The Fighting Tigers of Veda
The Fighting Tigers of Veda are an old but relatively little known Space Marine Chapter stationed on the dangerous eastern side of the Maelstrom, an area of warp-space flux similar to the infamous Eye of Terror, in the Ultima Segmentum.

The Fighting Tigers were established as Chapter #531 during the Nineteenth Founding, with Shiva Nagordarika as their first Maharaja (or Chapter Master). For thousands of years, it was assumed that Fighting Tigers were from Ultramarine geneseed stock, but recent tests have proved that they are in fact descended from the White Scars.

The Fighting Tigers were assigned to the Regulus Secundus system, with its large yellow star and nineteen planets (eleven of which are human habitable), and ordered to rid it of a large Dark Eldar pirate force, the Kabal of the Ozone Scorpions, that was preying upon the feudal-level human civilizations there. The Fighting Tigers swiftly defeated the Ozone Scorpions and claimed the ninth planet, Veda, as their own, adding its name to theirs. Shortly thereafter, the Tigers adopted Vedic names, languages, deities, customs, and traditions as their own, replacing the ones that had before.

Shiva Nagordarika ruled Veda and the Fighting Tigers for many centuries before he and the entire Chapter were lured into a trap and ambushed by the Chaos Lord Baalzephon Zgorch and his Khornate Chaos Space Marines, the Warband Bloodcomet. Shiva was crippled by a summoned Bloodthirster and more than eight-hundred Fighting Tigers perished before the remaining Space Marines and their allies defeated the Warband Bloodcomet and drove Zgorch into the Maelstrom.

Under Raja Surya Ashoka and Raja Shrendi Vashtar, the Fighting Tigers slowly recovered. Because Zgorch and his treacherous followers had killed so many Fighting Tigers as well as native warriors of Veda and the neighboring planets, Surya and Vashtar were forced to recruit women as Space Marines. Fortunately, their Apothecaries found the surgical processes little different from those used on men, and soon, guided by their death goddess Kali, female Fighting Tigers joined their male counterparts on the battlefields.

Shiva Nagordarika (reborn as the venerable Dreadnought Shiva the Destroyer) is still officially Maharaja, or Chapter Master, but in his debilitated state, the Fighting Tigers are actually led by the two Rajas, or Caste Commanders. Each Raja rules not only their half of the Chapter but also the native people living on their respective continent of Veda. The two Rajas regularly confer on issues affecting the Chapter as a whole and together guide the Chapter until (it is hoped) Shiva resumes his duties. As the centuries pass, this becomes increasingly unlikely.

Welcome to the Jungle
Veda is a large planet with a hot climate similar to many tropical and subtropical areas of Earth. There are two large continents, connected by several narrow land bridges, both located in the eastern hemisphere. Scattered islands dot the warm, shallow oceans that cover the rest of the planet.

Both continents are populated by feudal level agrarian humans living in small villages. Villages are bound together into tribes, but all people of Veda bow to the Maharaja, the Chapter Master of the Fighting Tigers. Through him they faithfully serve and worship the Emperor, whom they call the Brahman, the Sleeping God whose dreams shape the universe.

The northern continent, Mahaduyana, has huge expanses of jungle broken occasionally by wide stretches of grassy plains. In the extreme north are several high mountain ranges, where snow falls year round. In Mahaduyana can be found titanium, adamantium, coal, and natural gas.

The southern continent, Ghuyarashtra, is roughly twice as large as Mahaduyana. Like Mahaduyana, there are some mountains and jungles, but most of Ghuyarashtra is covered by plains. Because of the rich, black soil and annual summer monsoons, these plains are very fertile. In addition, gold, silver, copper, and diamonds are found here. Roughly 65% of Veda’s human population lives in Ghuyarashtra.

“Go anywhere, fight anyone.” — Unofficial Fighting Tigers Motto

Combat Doctrine
The Fighting Tigers of Veda are charged with guarding many star systems lying due east of the Maelstrom, a dangerous area similar to the Eye of Terror. The Fighting Tigers mostly fight against the Orks, Dark Eldar, and Chaos Space Marines that infest the Maelstrom, but the Tigers have on occasion been called to other areas to battle Craftworld Eldar, Rebel Guard, Genestealer Cults, and Tyranids.

