Rogal Dorn

Rogal Dorn, bein his regular badass self. I see no Mustache though

Turn to the side and cough...

Rogal Dorn is the Primarch of the Imperial Fists Chapter, which was a Legion before Horus fucked everything up. He is also regarded as being kind of an asshole towards his siblings and known for shouting "Castles! I like Castles!" in a Matt Damon way. He's also the 40k Abraham Lincoln because he has a bitchin' moustache and can't tell a lie.

The Imperial Fists are quite famous for fortifying the shit out of everything and INTENSE CAMPING which pisses off every other race. They are highly likely the reason that the Emprah didn't get raped by Horus during a certain (totally awesome) siege. His evil "twin" is Perturabo, Primarch of the Iron Warriors, who turned to Chaos because of his eternal envy of Dorn. Rogal and Perturabo had an intense rivalry which led to old Petty Perturabo hating him. Fulgrim asked Dorn if he could build a castle which Perturabo couldn't crack. Dorn is brutally honest, so he just said, "Yes.", well that royally pissed off Pert. Despite what lovers of Perturabo say, Dorn wasn't boastful, seeing as the only fluff that says this is either from Pert's point of view or coming from the mouth of someone who's being a kiss-ass to him. He also had problems with Corax, Curze, Alpharius, and.... Really anyone who wasn't the Lion, Sanguinius, Horus, Leman or Guilliman. In the case of Alpharius, him and Guilliman being a pair of giant assholes that resembled the brutal, primitive, militaritarian side of the Imperium that noone ever really liked.

Early Life

Rogal Dorn's genetor pod landed on the planet of Inwit, which is mostly ice and hives. He was raised by his foster-grandfather (Dorn still slept with his cloak years later, aww), a member of the ice-caste and patriarch of the ice-hive clan and the House of Dorn. What. At some point Dorn conquered the Inwit system and somehow built the Phalanx. He met the Emperor and built some fortresses for him.

Side note: the Inwit system is probably the most underused cool subculture in the whole Imperium. Given that they had a fully functioning star empire, it's bizarre that we don't hear or see more about them.

Horus Heresy

After Horus was made Warmaster, Dorn and his Legion were ordered to head back to Terra and fortify the shit out of the place while the Emprah went about his Big Project. Before taking off, Dorn made some efforts to keep the other Primarchs on side and helped engineer Garviel Loken's appointment to the Mournival. He reasoned that Horus needed a "naysmith" or two to stop the position going to his head. Sadly this wasn't quite enough.

During the Siege of Terra, Rogal went with the Emprah and Sanguinius to Horus's battle barge to face the traitor. When the Emprah totally fucked up Horus, Rogal seemingly came out of nowhere and saved his ass, then got all pissy about it because he was only a few seconds short, and found Sanguinius dead and the Emprah dying. Surprisingly, he did not turn into an Angry Marine, but still whines about it like some emo bitch who can't move on, which Corax purportedly found painfully ironic.

Post-Heresy

When Roboute Guilliman showed off the Codex Astartes and demanded that the Space Marine Legions break up into Chapters, Dorn led the opposition against it, and only submitted after those cowards opened fire on his fleet, deciding that tradition really wasn't worth starting another civil war over. Though it does pose the question of how he prevented his fleet from returning fire thinking those shooting were traitors (which everyone would shoot) and got the other guys to stop shooting at him. In fact, I'm pretty sure that Guilliman himself would have ordered his ships to fire on the idiots who shot at his loyal brother. To say nothing of the other pissed primarchs. Then there is the question of why the legions couldn't have broken down their existing system. You know: ten, one thousand strong Chapters per Great Company, ten Great Companies per Grand Battalion, or something like that. Then they would simply need to maintain close contact between Chapters and Companies and Battalions and insure that the leader of a Chapter commands those directly under him, the leader of a Great Company commands only the Chapter Masters (with little-to-no control over the marines of those Chapters, just general authority), and so on up the chain of command to the primarch (who should have a Prefectus like the Romans did as a second-in-command, just in case). FYI, this structure already existed (except they were not always called Chapters, it varied between Legions). Idiots. In fact, the Dark Angels actually did run a system win which they had Chapters, and when a certain Spiritual Liege told them to break into 1000 men strong Chapters, they did exactly that. Whilst maintaining contact in secret. So yeah, fuck you Girlyman.

