A Centurion is a bygone rank for a senior Astartes officer of the Space Marine Legions used during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras in the late 30th and early 31st Millennia. The Centurions were made up from the core of battle commanders and officers to control and coordinate, as well as more specialised ranks and role which help give a Legion its operational depth and strategic flexibility.
History
Within the ranks of each of the ancient Legiones Astartes were tens of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands strong and as such required a substantial core of leaders, champions and line officers, and whether a Company Captain in command of a thousand or more Legionaries on campaign, or a Shield-Lieutenant given charge of a boarding party in a savage void battle, to have risen in the ranks means they have already demonstrated their worth in the bloody fires of conflict.
Consuls
A Centurion was often used to represent one of the specialised officers of the Space Marine Legions, referred to under the banner of Consuls, although this covered many different ranks and purviews such as the Chaplains, Fleet-Captains, Blood Chieftains, Vigilators, Legates and even the psychics of the Librarians. The following are the most common examples found in the forces of the Great Crusade, although many others existed in particular Legions:
Wargear
- Artificer Power Armour
- Bolter
- Combi Weapon
- Volkite Charger
- Melta Bombs
- Combat Shield
- Refractor Shield
- Boarding Shield
- Iron Halo
- Jump Pack
- Space Marine Bike
- Legion Jetbike
Optional Wargear (For Centurion Terminators)
- Cataphractii Pattern Terminator Armour
- Combi-Bolter
- Power Weapon
- Volkite Charger
- Power Fist
- Lightning Claw or Pair of Lightning Claws
- Chainfist
- Thunderhammer
Optional Wargear
- Volkite Serpenta
- Plasma Pistol
- Heavy Chainsword
- Charnabal Sabre
- Power Weapon
- Power Fist
- Single Lightning Claw or Pair of Lightning Claws
- Thunderhammer
- Melta Bombs
- Paragon Blade
- Combat Shield
- Refractor Field
- Boarding Shield
- Jump Pack
- Space Marine Bike
- Legion Jetbike
Sources
- Imperial Armour - The Horus Heresy Betrayal - Book One, pp. 190-191