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I'd say its a toss between Ciaphas Cain or Yarrick or Sly. I'd say Ciaphas.

Marbo or olianus.

How is Cain whose only goal is trying to stay alive hardcore? Guy who does all he can do to avoid combat isn't generally what you would call hardcore

Marbo, Creed, Colour Seargent Kell or one of the other catachan characters.

tneva82 wrote:
How is Cain whose only goal is trying to stay alive hardcore? Guy who does all he can do to avoid combat isn't generally what you would call hardcore

WTF...

tneva82 wrote:
How is Cain whose only goal is trying to stay alive hardcore? Guy who does all he can do to avoid combat isn't generally what you would call hardcore

Well, it depends on whether hardcore is determined by your actions or your intentions. Whilst he may not intentionally be doing badass stuff, he still ends up doing badass stuff. He didn't intentionally duel and kill an ork warboss, for example, but he still ended up doing it.

In the latter books Cain is also putting himself into dangerous situations in order to live up to his own heroic reputation because it is expected of him. His initial heroic reputation may have been based on a misunderstanding but he does grow to be worthy of that reputation. That he utterly fails to avoid combat and yet still comes out alive is testament to his badassery. He's not a coward, he just isn't suicidal.

Hardcore has to go Colonel Straken. The man eats bowls of nails for breakfast... without any milk.

Not Online!!! wrote:
Marbo or olianus.

Only olianus if you mean the old school real original olianus and not the abomination the is the perpetual old person version.

Oan Mkoll

Andykp wrote:

Not Online!!! wrote:
Marbo or olianus.

Only olianus if you mean the old school real original olianus and not the abomination the is the perpetual old person version.

The old school,"shanks Horus with a Bajonett toothpick" one of course.

Marbo is probably tops for being a one-man-army.

Yarrick would be tops for simply refusing to die, though honourable mention to Straken.

Creed for being the guy that just stands there, looking at the battlefield like a cold-ass (Racist reference to white people. It’s ok because I’m a white people. ) while explosions go off all around him.

Not Online!!! wrote:

Andykp wrote:

Not Online!!! wrote:
Marbo or olianus.

Only olianus if you mean the old school real original olianus and not the abomination the is the perpetual old person version.

The old school,"shanks Horus with a Bajonett toothpick" one of course.

Yay for u. Have an exalt!

Straken is a beast of a man. Give it to him to be the most hardcore.

i mean.. yarrick survived fighting Ghaz, one of the toughest biggest meanest beings in the galaxy. that alone give him the crown to me.

Definition of hardcore in English:

ADJECTIVE
1Highly committed in one's support for or dedication to something.

‘hardcore gamers’
‘even hardcore fans of the television series should probably skip this’
‘hardcore conservatives’

1.1 Denoting an extreme or intense example of something.
‘the tour took in four continents over 45 days—it was hardcore’

2Denoting or relating to pornography of a very explicit or extreme kind.

‘online hardcore porn’
3Denoting or relating to a type of experimental popular music that is typically characterized by high volume and aggressive presentation.

‘hardcore punk’

If we are going by hardcore commitment, I'd exclude Cain, Marbo and the Tanith .They are super competent and committed to each other but they are also lonewolves doing sneaky stuff and not so committed to the guard.

Yarrick is a schola progenium grad who is hardcore in his devotion to the Emperor, the Imperial ideal, the Imperial Guard and the duty to destroy the xenos. The personal hardships he overcomes to achieve all that he has makes him hardcore.

Iron Arm could have been characterised as such before his novel, where he was recast as a the reluctant hero, loyal to his men who is overlooked by snooty higher ups and glory hog regiments.

If you mean hardcore in the 90's extreeeeeeme sense, Yarrick is still a contender. He orchastrated a prisoner rebellion on an ork spacehulk, seized the bridge and pulled his whole body weight up with 1 arm (he only had one the whole time)

However Marbo's your man I think.

If we go by the second definition, Cain wins

WEll my vote goes for Coronel Schaeffer of the 13th penal legion.

300 hundreds years devoted to lead suicidal misionsjust out of peersonal belief some people deserve a alst chance or die trying.

As mentioned earlier:

Ollanius Pius

"Where I fall, ten more shall take my place! And one hundred each of them! So strike me down! I am the harbinger!"
– Ollanius Pius, an Imperial Guardsman, to Warmaster Horus. You read that correctly.

