OK...so I've been a Warhammer 40,000 fan for longer than I have been into Shadowrun, and I've been wanting to make a Space Marine-like character. Right now, I'm using the Mercenary's starting Cyberware, but I believe I'm missing something...

Can anyone give me some tips?

I've been a 40K buff for a number of years, but not as long as I've been a Shadowrun fan. There's a full list of the Space Marine "Zygote Organs" here:

Space Marine Implants

It's taken from White Dwarf 98, back from slightly before the dawn of time. (IE, the '80's, pre-Shadowrun's existance.)

Some of the organs have direct Shadowrun equivalents -- IE, the Dermal-Sheathing like mod. Others do not have any Shadowrun Equivalent that I'm aware of. Further, you're not going to find a weapon that's on the scale of the Bolter, nor are you going to find armor that's at the same level as Power Armor. There's a pretty significant tech base difference between the settings.

Phew, a space marine eh? Well, you'll need a lot of bioware for a start. Let's throw out the character creation restrictions right from the start and see what we can come up with that's in line with the implants a Space Marine gets:

Secondary Heart
Synthcardium and perhaps a Metabolic Arrester are closest here.

Ossmodula
Bone Lacing of some sort, let's say titanium.

Biscopea
Suprathyroid/Muscle Augmentation

Haemastamen
Synthcardium

Larraman's Organ
Platelet Factories

Catalepsean Node
Sleep Regulator

Preomnor
Digestive Expansion

Omophagea
Nonsense! No exact equivalent in SR, but Digestive Expansion would again cover some of it.

Multi-lung
Tracheal Filter

Occulobe
Cat's Eyes

Lyman's Ear
No bioware equivalent - go for cyber replacement ears with hearing amp, select sound filter, orientation system and maybe balance aug.

Sus-an Membrane
Metabolic Arrester is the closest.

The melanochrome
Umm, a biomonitor? Maybe Orthoskin or something too, hmm.

Oolitic Kidney
Nephritic Screen/Toxin Extractor

Neuroglottis
Chemical Analyser/Gas Spectrometer and Olfactory Booster

Mucranoid
Again nothing exactly the same, Orthoskin and possibly genetech.

Betcher's Gland
Chemical Gland (spit, acid)

Progenoids
Hmm. Just a DNA sample and some fancy genetech I guess.

Black Carapace
VCR


I couldn't be bothered looking out my old books for a description of all these 40k implants, so I got info on the above by Googling to a site such as this:

http://www.inisfail.com/archives/sm-creation.html


That's it for implants anyway.

Otherwise... Eh, a JIM suit and a big shotgun? Nothing really matches the equipment too well I'm afraid.

Edit: Heavy Military armour would be closer I suppose. Doesn't work the same way as Power Armour, but it's not too far off. There's nothing quite like a Bolter, maybe if you designed a big Gyrojet rifle or somesuch.

Don't forget. You have to swear your service to the Emperor's Holy name, and his oppulent Golden Throne, or the Inquisition will hunt you down for Heresy.

In all seriousness through. A Space Marine has so many bio implants that they break the Shadowrun rules almost completely. Not to mention nothing comes close to their Power Armor.

If I were you, I would try making an Inquisitor build. Inquisitors are fun to play anyway. You get to go totally overboard with your RPing for no other reason than you're an Inquisitor!

Hmm I guess some kind of inquisitor character could be quite amusing! You could get away with less implants (although the stats they have in the books are pretty high), go a full mage with a big old power focus and/or weapon focus (Nemesis Force Rod/Sword) and a Conjuring specialisation in Banishing.

Wilpower through the roof, naturally.

An open mind is like a fortress with its gate un-barred and un-guarded.

I'd be tempted to build a 'Space Marine' (or, perhaps, MET2000 Ubermensch?) using only bionetics and genetech. Erythropoietin and Calcitonin synthesis, Synthacardium, Muscle Toner/Augmentation, Suprathyroid, Cat's-Eyes, Damage Compensators and Digestive Expansion should cover most things and, I believe (will check maths later) leave room for Cerebral Booster and Synaptic Accelerator to put reaction up into usable combat levels. For gear I'd be tempted towards Milspec armour with smartgoggles, a SPAS-22 with EXEX shells and an underbarrel grenade launcher, plus a dikoted Fineblade for close encounters. And all that with an Essence still at 6...

-JH.

From what I remember of bolter functionning, an heavier and larger version of the Gyrojet Pistol could do it. The milspec armors shown in Fields of Fire and the Cannon Companion seems big enough for me. Just need to add the backpack, large pauldrons with the blason and 1970ies-style greaves.

if you read the history of the fineblade they weren't dikotable

Yeah I just went with Titanium for stats purposes as it seems to fit better that way, but ceramic would be the next choice certainly, and possibly more fitting with the GW description. I'd have put Calcitonin Synthesis in there too, but it's not compatible with Platelet Factories, alas.

A lot of the implants can't perfectly be replicated by SR tech anyway, so we just have to approximate.

As for the knife, I think a Dikoted Fineblade is the way to go too. If I remember right, the way Space Marine knives were described in 40K material it said you could cut through solid metal with them and that they had a monomolecular edge.

Then it would probably be a vibroblade, closest match. I always thought you couldn't dikote the fineblades because they were already dikoted, or possibly some other non-copyright infringing coating that did pretty much the same. It'd be like gel packing already gelpacked armour - what would be the point?

