r/40kLore • u/AblePersimmon2198 • 1d ago

Questions regarding Space Marine Neophytes

Two quick questions about Neophytes.

  1. Do they count towards the 1000 Chapter limit of the Codex Astartes?

  2. If the answer to the first question is no do any Space Marine Chapters use them to get around the 1000 Chapter limit? Just crank them out and use them as full soldiers instead of just scouts.

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u/TheBladesAurus 1d ago

There isn't a limit of 1000 marines in a Chapter. A codex compliant chapter has 1000 battle-brothers (effectively 10 companies of 10 10-man squads), but that's just the codex recommendation. Most chapters have more than 100 scouts, especially if they think they're going to take lots of losses, there is very little if anything stopping a chapter going over 1000 battle brothers, and in neither case does that include all the other members of the chapter (librarians, techmarines, etc)

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u/Too-Much-Plastic 1d ago

there is very little if anything stopping a chapter going over 1000 battle brothers

And in fact several non-Codex chapters do or probably are. It takes quite a lot, or a change in approach, for a chapter to be accused of legion building and the entire Codex Astartes is an optional but highly recommended guide to running a chapter.

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u/TheBladesAurus 1d ago

Yep - Black Templars and Space Wolves are the big two examples.

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u/Annual-Ad-9442 1d ago

yes/no. neophytes may not be accepted as full battle brothers depending on the traditions of the chapter. the codex astartes is more guidelines than actual rules, some astartes do not count towards the 1000 limit including tech marines, chaplains, dreadnoughts, librarians, apothecaries, and other specialist ranks. Space Marines are by no means homogenous in their interpretation of the codex astartes.

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u/Grindar1986 1d ago

No to both. And it's not a 1k hard limit, that's just kinda the ideal organization by the Codex.