In terms of physical combat abilities: Straken, Marbo, Yarrick, and Cain. Why Cain along with the obvious three? He was stated in universe to be the greatest (unaugmented) human swordsman in the entire sector by an INQUISITOR. He also sparred with a space marine and managed to get a legitimate hit in. The space marine refused to remove the mark from his armor so it would remind him not to underestimate opponents in the future. Also managed to stalemate a khorne berserker for about 10 seconds or so. Imagine how badass you have to be as a NORMAL HUMAN to be able to trade blows with a khorne berserker.

In terms of strategic abilities: Macharius, Creed, Yarrick. For obvious reasons.

You want to know who ticks both boxes? Yarrick. Was strategically brilliant enough to turn the entire invasion of Armageddon on its head, while still being physically badass enough to go toe to toe with the biggest ork warboss in the entire galaxy. Heavily implied that the reason that Yarrick is so badass is because all of the orks sincerely believe he is and their psychic gestalt is making it so.

Honorable mention to the original Ollanius Pius who has been sadly retconned out of the lore.

Macharius. As a commander his results are unequalled. Honourable mention to Yarrik.

w1zard wrote:
In terms of physical combat abilities: Straken, Marbo, Yarrick, and Cain. Why Cain along with the obvious three? He was stated in universe to be the greatest (unaugmented) human swordsman in the entire sector by an INQUISITOR. He also sparred with a space marine and managed to get a legitimate hit in. The space marine refused to remove the mark from his armor so it would remind him not to underestimate opponents in the future. Also managed to stalemate a khorne berserker for about 10 seconds or so. Imagine how badass you have to be as a NORMAL HUMAN to be able to trade blows with a khorne berserker.

I love me some Cain, but that was a techmarine. Techmarines are the least fighty marines, commissars are the most choppy guard.
Cain is/was a great duellist, and I don't doubt he'd win a fight against most of the other candidates. Yarrick literally has a Lazer gun for an eye, and the other eye would see through Cain's facade.

Lukas Bastonne

The true man of honor.

 Hawky wrote:
Lukas Bastonne

The true man of honor.

And brutal, in the heavy metal sense.

If a 40k Guard character would have to replace the Doom Guy, it would be either him or Straken.

 =Angel= wrote:
I love me some Cain, but that was a techmarine. Techmarines are the least fighty marines, commissars are the most choppy guard.

Still a space marine.

Also technically your assertion is not even really true. I'm sure there are techmarines out there that are exemplary duelists. Not all techmarines have to automatically be the worst in the chapter when it comes to personal combat.

 Talizvar wrote:
As mentioned earlier:

Ollanius Pius

"Where I fall, ten more shall take my place! And one hundred each of them! So strike me down! I am the harbinger!"
– Ollanius Pius, an Imperial Guardsman, to Warmaster Horus. You read that correctly.

You sir, also get an exalt!

(The story of him makes no sense if he’s immortal. That quote is awesome, where is it from?)

I'd agree with Macharius.

An inspirational leader like Yarrick, a strategist on a par with Creed, and just as ready to lead from the front and show how it should be done as Straken (and losing significantly less bodily extremities than him or Yarrick along the way).

 Talizvar wrote:
As mentioned earlier:

Ollanius Pius

"Where I fall, ten more shall take my place! And one hundred each of them! So strike me down! I am the harbinger!"
– Ollanius Pius, an Imperial Guardsman, to Warmaster Horus. You read that correctly.

Pedantry mode on:
Oll was not a guardsman. He was Imperial army. He's the patron saint of guardsman, but he would barely recognise the organisation that the Army would become.

Andykp wrote:
(The story of him makes no sense if he’s immortal. That quote is awesome, where is it from?)

The very first time that fellow is mentioned is in Rogue Trader but then mentioned again in White Dwarf #109.
Best I can find for the art is this:

The face-off he is known for:

A fan-art better version:


It turns out that Ollanius Pius hs been retconned MANY times.
The scene of the faceoff changed a few times as well so excuse the outdoors background in the last picture.
The latest version of him is to be a "Perpetual" which diminishes the "ball density of black holes" of being a pure human.

 =Angel= wrote:

 Talizvar wrote:
As mentioned earlier:

Ollanius Pius

"Where I fall, ten more shall take my place! And one hundred each of them! So strike me down! I am the harbinger!"
– Ollanius Pius, an Imperial Guardsman, to Warmaster Horus. You read that correctly.

Pedantry mode on:
Oll was not a guardsman. He was Imperial army. He's the patron saint of guardsman, but he would barely recognise the organisation that the Army would become.

He was a bog standard human standing up to superhuman chaos enfused demigod! He was awesome. And got destroyed.

He is now ruined as a super human immortal mate of the emperor who has been present at every major event in world history. Yawn.