Editing Codex Astartes (section)

==Chapters with differences in formations or composition==
Some chapters have taken the idea of a "Chapter" and tweaked it with their own unique spin on its organization, either by adding units or ranks that aren't found anywhere else, or have their own composition of companies that doesn't fit with the approved codex model. In some cases they may ignore the codex altogether and do their own thing.

'''[[Black Dragons]]'''
*Dragon Claw squads, made up of mutants who make use of adamantium-coated wrist blades.

'''[[Blood Ravens]]'''
*'''Pre-Aurelian Crusade''':
**Usually, the Chapter Master was the Chief Librarian too, like [[Azariah Kyras]]. This tradition of Chapter Master/Librarian combo started with Great Father Azariah Vidya (as in Vidya Games or the Indian term for knowledge, science, scholarship, learning and etc.), who the chapter believes was their founding Chapter Master (officially he was, but given they are Thousand Sons loyalists who don't know their heritage someone else probably founded them and were censored willingly). This would backfire dearly when Kyras turned out to be a heretic.
**Their gene seed causes them to have an above average number of Librarians, so many they can field two whole squads of them in the First Company. Librarians are so recurrent among Blood Ravens that it's not uncommon for one to even be a Captain (can you actually name one though?).
**Actually Codex Compliant in structure, yet utilize their Librarians to scry and predict the movements of their enemies (so their Scouts are Librarians too?) and use the intel to formulate a counter strategy (because they appeared in [[Dawn of War]], their way of war is an emulation of how RTS gamers play when they are serious).
**Non-standard patterns of [[Apollo_Diomedes|speech]] (exacerbated by a [[Gene-seed]] quirk known as "unavailable voice actor syndrome"), incidents of [[Blood_Ravens_Force_Commander|hairesy]], compulsive [[Blood_Ravens#Bloody_Magpies|kleptomania]] and emphasis on [[Indrick_Boreale|devastating, defensive deep-strikes]].
*'''Post-Aurelian Crusade''': 
**With [[Gabriel Angelos]], a non-psyker, taking the position of Chapter Master and separating the Chapter Master and Chief Librarian (currently [[Jonah Orion]]) positions, they returned to a more codex-compliant organization, albeit severely undermanned pre-[[Indomitus Crusade]].

'''[[Blood Angels]] and Successors (collectively "The Chapters of the Blood" or just "The Blood")'''
*[[Scout]]s graduate to [[Assault Squad]]s rather than to Devastator squads to work out Red Thirst related anger issues.
*The use of [[Heresy|non-standard tech]], like Baal Predators, Furioso and [[Dreadnought#Chapter_Specific_Dreads|Librarian Dreadnoughts]].
*[[Sanguinary Priest]]s (Apothecaries) make up part of the chapter priesthood equivalent to Chaplains, who are busy tending to...
*...The [[Death Company]].

'''[[Dark Angels]] and Successors (collectively "The Unforgiven")'''
*The [[Deathwing]] & [[Ravenwing]] instead of First and Second companies. Veteran elite Deathwing Knights (each squad lead by a Knight Master) and Ravenwing Black Knights present in Deathwings and Ravenwings. As of the start of the [[Indomitus Crusade]] (8th edition), this modification has been officially approved by Guilliman, ostensibly on account of their proven effectiveness. Deathwing Lieutenants are called Strikemasters and Ravenwing Lieutenants are called Talonmasters.
*Inner Circle in place of the usual chapter command structure.
*Chaplains taking the additional role of [[Chaplain#Dark_Angels_Interrogator-Chaplain|Interrogators]].
*Battle Companies incorporate an additional squad of [[Veteran Squad|veteran marines]] picked from within the company as the Deathwing does not directly take promising veterans as other First Companies would.
*Some nifty STCs that they do not share with anybody apart from their own successors (The Mortis Dreads and Land Raider Ares).
*Handful of successors not in the Unforgiven due to diplomatic fractures, but retain standard practices.

'''[[Executioners]]'''
*Disregard many of the Codex's rules and trappings, but nonetheless follow the ten company outline.
*Choose to go into close combat with the enemy, while heavily preferring Land Speeders over Bikes.
*Heavy emphasis on their own skills and superhuman abilities enhanced with sheer determination.
*Each company has three [[Chaplain|Death Speakers]].
*Battle Companies have only one Devastator Squad each, but can field their own Veteran Squads.

'''[[Exorcists]]'''
*Have two additional scout companies to account for the high attrition rate amongst recruits.
*...said attrition rate being caused by subjecting recruits to daemonic possession.

'''[[Imperial Fists]]'''
*Apparently picked up a loophole from the Blood Angels and have their scouts immediately go to the Assault reserve company to work out their unbridled aggression before becoming Fire Support.

