What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

I might be running a Warhammer 40K-inspired game in a few months, and I am revising my Space Marine profile.

To avoid reinventing the wheel, I plan on basing the SM skill template off an existing military profile. (once I get off my virtual butt and order SO 3E, that is)

In the setting, Space Marines are biotech-enhanced supersoldiers who are trained for years before they even are considered usable.

Strategically, their role is a lot like Armored Cavalry, either smashing an opening for more conventional troops to follow up on, or in envelopments to crush vulnerable targets.

So, strictly skill-wise, what elite unit do they sound like?

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

A heavy weapons guy crossed with a knight?

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

Special forces bio-mechanoid suicide fanatics with a hint of priest?

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

Marines combined with warrior monks..

Guns + tactics + general soldiering + melee/close combat skills + meditation + theology (empire of man) + maybe meditation, breath control etc + basic knowledge on aliens + some zero gee stuff (they're space marines after all - though the ships there may have artifical gravity - but still - boarding actions are part of what they do..) ... Not like anything really.

And they don't really have a specific strategic role - space marine chapters are pretty much armies on their own and have troops for many battlefield roles. I suppose when working with imperial guard they might be deployed to armored cavalry roles - but they might as well be deployed to guarding important and defensible places instead. Imperial guards have their own tanks and fast attack troops too.

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

The soldier template with the battlesuit trooper lens from Space would be a good start. Then add a fantasy style holy warrior template (unfortunately there isn't a suitable one in Fantasy) combining melee skills with unshakable faith (but no supernatural powers) on top of it.

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

I can't remember what the 40k stats were supposed to have meant, but I seem to remember each point being a multiplier, like 10x. But that was based on GW's kind of logic. I would probably say they would start out with some super human template fairly high physical attributes, add the soldier and then make your own power armour stats for them.

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

Are you space marines going to work like those in the 40K story or in the actual game? There is a huge difference in power here.

Or are you just going with the genetically engineered dudes in power armour approach that most first person shooters seem to go with these days? If that were the case I would just give +4 to ST and HP, combat reflexes, high pain threshold, hard to kill and hard to subdue as a base template. Then whatever skills represent their training (soldier, guns, tactics, sewing (optional specialty bunny toys), perhaps a military art art style or some of the gun art rules from high tech).

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

40K Space Marines are a lot more than a power-armored soldier template... after all, they have two hearts, a solid bone plate over their vital organs, instantly scar over when wounded, eat most anything, breathe in marginal atmospheres, track by taste, spit poisonous and corrosive saliva, and various other things.

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

I am definitely following the 40K fluff more than the crunch.

Space marines will be badass, biotech warrior monks, who appear out of nowhere to save your ass when all hope is lost. Their boardgame WS, BS, toughness etc doesn't really factor in to that image.

I just finished revising the stats for the implants, and they came up to 215 points. There will probably be another 50 points of ads strictly from training, then at least 100 points of skills.

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

Here's a rough attempt at a template for a normal 'battle brother'. I kind of lumped the racial template and the professional template together, since it's hard to decide exactly what should go where in some cases.

Various sources suggest that Astares should have a bunch of advantages like Resistant to Metabolic Hazards, Hard to Kill, Hard to Subdue, Rapid Healing, etc. but I generally subsumed these into a very high HT score and the Fit advantage.

SPACE MARINE TEMPLATE - 330 points

ST +10 (Size, -10%) [90]
DX +2 [40]
HT +4 [40]

SM +1
HP +5 (Size, -10%) [9]
Will +2 [10]
Per +3 [15]

ADVANTAGES
Combat Reflexes [15]
Doesn't Breathe (Oxygen Storage, 50 times normal, -40%) [12]*
Extended Lifespan 2 [4]*
Fearlessness 2 [4]*
Fit [5]
Innate Attack (1d-1 Corrosion; Cyclic, 1 Second, 2 Cycles, +200%; Jet, +0%; Reduced Range 1, - 10%; Takes Recharge, 15 seconds, -20%) [19]
Legal Immunity [5]
Less Sleep 4 [8]
Metabolism Control 4 [20]*
Night Vision 4 [4]*
Psychometry (Sensitive, +30%; Active Only, -20%; Only on Flesh and Blood, -20%; Must Eat Target, -20%; Takes Extra Time 2, -20%) [10]
Social Regard (Feared) 2 [10]*

DISADVANTAGES
Duty (Extremely Hazardous, Almost All the Time) [-20]
Fanaticism [-15]
Intolerance (Xenos and Heretics) [-5]

