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We know some factions of the Imperium make use of blanks/pariahs (Sisters of Silence, Culexus assassins). Are there space marine chapters that actively seek to integrate blanks, or are even made entirely of blanks? Seems to me that blank supersoldiers would be useful to have around, especially for fighting Chaos and Tyranids.

They are extremely rare and usually nabbed by the Assassins or Inquisiton, Sisters of Silence etc.

Not impossible but they would cause problems interacting with their brothers - especially the Librarians

I don't think there's any reason they can't, it's just incredibly rare to find one if you're a Marine.

Blanks are already incredibly unusual. Blanks with the physical potential to be considered as an aspirant are even more rare. Then you'd have to actually survive the training to become a full-fledged space marine.

Engrenages wrote:
Blanks are already incredibly unusual. Blanks with the physical potential to be considered as an aspirant are even more rare. Then you'd have to actually survive the training to become a full-fledged space marine.

I mean, you could make the same argument about Librarians, given the rarity of psykers. One wonders if Space Marine aspirants with psychic powers are assessed more loosely when it comes to the physical department...

Also, being a blank is genetic (the pariah gene!). I could imagine a Marine chapter having a top secret blank-breeding program for their own use.

.

The Exorcists chapter aren't blanks, but they engage in a practice during the recruitment of Battle Brothers to willingly be possessed by Daemons, then exorcise them (hence their name) either by sheer will or with help* from an Inquisitor.
Once "unpossessed" the Battle Brother is now effectively immune to further possession as they now have a virtually invisible warp signature similar to a blank

This is one of the factors that contribute to the Exorcists being the only known Chapter that the Grey Knights recruit from



*this "help" often requiring a bullet to the head

-Guardsman- wrote:
I mean, you could make the same argument about Librarians, given the rarity of psykers. One wonders if Space Marine aspirants with psychic powers are assessed more loosely when it comes to the physical department....

If a Chapter has a shortage of Librarians they 'ask' the next passing Black Ship for potential candidates (at least the Iron Hands do).

-Guardsman- wrote:
Also, being a blank is genetic (the pariah gene!). I could imagine a Marine chapter having a top secret blank-breeding program for their own use..

I'm sure I read somewhere that Marine implants don't respond well to Blanks...

Love the question!

Considering the Emperor is meant to be Psyker #1 in the Galaxy (if not the universe), and the Primarchs (who are the primogenitors of all Space Marines) were created from his genetic material and are considered his sons, I think it's quite unlikely that a blank could become a Space Marine (might explain the reference above about implants not taking well to blanks).

Having said that, the different Primarchs inherited different qualities from the Emperor. So I don't think it would have to be an impossibility. I can't imagine any sons of Sanguiinius being blanks, though!

beast_gts wrote:

-Guardsman- wrote:
Also, being a blank is genetic (the pariah gene!). I could imagine a Marine chapter having a top secret blank-breeding program for their own use..

I'm sure I read somewhere that Marine implants don't respond well to Blanks...

Right - from Lexicanum:

Lexicanum wrote:At the time of the Horus Heresy, there were no known records of any Pariahs serving within either the Space Marines or Adeptus Custodes. Some scholars have suggested that this is due to the psychically infused nature of gene-seed, which could render it lethal if implanted in a subject with the Pariah gene.[2a] It is, however, possible for a Space Marine to be transformed into a Pariah after implantation, as is the case with the Ferrymen of the Grey Knights.[4]

2: The Horus Heresy Book Seven - Inferno
2a: pg. 130
4: The Emperor's Gift (Novel), Chapter Eleven

 Galef wrote:
This is one of the factors that contribute to the Exorcists being the only known Chapter that the Grey Knights recruit from

What? Aurellian was a Mortifactors aspirant before he was poached by the Grey Knights.

 Lord Damocles wrote:

 Galef wrote:
This is one of the factors that contribute to the Exorcists being the only known Chapter that the Grey Knights recruit from

What? Aurellian was a Mortifactors aspirant before he was poached by the Grey Knights.

That was more of an abduction. Exorcists are 'aware' of the Grey Knights, can banish daemons and are used by the Ordo Malleus.

beast_gts wrote:

 Lord Damocles wrote:

 Galef wrote:
This is one of the factors that contribute to the Exorcists being the only known Chapter that the Grey Knights recruit from

What? Aurellian was a Mortifactors aspirant before he was poached by the Grey Knights.

That was more of an abduction. Exorcists are 'aware' of the Grey Knights, can banish daemons and are used by the Ordo Malleus.

Right, obviously their are other Chapters that the GKs pull from, but the Exorcists are the predominant one since most other Chapters don't really know of the existence of GKs

-

-Guardsman- wrote:

Engrenages wrote:
Blanks are already incredibly unusual. Blanks with the physical potential to be considered as an aspirant are even more rare. Then you'd have to actually survive the training to become a full-fledged space marine.

I mean, you could make the same argument about Librarians, given the rarity of psykers. One wonders if Space Marine aspirants with psychic powers are assessed more loosely when it comes to the physical department...

Also, being a blank is genetic (the pariah gene!). I could imagine a Marine chapter having a top secret blank-breeding program for their own use.

.

Blanks are much rarer than psykers though.

-Guardsman- wrote:

Engrenages wrote:
Blanks are already incredibly unusual. Blanks with the physical potential to be considered as an aspirant are even more rare. Then you'd have to actually survive the training to become a full-fledged space marine.

I mean, you could make the same argument about Librarians, given the rarity of psykers. One wonders if Space Marine aspirants with psychic powers are assessed more loosely when it comes to the physical department...

Also, being a blank is genetic (the pariah gene!). I could imagine a Marine chapter having a top secret blank-breeding program for their own use.

.

Even Inqusitors who do that tend to have bad things happen to them and their charges.... Plus Blanks are super rare even compared to Psykers.

Given the way most CHapters recruit - ie from a native population rather than vat growing or bredding programs I think its highly unlikely but as its 40K not impossible but a good way of getting a Chapter condemend and turn rebel.

Blanks/Pariahs aren't public knowledge in the Imperium.

Consider Caiaphas Cain, and Jurgen. It's not until Amberely tells Cain what Jurgen is that he, a Commissar, is even aware.

Given this, their stupendous rarity, and the hazards of becoming a Marine, one suspects any aspirant so identified would be put to better use almost immediately.

e

Any that are picked up would probably be identified by the Chapter Librarians, Navigators or Astropaths pretty quickly - if they're "lucky", they'll get handed over to the Inquisition or Officio Assassinorum, or possibly just shot as a witch.

The effects of the Pariah gene - the antisocial behaviour, their aura of "wrongness", etc - would probably make a person a poor fit for recruitment in the first place, though.