I don't want to discuss if they do it or not or whatever.

Just what would work and what not?

Bolter round through the head, check. Thats for sure, as well as jumping into a sun and sitting on a ton of explosives.

Slitting ateries might not work for the wounds would close to fast, or would it?

And can SM can be hanged, like in a bell tower maybe?

Can his own weight break his neck or strangle him?

What if he's unconcious or paralized or not fighting his death? What if he does? Are the spine and neck-muscles strong enough to keep the SM from suffocating?

It's morbid I know but I'm playing around with a murder-scenario for the Deathwatch... that why I came up with all that... and hey it's griomdark after all ;-)

I would think that anything that can kill a human can kill a Marine if the quantity of the force is big enough. Hence hanging should work pretty fine, you might want to tie some extra weights to him but it should work fine.

It would have to be pretty massive trauma and pretty much instantaneous. Explosions, boltgun rounds to the head and (both) hearts, meltaguns, disintegration,. decapitation, massive head injuries...all these would do it. Anything else is probably survivable. Marines can take a knife through the heart and carry on fighting. Blood loss doesn't affect them like regular humans, nor are they really slowed down by blood poisoning/infection, shock, etc.

I'd say suicide is rare among the Astartes, though. They're chosen for their mental fortitude. Suicidal bravery yes, outright suicide because of depression and the like would be rare, I'd imagine. If a marine were to kill himself, it would likely be with his boltgun. Most suicides in the armed forces involve the weapons they're issued with.

Ear-of-Terror said:

Funny sidenote: My party has a Carcharodon Astartes who got left behind on Tyranid infested planet. Unwilling to let Tyranids capture him alive, or even with brains intact, in fear of them nasty 'nids digging some chapter secrets out of his mind he had loaded his bolt pistol with 13 metal storm shells on top and 1 implosion shell last... implosion shell to cortex should do the trick nicely.

Ear-of-Terror said:

Slitting arteries would probably not even have time to bleed very much.

Ear-of-Terror said:

I think Space Marine neck can be broken with hanging, but the drop has to be dozens of meters, instead of just a meter or so. If the drop is shorter he will suffocate... and, I imagine, automatically drop to suspended animation due to Sus-an Membranes working. In event of sudden, massive trauma that implant will automatically shut down the marine body, putting it in suspended animation. He might survive a long time in sus-an, though. Hundreds of years is very possible.

Polaria said:

Yeah... read the man-eater log and had it in mind when starting this topic ;-)

I don't think any Astartes would commit suicide unless it was somehow critical for the mission. Staying behind the squad to manually set off charges when the remote detonator fails, shooting himself in the head when he faces capture while having some important data, and such. Anything less seems rather anticlimactic for Angels of Death.

What strange and morbid thread... I like it

There might be some chapters were some Chapters where their honour demands they take their own life in very extreme situations too. Some have potentially dangerous defects that are normally kept in check by the chapter but they might find themselves surcoming, other situations might be that they have been horribly mutated by foul sorceries or are weakend or wounded to the point where they can't continue to fight.

Space Marines have inherited a number of human weak points. I think you could bleed one out with a throat slit, their brain still needs blood but you'd have to have to use something that can get through the black carapace, I'd have thought a mono weapon would do it, and you'd need to do it repeatedly. I doubt the sus-an membrane would save them if they didn't have any blood but it might kick in earl enough if they were trying to it themselves. Which is shame as there are certain blood and gore obsessed chapters that would suite it.

The Space Marines brain is their major weakness, although the massively reinforced skull mitigates that usually but a direct attack to the hindbrain is fatal. A marine might ram his combat knife into his mouth, under his chin, or into the base of his neck. There's a lot of legend mixed with those combat knives as well so that might be the go to way.

Neck braking should work but with the forces required must be huge, and if they aren't killed from it then they are probably going to be shut down by the sus-an membrane. Assuming they can't risk that happening.

Morangias said:

This.