PRIMARY SKILLS
Brawling (E) DX+2 [4]
Environment Suit (Battlesuit) (A) DX+4 [16]
Guns (Gyroc) (E) DX+4 [12]
Soldier (A) IQ+1 [4]

SECONDARY SKILLS
Religious Ritual (Imperial) (H) IQ [4]
Savoir-Faire (Military) (E) IQ [1]

one of:
Axe/Mace (A) DX+1 [4]
Broadsword (A) DX+1 [4]
Knife (A) DX+2 [4]

one of:
Stealth (A) DX [2]
Throwing (A) DX [2]
Wrestling (A) DX [2]
Fast Draw (Ammo) (E) DX+1 [2] (+1 for Combat Reflexes)

BACKGROUND SKILLS
one of:
Armoury (Battlesuit or Smallarms) (A) IQ-1 [1]
Theology (Imperial) (H) IQ-2 [1]

one of:
Beam Weapons (Rifle) (E) DX [1]
Guns (LAW) (E) DX [1]
Liquid Projector (Flamethrower) (E) DX [1]

one of:
Camouflage (E) IQ [1]
Driving (A) DX-1 [1]
Electronics Operation (Communications) (A) IQ-1 [1]
First Aid (E) IQ [1]

* some sources suggest that these traits should be at significantly higher levels, but I wanted to keep the template somewhat sensible, so I'm going to assume that those sources described exceptional feats, didn't mention special equipment which was used to enhance these traits or were simply not all that accurate.

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

If you're in a rush, tack on the Herakles (Atlas) template from Biotech, and you're good to go (in a relatively generic fashion).

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

OK, it took a while, but I have a Space Marine template for you to look at.

It represents a neophyte Ultramarine, fresh out of training.

I didn't up the SM, though the fluff easily supports SM1 Marines. I figure that because of the implants, Marines never completely stop growing. Most probably do grow into SM1 eventually.

The lenses at the end represent what the Marine could one day be, so I am thinking about giving 10 points or so in talents, but not the skills.

Librarians would be the exception, because the Warhammer setting has a harsh take on psionics. In GURPS terms something extraplanar tries to possess you, or use your body as a portal on a critical failure. Perhaps the Librarian lens would just be the unusual background to allow purchase of psi, but no actual psi powers.

I will break it up into a few posts, cause that seems the thing to do on this board. If this board uses collapsible spoiler tags, someone please tell me, and I will convert the posts.

Marine candidates (early-mid teens) are exceptional to begin with.
ST 12 [20]; DX12 [40]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 12 [20] [[120]]
Add 10 points of skills for what the candidate learned growing up. [[10]]

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

Space Marine Implants: [[Grand total, 223pts]]

Secondary Heart
[[HT +1 [10], FP +1 [3], and Hard to Kill +2 [4]. 17 points total]]
Ossmodula
[[HT +1 [10], DR +2 (skull and torso only) [9], +2 HP [4], 23 points total]]
Biscopea
[[ST +3 [30], 30 points total]]
Haemastamen
[[No game effect, The other implants die without it.]]
Larraman's Organ
[[Very Rapid Healing [15], 15 points total]]
Catalepsean Node
[[Less Sleep-4 [8], 8 points total.]]
Preomnor
[[Universal Digestion [5], Resistant to all poison (+8) [7], Alcohol Tolerance [1] 13 points total]]
Omophagea
[[Modular Ability: Learn appropriate Survival at Per+0 from eating brain tissue of native animals [9] 9 points total]]
Multi-lung
[[Contributes to poison resistance, Pressure-Tolerant Lungs(Thin)[1] 1 point total]]
Occulobe
[[Acute Vision-2 [4], Night Vision-6 [6], Telescopic Vision-2 [10] 20 points total]]
Lyman's Ear
[[Acute Hearing-2 [4], Parabolic hearing-2 [8], Protected hearing [5] 17 points total]]
Sus-an Membrane
[[Metabolism Control-10 (Hibernation, cannot wake self up -75%) [12]
Melanochrome
[[Radiation Tolerance-2 [5] 5 points total]]
Oolitic Kidney
[[Contributes to poison resistance]]
Neuroglottis
[[Discriminatory taste [15] 15 Points Total]]
Mucranoid
[[Temperature Tolerance-2 [2] (comfort zone is 35-HT deg to 90+HT deg) 2 Points total]]
Betcher's Gland
[[Affliction-1 (Blindness)/Innate attack 1d6 (Corrosive) (1/2D 2, Max20 Acc3 ROF1/15, Rcl1) Low signature [20]
Progenoids
Perk (Carries implant stem cells) [1] 1 point total]]
Black Carapace
DR+5 (flexiible -20%) [20), Perk (able to fully operate Space Marine powerarmor) [1] 21 Points total]]

Extended Lifespan-4 [8] (many references to marines several centuries old. I don't know if this is due to the implants, or if The Emperor just has a great HMO.)