But I'd've said a vibroblade was far more likely for a space marine knife. You'd have to invoke the mystic power rune to get it to work...

And if you really push the firearms rules, and can as a player find some way to make your design reality, you can get something nearly at a bolter. Really you want a heavily sawn off assault cannon (slow firing, but high penetration, exploding head, short range) but that's impossible, so you go with some kind of shotgun or rifle (of the sporting or sniper variety not the assault variety) base and ramp up the power and ammo type. Its not perfect, but you can get something like. Or you get an MGL12 and load it with some kind of penetrating AV grenade...

I can't remember the specifics. One of my players has designed an approximation for his merc to use and found a shadow manufacturer ot make him one. I'm not really bothered as we don't have a heavy combat game in that campaign and when it does happen it tends to be between their Tbird and something else rather than person to person. Besides, if he uses it on more than one job EVERYone is gonna know the two jobs were by the same person, so what do I care? He can have his prototype (yes, prototype, bwah ha aha ha) grade A bang-bang and I'll just be a GM at him till he's sorry!

Hmm. Boltgun...

If you don't have actual microrocket weaponry available, a 10ga, magazine-fed shotgun, seriously shortened, should work nicely.

...And in the age of Trolls, someone might actually make 10ga combat shotguns.

[snip. forget it. talking out my arse.]

gyrojet pistol

bolt pistol = gyrojet pistol
bolt gun = funky SMG version of Gyrojet pistol

Bolt gun: gyrojet pistol, but increased in size (mostly to increase magazine size) and only firing Plus rockets.

That enough blowing-up for ye'?

~J

*drops a single space marine squad with Bolters (SMG Gyrojet) into the Renraku Arcology*

*watches explosions*

Yeah, that'll do.

Can you make a gyrojet HMG for the heavy bolter? 'Cause that's the one I want.

What life style would he have if he is self sufficient ?

MArine can last up to months living of recycled body fliud and excreation. He would eat any thing thats living to understand his enemy.

So many question so little time.

Been for ever since I last posted here.

I been working on a Warhammer 40K crossover for little over a year, I'd keep Space Marines out or reach of players for many reason, unless the game revolves around the Imperial Inquisition, as the Imperial Inquisition often calls upon Space Marine chapters for assistence. As a Space Marine is augemented and equipped to the point where most small arms fire will bounce harmlessly off his power armor, and if a luck shoot that don't hit the head or vital organ (Secondary Heart) or extreme tissue damage (bolter shell in the chest, gut) will be ignored like it never happened. Most marines are as big as an average space ork, and just as stong, most changes one the space marines body are on a hormonal and genetic level. As for there implants, a good book to read is "Index Astartes," if has a detailed list of all the functions of the the implants space marines recieve. I'll make a list.

Implants and there effects


Secondary Heart: wont drop dead from if one heart is punctured plus effects of the Synthcardium.

Ossmodula: major phenotypic change to body with +3 Body, +2b/+2i, 8 barrier rating.

Biscopea: major phenotypic change to strength and quickness.

Heamastemen: as angiotensin, erythropoietin and glucagon.

Larraman's Organ: Platelet Factories.

Catalepsean Node: sleep regulator.

Premnor: digestive expansion that can nutrualize most poisons and if not isolates it to the premnor.

Omophagea: as Reflexe Recorder, but has no particular skill enbedded in it, apply any skill as GM/Player sees fit after eating an kill character or animal.

Multi-lung: tracheal filter.

Occulobe: cats eye with out the look of cat eyes.

Lyman's Ear: use phenotypic change to add hearing amp, select sound filter, orientation, balance aug (space marines don't get dizzy).

Sus-an Membrane: Metabolic Arrester.

Melanochromic Organ: immune to ultra violent, and weak sorces of radiation.

Oolitic Kidney: Nephritic Screen/Toxin Extractor.

Neuroglottis: Chemical Analyser/Gas Spectrometer and Olfactory Booster.

Mucranoid: clean metabolism, and limited protection in vacuum environs.

Betcher's Gland: Chemical Gland (spit, acid).

Progenoid: absorbs genetic samples of all implants in a marine.

Black Carapace: Orthoskin 1, and a DNI link to power armor.


Most bolt weapons are a .75 caliber self propelled projectile that will peirce all soft armor, and have a good chance to penetrate hardened armor like Carapace Armor that Imperial and Inquistorial Storm Trooper wear, I'd make Bolters pierce all soft armor automatical while working like normal ammunition against hardened armor. A bolter/storm bolter has an effective range of a Las Rifle which is the equivelent of a assault rifle, so giving a bolter the range of a SMG would be cutting it a bit short, the range table for a bolter/storm bolter should be of the assault rifle. A Heavy Bolter uses an heavier .75 caliber self propelled projectile that will pierce most hardened armor, the only type of hardened armor that can withstand a heavy bolter is power armor, and the Heavy Bolter has a long effective range (MMG-HMG).

Hmm new rules.... Assault 4 Rending........

I don't think Deus would have too much trouble, all things considered. Even if they could take him down, he'd just blow the downstairs reactors.

~J

Grey Knights. Super-trained and equipped space marines with uber psychic powers. One squad, arcology cleared in about 5 minutes flat.