Centurion (Space Marine Rank)

Luna Wolves Centurion

A Centurion was the gernalised term given to the rank held by a senior Astartes line officer of the Space Marine Legions that was in use during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras in the late 30th and early 31st Millennia. A Centurion served as a battle commander middle-tier line officer, as well as taking on more specalised functions which helped give an Astartes Legion its unusual operational depth and strategic flexibility. The actual name of the rank could vary from Legion to Legion, depending on its particular culture and traditions.

History

The ancient Legiones Astartes were composed of tens of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of Space Marines. As such, each Legion required a substantial core of leaders, champions and line officers. Whether one of these officers, generally called Consuls, were actually a  Captain who commanded a company composed 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 through the ranks of their Legion meant that they had already demonstrated their worth in the bloody fire of conflict.

Consul

The term Centurion was often used to represent one of the specialist officers of the Space Marine Legions, who were collectively referred to as Consuls, although this covered many different ranks and specialties such as the Chaplains, Fleet-Captains, Blood Chieftains, Vigilators, Legates and even the psykers who became Librarians. The following are the most common examples of officers of what would be considered Centurion rank found in the forces of the Great Crusade, although many others existed in particular Legions:

• Chaplain
• Legion Champion
• Librarian
• Master of Signal
• Moritat
• Vigilator

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
• Thunder Hammer

Optional Wargear

• Volkite Serpenta
• Plasma Pistol
• Heavy Chainsword
• Charnabal Sabre
• Power Weapon
• Power Fist
• Single Lightning Claw or Pair of Lightning Claws
• Thunder Hammer
• 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