So I’m looking to get the opinions of some of you people out there on the Internets. Due to various reasons, I have a fairly large Space Marine army that I haven’t gotten to play with much. In fact, I haven’t played at all using the new codex—a problem I hope to remedy soon.
So now I need to pick a chapter trait. My chapter is a home brew, of course (can’t make it too easy, you know). The chapter’s name is the Storm Knights—an Imperial Fists successor chapter. They specialize in hard-hitting, fast aerial-based assaults—drop pod assaults, close in air support, Caestus assault rams-- that sort of thing. The name comes from the idea that they hit with the speed and fury of a thunderstorm, blasting their foes apart before charging in to finish them off. Their armor is a polished silver, with red, black and white acting as secondary colors. I also really liked the look of the Black Templars, so I’ve incorporated a lot of their icons and motifs. I’ve also used some from the Dark Angels—wings and swords really seemed to fit the idea of “death from above.”
Now here’s the issue—which chapter trait should I go with? I don’t want to cause confusion for my opponents, or be labelled “that guy” when I walk into a new gaming club. But I do want to pick a chapter trait that fits the feel I’m going for with my army. So here are the ones I’m considering:
• Black Templars: This would be my last choice, but my army has a lot of Templars models in it. The idea of a bunch of guys charging madly across the field isn’t quite what I’m going for. (Although it would be fun to discharge them from a stormraven) I think the bright silver color of my models should be enough to keep my opponent from thinking they were Templars, but if it was a matter of being accused of being a power-gaming weasel and not getting to play any games, I could make it work.
• Imperial Fists: I figure the focus on aerial assaults is just a specialization of the Fists doctrine. You can’t really go wrong with Bolter Drill—rerolling half the misses on the most common weapon in my army? Yes, thank you! I don’t think I'll be fielding many devastators (heavy slots being taken up by Stormravens, land raiders, or assault rams) though, so their second bonus is a bit wasted.
• Raven guard: While not the Storm Knights parent chapter, being able to scout my forces helps to represent their propensity for maneuver warfare (not sneakiness like the RG proper). And the bonus to the jump troops seems like it would be nice, and fits right in with my aerial theme. Gonna take me some time to learn to use the scout ability right, I have to admit.
TL/DR—Do you think most people would get bent/confused if I fielded a silver Templar-looking army, said it was an Imperial Fists Successor chapter, and then used Raven Guard chapter rules? Or should I stick to using them as Fists? And which do you think best suits the concept for the chapter?