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Based on their portrayal in Black Library novels (especially the Horus Heresy series and other high-stakes stories), is there a Primarch or chapter master who might speak a few fatherly words of reassurance to a nervous-looking Imperial Guard rookie just before a battle? Is there a High Lord of Terra who has a fun quirk or indulgence, like putting an unreasonable amount of sugar in their morning recaf, or humming to themselves while filling out reports in their private quarters?

Or are they all grim, reserved, stoic individuals, standing unflinching in the rain with their cape billowing dramatically like Batman?

Admittedly, my experience with Black Library literature is limited to one-off, small-stakes novels and short stories, or series revolving around author-created characters (like Ciaphas Cain). As a result, I don't know much about the personality of the movers and shakers of the Imperium.

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Well, Vulkan was wholesome type of man, as for Primarch who could speak to nervous guardsman.

From other characters that was not a batman type there was Zagreus Kane, Fabricator Lokum durning Horus Heresy who was a bit human like, even a bit fearful. If my memory is correct, when Imperial Fists came to Mars to rescue anything what they could before Dark Mechanicum will destroy everything Kane was screaming panicly to one of Astartes leaders about saving his forge. I think they calmed him by saying that he will become new Fabricator General later.

In Horus Heresy opening trilogy Tarik Torgaddon was kind of funny guy, as for Astartes standards. Definitly not batman type, and maybe not shaker of imperium, but important character at all

In the HH book Unremembered Empire, you get to see a lot of Guilliman's more human side in his interactions with his "mother" Tarasha Euten and his brother Lion El'Johnson. It's the book that finally got me to like Guilliman as a character.

Trazyn and Orikan from The Infinite and the Divine are both very quirky and wild characters in their own ways. It's like a 40k version of spy vs spy and it's amazing.

While not exactly moves and shakers in the grand scheme of things, the Gaunts Ghosts are all great characters just trying to survive their service time in the 41st millennium.

 Tawnis wrote:
Trazyn and Orikan from The Infinite and the Divine are both very quirky and wild characters in their own ways. It's like a 40k version of spy vs spy and it's amazing.

I love Trazyn. I've never read a novel featuring him, but he sounds like someone you could actually get along with, if you share his passion (or can help him indulge in it).

While not exactly moves and shakers in the grand scheme of things, the Gaunts Ghosts are all great characters just trying to survive their service time in the 41st millennium.

Yeah, not what I meant. Those are novel characters, not legendary figures that later had novels written about them.

I'm more interested in Black Library writers' takes on characters who, both in-story and to players, are more legend than man.

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-Guardsman- wrote:

 Tawnis wrote:
Trazyn and Orikan from The Infinite and the Divine are both very quirky and wild characters in their own ways. It's like a 40k version of spy vs spy and it's amazing.

I love Trazyn. I've never read a novel featuring him, but he sounds like someone you could actually get along with, if you share his passion (or can help him indulge in it).

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Yeah, I remember reading a little excerpt from a codex back in the day where he's "replying" to an Inquisitor and he was instantly my favourite Necron Character long before he got substantial lore.

Another you might like then are the White Scars books from HH. Jaghatai Khan is one of the more interesting Primarchs and certainly has a more chill side to him that he rarely gets credit for.

Behold, ye faithful! Hark, and bear witness to the most sacred and hallowed words, penned by the revered and exalted Saint C.S. Goto, the most holy of living scribes! In the two-hundreth-and-thirtieth page of the most divine and celestial of all documents, Dawn of War, the blessed Saint hath bestowed upon us the following utterance, spoken by the blessed Gabriel Angelos, with the very voice of the divine:

"Very well, inquisitor - you are right. If the young sergeant survives this day, he will take the Blood Trials. The loss of Isador warrants a new birth in the Blood Ravens."

In the sacred document, Dawn of War: Ascension, the wisest scribe hath documented upon the three-hundreth and first pagr, a further utterance of Gabriel Angelos, discussing the fate of the young sergeant who proved his bravery in battle. And now undergoes the sacred surgeries to become a Blood Raven:

"Gabriel gazed down at Ckrius, his heart swelling with a mixture of pride and pity. The boy was being transformed into the most Emperor-blessed form in the galaxy -- he was joining the Adeptus Astartes. He was becoming a Space Marine of the Blood Ravens Chapter. He was being given the opportunity to serve the Undying Emperor in the most glorious ways imaginable. He was to be bathed in the pristine light of the Astronomicon, and guided by its Imperial grace. There was nothing more magnificent, beautiful or terrible than a Space Marine."

Let all who hear these words tremble in awe and reverence, for they are the very words of the anointed one, the most sacred of all authors, whose wisdom shines forth like the radiant sun upon the faithful! Praise be to C.S. Goto, the most holy of living Saints, whose divine scripture shall guide us to victory!

-Guardsman- wrote:

 Tawnis wrote:
Trazyn and Orikan from The Infinite and the Divine are both very quirky and wild characters in their own ways. It's like a 40k version of spy vs spy and it's amazing.

I love Trazyn. I've never read a novel featuring him, but he sounds like someone you could actually get along with, if you share his passion (or can help him indulge in it).

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More likely he'd add you to his collection.

