Adeptus
Astartes
The Adeptus Astartes, also known as the Space Marines, are an elite military force of genetically-engineered super soldiers, tasked with defending the Imperium of Man from its enemies.
Known for their superhuman strength, endurance, and combat skills, as well as their strict discipline and loyalty to the Imperium, the Adeptus Astartes are as disparate in temperament and tactics as the worlds they hail from.
Faction Tropes
Child soldiers with serious training
- Each Chapter of Astartes have their own methods for recruiting young warriors. Trials typically include varying degrees of spiritual tests, blood duels, hunting of feral beasts, exposure to the elements, tests of one’s sanity, injection of gene-seed and genetic tampering, and implantation of Astartes organs. Those who survive all of these (of which there are few) are then psycho-indoctrinated into xenophobic, calculating, killing machines. Still, how an Astartes reacts to these tests, and the scars they live with from them, are unique to the individual.
They shall know no fear...
- The implants and hypno-therapy of Space Marines do not reshape their core neural architecture and psyches, though process does tend to “smooth out” many personality quirks or strong emotions. Because of this, the Astartes are steady in combat, and the common phrase ‘they shall know no fear’ is because of their transformation from a human to a transhuman superweapon.
... and have some serious baggage
- The sacrifice of an Astartes’ humanity is nigh-complete with all of their modifications, but some human frailties can still reside. Despite being monastic killing machines, this sensibility is not without error. An Astartes that remembers their past, has strong emotions under the surface, or long (or loathe) the other humans around them — well that can open the door for them becoming Heretic Astartes…
