It's also worth keeping in mind that some of the additional organs described in the initial post here have degraded in certain Chapters. For those few that have very pure geneseed, they may hold true, but for others - the Blood Angels, for example - the geneseed is no longer producing perfect results and some functionality has been lost.

This would be a good opportunity for FFG to introduce different Resistances and Talents for different Chapters, IMO. It would give them each a different flavour without being gratuitous about it.

Niqvah said:

The Blood Angels haven't lost any functionality in their organs.

Just an overpowered new codex =P

Well you could call the black rage a "loss of functionality" :P

Well, take the Omophagea that allows Marines to absorb DNA memory. It has been hypothesised that a flaw in that is what drives the Red Thirst in the Blood Angels and their successors, and is at the heart of some of the less palatable practices of the Flesh Tearers. It no longer functions as it was supposed to.

The Imperial Fists' geneseed degradation has resulted in them not having Betcher's Glands (so they lack the ability to spit acid) or the Sus-an Membrane that allows Marines to effectively enter suspended animation. The Raven Guard geneseed is pretty unstable in general, and they have also lost some functionality.

The Wolves, on the other hand, have an extra organ that makes them hairier and more wolflike! This sort of variation would be great to see in the game, though it would be easy to get bogged down in years of fluff and questionable canon, so I'm quite happy to wait and see what FFG make of it.

Niqvah said:

That is, as you say, a hypothesis.  The Blood Angels retain all 19 implants, none of which have any obvious mutations.

the Blood Angels though they have not lost any organs the have aquiered their Red Thirst and a Berserker Rage that is so bad that some cases have to be quarantined in to their own Shock Trooper Suicide Company .

Drop Bear said:

Yes but neither can be identified conclusively as a mutation.

Atheosis said:

   Just adding my 0.05€ here. The Red Thirst is not caused by a physical mutation in the BA Geneseed. It is a psychic "curse" that affects everybody carrying BA Geneseed. Sanguinius was known to be one of the most psychically potent Primarchs. When he died at the hands of Horus his death caused a psychic backlash that affected every member of his own Legion.

Aajav-Khan said:

More or less what I'm pointing at.  There is no real evidence that the Blood Angels' geneseed has any actual physical mutations.

My question is, regarding Space Marine conduct and policy and whatever else, does the Inquisition have any authority or power over them?  I admit my own personal ignorance about the subject, but I've been led to believe that the Space Marines are a monkish chapter above and beyond the general laws of the Imperium, to be called upon for the direst of emergencies (confirmed in some way by bureaucracy and Librarians and other Psykers), and that they generallly do what they please. 

Here's another question.  Are they always rendered sterile by the process of becoming a Space Marine?  Might there be some that could spawn new generations of them with their modified geneseed?  I had this rather brilliant idea of a Rogue Trader Adventure regarding a new breed of human involving Mother Nature commandeering a Lost Space Marine Chapter and developing a new space-faring EMPIRE as a result. 

Generally Space Marines are independent from the Imperium proper, but they of course have to work within it. This means that whilst Inquisitors don't really have any power over a Chapter, and in most cases it seems as though Space Marine chapters will tell Inquisitors to f*** off and do their own thing, Inquisitors can make life tricky for a Chapter if they really want, so it's usually best to pay lip service.

Basically, they do what the Inquisition wants them to do if they feel like it, which is usually if they decide they want to do it themselves (and take the Inquisitor's "order" as a suggestion) or if it'd cause them more harm than good to ignore the Inquisitor's request.

Each chapter does have a better or worse relationship with the Inquisition though, so it pretty much works on a Chapter-by-Chapter basis.

As for the "sterile" bit, I'd say yes. Some sources (such as BloodQuest) seem to suggest that Space Marines no longer have genitals (images showing the entire groinal region covered with black carapace), and others don't. I think it's safe to say that Deathwatch likely won't go into that. Either way, given the huge amount of genetic engineering, plus the fact that, if they could breed, why wouldn't they breed instead of use the whole geneseed thing, it makes sense for that to be the case. Even if they weren't sterile, there'd be too many genetic differences between them and a normal human to be able to procreate anyway, and since there are no female Space Marines, they're de facto sterile due to having no one to be able to breed with.

MILLANDSON said:

Space Marines are still genetically human.  If they could procreate they would likely produce normal human offspring.

Aajav-Khan said:

Let's not forget the fact that Sanguinus also gave the BAs a huge benefit in form of an insanely long lifespan.

Dante, chapter master of the BA, is more than a thousand years old (he's probably around 1500 since he is the Angels master for about 1100 years now). He is the oldest SM alive (Dreds do not count) and everyone defers to him during campaigns.

I really would love to see an age table for different SM chapters, good RP possibilities there in playing characters of different age and experience.

I can remember reading a short story about an Inquisitor investigating the purity of a SM chapter. The guy tried to lord it over the SM while the Captain who walked with him deflected every sentence with adherence to rules and the inability of the inquisition to interfere. I really don't believe that the Inquisition can give orders to the SM, they are after all almost a separate body from the empire (like the Adeptus Mechanicus). Plus the Ordo Hereticus has limited reasons to interfere since the SM aren't part of the Imperial Cult, so allegations of heresy can only be based on suspicions of chaos activity. Xenos can petition a chapter for support, but save for a scenario akin to Dawn of War II I don't see it happening. And Malleus would use their own SMs.

Arag said:

Is that more of the non-sense they printed in the new BA codex?  Sweet lord Matt Ward is an idiot.  Space Marines all have ridiculously long lifespansif they don't die in battle first, or succumb to the Black Rage in the case of the Blood Angels.  In the Salamanders book that came out not too long ago they found a Salamander from the time of the Heresy still alive (barely).  Both Calgar and Logan Grimnar are well over 500 years old, (and amusingly have Eternal Warrior whereas the old man doesn't), while as I recall the Chapter Master of the Iron Snakes was inferred to be pretty freakin ancient as well.  And the "everyone defers to Dante" thing makes me want to puke...or crack up laughing...not sure which.  There are a thousand Chapters, and I'm pretty sure some of them would tell Dante to take a flying leap (Iron Hands, Black Templars, and Dark Angels all come to mind). 

I swear they really need to fire Matt Ward.  All he does is write cheesy rules and even cheesier lore.