Kroot Marines

[Zor]

This is something i have been wondering about...

We all know that for the Kroot the Phase "you are what you eat" takes on a whole new meaning. If a Kroot eats something, it can absorb the genetic material of said being, which is how they got the ability to build spacecraft (by eating mekboyz and gaining their genetic knack for technology). As well, all space marines have inside them a pair of Progenoid glands that are use in the creation of new space marines. So here it is the question, what would happen if a force of space marines attacked something belonging to the Tau Empire with Kroot Auxillaries or were attacked by the Tau with Kroot Auxilleries, were killed and the Kroot proceed to gordge themselves upon the remains, including the glands? Could you see the rise of of kroot marines? Would Games Workshop cash in on the idea and release some minatures?

Zor

[PainRack]

This is something i have been wondering about...

We all know that for the Kroot the Phase "you are what you eat" takes on a whole new meaning. If a Kroot eats something, it can absorb the genetic material of said being, which is how they got the ability to build spacecraft (by eating mekboyz and gaining their genetic knack for technology). As well, all space marines have inside them a pair of Progenoid glands that are use in the creation of new space marines. So here it is the question, what would happen if a force of space marines attacked something belonging to the Tau Empire with Kroot Auxillaries or were attacked by the Tau with Kroot Auxilleries, were killed and the Kroot proceed to gordge themselves upon the remains, including the glands? Could you see the rise of of kroot marines? Would Games Workshop cash in on the idea and release some minatures?

Zor

Considering that the Marine organs require puberty and special training so as to kick in, I doubt it.

[Invictus ChiKen]

Well the raw genetic data is in there, and there are Tyranid variants formed from eating space marines...

[PainRack]

Well the raw genetic data is in there, and there are Tyranid variants formed from eating space marines...

Except that the organs work because the SM "grows" into them and is trained in their use.

Its certainly possible, in the sense that Kroot shapers and the like can grow SM type Kroots if they can get the geneseed in universe context, but the OP appears to be asking whether Kroots can become SMs after eating them.


As for the Tyrannids, the Tyranids ability to mould themselves and just make new Tyranids are infamous.

[Shroom Man 777]

Kroot =/= Tyrannids

The Kroot, sure, they can take a lot of genetic information from the critters they eat. But no way, man, no way are they like the Tyrannids.

I mean, the Nids got Hormogaunts and Termagaunts and Spinegaunts and Hemogaunts and Homogaunts and Heterogaunts and Hemogaunts and Bi-gaunts and Polygaunts and Monogaunts and Pseudogaunts and Decagaunts and Paleogaunts and Pregaunts and Astrogaunts and Octogaunts and Hexagaunts and Nanogaunts and Milligaunts and Macrogaunts and Microgaunts and Metagaunts and Pterogaunts and Supergaunts and Transformigaunts and Gigantogaunts and Aquagaunts and Aerogaunts and Geogaunts and Dopplegangergaunts and Repligaunts and Multigaunts and Allogaunts and Deinonygaunts and Velocigaunts and Tyrannogaunts and Gilagaunts and Gigagaunts and Megagaunts and Kilogaunts and Centigaunts and Charcharagaunts and Deimetrogaunts and Carnogaunts and Herbigaunts and Insectigaunts and Arachnogaunts and Reptiliogaunts and Amphibiogaunts and Biogaunts and Psigaunts and Digaunts and Pikagaunts and Digigaunts and Analogaunts and Ghostgaunts and Glowgaunts and Redgaunts and Tallgaunts and Fastgaunts and Slowgaunts and Big-gaunts and Smartgaunts and, finally, Strong-gaunts!

[NecronLord]

And lots and lots of dead gaunts.

[18-Till-I-Die]

Appears they also had Zoats at some point too.

No but, i seriously doubt the Kroot could absorb Marine powers in such a way. If they could the Tau would get MUCH more use out of them, and certainly the Imperium would be gunning for them with a all-points "kill on sight" order.

I mean thats like eight kinds of blasphemy agains the Emperor there, you know. Not just EATING the Emperor's chosen sons but stealing their mojo too.

And of course, i doubt any group of Kroots can kill enough Marines to make this work.

[Tasoth]

That always struck me as odd too. The Kroot cannibalize their opponents after a battle, especially if they were a bunch of tough sunsuvabitches. That would mean that in several generations there would be big, nasty, tough as nails kroot running around that weren't Krootox. It would give the Tau a big leg up if they turn out to be just a fraction of what a typical Space Marine is, even if they were just conditioned to wear standard Tau ballistic armor.

[NecronLord]

This all depends on it being safe. I wouldn't be surprised if the Emperor had put some sort of prion-disease aimed at affecting non-humans in there at some point. He worked on them for centuries, after all.

[Teleros]

That always struck me as odd too. The Kroot cannibalize their opponents after a battle, especially if they were a bunch of tough sunsuvabitches. That would mean that in several generations there would be big, nasty, tough as nails kroot running around that weren't Krootox. It would give the Tau a big leg up if they turn out to be just a fraction of what a typical Space Marine is, even if they were just conditioned to wear standard Tau ballistic armor.

