Warhammer 40k Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Warhammer 40k Wiki

"I can pulp your flesh and snap your bones in less than a second and without so much as lifting a finger. What is the power of technology compared to that?"

— Vel'Cona, Chief Librarian of the Salamanders
UM Librarian combat

An Ultramarines Librarian utilising his powerful psychic powers in combat.

A Librarian is a Firstborn or Primaris Marine combat psyker of the Space Marines who survives an Adeptus Astartes Chapter's rigorous screening and training to bend the powers of the Warp to their will for the benefit of their fellow battle-brothers and in service to the Emperor of Mankind. Beyond their psychic duties, the Librarians of the Astartes are also expected to record the great deeds of their Chapter and maintain the Chapter's storehouse of ancient lore, the functions for which they are named.

A Librarian is often estranged from the other members of his Chapter. This is usually because the psychic abilities he possesses are what his brother Space Marines are often expected to abhor and purge in most other beings.

Space Marine Librarians use their abilities to serve the various undertakings of their Chapter; however, their actual place in the order of battle is always with the Librarius in a Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter. As the name suggests, the Librarius is a place within a Space Marine Chapter's fortress-monastery where the Chapter's vast knowledge base, gathered over millennia of hard-fought battles and participation in engagements the length and breadth of the galaxy, is stored. Space Marine Librarians are generally classified in one of four ranks, each with its own duties and responsibilities within the Librarius. The Librarius is led by the Veteran Space Marine psyker who bears the rank of Chief Librarian. The Chief Librarian is usually, but not always, the most venerable of his psyker brothers.

The Chapter's most potent battlefield psykers are the epistolaries, each a hardened veteran of many wars. The Chapter's psychic communications and the Librarius' records are maintained by the codiciers and the lexicani (sing. lexicanium), respectively. These ranks and responsibilities may vary from Chapter to Chapter.

LibrarianTerminatorArmourMini

An Ultramarines Primaris Librarian in Indomitus Pattern Terminator Armour and wearing a Psychic Hood, armed with a Force Axe and Storm Bolter.

The Imperium is eternally vigilant for the taint of mutation. Space Marine Chapters are, if anything, even more careful to ensure that their gene-seed is not polluted. Apothecaries rigorously screen potential recruits for any sign of genetic deviation, but not all mutation is physical. Psychic talent is a mutation too, and is at once the most dangerous and the most useful. The training of a Chapter's nascent psykers is one of the many responsibilities of the Librarius.

Few normal Space Marine recruits survive the rigorous training, enhancement and indoctrination required to join a Chapter. Amongst Librarians, the attrition is far worse. The aspirant must not only endure everything a normal recruit would, but also have a strong enough spirit to withstand the moulding of his mind. A recruit must be taught how to hone and wield his powers, and how to protect himself from the Empyrean's innate hazards. A Librarian faces a thousand enemies before he even goes to war –- to the creatures of the Warp, his mind is a choice prize. Each day is a walk along a precipice, and a false step can see him tumble into madness.

If a recruit survives the rigorous testing, he joins the Librarius as a lexicanium, rising through the ranks to become codicier, epistolary or perhaps even the Chapter's Chief Librarian. He will use his abilities to pierce the Warp and provide the means for astrotelepathic interstellar communication, as well as to identify others of his own kind. He will judge them as he was himself once judged, scrutinising potential candidates and peers for frailty of mind or spirit. A moment's weakness can unleash untold evils, and vigil must be kept against any wavering of purpose.

Salamanders Librarian

Librarian of the Salamanders Chapter unleashing his powers.

In addition to training psychic recruits, the Chapter's Librarius is also charged with recording the history of the Chapter. Librarians hold a functionary rank, describing their role within the Librarius as well as their position within the Chapter's hierarchy. Lexicaniums, for example, are responsible for preparing reports of battle for the Chapter's records, whilst codiciers provide a strategic overview of the whole theatre of a war. After many solar decades of study and book-keeping, a Librarian will be well-versed in the history and lore of his Chapter, and both his wisdom and counsel will be highly regarded by the Masters of the Chapter.

