It was my most favorite bit from the siege of Terra when Kharn was screeching at Sigismund to say something, anything, to be alive, and all he got was silent, mechanical hatred and Annihilation. Excerpt: "He never said a word. Never. Throughout it all, the Black Sword didn't say a thing. The monster. The ghost. The mere shell. What could be worse than this? What death could be as profound as this? What disappointment, what despair, could ever be greater? Khârn raged at it. He howled in fury, coming at him again and again, shrugging off the wounds. He wanted the old one back. The one with some fire in his veins. He wanted some spirit. Just a flicker of something - anything - other than this flint-edged, iron-deep hardness. They had laughed together, the two of them. They had fought in the roaring pits, and had sliced slabs out of one another, and at the end they had always slumped down in the straw and the blood and laughed. Even the Nails had not taken that away, for in combat the Nails had still always shown the truth of things. 'Be… angry!' he bellowed, thundering in close. 'Be… alive!' Because you could only kill the things that lived. You couldn't kill a ghost, only swipe your axe straight through it. There was nothing here, just frustration, just the madness of going up against a wall, again and again. The Nails spiked at him. He fought harder. He fought faster. His muscles ripped apart, and were instantly reknitted. His blood vessels burst, and were restored. He felt heat surge through his body, hotter and whiter than any heat he had ever endured. The Black Sword resisted it all, silently, implacably, infuriatingly. It was like fighting the end of the universe. Nothing could shake the faith before him. It was blind to everything but itself, as selfish as a jewel-thief in a hoard." Rest of the scene can be found on reddit. Absolutely bone chilling
"You're only allowed ONE Battalion!" Black Templars: BY THE GRACE AND THE MIGHT OF OUR LORD *Ripping apart a Codex in their hands* FOR THE HOME OF THE HOLY, KISS OUR ONYX AAAAAAAAASSES
That’s the funny thing, not even close. The Salamanders & Ultramarines are MUCH closer to how actual Crusade era holy knight orders acted. BT & DA are the fetishstically violent parodies of the worst of the worst men in history. Deadass serious, BTs are conquistadors
Sigismund is also known for the best foreshadowing quote in the franchise: "We will spend our lives fighting to secure this Imperium, and then I fear we will spend the rest of our days fighting to keep it intact... In the far future, there will be only war."
I like to think that the Black Templars have way, WAY more than 6,000 marines. That they basically have the numbers of a space marine legion. But they are so loyal (and so spread out across the galaxy) that not many are really too worried about that. And that inquisitors who ARE worried about that, and start trying to dig up the Black Templars’ actual numbers, tend to meet with unfortunate accidents.
I really like that idea. I’ve never really liked the 40k space marine numbers especially the 1000 marines is absurdly small for planetary operations. That’s one thing that drew me to the templars and I agree I like to imagine their numbers are huge
And those that don't simply cant keep up with the Eternal Crusade the Templars are on. By the time they arrive in a system that the Templars were reported to be in, they've already left...and its been a decade since they did. Space is big, and Warp travel, while still FTL, is not instant.
@@42NightsyesterdayI mean, I think it’s a reasonable number of marines for a planet if we’re being honest, since marines are literally 9 foot tall men in armor that can deflect tank shells with immense training, like scout marines have enough training to put real world special forces to shame and marines usually spend a few decades in the scout company before even becoming a marine. Lore wise these guys are walking nuclear bombs capable of taking on squads of well trained guardsmen in their own, let alone as a unit. Tabletop doesn’t really reflect just how absurd space marines are with their size, power armor, genetic modifications, and usually decades if not centuries of experience in field…
Actually one of the best space marine characters! His relationship with the scholar was so fun, honestly I like that black Templars really can be chill with any honorable imperial citizen who has proven themselves. It’s just all the cowards (most of the galaxy) that are the problem 😂
Sigismund traumatized kharne so much during their duel that kharne ironically calls sigismund the real monster tight before sigismund runs a sword through him.
To me, the Black Templars are the REAL poster boys of the imperium and 40k as a whole because they just represent those two so perfect. A chapter of religious zealots who abandon reason and know only war. Who cursed the daemon, the mutant, and the heretic. Who stare down some of the most horrific and destructive races and not only refuse to retreat but say, “Please may I have some more.” These guys represent everything I love about 40k. Not to mention their aesthetic and color scheme is just top tier badass.
