldar.

 BlaxicanX wrote:
Without some sort of bionics or protective equipment that would allow an Inquisitor to either A) keep up with a Marine's speed, or B) survive the Marine's initial attack, the Inquisitor is pretty much boned, regardless of what offensive weapons he/she has.

As Know No Fear shows us, Space Marine reflexes are so quick that they can draw their weapon, aim for the optimal kill-shot and make it in the time it would take for people to blink.

Give the Marine a bolt pistol and the Inquisitor a melta-gun and the Astartes will win the majority simply by drawing his pistol and blowing the Inquisitor's head off before he could fire. Have the Marine's bolt pistol be holstered and have the Inquisitor be already carrying his meltagun in hand, and the conclusion would probably be the same.

While generally that's the case, keep in mind that 40k does in fact adhere to Charles Atlas Superpowers. Sufficiently badass human characters can rival a Marine's speed through training.

Does the average Inquisitor? I don't know. I personally doubt it, considering how some Inquisitors can be relatively poor combatants and might not focus on it at all.

Gregor Eisenhorn is more than a match for most Marines. So is Ravenor. Same with Hector Rex.

But others like Coteaz aren't exactly known for their personal prowess. Karamazov is physically frail, relying on his pimp chair. Annika Jarlsdottyr would be murdered by the average Marine.

Still though, Inquisitors vary so much you'd have to take it as on a case-by-case basis.

 BlaxicanX wrote:
Without some sort of bionics or protective equipment that would allow an Inquisitor to either A) keep up with a Marine's speed, or B) survive the Marine's initial attack, the Inquisitor is pretty much boned, regardless of what offensive weapons he/she has.

As Know No Fear shows us, Space Marine reflexes are so quick that they can draw their weapon, aim for the optimal kill-shot and make it in the time it would take for people to blink.

Give the Marine a bolt pistol and the Inquisitor a melta-gun and the Astartes will win the majority simply by drawing his pistol and blowing the Inquisitor's head off before he could fire. Have the Marine's bolt pistol be holstered and have the Inquisitor be already carrying his meltagun in hand, and the conclusion would probably be the same.

While I can appreciate that, as it would seem in the lore, statwise and gamewise, I'd pit a good Inquisitor against damn near any Space Marine, save some of the big name heroes, and expect a win. I mean, unless that Marine has higher initiative and can effectively dish out 3 wounds, or instant kill which isn't really going to happen at regular initiative order, he's probably going to die. Nemesis Demon Hammer, especially master crafted, it pretty gnarly.

Of course Marine special characters, as well as more experienced battle brothers will probably win, I'm just wondering, considering the lore, how an Inquisitor could stand up to the majority of Marines, given how pathetic and tiny he is. I would suppose it HAS to come from the Emperor's blessing, not mere technological trinkets.

While generally that's the case, keep in mind that 40k does in fact adhere to Charles Atlas Superpowers. Sufficiently badass human characters can rival a Marine's speed through training.

Does the average Inquisitor? I don't know. I personally doubt it, considering how some Inquisitors can be relatively poor combatants and might not focus on it at all.

Gregor Eisenhorn is more than a match for most Marines. So is Ravenor. Same with Hector Rex.

But others like Coteaz aren't exactly known for their personal prowess. Karamazov is physically frail, relying on his pimp chair. Annika Jarlsdottyr would be murdered by the average Marine.

Still though, Inquisitors vary so much you'd have to take it as on a case-by-case basis.

Very good advise, I didn't think about it that way. I guess there are some damn near demigod like human out there(such as those in the Ordo Assassinorum).

The Inquisitor always wins. If the Marine fights back he would kill the Inquisitor in a few blows and be labelled a heretic and traitor and executed.

If the Inquisitor justed wanted to make an example he would strip him of all honour and rank, demote him to the lowest of the low, send him on a 1 man penance crusade...etc.

ZakFaire wrote:How would a hand-to-hand brawl between an Astartes and an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor go down, assuming both had their melee weapons and armor?

Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote: But, let us suppose she has a melta. She shoot one shot at the marine, and leave a small puddle of melted marine.

Meltas are melee weapons now?

That said, the Marine is at a considerable advantage.