Most Librarian battle-disciplines focus on enhancing their already formidable combat prowess. Many can use their psychic powers to throw powerful energy bolts, project telekinetic force shields or increase their might to demigod-like proportions. Some can step outside of the flow of time, slow the enemy's movements or redirect bullets with the sheer power of their minds.

Even so, the most skilled Librarians can master more subtle gifts, learning how to read the Emperor's Tarot and sense the movement of Daemons through Warpspace. A Librarian can feel the psychic shock waves that herald the arrival of a voidcraft from the Warp, or the turmoil they leave in their wake as they depart realspace.

These powers, and more, set Librarians apart from their battle-brothers, yet their presence is always welcomed on the field of battle. In all of the Imperium, there are few greater warrior mystics than Space Marine Librarians, with their potent combination of the prowess of an Adeptus Astartes with the unearthly powers of the Warp.

History

"We can no more ignore or suppress our connection to the Warp than we could walk through a raging firestorm and imagine that we did not burn. We must master this gift, make a weapon of it, lest we be consumed by its fury."

— Excerpt, Tigurius' "Address to the Lexicanium"
SpaceMarineLibrarian

A Space Marine Librarian wearing a Psychic Hood to enhance his psychic strength and protect him from the psychic abilities of the foe.

The Imperial records concerning the origins of the Space Marine Librarians are murky and mired in legend rather than hard facts like much of the history of the Imperium's early days. However, according to the chronicler Saphrus the Ancient, during the Great Crusade of the early 31st Millennium the Emperor of Mankind held a great Imperial conclave, the Council of Nikaea, on the newly-terraformed planet of the same name, to determine whether human psychic powers and the practice of psychic sorcery presented a danger to the newborn Imperium of Man and its people.

Within the Imperium there were those, like the Thousand Sons Space Marines Legion of the Primarch Magnus the Red, himself a powerful psyker, who had an extremely high rate of psychic mutation and regularly used psychic abilities and sorcery to expand the growing Imperium's reach across the galaxy. Others, such as the Space Wolves Legion of the Primarch Leman Russ and the Witch Hunters known as the Sisters of Silence, held that all psykers, even those who were Astartes like the Thousand Sons, represented a grave threat to the human race.

Some Primarchs had accepted the ideas of Magnus on the beneficial use of psychic abilities in their own Legions, while others like Leman Russ refused to deal with what they saw as dishonourable deception and unnatural witchery and outlawed all psychic powers as simply sorcery by another name.

The Emperor invited the advocates of both sides to attend the conclave and at the Council on Nikaea they argued each other to a standstill. It was only the intervention of a contingent of Space Marine Librarians from the other Legions besides the Thousand Sons that presented a compromise.

Their proposal was that while the Imperial education of psykers to best serve humanity should be made a priority, the conduct of psychic sorcery would be outlawed as an unforgivable heresy, since psykers were simply tools who could serve Mankind for good or ill, but the powers of sorcery could only be gained by treating with the foul denizens of the Warp whose malevolent intentions were often manifest.

This compromise was rejected by the Emperor once it was revealed that Magnus the Red had continued to explore the power of sorcery after the Emperor had warned him of its dangers solar decades before. The Emperor disregarded the proposed compromise and ordered all of the Space Marine Legions to disband their Librarius corps and for Astartes Librarians to return to service as line warriors and never use their psychic abilities again. Unfortunately, after the outbreak of the Horus Heresy, it became clear that the Forces of Chaos could not be defeated unless the Loyalists were also able to draw upon the power of the Warp.

Following the end of the Heresy, the original compromise proposed at Nikaea was adopted as law without a provision for rebuttal, and it has stood for ten thousand standard years as the official policy of the Imperium on the use of psychic powers. Today, in the 41st Millennium, each Chapter remains vigilant to ensure that new recruits will not taint the gene-seed of the Chapter through mutation. However, the psyker mutation is often encouraged, and these Astartes are then inducted into the Chapter's corps of Librarians.