Though I do think that in cases of extreme disgrace and dishonour, that are impossible to wipe away the stains of, suicide might be chosen. Like something out of an epic tradgedy.

That doesn't fit with marines though, when they feel that they've disgraced someone/something they kill other stuff to atone.

To quote the Deathwatch book (page 319, the "Black Shields" sidebar):

"Preservation of life for its own sake is not to be commended when sacrifice offers a reasonable chance of gain. Nonetheless, the purposeless waste of life is equally to be avoided. The loss of trained personnel implies the loss of resources, equipment and knowledge. A true warrior does not belittle his value as a resource."

I don't think most marines would even consider suicide as a way out. Suicidal self-sacrifice in battle, sure. But just swallowing a bolter round? It'd bring even more shame to your name and that of your Chapter.

Morangias said:

Unless the information held by the said marine is critical. Liek a DA inner circle would insure the secreet stays at all cost.

Let's try it the other way 'round:

A SM would never kill himself for this would dirty his honour and the honour of his Chapter...

Try it that way: The Marine finds out that his Chapter has no honour at all ;-) imagine the one's shock if he finds out that his Chapter doesn't care fot the Imperium or anything at all just for hunting down it's own traitors.

crisaron said:

Yes, I said that in my earlier post. Protecting crucial intel at the cost of one's own life counts as heroic sacrifice in my book.

Ear-of-Terror said:

If he finds the situation shocking, then he has a sense of honor. He's more likely to either try and reform his Battle Brothers, or go Black Shield to atone for his Chapter's sins.

Remember, Marines have their brains rewired so there's no flight response, only fight. Swallowing a bolt round isn't exactly fighty.

Regarding hanging, I'd say that it'd be pretty difficult to kill a marine that way. A marine's bones are not only larger but they're also reinforced with ceramic compounds through dietary additives given during the earliest transformation process. I believe an Astartes neck could likely handle the burden of his own weight and then some. But I'm sure that with enough force (extra weight and a very long drop) anything is possible. Suffocation is likely just as possible as for a normal human with the exception that Astartes have two hearts and three lungs plus the ability to hibernate.

Ha ha, i envision a typical "old west" hangin' with a simple rope would end pretty badly for the marshals once the weight of the Marine broke the tree branch he was suspended from and he snapped his bonds like string. It might be the first time an entire horse could be used as a blunt force weapon!

Oops, double post! Sorry.

Exoviper said:

Well maybe unarmoured and through the length of a belltower could be enough to break a marines neck...

I don't wanna go executing Battle-Brothers for grox theft.

I'm looking for a stylish way of death for one certainly non-player.

Execution method to leave a point:

Step 1: Tie a rope with sufficient tensile strength to support a marine's weight plus a few tons around the marine's waist. Anchor it to something sturdy.

Step 2: Using a very strong adhesive, glue the marine's palm to the top of his head.

Step 3: Tie a line of thin steel string (like a piano wire) around the marine's neck. Make it about 4 feet shorter than the rope used in step 1 and anchor it to the same thing.

Step 4: Push the marine out of a four-story window.

Imagine the results.

Ear-of-Terror said:

I guess it depends a bit on the "hows" and "whys".

If the marine is committing a suicide to make a point or preserve honor then dress up in full power armor, walk to a suitable location with a dozen servants. Take off helmet and give it to one servant. Shoot himself with specially prepared bolt that will destroy his brain but not blow his whole head off (too pro to make a mess). Have the servants attend to the body and start mourning rites after which they also kill themselves.

If the marine has truly lost hope in himself and his chapters future then he might like to utterly destroy himself, leaving no trace. Maybe he will ritually paint his armor all black, completely covering all symbols of his identity and chapter and then walk out of airlock in warp and expose himself to raw chaos or fly a shuttle into sun. I think it would do the trick nicely.

If you want a bit of mystery, so that its not quite sure he did it himself then making it look like he has hanged himself (use steel wire and tall tower, please) or taking some virulent xeno-poison from apothecary might be more suitable.