Fighting Tigers have also clashed with Imperial forces a number of times. The most famous example was the Kyrniov Conflict. Offended that the Fighting Tigers were using female Space Marines, Confessor Kyrniov, supported by the Adepta Sororitas, led a brief, disastrous campaign to destroy the Tigers of Kali. After capturing Kyrniov, the Rajas negotiated a truce with him, but emnity between the Sisters of Battle and the Fighting Tigers remains.

In addition, the Fighting Tigers have only one Space Marine ally, the Space Wolves, who helped train the new Fighting Tiger recruits (including the first Tigers of Kali) after the heavy losses against the Warband Bloodcomet. Believing the Ultramarines to be arrogant, the Blood Angels to be damned to Chaos, and the Dark Angels to be perfidious, the Fighting Tigers rarely have anything to do with any of them.

“Do not confuse caution with cowardice. No Space Marine is expendable. Even if we kill 10,000 of the enemy, it is still a day of mourning, not celebration, if we lose even one of our own." — Raja Khandar Madu

Past Experience
1) Blood Deserts of Auros IX: You took part to the long and bitter fighting over the world of Auros IX against the massive Ork hordes. You are a veteran of the fierce rolling battles fought in the deep deserts of Auros IX as your sabha clashed with the orks.
2) Return of the Ozone Scorpions: You took part to the long and bitter fighting on your chapeter's homeworld which the Dark Eldar once claimed as their own. You were deployed as a part of a Singh Squad aiding your kshatriya (captain) as part of his or her personal retinue. You fought with distinction during the deadly cat-and-mouse fights with Dark Eldar Wyches and Mandrakes.
3) Crewman: You served your chapter as a crewman in one of the chapter's combat vehicles, perhaps manning a Predator's weapons, assisting in navigation of a Land Speeder, or keeping watch on the bridge of a battle barge. You have a deeper understanding of the role of vehicles in a campaign.
4) Black Ops: You've served in several ultra-secret operations of the chapter's covert operations sabha, developing a sharp eye and steady hand. You have assassinated several important heretical cultists and have developed quite a reputation as a sniper.
5) Tigers Eternal: You did aid in some way in the maintaining of the Chapters hallowed Dreadnaughts. These ancient and venerable warriors live on from from hallowed times, including Founder and first Chapter Master, Maharaja Shiva Nagordarika, filled with ancient knowledge and battlefield tactics honed by millenia of war.

FIGHTING TIGERS CHARACTERS

Fighting Tigers Space Marines gain the following benefits: +5 Willpower, +5 Perception, and the Fearful Symmetry Solo Mode ability.

FEARFUL SYMMETRY (FIGHTING TIGERS)
Jatis Mahaduyana emphasizes strength, Jatis Ghuyarashtra emphasizes speed, either approach resulting in a battle-brother that excells in close-combat.
Required Rank: 1
Effects: When the Battle-Brother succeeds to wound an enemy in close-combat he gets +10 to hit on his next ranged attack. When the Battle-Brother succeeds to wound an enemy with a ranged attack, he gets +10 to hit on his next attack in close-combat .
Improvements: At Rank 3 and above the Battle-brother also gains +2 to damage on his next attack. At Rank 5 and above the Battle-brother also gains +2 to penetration on his next attack. At Rank 7 and above the Battle-brother can make the next attack as a free action immediately after the first attack is resolved. The next attack must be of a different type that the original (a ranged attack must be followed by a close-combat attack, and vice-versa).

CHAPTER DEMEANOR: PROUD
Fighting Tigers Space Marines are extremely proud of their heritage and tactics, sometimes to the point of being a bit hard to tolerate by those who follow the Codex Astartes more closely.

VEDIC PRIDE (FIGHTING TIGERS)
Works exactly like Pride of Ultramar (Ultramarines), see page 281 for details.

