Games - Space Marines

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	Games - Space Marines

When the situation calls for it, Veteran Squads may be equipped with the rare suits of Tactical Dreadnought Armour, and fielded as a powerful spearhead for Space Marine attacks. They are heavily armoured, and able to carry a variety of potent heavy weapons.

Specialists

At any point during their long careers, a Space Marine may be called upon to train in a specialist field, to better support the Chapter in both combat and non-combat roles.

Apothecaries

The purity of a Chapter's gene-seed is one of the greatest concerns displayed by the Imperium, for if corruption is able to root itself within a Space Marine Chapter, it may well fall to Chaos. The Apothecaries are charged with maintaining the health and genetic purity of the Space Marines. Their skills and equipment, when combined with the added organs and resilience of a Space Marine, allow an Apothecary to perform battle surgery with a good chance of success.

However, sometimes even the skills of an Apothecary are not enough to save a Marine. In this case, it is the Apothecary's responsibility to commit euthanasia, known as the Emperor's Peace, and harvest the two Progenoid glands implanted in the unfortunate Marine's body, allowing for the gene-seed material to be cultivated and re-implanted in another Neophyte.

Chaplains

The Chaplains are the spiritual leaders of a Chapter, warrior-priests that minister to the spiritual well-being of the Space Marines, instilling in them the values and beliefs of the Chapter along with promoting the worship of the Emperor. Most marines (including chaplains) believe that the Emperor is not a god; that he is an extremely powerful mortal, but a mortal nonetheless. This is somewhat true, as the Emperor started as a Psyker, and was "developed" into a god.

In battle, the Chaplains will be at the forefront of the Chapter, rousing their fellow Marines through their words and actions.

Librarians

The Chapter is continually vigilant to ensure that recruits will not taint the gene-seed of the Chapter through mutation. However, the psyker mutation is often encouraged, and these Marines are inducted into the corps of Librarians. These psychically-charged warriors are trained to use their abilities in the field of battle, as both weapons and tools of precognition. Off the field of battle, the Librarians are responsible for maintaining and adding to the records of the Chapter, attending to the Chapter's annals and the collective knowledge built up over millennia of service. The Librarians use a psychic hood to supress their enemies' use of psychic powers; the hoods' wires tap into the brain and act as an extension of the wearer's consciousness and allow him to tell when a being taps into the warp. It detects the manipulation of the warp and focuses the Librarian's will to disrupt it through a series of augmentic crystals.

The path to becoming a Librarian is a difficult one, as they must not only be strong enough to survive their training, but possess enough mental discipline to fend off the daemons and entities of the Warp, as these creatures see the enhanced form and mind of a Librarian as a strong prize. Also, the Librarians are often isolated from the rest of the Chapter, as they carry with them the abilities the Space Marines are expected to abhor and purge in all other beings.

Techmarines

Those who show an aptitude for machinery and technology are often selected to undergo the training to become a Techmarine, honorary members of the Adeptus Mechanicus and priests of the Machine God. The aspiring Techmarine will be sent away to train on Mars, learning the correct rites of activation and maintenance of the Chapter's equipment. They also learn how to rouse or placate the machine-spirits that inhabit many of the Chapter's vehicles and equipment.

The Techmarines are often called upon to make repairs that are beyond the training of a Space Marine, even in the midst of battle. Should a vehicle or artifact of technology be lost to the enemy, the Techmarines are at the forefront of the effort to retrieve it, often fighting as hard for their mechanical charges as they would for their biological brethren.

Leadership

After hundreds of years of service to the Chapter, elite Marines may be called upon to take up one of the leadership positions within the Chapter.

Brother-Captains

A Brother-Captain leads each of the ten Companies within a Chapter. Each is the foremost warrior in his Company, and will rarely meet their match in battle. In addition to leading their brethren, the Brother-Captains will often be called upon to fulfill other roles, most often in charge of an aspect of the Chapter, including the armoury, supplies, or the Chapter Fleet.

Notable Brother-Captains include Gabriel Angelos of the Blood Ravens' Third Company, Brother-Captain Tycho of the Blood Angels (now deceased), Ragnar Blackmane of the Space Wolves, Captain Shrike of the Raven Guard, Captain Lysander of the Imperial Fists, Captain Cortez of the Crimson Fists, and Uriel Ventris of the Ultramarines.

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