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Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

Don't look at me like that someone had to ask!

As far as I can tell there's no fluff to indicate custodes can only be men, but as far as I can tell all the named ones are referred to as male.

Any insights?

 
   
Made in au
Longtime Dakkanaut




 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Don't look at me like that someone had to ask!

As far as I can tell there's no fluff to indicate custodes can only be men, but as far as I can tell all the named ones are referred to as male.

Any insights?


Aside from all female Amazon warrior units that sometimes wear suspiciously scanty clothing, GW's portrayals, artwork, background seems to do its best to pretend the female gender does not exist.
   
Made in us
Hardened Veteran Guardsman




But, Sisters of Silence, Sororitas, Female Inquisitors, Banshees/Eldar, and, um, maybe the Callidus Temple disagree...but yeah...out of the trillions of humans, about a thousand are female.

-STS

Grey Knights 712 points Imperial Stormtroopers 3042 points Lamenters 1787 points Xenomorphs 995 points 1200 points + 1790 points 770 points 369 points of Imperial Guard to bolster the Sisters of Battle
Kain said: "This will surely end in tears for everyone involved. How very 40k."

 
   
Made in ca
Commander of the Mysterious 2nd Legion





The only custodes we've seen have been men. and the lore says the SONS of the nobles are made into custodes. so I suspect it's another boy's only club. However it'd be a lot easier to make female custodes then female space marines. the lore is less developed. that said, many of the reasonings behind why space marines are male only could be applied equally to custodes.

Opinions are not facts please don't confuse the two 
   
Made in us
Gore-Soaked Lunatic Witchhunter







Given that one of the major reasons Space Marines are all male is that the process was designed to work on men, and one of the major reasons the Space Marines exist is that there is no 'standard process' for the creation of a Custodian because it has to be so subtly tailored to the individual's unique biochemistry, I don't think the reasons translate over.

...That said I kind of want to make a female Custodian model now, just for the hell of it.

Balanced Game: Noun. A game in which all options and choices are worth using.
Homebrew oldhammer project: https://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/790996.page#10896267
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Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

Is that female Stormcast model widely available?

If not we should drop a line to Wargames Exclusive.

 
   
Made in fr
Longtime Dakkanaut




 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
Is that female Stormcast model widely available?

Neave Blacktalon? She's in the blightwar boxset, but will be available individually tomorrow (pre-orders tomorrow).
   
Made in gb
Mekboy on Kustom Deth Kopta






Is don't understand why people ask these questions. Model your army and minis how you want. If an opponent wouldn't play you because you had female space marines or Custodes they probably aren't worth playing anyway.

If the question you're asking is more "is there any evidence as to the existence of female Custodes in the lore?", the answer is no. I thought it was heavily implied that the emperor himself bore the geneseed for Custodes which might explain why they're all dudes.

It wouldn't stop me modelling my army how I wanted though.
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut





Honestly, it makes sense that only men would be chosen to make these kind of costly super soldiers in terms of basic biology. The hormonal and structural differences between men and women really push the needle towards men. We have denser bones, more testosterone by a large mile which naturally leads to bigger muscles and higher aggression. To come up with a biological system to overwrite your body's natural maturation would have to factor these things in.

I think it makes sense for marines to only pick men as all 18 primarchs were male and therefore their geneseed would naturally be designed to overwrite male dna. Plus they take children to make marines which, even before puberty, have shown signs of the differentiation between males and females.

Now a case can be made that it shouldn't make a big difference for custodes as they're taken as babies and each custode is individually made. Hence, male or female shouldn't make a big difference there I would think.
   
Made in gb
Keeper of the Holy Orb of Antioch





avoiding the lorax on Crion

Emissary wrote:
Honestly, it makes sense that only men would be chosen to make these kind of costly super soldiers in terms of basic biology. The hormonal and structural differences between men and women really push the needle towards men. We have denser bones, more testosterone by a large mile which naturally leads to bigger muscles and higher aggression. To come up with a biological system to overwrite your body's natural maturation would have to factor these things in.

I think it makes sense for marines to only pick men as all 18 primarchs were male and therefore their geneseed would naturally be designed to overwrite male dna. Plus they take children to make marines which, even before puberty, have shown signs of the differentiation between males and females.

Now a case can be made that it shouldn't make a big difference for custodes as they're taken as babies and each custode is individually made. Hence, male or female shouldn't make a big difference there I would think.


Depends, maybe the emperor could, as the master designer make female marines or whatever he was... however there basicaly stuck with his notebooks and its missing pages or enitre chapters.

They can make what they make, they do not Understand exactly why it works, just that the instructions work.

the only one with close to high level understanding is Cawl, and his work to centuries to thousands of years to perfect just to improve marines yet alone make new ideas all together.

so much as possible, in universe, they just do not understand the process ernough to modify it heavily, just tweak it on edges

Sgt. Vanden - OOC Hey, that was your doing. I didn't choose to fly in the "Dongerprise'.

"May the odds be ever in your favour"

Hybrid Son Of Oxayotl wrote:
I have no clue how Dakka's moderation work. I expect it involves throwing a lot of d100 and looking at many random tables.