Much later, after the Second Founding, he declared to everyone that he'd capture his nemesis, Perturabo, inside a metal cage. Pert then trolled Dorn by setting up the "Eternal Fortress", which was fortification after fortification that led into a fortress that Perturabo was residing in. It took the Imperial Fists three weeks to wade through the shit Perturabo set up. However, it was too late for Dorn to realize that he has just been trolled by Pert. When his Imperial Fist strike force reached the actual fortress, it was actually empty - a giant, centrally-open kill-zone with virtually no cover - and with the Iron Warriors waiting in ambush. Suffice to say, the Imperial Fists then got their asses handed to them, and wound up having to use their fallen brethren for cover up until the Ultrasmurfs came in and rescued them. By the time they escaped the planet, the casualties that the Fists had taken were enormous. To their credit, they still managed to give the Iron Warriors so much trouble that wiping the Fists out completely would have required them to sacrifice most of their own legion, including Perturabo himself. Or at least Imperial Fists themselves say so. Not like Pert give a single shit about it - entire point of Iron Cage trolling was to humiliate Dorn and his legion, not to kill them.

Soon after this, Rogal got in a big-ass ship and got pwned by Angron in the first Black Crusade, (he did manage to wreck the whole damn crusade though) therefore proving that RAGE ends all things and how Angron is among the only Chaos Primarchs that actually gets anything done these days (yet his Primarch kill count is 0. hmmm.) During this battle, Rogal boarded one of the ships and was swarmed and killed by an unholy amount of traitor marines. So the story goes anyway.

Fun fact: Black Watch RPG rulebook have a quote of Rogal Dorn, dating M40. Is this a typo, or did golden boy just fake his death and now rule Custodes operations, like some rumors claim?

The whole 'died in a zerg rush of world eaters' doesn't make much sense anyway.. If it was supposed to be Angron who killed Dorn, maybe that'd make sense. But just a pack of marines? That's... Less likely, if only because it's unlikely that there actually were enough World Eaters left to pose any real threat to a primarch. Before Istvaan there was something like 150,000 World Eaters, but they took big casualties, first on Istvaan III in their unsupported attacks on the loyalists, and losses again on Istvaan V, then AGAIN on Nuceria and one last time outside Big E's pimp crib, where Sagnuinius was regrettably forced to choke a bitch en masse for a few days. Point is, if Dorn died (as he lived) beating the shit out of people less manly than him, then it was because he wanted to die. Or maybe Kharn was somewhere in that zerg rush, in which case anything could happen.

Is it really all that implausible though? After all, Russ' "lesson" to Angron relied on the premise that a bunch of Astarte's could take a Primarchs down. Corvus was apparently nearly done in by the Night Lords on Isstvan V. Dorn's attackers would've been full Khornate Berserkers, possibly aided by Daemons. As for circumstances, Dorn had already led a bunch of hit-and-run attacks, so probably somewhat worn down already, and fighting in cramped spaces where his sheer size would cause him problems. An Astarte's can be killed by a lucky human with a pointy stick, so Dorn's death is sadly quite plausible.

Tabletop

	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Rogal Dorn:	8	5	6	6	6	5	4	10	2+/4++

While not on the same playing field as most other primarchs, the Emperor's Praetorian allows all Imperial Fists to use his Ld for morale and pinning tests, while also granting a +d3 bonus to the outcome of assault results for himself and his Legion as long as he's in play. In addition to that, he also makes Phalanx Breacher Squads and Legion Terminator Squads Troop choices and he (along with his squad) has the Crusader and Furious Charge special rules. Sundering Blow acts like a powered-up Smash, halving Dorn's attacks to boost his strength by 2 and giving Instant Death, while Unshakable defense allows you to pick three fortifications to enhance; these fortifications will allow units hiding in them to reroll pinning tests and cover saves of 1. This makes him good in a defensive army with fortifications, which is 80% of what the Fists are about, but Rogal himself is a melee powerhouse fit to go with a squad of Templars, which is the other 20% of the Fists.

Dorn gets the following wargear: Auric Armor, that gives him a 2+/4++, and no attack that rolls better than a 3+ can wound Rogal Dorn, regardless of any special rules it has. (This doesn't apply to Strength D weapons). Storm's Teeth is an AP2 melee weapon with Shred and Rampage, which previously was Unwieldy for no discernible reason, but now lets Dorn suffer -1 initiative for +1 attack for everyone in base contact and The Voice of Terra is a S5 AP4 gun with Salvo 3/5 (so no shooting and assaulting) and Rending. Lastly, he gets access (like good old Perturabo) to his own pimped ride, the Aetos Dios, a modified Thunderhawk usable in games of 3000+ points as a dedicated transport. The Aetos Dios is armed with a Turbolaser and also has a single void shield, IWND, and a 4+ invulnerable save against all missile attacks. Like Perturabo's Tormentor, it doesn't take up a Lord of War slot.

Rogal Dorn VS other Primarchs:

Primarch fighting, while fun to see, isn't a very competitive thing to do as it'll usually tie up both Primarchs for the entire game without either of them dying. With that in mind this section is about how Rogal Dorn fares against other Primarchs Mathhammer wise. Please note that all the various abilities are taken into accounts when possible and the match-ups assume the Primarchs are the only ones involved in the fighting, so various abilities like Angron's "The Butcher's Nails" and Rampage do not provide any bonuses. In essence, the fights are supposed to happen in a "Vacuum" for simplicity, but notes are added to make things clearer in particular instances. Also all of the Primarch use their most powerful weapons (because why have a contest if you don't do your best?). Also an additional note: Dorn doesn't use Sundering Blow because against Primarch it would be weaker than his normal attacks.