The Librarius

At the centre of a Chapter's fortress-monastery there usually lies a vast sealed chamber known as the Librarius, also called the Librarium, that is filled from floor to ceiling with books, scrolls, and data crystals. Overseen by the Chief Librarian and maintained by lexicaniums and codiciers (supported by a small army of servitors and Chapter serf scribes who work ceaselessly), the Librarius is the repository of all the Chapter's knowledge and history.

Even within the Chapter, few are given access to this chamber and fewer still have the chance to study its texts. Even the most well-read Imperial scholar or Administratum adept can only guess at the secrets and lore contained within one of the fabled Space Marine Librariums.

This repository is a wealth of knowledge that the Chapter Master guards well, knowing that in times of need he may have to call upon the counsel of his Librarians and the lore they possess to guide him in battle.

In the heart of the Librarius there is also a smaller inner chamber, carefully sealed and protected. This is where the Chapter stores its most sacred artefacts, trophies, and proscribed texts, many of which are taken from the corpses of Heretics and aliens -- unfit or too dangerous for the eyes of any but the Chief Librarian.

It is often a point of friction between the Ecclesiarchy and the Adeptus Astartes that its Chapters possess such items or take them from their foes in battle. Of course, not even the most reckless Imperial cardinal would dare consider confronting any Space Marine Chapter over this matter.

When not devastating the plans of enemy warlords in war zones from the Damocles Gulf to the Cadian Gate, Librarians have a host of other, less violent, duties to attend to. In addition to testing new recruits for psychic ability and tending to their own training, Librarians are responsible for maintaining their Chapter's Librariums.

Overseen by the Librarians, each is a silent and sacred place of whispered secrets and hidden truths. Filled with ancient tomes and sacred scrolls, every piece of text laid down by the Chapter, or relevant to its existence, is housed within.

Every fortress-monastery will have a Librarius to house the lore, battle records, and certain psychically-active artefacts like Force Weapons. Famous victories, shameful defeats and the legends of the Chapter's heroes are recorded there, and the Librarians are fiercely devoted to their role as keepers of their legacy.

In addition to the main Librarius on a Chapter planet, many battle barges maintain smaller Librariums for use during their long campaigns. While no two Librariums are exactly the same, they are often built around a central pillar, its racks of books and scrolls spiralling out into antechambers that hold rows of written works, data-slates, chronicle-stones and mnemo-slates recording the accounts of great battles, the final words of its heroes, and the secrets of vanquished foes.

The central pillar of most Librariums houses its oldest available copy of the Codex Astartes, held in a stasis-plinth or protected by holo-reflection.

Many lords of the Adeptus Astartes visit the quiet, dusty halls of the Librarius to draw their inspiration and resolve from that ancient book in times of darkness.

Psychic Abilities

"The power of a psyker is darkness, fire, and death, given life and purpose to rend souls and break minds."

— First line of the Litany of Lies and Truths
LibrarianPowers

A Librarian unleashing the Librarius Discipline.

Masters of the esoteric arts, Librarians are warrior mystics who unleash the power of the Warp onto the 41st Millennium's battlefields. With crackling bolts of lightning and storms of telekinetic force, they smite the enemies of the Imperium, serving their Chapter as both peerless loremasters and masterful battle leaders.

Space Marine Librarians are among the most potent of all of Mankind's psykers. Every one is a warrior of two worlds, mastering the arts of bolter and blade as well as being trained to fight foes upon the supernatural battlefield of the mind. A skilled Librarian can manipulate the energy of the Warp in extraordinary ways, and with spectacular effects. Compared to the sanctioned human psykers used by the other institutions of the Imperium, Space Marine Librarians can wield far more raw power in a considerably wider array of disciplines.

Nevertheless, a few Chapters still recruit potential Librarians from the halls of the Scholastica Psykana, hoping to find gifted Initiates among the youngest and most brilliant of those pupils. If they manage to become Space Marines, the superhuman strength, discipline and longevity they acquire allows them to practise their art and bolster their mental defences over many more centuries than the relatively frail mind of a mere human could ever hope to manage. Though this power is sufficient to draw victory on a battlefield from the jaws of defeat, it does not come without significant risk.