Depends on the number of Marines they can eat (esp. progenoid organs), plus surviving said generations (not likely if used in combat ). Plus as NL said, there may be safeguards built into gene-seed.

[Azazal]

I could see the Kroot developing after several generations of a consistent marine diet. However, they would need a constant supply of marines to effect and real long term changes, something I don't see happening.

[white_rabbit]

Given the horrific fuckups than can occur when the horrendous number of surgeries and treatments that make up creating a space marine are done, and thats in a semi-controlled (depending on the chapter) environment with the species they designed for, I expect any kroot chowing down on a space marine to probably die horribly.

Interesting things like their own muscles ripping them apart because the marines bones are reinforced with synthetics, not biological materials.

[Zor]

I could see the Kroot developing after several generations of a consistent marine diet. However, they would need a constant supply of marines to effect and real long term changes, something I don't see happening.

What about a program run by the Ethereal caste involving collecting marine corpses and feeding them to certain Kroot Kindreds in a program to that end?

Zor

[Darwin]

Considering how difficult it is to get the chemical/hormone balance right in Marines for the organs to work right and how human male-specific they are, it's not likely the Kroot can absorb much useful from them unless they've got some serious mojo going.

[Graeme Dice]

Going only by game stats, the Kroot are already just as physically strong as Space Marines, and are just as good at close combat. And according to the Kroot Mercs list, they can become just as tough as marines after eating Orcs for a few generations. Given enough generations they might be able to end up with similar statlines. Of course, they'd have to eat a whole bunch of the quite rare Space Marines, and have to get to them before an apothecary removes the progenitor glands to get the full effect.

[LaserRifleofDoom]

I've got a question regarding the marine process. In some fluff, it is made abundantly clear that they take young boys and start turning them into Marines before they hit puberty.
Yet other times, it seems that a sufficiently badass adult can hope to be inducted into their ranks (if he comes from certain worlds, at least). Has there been any clarification on this? Or is it just that some chapters have better control over the process?

[Darwin]

I've got a question regarding the marine process. In some fluff, it is made abundantly clear that they take young boys and start turning them into Marines before they hit puberty.
Yet other times, it seems that a sufficiently badass adult can hope to be inducted into their ranks (if he comes from certain worlds, at least). Has there been any clarification on this? Or is it just that some chapters have better control over the process?

Clearly some chapters have the selection/induction process down better than others. The other possibility is these seemingly older candidates they take may not really be that old.. pressures over a few thousand years on death worlds could force the populations to be virtually physically mature and fighting fit by 14. The recent Black Templars example may just be that the First Chapter has a lot of tech that other chapters don't, and they can claim inductees a bit later than other chapters and still have a good chance of success.

[NecronLord]

I've got a question regarding the marine process. In some fluff, it is made abundantly clear that they take young boys and start turning them into Marines before they hit puberty.
Yet other times, it seems that a sufficiently badass adult can hope to be inducted into their ranks (if he comes from certain worlds, at least). Has there been any clarification on this? Or is it just that some chapters have better control over the process?

It's extremely dangerous to do that. It appears that at the time of the Crusade, greater knowledge allowed that much more frequently, though.

[Imperial Overlord]

I've got a question regarding the marine process. In some fluff, it is made abundantly clear that they take young boys and start turning them into Marines before they hit puberty.
Yet other times, it seems that a sufficiently badass adult can hope to be inducted into their ranks (if he comes from certain worlds, at least). Has there been any clarification on this? Or is it just that some chapters have better control over the process?

It's extremely dangerous to do that. It appears that at the time of the Crusade, greater knowledge allowed that much more frequently, though.

Making geneseed was probably a lot easier in Crusade times so there would have been a lot less worry about the potential loss of valuable geneseed. This was the Imperium at its *gasp* optimistic and ambitious height, after all.

[Teleros]

It's extremely dangerous to do that. It appears that at the time of the Crusade, greater knowledge allowed that much more frequently, though.

I believe the Codex Astartes recommended the younger starting age and slower timescale as a means of ensuring genetic purity - so assuming you can afford to ruthlessly cull mutated geneseed when (re)collecting it you could probably grow Marines quite quickly.

[white_rabbit]

Back in the Crusade era, the marines required constant reinforcements, and had ever expanding requirements for new recruits.

This led to them essentially recruiting entire formations of the Imperial Army into their ranks, and hell mind the loss rate.

In short, with no looming threat of chaos, no Codex Astartes, and no compunctions about the loss rate.

They didn't give a shit.

Nowadays, for both the Loyalist and Chaos forces, the initial requirements are far greater, for the Loyalists because they have generally much more rigid purity requirements, and sometimes a heavily ritualised methodology, and for chaos, in Bile's case, because he wants to outdo the Loyalists.

I believe the ratio was 1 in a thousand recruits makes it to the scout company for the Loyalists, and Bile wanted a 1 in ten thousand ratio.

The World Eaters, or at least one faction have encountered a severe failure rate in their gene-seed due to chaotic mutations, and their Apothecaries also engage in experimentation on loyalist corpses.