• Rogal Dorn VS Horus
  • Horus hits 3 times (Talon), wounds 2.667 times, 1.333 after saves and IWND will take that down to 1 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn hits 2 times and wounds 1.5 times, 0.5 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.222 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • As always, Horus take down the challenger without problems.

• Rogal Dorn VS Angron
  • Angron Round 1: hits 5.333 times, wounds 3.556 times, 1.778 after saves, and IWND take it down to 1.444.
  • Angron Round 2 and thereafter: hits 4 times, wounds 2.667 times, 1.333 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 1 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn hits 2 times, wounds 1.5 times, 0.625 wounds after saves and FNP and IWND will take that down to 0.291 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn lose.

• Rogal Dorn vs Mortarion
  • Mortarion hits 2.5 times, wounds 1.666, 0.833 wounds after saves and 0.5 wounds after IWND.
  • Dorn hits 2.666 times, wounds 1.48 times, 0.74 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.185 wounds at the start of the next turn
  • Dorn lose.

• Rogal Dorn vs Fulgrim
  • Fulgrim hits 4.5 times, wounds 3, 1.5 wounds after saves and 1.167 wounds after IWND.
  • Dorn hits 2 times, wounds 1.5 times, 0.5 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.167 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn lose again.

• Rogal Dorn vs Ferrus Manus
  • Ferrus hits 2.5 times, wounds 1.667 times, 0.833 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.5 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn hits 2.667 times, wounds 1.481 times, 0.494 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.16 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn lose.

• Rogal Dorn VS Vulkan
  • Vulkan hits 2 times, wounds 1.333 times, 0.667 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.333 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn hits 2.667 times, wounds 1.481 times, 0.494 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn lose.

• Rogal Dorn VS Lorgar
  • Lorgar hits 2.5 times, wounds 1.666 times, 0.833 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.5 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Rogal Dorn Rund 1: hits 2.37 times , wounds 1.579 times, 0.789 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.456 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Rogal Dorn Round 2: hits 2.666 times, wounds 2 times, 1 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.667 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn win this fight.
  • Note: as always, no psychic powers.

• Rogal Dorn VS Perturabo
  • Perturabo hits 2 times, wounds 1.333 times, 0.667 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.333 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn hits 2 times, wounds 1.5 times, 0.5 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.167 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn lose.

• Rogal Dorn vs Konrad Curze
  • Curze hits 3 times, wounds 2.25 times, 1.125 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.792 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn hits 2 times, wounds 1.5 times, 0.75 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.417 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn lose.

• Rogal Dorn vs Alpharius
  • Alpharius hits 2.92 times and wounds 1.701 times, 0.851 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.517 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn hits 2.667 times, wounds 2 times, 1 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.667 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn actually wins.

• Rogal Dorn VS Corvus Corax
  • Corvus hits 4 times (Scourge)/3 times (Shadow-walk), wounds 3 times (Scourge)/2.25 times (Shadow-walk), 1.5 wounds (Scourge)/1.125 wounds (Shadow-walk) after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.167/0.792 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn hits 2.667/2 times and wounds 2/1.5 times, 1.333/1 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1/0.667 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Even without factoring in Hit & Run bonus, Dorn still lose, even if not by much.

• Rogal Dorn VS Roboute Guilliman
  • Guilliman Round 1/2: hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.222 times, 1.111 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.778 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Guilliman Round 3 and thereafter: hits 3.333 times, wounds 2.963 times, 1.482 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.148 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn Round 1: hits 2.666 times, wounds 2 times, 0.5 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.167 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn Round 2 and thereafter: hits 2 times, wounds 1.5 times, 0.375 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.042 wounds at the start of the next turn.
  • Dorn lose badly.

• TLDR version: Seriously, it depresses me to no end to see the Praetorian in such a sorry state. Statistically, he would lose to any other Primarch barring Alpharius and Lorgar (without powers), meaning he is actually one of the weakest Primarchs. He doesn't lose really badly in most fights meaning he isn't easily put down during a normal game. Even though he is not strong in Primarch vs Primarch duels he is still very lethal against anything else and is the third cheapest Primarch who also gives a lot to his Legion, so in the end it all balance itself pretty well.

The Primarchs of the Space Marine Legions
Loyalist Corvus Corax - Ferrus Manus - Jaghatai Khan Leman Russ - Lion El'Jonson - Roboute Guilliman Rogal Dorn - Sanguinius - Vulkan
Traitor Alpharius/Omegon - Angron - Fulgrim Horus - Konrad Curze/Night Haunter - Lorgar Magnus the Red - Mortarion - Perturabo