Every psyker's mind holds within it a miniscule link to the Warp, through which they access that metaphysical dimension to power their abilities. Each time a psychically sensitive individual uses the power of the Warp, they expose themselves to the malevolent entities that dwell there, their minds glowing in that realm like bright candles in a dark fog. With ruthless and often life-threatening training, psykers learn to obscure and defend themselves against these forces. Should their focus waver or their mental defences fall, however, a psyker's mind and body will be vulnerable to all manner of horrific fates. If a daemon gains access to realspace through the mind of a weak psyker, they could wreak untold havoc through the act of possession. Worse yet, they could even spell the doom of entire sectors by tearing a rift in the skein of reality and causing a daemonic incursion.

Understandably then, to even become a Librarian, a Space Marine must be an exceptionally talented psyker and undergo years of gruelling training within the depths of their Chapter's fortress-monastery. This training continues throughout their lives, and Librarians are constantly testing their minds and bodies to reinforce the strength and breadth of their willpower. Therefore, just as a Chapter's Apothecaries test the genetic suitability of potential Space Marines, the existing Librarians are responsible for assessing all potential recruits to the Chapter for psychic ability.

Any who show signs of psychic sensitivity must submit to painful and invasive mental bombardments before they are trusted to wield their talent in combat situations or are fully inducted into the ranks of a Chapter’s Librarius. Parallel to their instruction in the Librarius, initiates also undergo the same robust combat training as their brothers in the Battle Companies. Though the risks of using psykers in the armies of the Imperium are great, there are few individuals as potent on the field of battle. If, from a thousand potential candidates, even a single Librarian emerges, then it is a boon to the strength of the Chapter and its future.

LibrarianPowers2

A Librarian manifests the power of the Fulmination Discipline.

The warriors that win their place within a Space Marine Chapter's Librarius are feared across the galaxy by all who seek the Imperium's downfall. One need only witness one of these proud mystics as they stride through the maelstrom of battle, untouched by bullet or flame and hurling searing lightning bolts through the ranks of the Imperium's enemies, to see what they add to the already prodigious power of the Adeptus Astartes.

Like a storm cloud that presses down upon the world, the psychic shadow of the Librarian causes allies and enemies alike to look up as he enters the fray. Light streams from his eyes and sparks dance around his head, hinting at the intense energy of the Warp coiled within the weapon that is his mind. The true mastery of a Librarian is evinced when he utters his incantations. In a booming voice that reaches warriors even through the roaring din of combat, his words and thoughts become lightning, flame, and swirling vortexes that ravage the air with their fury.

Psychic powers are the physical manifestation of a Librarian's abilities, and mark him as distinct from any other individual within a Space Marine Chapter. Librarians of Codicier rank and above make use of their psychic abilities in combat. These include the ability to project their consciousness above the battlefield so that they can get a bird's-eye view of the combat in a ritual that commences with the recitation of the Litany of Sight Beyond Sight. Doing so opens a wound on their forehead exposing their psychic Third Eye, which allows them to view locations that would normally be obscured.

Librarians can channel psychic energy (often through Force Weapons) to deal greater damage than a normal melee attack would allow. They can also read the minds of others, unless they are protected by psychic shields. Some Librarians are sensitive enough to determine the last thoughts of the dead before their souls were absorbed into the Immaterium and can even see the emotions that have strongly influenced a place. Librarians are capable of telepathic communication across vast distances and can also read the ever-shifting tides of the Warp, allowing them to sometimes demonstrate the capability of foreseeing probable futures through limited displays of precognition. Other psychic combat abilities commonly used by Librarians include the following powers:

Telepathy Powers

  • Astrotelepathy - Librarians can use their gifts to send psychic messages and communications across the vastness of the void in the same manner as an Astropath. It is, however, a task that is undertaken sparingly, as like much of the rest of the Imperium’s forces Space Marines make extensive use of Astropaths, reserving their gifted battle-brothers for more vital tasks. Any Librarian can use Astrotelepathy, provided he has enough time and skill—yet sending a message across the stars is a far cry from communicating with someone on the same world or even a vessel in orbit.
  • Compel - This power allows the Librarian to force others to briefly act against their will.
  • Dominate - The Librarian may take over the mind of another, controlling his victim with his will.
  • Inspire - A Librarian can bolster his battle-brothers by sending out waves of reassurance and calm.
  • Long-Range Telepathy - This ability functions just the same as Short-range Telepathy, but with an extended range. In addition, once the psyker learns this power, such is his mastery of telepathy that he no longer incurs a chance of invoking an unwanted psychic attack or other phenomenon from the unpredictable eddies of the Warp when using either Short- or Long-range Telepathy.
  • Mind Probe - This power allows the Librarian to peel back the layers of another’s mind to read the basic surface thoughts and then penetrate beyond.
  • Mind Scan - A Librarian can extend his mind to contact and identify other sentient minds within range, even if they are out of sight, enabling him to garner impressions and information about the consciousnesses.
  • Short-Range Telepathy - A Librarian can send his thoughts into the minds of those around him for a short distance, making a generalised broadcast to every mind within a short range indiscriminately.

Divination Powers

  • Augury - By reading the Emperor's Tarot for a specific individual, the Librarian can grant insight into what troubles lie ahead. During the reading both the Librarian and the subject must remain in physical contact and no other actions may be taken by either of them. The psyker must then ask a specific question. After making their specific inquiry, the Librarian is able to read the Emperor’s Tarot for the subject as they both concentrate on the question asked. At the end of this time the psyker interprets the Tarot and garners the results. The Warp is a capricious thing and seldom gives straight answers, often wrapping truths in riddles and lies.
  • Divination - The Librarian can use this power to locate and track down a single object or person in his immediate vicinity. He can find anything, but there must be some degree of familiarity such as touching an object. When seeking an individual, the Librarian must have seen the person he wants to find, or the subject’s true name.
  • Lifting the Veil - Lifting the Veil is an extension of the art of Psychometry and allows a Librarian to look beyond individual psychic traces and relive the past of a place or item.
  • Possibility Shield - Using his understanding of future events and his perception of the flow of time, the Librarian is able to surround himself and nearby allies in a possibility shield which makes certain events more likely and others, such as being injured or slain, less so.
  • Psychometry - Learning to read the Emperor’s Tarot is in part the act of learning to divine the Emperor’s word from psychic impressions. Refining this skill allows the Librarian to learn more about others from the crude psychic traces they leave behind on objects in the world around them. In this form, the Librarian can gain rough impressions from a personal object such as an article of clothing or a weapon. The level of information he gains depends upon how potent his individual psychic abilities are.
  • Reading - Librarians that have the abilities of Diviners can read a person’s aura, the unconscious projection of his soul into the Warp. This is a very pale shadow, unnoticed by most beings, but a diviner can study this aura to learn about the person. When the Librarian activates divination, he can attempt to read the aura of any person he can see.

Codex Astartes Powers

Storm Wardens Librarian

A Storm Wardens Librarian of the Deathwatch uses the Iron Arm ability, to sheathe his arm in an impenetrable field of energy to deflect a melee attack.

  • Avenger - The Librarian summons up the ancestors of his Chapter and shapes them into a flaming, vengeful avatar of death. The construct then billows forward to incinerate those in its path.
  • Force Dome - Summoning up a shimmering field of force, the Librarian fashions a shell around himself and nearby allies. The shell is a sphere extending up to the radius around, above, and below the Librarian and protecting him and any within it. This shell provides protection against all kinds of ranged attacks or hazardous environmental effects, even trapping air and water within it. However, it will not stop melee attacks or creatures (friend or foe) that may pass through it without restriction.
  • The Gaze of Infinity - Rending the veil between worlds, the Librarian creates a rift through which he and his allies might pass. The size of the rift depends on the power used to create it. The rift will remain open for a short amount of time or until the Librarian himself passes through it, at which time it will instantly close. This power is incredibly taxing and requires at least 12 hours of recovery time before it may be used again.
  • Iron Arm - The Librarian sheathes his arm in an impenetrable field of energy with the power to ward off powerful melee attacks. Unfortunately, this power prevents the Librarian from using his arm for any other purpose, such as wielding a weapon, climbing, and so on.
  • Machine Curse - The Librarian calls down a terrible curse on nearby machines and vehicles. The Librarian can either target a single vehicle (such as a battle tank or Land Speeder) or a number of mechanical devices (such as his foes' personal weapons or a group of servitors).
Vortex of Doom