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

Training(advantages):
Combat reflexes [15], High Pain Threshold [10], Very Fit [15], G-Experience (all) [10]; +4 Will [20]; add 30 points of appropriate advantages [[100]]

Training(disads):
Soldiers Code of Honor [-10], Duty (Marine Chapter, 15 or less; Extremely Hazardous) [-20], Extreme Fanaticism (Loyalty to the Emperor) [-15], -40 pts in appropriate disads, -5 pts quirks [[-90]]

Training(skills): [[113]]

Primary Skills:
Soldier (A) IQ+2 [8]
Battlesuit (A) DX+2 [8]
Guns (Gyroc) (E) DX+2 [4]
Religious Ritual (Cult of the Emperor) (H) IQ [4]

Secondary Skills:
Armory (Battlesuit) (A) IQ+1 [4]
Axe/Mace (A) DX [2]
Broadsword (A) DX [2]
Beam Weapons (Pistol) (E) DX+1 [2]
Beam Weapons (Rifle) (E) DX+1 [2]
Knife (A) DX+1 [2]
Brawling (E) DX+1 [2]
Camouflage (E) IQ+2 [4]
Climbing (A) DX+1 [4]
Driving (any) (A) DX [2]
Electronics Operation (comms) (A) IQ [2]
Electronics Operation (sensors) (A) IQ [2]
Explosives (Demo) (A) IQ [2]
Forward Observer (A) IQ [2]
Free Fall (A) DX+2 [8]
Gunner (beam) (E) DX+1 [2]
Gunner (Machinegun) (E) DX+1 [2]
Gunner (Rocket) (E) DX+1 [2]
Guns (Pistol) (E) DX+1 [2]
Guns (Rifle) (E) DX+2 [4]
Hiking (A) HT+1 [4]
Navigation (Land) (A) IQ+1 [4]
Spacer (E) IQ+2 [4]
Stealth (A) DX+1 [4]
Survival (any) (A) Per+1 [4]
Vacc Suit (A) DX+2 [8]

Background Skills:
First Aid (E) IQ [1]
Mechanic (Battlesuit) (A) IQ+1 [4]
Throwing (A) DX [2]

Lenses:
Potential Apothecary (medic)
Potential Assaulter
Potential Chaplain (morale officer)
Potential Driver
Potential Leader
Potential Librarian (combat mentalist)
Potential Pilot
Potential Techmarine

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

Commander Dante (the Chapter Master of the Blood Angels) is supposed to be almost 1100 years old ("For eleven hundred years, I have fought, and I have seen the darkness in our galaxy..."), but the Blood Angels were known for how long they live if they don't succumb to the Black Rage or the Red Thirst.

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

I have always gotten the impression that Space Marines are effectivly Unaging. Its just that few of them survive century after century of near constant warfair.

Re: What Template for 40K Space Marines?
 

Considering that one in few million gets to become Space Marine and other gruelling admition tests (Some of them with their battles to death and only winner of worldwide tourney,once per year ,being admited to training which majority of trainees dont even survive) Id put those stats much much higher:
ST14+(during Marine training going up to 17-20),DX 14+,IQ 12+,HT12+
Combat reflexes
though just as easily they could start with st14,dx14,iq13,ht14,cr...and than during training and with implants bring those stats to ST 18-20,DX15,IQ14,HT16...etc

Edit:
Or let me put it this way:
Considering population pool they have to draw recruits...recruit for Space Marines is The best candidate from Delta Force every 5 years....or even more....and Im assuming that DX and IQ and HT stats of best of the best in Delta Force(once in 5 years) are all 15ish+(let alone accumulated skills till than).
That is if you want to depict them in "realistic" terms .... if you go with spaceopera thingy you can waive that and give them lower stats(as those incompetent Stormtroopers from Galaxy far far away,who "are" all handpicked and top of the notch fighting force of thousands of worlds )

Edit 2:
Maybe good idea is to check GURPS SEALs in Vietnam 4ed ... create character according to template....and than realise that it is just a starting SEAL fresh from training and that grizzled veteran would have 50-100 points more....and best of them would have 150+ cp more.