Fighting Tigers Chapter Advances
Survival ..................................... 300 ............ Skill ............ ---
Survival+10 ............................. 400 ............ Skill ............ Survival
Survival +20 ............................. 600 ............ Skill ............ Survival+10
Tactics ..................................... 300 ............ Skill ............ ---
Tactics +10 .............................. 400 ............ Skill ............ Tactics
Tactics +20 .............................. 600 ............ Skill ............ Tactics +10
Talented (Concealment) ....... 500 ............ Talent ........ ---
Talented (Move Silent) ..,,,,..... 500 ............ Talent ........ ---
Hatred (Dark Eldar) ................ 500 ............ Talent ........ ---
Heightened Sense (Smell) ... 500 ............ Talent ........ ---
Heightened Sense (Taste) ... 500 ............ Talent ........ ---
Furious Assault ....................... 800 ............ Talent ........ ---

“Guns. Tanks. Rockets. These weapons are only extensions of the only real weapon: the mind.” — Maharaja Shiva Nagordarika

CHAPTER ATTACK PATTERNS: THE TIGER POUNCES
Action: Free Action
Cost: 2
Sustained: Yes
Effects: The Fighting Tigers are adept at finding and exploiting even the smallest breaches in enemy lines. Once the moment comes the Battle-brother can lead his squad in assault that is quick as lighting and hard to stop. As long as every one in the squad is using at least a half action to move towards the enemy everyone within the support range of the Battle- brother will make all ranged and melee attacks first as if they automatically had higher initiative than the enemy does. If even one member of the squad voluntarily stops or is unable to move towards enemy the effect stops.
Improvements: If the Battle-brother is Rank 4 or more each member within the support range also has +10 to all to-hit rolls.

CHAPTER DEFENSIVE STANCES: THE TIGER ROARS
Action: Reaction
Cost: 2
Sustained: No
Effects: The Fighting Tigers can prepare and launch a surprise attack in almost any tactical situation and are adept at turning ambushe situations around. At the start of any combat theFighting Tigerscan spend a Fate Point and any battle-brothers within support range of him immediately gain a Surprise Round as if they had Surprised their foes. He can do this even if the Kill-Team was Surprised. In this case the Fighting Tiger managed to turn the ambush around and enemy does not get Surprise Round.
Improvements: This ability cannot be improved.

Cute.

Well, ignoring the little fiddly bit in the main book, looks good. Not often do we see a large bit of fluff included with a chapter write up, and I like the picture at the top of the entry.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be over there behind the blast shield.

I should have mentioned this before, but the Fighting Tigers are not my creation. They were created by Kenton Kilgore and have been covered in incredible detail by hime at his website: www.fightingtigersofveda.com/ .

And yes, the chapter includes female marines. I'm not going to participate in the flame war that usually develops over the idea. I like them, Mr. Kilgore likes them, and so do a good number of other players. You don't like the idea, don't use them.

Just out of curiosity, can I play a male Adeptus Sororitas in your game then?

I mean, it's all well and good to say 'if you don't like the idea, don't use them', but it's not like I couldn't re-write the fluff to bring it back into Canon Fluff.

I'm a guy, and I've been playing a Sister of Battle off-and-on since Dark Heresy was released (at first she was built as a guardsman with fluff, but we switched when proper Sororitas rules were released.) Given that I have a little shy of 4,000 points of Battle Sisters for the wargame, it wasn't hard to convince my GM that I knew how to play one of the daughters of the Emperor.

Generally, no one in my group has any problem with cross-gender or cross-sex roleplaying (and yes, there is a distinction). I've only included the female Fighting Tigers in the above write-up because they are a key part of Mr. Kilgore's original work. That said, removing the women from the chapter doesn't make that much of a difference. The Fighting Tigers are a chapter with women, not a chapter of women.

My game works my way, your game works your way. We all live happily ever after.

Not exactly what I was getting at there with the male Adeptus Sororitas comment, Mr. Michigan.

But bravo on being open minded and trying new things.

Ah, I misread your statement as "can a male play a battle sister," rather than "can somebody play a battle sister that is male." My bad.

Although this might seem odd to some, I'd actual go with "No." The question comes down to how important sex and/or gender is to the character archetype; Although Games Workshop has always said 'all marines are male,' in my opinion this bit of fluff is rather inconsequential when it comes to what defines the Adeptus Astartes. On the other hand, the fact that the Sisters of Battle are women is of imense importance to the history, role, and archetype of the Adeptas Sororitas.

If someone wants to play, say, a barbarian warrior or crusading knight in a D&D-type game, they I have little issue with them chosing a male or femal character even if most of the barbarian warriors and knights in the setting are male. But if someone wants to play a male Amazon or a female Priest, well, that just won't work.

YMMV, of course, some folks put a lot more importance on the sex of space marines than I do.

But enough about all that... what do ya'll think of the rules.

Michigan said:

*shrugs*

Interesting choices in forcing people to get closer to the enemy, and cutting improvement out of the defensive pattern.