FudgeDumper - It could be that you are just so uncomfortable with the idea of your chapters primarch having his way with a docile tyranid spore cyst, that you must deny they have any feelings at all.  
   
Made in us
Infiltrating Broodlord




Lake County, Illinois

They are genetically engineered from scratch, right? Rather than humans that are transformed, like Space Marines. They probably don't have a gender.
   
Made in fi
Courageous Space Marine Captain






 Albino Squirrel wrote:
They are genetically engineered from scratch, right? Rather than humans that are transformed, like Space Marines. They probably don't have a gender.

No, they're made from normal human babies.

   
Made in us
Infiltrating Broodlord




Lake County, Illinois

Interesting. I guess I always figured they were vat grown somehow, similar to the primarchs. But wow, so the emperor stole babies to make his bodyguards?

In any case, whatever genetic changes he made must have been pretty severe. And starting with babies, presumably even if you started with a girl baby the end result would look pretty much the same as if you started with a boy by the time they were fully grown. And I assume they can't reproduce.
   
Made in us
[DCM]
-






-

Those seem to be strange assumption to make.

We just don't know enough to know!

   
Made in gb
Mighty Vampire Count






UK

 An Actual Englishman wrote:
Is don't understand why people ask these questions. Model your army and minis how you want. If an opponent wouldn't play you because you had female space marines or Custodes they probably aren't worth playing anyway.

If the question you're asking is more "is there any evidence as to the existence of female Custodes in the lore?", the answer is no. I thought it was heavily implied that the emperor himself bore the geneseed for Custodes which might explain why they're all dudes.

It wouldn't stop me modelling my army how I wanted though.


Because its got nothing to do with what you do or don't field on the tabletop - this is the background section of the forum so its a very pertinent question really.

Happy either way really.

The only custodes we've seen have been men. and the lore says the SONS of the nobles are made into custodes. so I suspect it's another boy's only club


So were Knights in the first couple of actual codexes - GW have sorted that nonsense out now

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/02/16 17:06:26


I AM A MARINE PLAYER

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Inquisitor Amberley Vail, Ordo Xenos

"I will admit that some Primachs like Russ or Horus could have a chance against an unarmed 12 year old novice but, a full Battle Sister??!! One to one? In close combat? Perhaps three Primarchs fighting together... but just one Primarch?" da001

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A Bloody Road - my Warhammer Fantasy Fiction 
   
Made in in
[MOD]
Otiose in a Niche






Hyderabad, India

They're also there to be converstationalists for the Emperor and companions.

What if he wants to talk about hair or fashion or boys?

And when I have to arrange Kyoto Secunda or her clone sister Kyoto Secunda Prime's hair they end up looking like they were attacked by an egg beater. If Mrs. Kyoto does it they get an elaborate thing with braids and top knots and bows.

So you can't tell me a guy styled those epic locks of his!



More seriously, the Warzone Valkries are 32mm and have spears...

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2018/02/16 17:25:17


 
   
Made in gb
Grim Dark Angels Interrogator-Chaplain





Earth

ergh, not this nonsense again :/
   
Made in us
Damsel of the Lady




 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
They're also there to be converstationalists for the Emperor and companions.

What if he wants to talk about hair or fashion or boys?

And when I have to arrange Kyoto Secunda or her clone sister Kyoto Secunda Prime's hair they end up looking like they were attacked by an egg beater. If Mrs. Kyoto does it they get an elaborate thing with braids and top knots and bows.

So you can't tell me a guy styled those epic locks of his!



More seriously, the Warzone Valkries are 32mm and have spears...



This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2018/02/16 17:42:15


 
   
Made in ca
Frenzied Berserker Terminator





Canada

Heresy spotted! Wolfarbera Frostfistface leader of the all-girl Space Wolves Wolf Sisters Branch of the Sisters of the Frosted Wolf dispatched to exterminate!



Gets along better with animals... Go figure. 
   
Made in fi
Courageous Space Marine Captain






 Formosa wrote:
ergh, not this nonsense again :/

You know, you didn't have to click the thread.

   
Made in gb
Death-Dealing Devastator





right behind you

I wouldn't see why female toddlers couldn't be custodies, the only difference is whats inbetween their legs, unless the years before puberty are spent having them trained mentally, then the enhancement process begins

1650 points approx. of deathwatch
2500 points aprox. of alpha legion and thousand sons
50 power admech
60 power salamanders
70 power thousand sons


 
   
Made in fi
Confessor Of Sins




 Kid_Kyoto wrote:
They're also there to be converstationalists for the Emperor and companions. What if he wants to talk about hair or fashion or boys?


The Emperor was from a time when men didn't speak to women about important things - it would have been almost as odd as asking your horse or cows for an opinion. The only acceptable company for a real man was more real men who could appreciate his manliness. How was it? "A man for love, a boy for pleasure, a woman for duty".

   
Made in gb
Grim Dark Angels Interrogator-Chaplain





Earth

 Crimson wrote:
 Formosa wrote:
ergh, not this nonsense again :/

You know, you didn't have to click the thread.