There are really far too many variables in Inquisitor ability and equipment for one, sweeping statement to be made. One Inquisitor may be beaten to a puddle in seconds, another might have some powerful/alien/demon weapon or other piece of equipment capable of beating an astates fairly easily.

 ZakFaire wrote:
Alright, here's the deal; for whatever reason, some Inquisitor, say Ordo Malleus, is hanging out with some Deathwatch bros. Some Astartes pisses him off, to the point he's decided to make an example of this Marine himself. Now, the Asrtartes is a 9' fall superhuman whilst the Inquisitor, as badass as they seem to be, is still a tiny puny Terran.

Exactly what in the lore makes Inquisitors so insanely tough? Are they warded? Are they all minor Psykers(I know there are major ones too)? How would a hand-to-hand brawl between an Astartes and an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor go down, assuming both had their melee weapons and armor?

Pretty most Inquisitors are psykers and lots of them carry esoteric gear, like autotargeting psycannons on their shoulders, predator style. But considering mind-popping abilities, unless it's an Exorcist, the Astartes it probably going to get wrecked unless he gets the jump on the Inquisitor or just speed blitzes.


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 BlaxicanX wrote:
Without some sort of bionics or protective equipment that would allow an Inquisitor to either A) keep up with a Marine's speed, or B) survive the Marine's initial attack, the Inquisitor is pretty much boned, regardless of what offensive weapons he/she has.

As Know No Fear shows us, Space Marine reflexes are so quick that they can draw their weapon, aim for the optimal kill-shot and make it in the time it would take for people to blink.

Give the Marine a bolt pistol and the Inquisitor a melta-gun and the Astartes will win the majority simply by drawing his pistol and blowing the Inquisitor's head off before he could fire. Have the Marine's bolt pistol be holstered and have the Inquisitor be already carrying his meltagun in hand, and the conclusion would probably be the same.

This is how it works out for normal humans or Commissars, normal human beings just with powerful guns are going to die easily. But Inquisitors are psykers, meaning both precognition and head popping.


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 Ashiraya wrote:

ZakFaire wrote:How would a hand-to-hand brawl between an Astartes and an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor go down, assuming both had their melee weapons and armor?

Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote: But, let us suppose she has a melta. She shoot one shot at the marine, and leave a small puddle of melted marine.

Meltas are melee weapons now?

That said, the Marine is at a considerable advantage.

Not really. Inquisitors are often psykers, carry esoteric protection devises like a Rosarius (laugh off Dark Eldar dark lances or whatever their AT guns are called), areotech weapons (grav guns, lightsabers, melta pistols, relic blades, etc) or alien tech if they're a radical inquisitor, possibly meaning Necorn phase blades which ignore armor completely. Plus psyker again. Lightning, precognition, mind rupturing, telekinesis, biomancy, etc.

Wouldn't the Inquisitor just shame the Marine?
Marines seem pretty well brainwashed and once they accept the authority of the inquisitor, it seems unlikely that an inquisitor would need to "make an example" of him.
It seems less likely that the inquisitor would take such action if the marine expected it. Should an inquisitor want to do something as foolish as attacking a marine under his command, I would bet that it is an inquisitor who's got enough special gear where he is confident that he's going to win.
If the marine initiated the combat, I think the inquisitor has a pretty poor chance.

 Void__Dragon wrote:

Gregor Eisenhorn is more than a match for most Marines.

Since when? The Deathwatch were in true awe of the fact that Eisenhorn

 HawaiiMatt wrote:
Wouldn't the Inquisitor just shame the Marine?
Marines seem pretty well brainwashed and once they accept the authority of the inquisitor, it seems unlikely that an inquisitor would need to "make an example" of him.
It seems less likely that the inquisitor would take such action if the marine expected it. Should an inquisitor want to do something as foolish as attacking a marine under his command, I would bet that it is an inquisitor who's got enough special gear where he is confident that he's going to win.
If the marine initiated the combat, I think the inquisitor has a pretty poor chance.

From all the Deathwatch material, Astartes respect the authority of their chapter and breed. They do not however seem to respect Inquisitors at all (save possibly the Exorcists), at best they might somewhat respect an Imperial Guardsmen of rank for bravery in battle. But an Inquisitor would be unlikely to gain anything via "shaming". A Watch Captain most certainly, but not the Inquisition.