'''[[Iron Hands]] and Most Successors'''
*Have a Chapter Council instead of a fixed [[Chapter Master]], though a leader may be nominated.
*Chaplain Techmarines, aka "[[Chaplain#Iron_Hands_Iron_Father|Iron Fathers]]".
**The current leader is thus a Chapter Master Chaplain Techmarine. And people say the Blood Ravens are the crazy ones.
*Each Clan Company has its own armoury, rather than a single armoury for the whole chapter including relics for individual companies, but the Master of the Forge (effectively also the Master of Sanctity and Reclusiarch) still has the very very important stuff.
*Terminator Armour was distributed to squad sergeants instead of being reserved only for the First company. It's uncertain if this still exists as of 8E.
*Pre-6th Edition fluff indicated that individual companies (clans) had their own veterans and recruits, newer fluff put them more in line with the Codex on the surface.

'''[[Iron Snakes]]'''
*Instead of having five regular battle companies and five reserve companies, the Iron Snakes have ten battle companies with an equal number of veterans, regulars and neophytes for perfect balance.
*Each squad has an Apothecary, personal Squad Standard Bearer and a number of specialists of their own.

'''[[Red Scorpions]]'''
*Apothecaries act in squad command roles instead of sergeants.
*Functionally the opposite of the Raptors, the Red Scorpions ignore all of the codex's teachings on stealth.

'''[[Salamanders]]'''
*Have seven oversized companies instead of ten, but otherwise broadly conform to the codex.
**Their First Company is also presided over by the Chapter Master
*Have three Masters of the Forge, usually tending to more specialized matters since most battle-brothers can maintain their own wargear.

'''[[Silver Skulls]]'''
*Champion Librarian rank of Prognosticator, who specialize in divination and omen reading. The entire chapter has been known to refuse deployment if a single Prognosticator reads a single bad omen.
*Non-psyker elite veterans, the Talriktug, are considered second to Prognosticators despite the latter's specialist status and the formers presence in the first company.
*9th Company serves as a designated siege specialist company is counted amongst the Battle Companies rather than the Reserve Companies. The 9th Captain is referred to as the Siege Captain.

'''[[Star Phantoms]]'''
*Each battle company takes a [[Devastator Squad]] over a [[Tactical Squad]], leaving five Tactical and three Devastators squads in each.
*The chapter is never at full strength, seldom even at half, but maintains weapons as though they were. Their "tactical" reserve companies can fill in for full devastator squads, if needed.

'''[[Storm Wardens]]'''
*Tempest Blades being a non-codex formation.
*Heavy emphasis on mechanized warfare and mano-a-mano honorable duels to the death.

'''[[Ultramarines]]'''
*Tyrannic War Veterans are a non-codex formation.
*Originally, Guilliman deliberately gave himself an 11th company in contravention of his own rules for the sole purpose of guarding the [[Imperium Secundus|Pharos device]] in the aftermath of the Battle of Sotha during the heresy (incidentally causing the Tyranids to become aware of the existence of the Milky Way and the beacon turned out to have been built by the C'tan Zarhulash the Potentate and a shard of him was buried there at the time). Though this company got [[Scythes of the Emperor|rolled into its own chapter]] while the Adeptus Terra were doing their audits for an unanticipated Third Founding.
*The Ultramarines still have an [[Ultramarines Honour Company|"apparent" 11th company]] that guards the Eye of Terror; made up of volunteer squads donated from their successors but all wearing Ultramarine uniforms.
*After Guilliman's return, he appointed Decimus Felix as an 11th captain/equerry ''(no particular company assigned at this time)''. The break with the codex was enough to give Felix cause for concern. Later, Guilliman appointed him Tetrarch and gave him authority over Ultramar's Eastern expanses.
*[[Cato Sicarius]] is still the 11th ''(12th/13th?)'' Captain. He now commands the [[Victrix Guard]], which is a new formation of Veterans who act as Guilliman's bodyguards and envoys. This might actually set a precedent by creating separate a Honour Guard for the Primarch from a First Founding Chapter's normal Honour Guard, who for the Ultramarines still serve with Chapter Master [[Marneus Calgar]].
*There is also Captain Demeter and the Fulminata, which are a Demi-Company outside the main companies.

'''[[White Consuls]]'''
*Have [[Alpharius|two Chapter Masters]] instead of one, due their situation as one of the [[Astartes Praeses]] making the Chapter deem it necessary to have one lead the Cadian Gate garrison and the other those forces in other Imperial Warzones. With the fall of Cadia and ''both'' Chapter Masters dead however, chances are they have since reverted to a single Chapter Master.