The Infinite and the Divine seems to strongly suggest that *all* of the Necron characters have gone at least a little mad over the intervening millennia. And I do mean *all* of them. "Collecting" appears to be a compulsion on Trazyn's part, and he's in denial about just how bad it is.

Eumerin wrote:

-Guardsman- wrote:

 Tawnis wrote:
Trazyn and Orikan from The Infinite and the Divine are both very quirky and wild characters in their own ways. It's like a 40k version of spy vs spy and it's amazing.

I love Trazyn. I've never read a novel featuring him, but he sounds like someone you could actually get along with, if you share his passion (or can help him indulge in it).

.

More likely he'd add you to his collection.

The Infinite and the Divine seems to strongly suggest that *all* of the Necron characters have gone at least a little mad over the intervening millennia. And I do mean *all* of them. "Collecting" appears to be a compulsion on Trazyn's part, and he's in denial about just how bad it is.

I think he's perfectly aware of it. He straight up says that an immortal being needs an compulsive obsession to keep from going completely mad.

 Tawnis wrote:

Eumerin wrote:

-Guardsman- wrote:

 Tawnis wrote:
Trazyn and Orikan from The Infinite and the Divine are both very quirky and wild characters in their own ways. It's like a 40k version of spy vs spy and it's amazing.

I love Trazyn. I've never read a novel featuring him, but he sounds like someone you could actually get along with, if you share his passion (or can help him indulge in it).

.

More likely he'd add you to his collection.

The Infinite and the Divine seems to strongly suggest that *all* of the Necron characters have gone at least a little mad over the intervening millennia. And I do mean *all* of them. "Collecting" appears to be a compulsion on Trazyn's part, and he's in denial about just how bad it is.

I think he's perfectly aware of it. He straight up says that an immortal being needs an compulsive obsession to keep from going completely mad.

Fair enough. The important point is that he's not mentally stable, and at the moment that instability is showing itself as his collection compulsion. Think of it as a very unique form of kleptomania, and you probably wouldn't be too far off.

Ive been getting into the Warhammer Crime books pretty hard. Most of the protagonists (the enforcers) in the novels are legit good guys and very easygoing and pleasant. Basically, family men, that want to do good for their hives.

Arguably, Commissar Cain, some Guard commanders Id argue are legit pleasant but still a little uptight because of their military "conditioning". Astartes for the most part wouldn't be to pleasant, at least I think they wouldn't be.

usmcmidn wrote:

Astartes for the most part wouldn't be to pleasant, at least I think they wouldn't be.

Really depends. For the most part, probably. But, for example, most of the Space Wolves are probably the kinds of guys who would you would get into a barroom brawl with, but who would then cheerfully help you back up onto your feet with cheerful smile after it was over, with friendly slaps on the back all around.

Of course, since they're astartes, they'd need to hold back in a brawl to avoid killing you by accident...

usmcmidn wrote:
Ive been getting into the Warhammer Crime books pretty hard. Most of the protagonists (the enforcers) in the novels are legit good guys and very easygoing and pleasant. Basically, family men, that want to do good for their hives.

Arguably, Commissar Cain, some Guard commanders Id argue are legit pleasant but still a little uptight because of their military "conditioning". Astartes for the most part wouldn't be to pleasant, at least I think they wouldn't be.

I'm talking about characters who are either part of classic 40k lore (Great Crusade, Horus Heresy, Age of Apostasy and so on), or who had a model and rules before they starred in a novel. Because it's kind of a given that novelist-created characters will have some warmth and humanity to them.

What bothers me about 40k lore, outside novels that focus on relatively minor characters, is the lack of humanity. I don't mean the grimdark aspects... I mean the unrelenting self-seriousness. Everyone has a stick up their ass and is laser-focused on the Big Picture. It's as if Batman were in costume 24/7 and never spent a minute of his life as Bruce Wayne.

Eumerin wrote:
Really depends. For the most part, probably. But, for example, most of the Space Wolves are probably the kinds of guys who would you would get into a barroom brawl with, but who would then cheerfully help you back up onto your feet with cheerful smile after it was over, with friendly slaps on the back all around.

Of course, since they're astartes, they'd need to hold back in a brawl to avoid killing you by accident...

Agreed, the Space Wolves seem like the type you could get along with. Maybe even earn their respect, both on the battlefield and outside. A guardsman cannot outfight or outdrink them, but he might tell them a war story that captures their attention, or a dirty joke that makes them laugh uproariously.

I think the White Scars give off the same vibes.

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-Guardsman- wrote:

I'm talking about characters who are either part of classic 40k lore (Great Crusade, Horus Heresy, Age of Apostasy and so on), or who had a model and rules before they starred in a novel. Because it's kind of a given that novelist-created characters will have some warmth and humanity to them.

What bothers me about 40k lore, outside novels that focus on relatively minor characters, is the lack of humanity. I don't mean the grimdark aspects... I mean the unrelenting self-seriousness. Everyone has a stick up their ass and is laser-focused on the Big Picture. It's as if Batman were in costume 24/7 and never spent a minute of his life as Bruce Wayne.

Well, technically, many of the Eisenhorn characters qualify, as they were 54mm miniatures before they were novel characters.