If I had to describe 40k to someone, and I was only allowed to show them one faction, I'd pick the Black Templars any day. Nothing else embodies the spirit of the setting as perfectly as these guys.
Yeara ago before i moved There was a guy in our local gaming scene who had a thematic BT army. All power weapons, flamers, and meltas. When the rules were in his favor it was a buzz saw of a Close combat army.
I always found it funny how much the Black Templars stand in contrast to my other favorite Marine chapter, the Blood Ravens While one is known for it's high number of Librarians, the other allows none. While one is relatively Codex-standard, the other is anything but. And while one suffered a litany of traitors, the other is wholly loyal to the Throne until the end.
Sigismund becoming the Emperor's Champion was the first sign of the transition from the 30K imperium to the 40K imperium. Which is why I like the Black Templars.
@@Fifthmiracle They might be referring to an Edwin von Carstein video "When Space Marines meet Chaos Space Marines in Battle." It uses the comedy duo Key and Peele to show a Chaos Space Marine being utterly unnerved by a Black Templars fanaticism.
My favourite thing about Black Templars is that they get it. There is no end to the crusade, there is no dream of peace, there is no hope for the future. Even during the Great Crusade Sigismund realised it would never end. There is no utopia at the end of the road. They’ve learned to love the journey without going full nihilist and living for nothing. They are the true poster boys because there is only war.
I just love the energy of being in an empire that is under siege on all sides and constantly being invaded and being like “nah, let’s go get THEM”. They really embody the whole “I’m not stuck in here with you, you’re stuck in here with me.” Sentiment. A lot of space marine chapters are defensive, called in as a Hail Mary when shit really hits the fan. Black templars are one of the few chapters that actively are on the offensive and probably make the best use of their skills and equipment because of it. I mean just the fact that all their law breaking and heresy is tolerated because of their results and sheer badassery says a lot
Very true, given that the imperium is facing such threat rather than the great crusade of the emperor, it makes sense for chapters to have higher numbers than the codex 1000, clearly lots of chapters on the brink of destruction many times over as well.
BT are the coolest sons of Dorn because they are the least like him. Literally have taken all the cool flavors and vibes from the rest of the IF successor chapters.
Legend has it that those who look into the ledgers and resources sent to the entirety of the chapter, and figure out how many marines they contain, tend to disappear. So it is canon that the Black Templars do not pay their taxes.
What I love the most about the Black Templars is not that they ignore the Codex to have more marines, it's that they used a loophole in the Codex saying a crusading chapter can exceed the normal chapter numbers.
Black Templars. The coolest thing the Imperial Fists ever made, and the one thing Imperial Fists fans seem to hate a lot, in my experience. These guys are one of my favorites.
@@Dogmelter42probably because the Black Templats don't like the Last Protocol and its shown that they rather stay as Black Templars than reunite into a Legion again (again don't believe what i just wrote this 100% because i dont remember where i read this)
I mean, are they really Imperial Fists? Or might they be 2nd or 11th legion remnants that the Imperial Fists absorbed who all stuck together and then bailed into the Black Templars the first chance they got? Asking for a friend. Don't tell the inquisition
Once I have time and money, I will be painting Black Templars (and also some Sisters of Battle because the æsthetics are kinda my thing) I've had a Black Templars artwork as my phone wallpaper for years now
Canonically, Templars and Sisters fight together on the field more often than not. If the Eclessiarcy MUST call upon Space Marines, they prefer to use the Templars for obvious reasons.
You will love the Black Templars Dreadnaught Toron, he has to be my favorite Dreadnaught and is a great example of a Black Templar. He is featured in the new Dawn of Fire Novel
BT have so many awesome Dreadnoughts in the lore. Brother Adelard from "The Glorious Tomb" and Tankred from "Damnation Crusade" come to mind immediately, but here are several others.
