Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hey everyone,

Writing some backstory for my deathwatch character. Does anyone know how space marines become techmarines? And how exactly does a space marine become elected to join the deathwatch?

Thanks in advance

Techmarines are selected as basically any initiate showing interest and aptitude for technology.

After they finish their basic training and become a full marine, and after a stint as a junior techmarine in the armory, they are sent to Mars where they are trained in all the secret ways of Mars.

Once this is finished they are a full blown Techmarine.


Some chapters have their own traditions and don't send their marines to Mars for training. Or they might not be on good standing with the Ad mech.

^ this basically

The process of training marines on mars is an interesting untapped area of background. What about chapters like the White Scars or the Carcharodons, who are way off on the outer rim and wouldn't be able to afford sending marines back to Mars? How are the marines treated during their training? Are they all trained independently or is this another opportunity, like the deathwatch, for marines from different chapters to interact? Perhaps to keep order during the training, the marines are forbidden from speaking what chapter they come from or wearing the heraldry of their chapter. There's a lot to work with.

Yeah my character is An imperial fist. To my understanding they are well respected with the Adeptus mechanicus

As for Deathwatch.


Most chapters send a certain amount of marines to the Deathwatch every so often, they take a tour, and then return to their chapter skilled in all manners of combating the Xeno threat.

Some chapters view this as punishment, others view it as an honor.

Every Deathwatch marine paints his armor black with a silver hand. But they keep one shoulder pad in their original chapter's colors.


Then there is a second portion of the Deathwatch and these are the Black Shields. Black Shields are either discraced marines that have left their chapters either voluntarily, or been exiled. Some are also survivors of a destroyed chapter.

Black Shields are permanant members and don't paint their shoulder pads in their chapter colors, hence why they are called Black Shields.

 Grey Templar wrote:
As for Deathwatch.


Most chapters send a certain amount of marines to the Deathwatch every so often, they take a tour, and then return to their chapter skilled in all manners of combating the Xeno threat.

Some chapters view this as punishment, others view it as an honor.

Every Deathwatch marine paints his armor black with a silver hand. But they keep one shoulder pad in their original chapter's colors.


Then there is a second portion of the Deathwatch and these are the Black Shields. Black Shields are either discraced marines that have left their chapters either voluntarily, or been exiled. Some are also survivors of a destroyed chapter.

Black Shields are permanant members and don't paint their shoulder pads in their chapter colors, hence why they are called Black Shields.

Just wanted to add a minor bit. There are marines from normal chapters who request to stay with the Deathwatch permanently as well. It's just that Black Shields are permanent by default.

Last I checked Deathwatch membership selection varies from Chapter to Chapter; some will send a regular tithe to serve a rotation, some might refuse to allow Marines into the Deathwatch at all, and others still might send volunteers; Techmarines work similarly. It depends entirely on how your Chapter views both organizations.

jareddm wrote:
Perhaps to keep order during the training, the marines are forbidden from speaking what chapter they come from or wearing the heraldry of their chapter. There's a lot to work with.

In the Deathwatch they leave one shoulder with the chapter's original colors, in order to avoid offending the armor's machine spirit. I would imagine that if the Deathwatch does this then Mars would certainly do something similar (that's assuming they would wear their armor).

jareddm wrote:
What about chapters like the White Scars or the Carcharodons, who are way off on the outer rim and wouldn't be able to afford sending marines back to Mars? .

For the timescales of 40k, and considering we're talking about beings who can live for hundreds of years and campaign for decades, the year-or-two long journey across the Imperium shouldn't be too much hassle. Plus, there are Forge Worlds scattered all over.

I always figured when they said Techmarines are trained at Mars, that this was a bit of poetic licence. Surely the head forgeworld for a sector would suffice!

I always thought that a marines would keep his chapters colours until he passes the training and then is allowed to repaint his armour in Mechanicum Red!