Space Marine Sergeant
The Codex Astartes dictates that every Space Marine Squad is to be led by a Space Marine Sergeant[1], a veteran of hundreds of battles, forged in the fires of war, who will lead his squad with an icy calm through the most dangerous of scenarios and emerge victorious.[4]
Contents
Overview
Sergeants typically lead Tactical, Assault, Devastator, Terminator, Veterans, Scout Squads[2a], as well as any kind of Battleline, Close Support and Fire Support Squads.[16b]
To become a Sergeant, a Space Marine has to prove himself capable of keeping his nerves through the toughest of warzones, as well as being a formidable fighter. He has to be willing to make difficult decisions based on his instincts, and so only a few Space Marines have the required level of ability to take on this role.[4]
A sergeant acquiring the Veteran Status may be transferred to a Command Squad or the First Company.[6a]
Marking and Equipment
According to the Codex Astartes, a Sergeant should show his rank with a red-colored helmet, with veterancy marked out by a white laurel around the helmet[2a]; they also wear a red skull on the left shoulder pad.[6a] but variations exist between Chapters : for example, the Blood Angels mark out their Sergeants with black pauldrons, with red edgings, on which yellow versions of the Chapter icon and their company badge.[10][11] The Emperor's Spears mark out their Sergeants with transverse crests in red, with Veteran Sergeants' crests being red and black.[14]
Ten thousand years ago during the Great Crusade, the red coloring of the helmet was a mark of shame and discipline to the Ultramarines Legion. However, after Aeonid Thiel's heroic actions during the Battle of Calth in the early days of the Horus Heresy, the mark was changed by Roboute Guilliman to one honouring Thiel's rank of Sergeant.[19]
Most Sergeants take to the field with different weapons from their squad mates. As a status symbol they often wield close combat weapons, especially Chainswords or Power Swords.[5c]
Scout Sergeants
Give me the Scout as a boy, and I’ll give you the Battle-Brother as a man.
Scout Sergeants both teach and lead squads of Space Marine Scouts. By passing on their skills and experience to future battle-brothers they are arguably among the most influential members of a Chapter.[2b] In addition to teaching their charges how to fight and operate in the field, they are also responsible for keeping discipline and monitoring the Scouts' psychological and biological conditioning in the field (where they may be operating away from Chaplains and Apothecaries).[7]
Veteran Sergeants
A Veteran Sergeant is a Space Marine who has fought in thousands of campaigns and has proven himself worthy of command many times in battle and received the Crux Terminatus[4], thus acquiring the Veteran status. As a Veteran, he may be transferred to a Command Squad or become part of the First Company.[6a][3a] Veteran Sergeants are sometimes seconded to other company squads who can benefit from their experience and their access to advanced wargear.[1c]
Marking and Equipment
Veteran Sergeants wears a red-coloured helmet with a white stripe from the back to the forehead.[6a]
Promotions
It is not odd for a Veteran Sergeant to be promoted to wear Tactical Dreadnought Armour if he does a heroic act in battle. If the deed is very great, the Veteran Sergeant may instead be promoted to replace a deceased Space Marine Captain.[5c]
Famous Veteran Sergeants
- Attica Centurius of the Legion of the Damned
- Gideon of the Blood Angels
- Jegun of the White Scars[17b]
- Nzahan of the Eagle Warriors
- Surrufus of the Angels Vermillion (Assault Squad)[17a]
- Dienekas Agathon of the Imperial Fists/Deathwatch
- Jovan - Ultramarines
Chapter Variations
- Pride Leader — Celestial Lions.[13]
- Watch Sergeant — Deathwatch.[8]
- Squad Whip — Excoriators.[25]
- Pack Leader — Space Wolves.[9]
- Knight-Sergeant or Sergeant-at-Arms — Dark Angels.[22][23]
Miniatures
an Intercessor Veteran Sergeant (8th Edition)[4]
a Scout Sergeant (10th Edition)
a Sternguard Veteran Sergeant (10th Edition)
a Terminator Sergeant (10th Edition)
Sergeant (5th Edition)[22]
Veteran Sergeant (4th Edition)[21]
Veteran Sergeant (4th Edition)[20]
Sources
- 1: Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, pg. 154
- 2: Codex: Ultramarines (2nd Edition):
- 3: Codex: Space Marines (3rd Edition):
- 4: Codex: Space Marines (4th Edition), pg. 12
- 5: Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition):
- 6: Insignium Astartes:
- 7: Hunt for Voldorius (Novel), Chapter 5
- 8: Warrior Brood (Novel), Chapter 6
- 9: Codex: Space Wolves (9th Edition), pg. 31
- 10: Codex: Blood Angels (3rd Edition), pg. 12
- 11: Codex: Blood Angels (7th Edition), pg. 16
- 13: Blood and Fire (Novella) — Armageddon (Anthology), Chapter III
- 14: White Dwarf 460, pg. 43 — Index Astartes: Emperor's Spears
- 15: Codex: Space Marines (7th Edition), Digital Edition
- 16: Codex: Space Marines (8th Edition):
- 17: Imperial Armour Volume Two - Space Marines and Forces of the Inquisition:
- 18: Warhammer 40,000 4th Edition Rulebook, pg. 103
- 19: Know No Fear (Novel), Ushkul/Thu, Chapter Two
- 20: White Dwarf 299 (UK), pg. 7
- 21: White Dwarf 308 (UK), pg. 5
- 22: White Dwarf 344 (UK), pg. 10
- 22: The Lion: Son of the Forest (Novel), Chapter 24
- 23: Angels of Caliban (Novel), Chapter 20
- 24: Deathwatch Core Rulebook, pg. 19
- 25: Bastions (Short Story)
