Space Marine Sergeant

Space Marines Portal

A Primaris Space Marine Veteran Sergeant wearing the traditional red helmet of his rank^[4]

The Codex Astartes dictates that every Space Marine Squad is to be led by a Space Marine Sergeant, a veteran of hundreds of battles, truly forged in the fires of war, who will lead his squad with an icy calm through the most dangerous of scenarios and emerge victorious.^{[Needs Citation]}

Overview

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.^{[Needs Citation]}

Typically a Sergeant is marked out with a red helmet, withe veterancy marked out by a white laurel^[2a], 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.^[12]

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.^{[Needs Citation]}

Variants

Scout Sergeants

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).^[3]

A Scout Sergeant^[5]

Veteran Sergeants

Veteran Sergeants are Sergeants that, having received the Crux Terminatus, lead squads from the 1st Company. Veteran Sergeants are sometimes seconded to other company squads who can benefit from their experience and their access to advanced wargear.^{[Needs Citation]}

An Ultramarines Veteran Sergeant^[6]

Terminator Sergeant

Terminator Sergeants will lead anything from 4-9 Marines in a Terminator Squad or 3-9 Marines in a Terminator Command Squad.^[1]

Terminator Sergeant^[7]

Chapter Variations

• Pride Leader — Celestial Lions.^[13]
• Watch Sergeant — Deathwatch.^[8]
• Squad Whip — Excoriators.^{[Needs Citation]}
• Pack Leader — Space Wolves.^[9]

Sources

• 1: Codex: Space Marines (4th Edition), ^{[Needs Citation]}
• 2: Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition):
  • 2a: pg. 21
  • 2b: pg. 88
• 3: Hunt for Voldorius (Novel), Chapter 5
• 4: Games Workshop (dead link)
• 5: Games Workshop Space Marine Scouts (last accessed 1/11/2021)
• 6: Games Workshop (dead link)
• 7: Games Workshop Space Marine Terminator Squad (last accessed 1/11/2021)
• 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
• 12: White Dwarf 460, pg. 43 — Index Astartes: Emperor's Spears
• 13: Blood and Fire (Novella) — Armageddon (Anthology), Chapter III

Uncited

This article purports to rely on sources which are not cited in the body of the text. For help on citation see the citation guidelines. You can help Lexicanum by fixing it.

• Codex: Ultramarines (2nd Edition), ^{[Needs Citation]}
• Insignium Astartes, ^{[Needs Citation]}
• Codex: Space Marines (3rd Edition), ^{[Needs Citation]}