How would you make a space marine from 40k in 5e

[danpit2991]

Question in the title, I figure some sort of goliath pally possibly a padlock, your thoughts?

[JNAProductions]

Question in the title, I figure some sort of goliath pally possibly a padlock, your thoughts?

As a PC? Not really gonna happen without hefty refluffing and accepting you're not as powerful until very late game as a Marine.

As a DM? Just build a monster.

Note: This assumes homebrew is off the table.

[strangebloke]

Question in the title, I figure some sort of goliath pally possibly a padlock, your thoughts?

Human Fighter 20, done and done.

Unless you're trying to replicate power armor they're just big dumb fighters with high wis saves. Get the Resilient feat and you're pretty much there.

If you're trying to do power armor, you'll fail, but TBH I would go with:

vhuman hexblade warlock 2, fighter 18
feat: heavy armor proficiency.

So you can have a 'bolter' in the form of eldritch blast.

[Waazraath]

Human Fighter 20, done and done.

Unless you're trying to replicate power armor they're just big dumb fighters with high wis saves. Get the Resilient feat and you're pretty much there.

Not dumb.


I'd say you need to be moderetely high level to really emulate one. Needs heavy armor, and heavy armor mastery. Fighter seems good. Maybe Eldritch Knight for a librarian. Race: human could do, or Simic Hybrid to represent the genetic tinkering that they have been subject to. Use feats to emulate a specific chapter's tacktics (sneaky, hunters, brawlers, ...?)

[strangebloke]

Not dumb.


I'd say you need to be moderetely high level to really emulate one. Needs heavy armor, and heavy armor mastery. Fighter seems good. Maybe Eldritch Knight for a librarian. Race: human could do, or Simic Hybrid to represent the genetic tinkering that they have been subject to. Use feats to emulate a specific chapter's tacktics (sneaky, hunters, brawlers, ...?)

Dumb in the sense of "not mechanically complex."

They don't sling spells unless they're psykers, and most are not. At most you would get a battlemaster for complexity.

[Damon_Tor]

They feel paladin-y to me.

[JackPhoenix]

I wouldn't, because I can't. Astartes have abilities far beyond what PCs can achieve. They are level 20 fighters, barbarians, rogues and monks, all at once.

[Debaterinarms]

I have run two games in a 5e conversion for 40k of my own design. In both we tended to use gestalt rules (adapted from 3.x) to represent some of the more powerful and over the top entities in 40k. Most of the Space Marines were Fighter/X gestalts and the end result felt pretty good without breaking the game completely.

[Mongobear]

As a monster? Refluff the Bipedal Hippo people in MToF. They already sort of match up, just need to make them stronger.

As a PC? Not happening in this edition. Best I can think of is Warforged Crossbow Expert/Sharpshooter Arcane Archer Fighter 20.

[Cheesegear]

First of all, you need to know what a Space Marine, is. Deathwatch tells you.

Here are the racial abilities that easily translate into 5e:

+STR, +CON,
They don't bleed,
Immune to exhaustion,
Resistance vs. Poison
Advantage vs. Poison
Advantage vs. asphyxiation and gas, but, immune to drowning
Good sight and hearing
Can go into suspended animation and become effectively immortal.
Integrated internal body armour, that attaches to better external armour.
The most obvious 5e version of this is a re-fluffed Warforged (Eberron).

The hard part is making a Boltgun & Chainsword (and Bolt Pistol):
First, you need Crossbow Expert to do multiple d10 damage per round, then switch to 1-Hand Weapon and Hand Crossbow when required.
Optional Feats include Alert, Charger, Heavy Armour Master, Martial Adept, Savage Attacker and Sharpshooter

Now, we know we're using Crossbows, so a martial class is probably mandatory, and spellcasting is right out, unless you're talking about Sorcerer.

Barbarian 6. Choose Totem, and Bear both times. Gain Reistance to all damage except Psychic, and Unnatural Strength.
Fighter X. Choose Battle Master, and carry a book. That's your Codex. It tells you what you to do.
Paladin 10, to get immunity to fear. Spellcasting is a problem. But if you stick with Smites your Chainsword does extra Tearing damage.

TL;DR
(Refluffed) Warforged Paladin (Vengeance) 10 / Barbarian (Totem/Bear) 6 / Fighter (Battle Master) 4
- Crossbow Expert gives you a Boltgun and 'Bolt Pistol'.
- Paladin Smites should turn your sword into a Chainsword.

That's about as close as you're gonna get without DM nonsense.
Alternatively, Battle Master 7 / Barbarian 3.

[CNagy]

Warforged (Juggernaut is probably best fitting, but Envoy is probably better mechanically)
If UA is on the table, then Brute Fighter. Either 12 levels (and 8 as some sort of Rogue) or 20 levels.

[darknite]

First of all, you need to know what a Space Marine, is. Deathwatch tells you.

Here are the racial abilities that easily translate into 5e:

+STR, +CON,
They don't bleed,
Immune to exhaustion,
Resistance vs. Poison
Advantage vs. Poison
Advantage vs. asphyxiation and gas, but, immune to drowning
Good sight and hearing
Can go into suspended animation and become effectively immortal.
Integrated internal body armour, that attaches to better external armour.
The most obvious 5e version of this is a re-fluffed Warforged (Eberron).

The hard part is making a Boltgun & Chainsword (and Bolt Pistol):
First, you need Crossbow Expert to do multiple d10 damage per round, then switch to 1-Hand Weapon and Hand Crossbow when required.
Optional Feats include Alert, Charger, Heavy Armour Master, Martial Adept, Savage Attacker and Sharpshooter

Now, we know we're using Crossbows, so a martial class is probably mandatory, and spellcasting is right out, unless you're talking about Sorcerer.

Barbarian 6. Choose Totem, and Bear both times. Gain Reistance to all damage except Psychic, and Unnatural Strength.
Fighter X. Choose Battle Master, and carry a book. That's your Codex. It tells you what you to do.
Paladin 10, to get immunity to fear. Spellcasting is a problem. But if you stick with Smites your Chainsword does extra Tearing damage.

TL;DR
(Refluffed) Warforged Paladin (Vengeance) 10 / Barbarian (Totem/Bear) 6 / Fighter (Battle Master) 4
- Crossbow Expert gives you a Boltgun and 'Bolt Pistol'.
- Paladin Smites should turn your sword into a Chainsword.

That's about as close as you're gonna get without DM nonsense.
Alternatively, Battle Master 7 / Barbarian 3.

This may be my new Season 9 PC!