You know, they didn't have to make the thread.
   
Made in fi
Courageous Space Marine Captain







In any case, apparently you can soon buy this excellent Custodes miniature separately:




   
Made in gb
Ultramarine Librarian with Freaky Familiar





 Formosa wrote:
 Crimson wrote:
 Formosa wrote:
ergh, not this nonsense again :/

You know, you didn't have to click the thread.


You know, they didn't have to make the thread.
And you get to decide what threads are made?


They/them

 
   
Made in ca
Ancient Venerable Black Templar Dreadnought





Canada

So, can women become Custodes?
Since there is a bunch of genetic manipulation involved, a Y-chromosome is almost a truncated X: sure, why not?
No trumped up technobabble reason not to.
All comes down to the will to make the change in the fluff by GW.
One could easily say that with the unsatisfying conversationalists they are, the emperor would sanction some variety I am sure.
I use "If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device" as a case in point.
https://youtu.be/Z_2nM1GEllg (warning, some strong language... text to speech...).

I personally envision them as a bunch of angry eunuchs, but that is my own spin on the matter.

A revolution is an idea which has found its bayonets.
Napoleon Bonaparte 
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut





 Albino Squirrel wrote:
Interesting. I guess I always figured they were vat grown somehow, similar to the primarchs. But wow, so the emperor stole babies to make his bodyguards?

In any case, whatever genetic changes he made must have been pretty severe. And starting with babies, presumably even if you started with a girl baby the end result would look pretty much the same as if you started with a boy by the time they were fully grown. And I assume they can't reproduce.


Yeah, the custodes codex mentions that the nobility of Terra willingly give up their babies for the chance to become custodes. It's a matter of pride for them. The original custodes were made from the babies from conquered nobility. Each is individually made.

I wouldn't see why female toddlers couldn't be custodies, the only difference is whats inbetween their legs, unless the years before puberty are spent having them trained mentally, then the enhancement process begins


Except that it's not. The genitals are only one difference between men and women, even as babies. Even as infants, the difference in male and female testosterone is significant:

Male Female
Age: T Level (ng/dL): Age: T Level (ng/dL):
0-5 mo. 75-400 0-5 mo. 20-80
6 mos.-9 yrs. < 7-20 6 mos.-9 yrs. < 7-20
10-11 yrs. < 7-130 10-11 yrs. < 7-44
12-13 yrs. < 7-800 12-16 yrs. < 7-75
14 yrs. < 7-1,200
15-16 yrs. 100-1,200
17-18 yrs. 300-1,200 17-18 yrs. 20-75
19+ yrs. 240-950 19+ yrs. 20-75
Avg. adult male 270-1,070 Avg. adult female 15-70
30+ yrs. -1% per year

Even with significant gene overwriting that occurs to make custodes, why would you want to pretty much make a girl into a boy then amplify the effects to make a superhuman instead of just taking males outright and going from there? If you're going to spend significant resources to make something, you should start with the best initial ingredient possible for what you're after.
   
Made in gb
Grim Dark Angels Interrogator-Chaplain





Earth

 Sgt_Smudge wrote:
 Formosa wrote:
 Crimson wrote:
 Formosa wrote:
ergh, not this nonsense again :/

You know, you didn't have to click the thread.


You know, they didn't have to make the thread.
And you get to decide what threads are made?


Yep, just like you and everyone else, I also get to decide that I'm tired of seeing "can females be space marines" crop up every week, and I also get to decide if I want to express that it's the same old nonsense that keeps degenerating and getting locked, and is a waste of people's time when the search bar exists.

So yep, I'm expressing my annoyance at yet another "can x be y" when we already know the answer.
   
Made in fi
Courageous Space Marine Captain






 Formosa wrote:

Yep, just like you and everyone else, I also get to decide that I'm tired of seeing "can females be space marines" crop up every week, and I also get to decide if I want to express that it's the same old nonsense that keeps degenerating and getting locked, and is a waste of people's time when the search bar exists.

So yep, I'm expressing my annoyance at yet another "can x be y" when we already know the answer.

This was not about the Space Marines, we really don't know the answer, and even if it was and we did, why you need to come to troll the topic? If you're tired of the topic then don't click it. Furthermore, the degeneration you were worried about is caused by you. Self fulfilling prophecy much?

   
Made in gb
Grim Dark Angels Interrogator-Chaplain





Earth

 Crimson wrote:
 Formosa wrote:

Yep, just like you and everyone else, I also get to decide that I'm tired of seeing "can females be space marines" crop up every week, and I also get to decide if I want to express that it's the same old nonsense that keeps degenerating and getting locked, and is a waste of people's time when the search bar exists.

So yep, I'm expressing my annoyance at yet another "can x be y" when we already know the answer.

This was not about the Space Marines, we really don't know the answer, and even if it was and we did, why you need to come to troll the topic? If you're tired of the topic then don't click it. Furthermore, the degeneration you were worried about is caused by you. Self fulfilling prophecy much?


Custodians are advanced space marines, a much more refined process, so yes, we already have the answer, they can't, there we go, done.
   
 
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