I know you problably do the space sharks next, but it would be cool if you instead went through the different night lords warbands in the galaxy from the skinblades, the raptorous flayhost, the darkstrike and the warband of krieg acerbus.
in the anthology book "Crusaders of Dorn" by Guy Haley, there's a scene in one of the short stories where a black templar has his bolter to the face of a mother and her two children and she begs him to spare them due to their faith being an unsanctioned deviation of the Imperial Cult, and the Templar lets them go, he tells them if they stray again he'll kill them but he still lets them go, and you get his internal monologue aswell, its actually pretty cool reading the thoughts of marines and how he justifies letting the mother and her kids go
Love the Black Templars. Read Sigismund the Eternal Crusader if you haven't already. Great book also a great look into the mind if the FIRST Emperors Champion. When Abaddon finally killed Sigismund, he was so respected that they sent his body back to the imperium in full honor.
I am in love with Balck Templars since I first discovered 40k. That OG John Blanche art is what made me love 40k so much and since then Templars are my main army. The aesthetic is just peak 40k
I love that you used the theme music from the movie 300 for your intro video as it reminds me of the First Black Crusade and the Black Templars battle that pushed back the Black Legion, giving time for the Imperial forces to prepare Cadia and surrounding planets for the Black Legion's assault.
Hands down they are *the* best Chapter. They aren't the heroes that the average imperial citizen would want to protect them (like the Salamanders) but they are the heroes the Imperium needs
"To the darkness I bring fire. To the ignorant I bring faith. Those who welcome these gifts may live, but I will visit naught but death and eternal damnation on those who refuse them.” -Merek Grimaldus High Chaplain of the Black Templars.
Now. I have the utmost respect for Gulliman. Trying to make sense of this galactic mess is something that deserves respect. But. At the end of the day, it's about going to the place and killing the bad guys. You don't need a damn manual.
BT are awesome. You need these tentpole groups to define aspects of the setting. For the Salamanders to mean something you need the insane Doomguy factions too.
I played a lot of beer pong in college. I used to talk mad shit BEFORE I took my shot, as if making the shot was a forgone conclusion. The most brutal or over the top confident one liners I could think of. I made maybe 1 out of 10 of these shots. But those shots that I did make? Same energy, expect the black templars rarely miss.
My favorite thing about the BT emperors champion is their armor and sword are just "the best in the crusade". They probably have relics set aside, but maybe you just get Steve's sword and Brad's armor, cause you had a vision.
Strange to think that they are an Imperial Fist successor chapter - they behave nothing like Imperial Fists. I wonder how they will react if/when Rogal Dorn returns.
I love the title to this video because it's exactly why I love the Templars. They fit the setting and the idea of being a Space Marine so well. When you tell new people to the hobby about the cold, inhuman, grimdark, gothic, space knights and then show them a Cobalt blueberry with they tend to be like "oh, you mean these guys, I sort of see it." But if you show them a Black Templar with glowing red eyes, they are immediately like "yep, makes perfect sense."
I feel like the Black Templars are the most 40k thing in 40k, other chapters and groups have a sense of GW rounding off the edges as years go on with some sense of morality for the average pallet, it’s easy to mistake members of most other chapters/legions for ok/tolerable to even good people. The Black Templars are Xenophobic Genocidal zealots and there is not an ounce of sugar coating there is no hiding it. And that’s why I love them they embody everything horrible about the imperium so perfectly.
Like The Boy said in TTS, the Black Templars have countless recruitment centers across the galaxy and their crusades are spread out for _ten thousand years._ So, there's like a bajillion of them.
I loved the old rules that combined neophytes and marines into a single unit, and any wounds taken by a unit had to be applied to the neophytes first. They canon used neophytes as human shields and I found that hilarious.
Gotta say they are one of the better chapters Believing Big E is a God and Psykers are a no go/wrong and also having a Badass design and way of battle melee experts and the Emperors Champion gotta say these guys are badass on another level
Yeah about that. Emperor is a uber powerfull psyker, perhaps the most powerfull in the galaxy, certainly the most powerfull human one . Also how do they function? All the travel and communications technology in the Imperium is based on psykers (Navigators and Astropaths).
Its should be noted, that other imperial fist successors use the emperors champion, but the black templars are the ones who truly represent them. They have one for every crusade. Some crusades can literally be 40 astartes and have one from their number declared champion provided with master crafted weapons and equipment.