 Wyzilla wrote:

Not really. Inquisitors are often psykers, carry esoteric protection devises like a Rosarius (laugh off Dark Eldar dark lances or whatever their AT guns are called), areotech weapons (grav guns, lightsabers, melta pistols, relic blades, etc) or alien tech if they're a radical inquisitor, possibly meaning Necorn phase blades which ignore armor completely. Plus psyker again. Lightning, precognition, mind rupturing, telekinesis, biomancy, etc.

Why is nobody reading OP?

 ZakFaire wrote:
How would a hand-to-hand brawl between an Astartes and an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor go down, assuming both had their melee weapons and armor?

Sure, it's one thing if he is a psyker, but otherwise both basically have armour and a sword.

 Ashiraya wrote:

 Wyzilla wrote:

Not really. Inquisitors are often psykers, carry esoteric protection devises like a Rosarius (laugh off Dark Eldar dark lances or whatever their AT guns are called), areotech weapons (grav guns, lightsabers, melta pistols, relic blades, etc) or alien tech if they're a radical inquisitor, possibly meaning Necorn phase blades which ignore armor completely. Plus psyker again. Lightning, precognition, mind rupturing, telekinesis, biomancy, etc.

Why is nobody reading OP?

 ZakFaire wrote:
How would a hand-to-hand brawl between an Astartes and an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor go down, assuming both had their melee weapons and armor?

Sure, it's one thing if he is a psyker, but otherwise both basically have armour and a sword.

The difference is that the Inquisitor is likely to be protected by an energy field and wield a blade capable of cleaving clean through whatever the Astartes carries.

Not all Inquisitors are psykers. In fact, simply by virtue of how rare psykers are in general, further compounded by how few manage to pass sanctioning, it's likely that psychic Inquisitors are an extreme minority, despite their prominence in the fluff.

But yeah, having psychic abilities evens the playing field considerably.

As for Eisenhorn, he's kind of a gak psyker so the only rationalization I can concoct for his monstrous badassery is that he must have the Fear USR. I mean, he's pretty average in firefights, he's a good shot but mostly relies on cunning and resourcefulness to survive asymmetrical gun battles. It's only in melee combat that he becomes an insane space-ninja capable of "exchanging twenty blows in the blink of an eye" with his opponents.

I've never read anything to support the suggestion that most Inquisitors are psykers. Certainly the more puritan Inquisitors are less likely to be Psykers. I doubt there are near as many Psykers as non-psykers in the Inquisition.

The answer to the question is, it depends

There are soo many different flavors of inquisitors, its not even funny.

However the most likely that can straight up beat a Spess Mhrin would be a Psyker channeling biomancy or telepathy to feth with him, or a heavily augmented bio man inquisitor which kung fu grip action.

 Deadshot wrote:
I've never read anything to support the suggestion that most Inquisitors are psykers. Certainly the more puritan Inquisitors are less likely to be Psykers. I doubt there are near as many Psykers as non-psykers in the Inquisition.

Yup. I actually tried to verify that whole "Psyker" thing but I can't find anything on it. I thought they were typically psykers but I guess I wad wrong.

 Wyzilla wrote:

 Ashiraya wrote:

 Wyzilla wrote:

Not really. Inquisitors are often psykers, carry esoteric protection devises like a Rosarius (laugh off Dark Eldar dark lances or whatever their AT guns are called), areotech weapons (grav guns, lightsabers, melta pistols, relic blades, etc) or alien tech if they're a radical inquisitor, possibly meaning Necorn phase blades which ignore armor completely. Plus psyker again. Lightning, precognition, mind rupturing, telekinesis, biomancy, etc.

Why is nobody reading OP?

 ZakFaire wrote:
How would a hand-to-hand brawl between an Astartes and an Ordo Malleus Inquisitor go down, assuming both had their melee weapons and armor?

Sure, it's one thing if he is a psyker, but otherwise both basically have armour and a sword.

The difference is that the Inquisitor is likely to be protected by an energy field and wield a blade capable of cleaving clean through whatever the Astartes carries.

It is 100% irrelevant since the premise was simply melee weapons and armor.