A Librarian conjuring a Vortex of Doom against an Ork Killa Kan.

  • Might of the Ancients - Tapping into the deadly powers of the Immaterium, the Librarian infuses himself with psychic energy, increasing his psychical prowess and strength of arms to exceptional levels, to vanquish the foes of the Emperor of Mankind. This ability is most useful to the Librarian when used during melee combat.
  • Smite - The Librarian conjures up lethal bolts of lightning that leap from his hands to burn and blast his enemies into ash.
  • Veil of Time - The Librarian attempts to predict the near future, seeing the flow of events and the actions of others. While this power is in effect, the Librarian benefits from this foreknowledge.
  • Vortex of Doom - In a moment of pure desperation, the Librarian unleashes the full force of his psychic talents. With an utter disregard for reality, the Librarian opens up a flickering vortex in the fabric of space-time. The vortex is 2 metres in diameter and may be placed anywhere within range of the psyker. Once created, however, the Librarian has no more control over it. Having an open rift to the Warp is dangerous to the souls of anyone present. The Librarian making use of it can easily lose control of the Warp vortex the first time any creature comes within 10 metres of it, unwittingly unleashing it on friend and enemy alike until it has run its devastating course.

Librarius Discipline

Librarius

Icon of the Librarius Discipline

The ancient lore of a Chapter's Librarius is vast indeed, and hidden among its complement of ancient tomes and scrolls are the hard-won secrets of the Space Marine Librarians. Within a sacred few of these closely-guarded texts are techniques that allow the user to enhance his own psychic might or quell that of his foes. In battle, those trained in the Librarius discipline can batter enemies with ethereal force, strengthen their own minds and bodies with the power of the Warp, or sever the connection of other psykers.

  • The Emperor's Wrath - Crackling bolts of psychic force leap from the Librarian's gauntlet, tearing through armour to annihilate the enemies of the Imperium.
  • Veil of Time - The psyker projects his will beyond the regular passage of time, taking in the strands of fate before returning to the present to sway the tide of battle by helping his fellows know what is to befall them before it happens.
  • Fury of the Ancients - Calling upon the myths and legends of his Chapter's homeworld, the psyker sends forth a terrifying monstrosity wrought from psychic energy to engage the foe.
  • Psychic Fortress - Drawing on boundless reserves of inner strength, the psyker shields his mind -- and those of his brethren -- from the threat of sorcerous assault. All psychic attacks made to alter their states of mind or perceptions become far more difficult. This same ability can also be manifested as a powerful field of shimmering psychic energy around the Librarian and any nearby battle-brothers that will protect them from all harm, psychic or physical in nature.
  • Might of Heroes - The psyker cages the immense power of the Immaterium within his physical form and becomes the Emperor's vengeance made manifest. This ability greatly enhances the Librarian's already superhuman combat skills. This ability can also be used to grant the same abilities to one of the Librarian's battle-brothers instead.
  • Psychic Scourge - The psyker pits his superhuman willpower against that of an enemy sorcerer in a battle of mental fortitude, seeking to scour arcane knowledge from the foul witch's mind so that he or she cannot use it in battle. This ability can also be unleashed upon non-psykers, in which case the psyker simply seeks to destroy their minds in a blast of psychic fury.
  • Null Zone - The psyker unleashes the full might of his mind to cast down his target's defences, both technological and mystical, rendering them vulnerable to the retribution of the Adeptus Astartes.

Technomancy Discipline

Technomancy

Icon of the Technomancy Discipline

Technomancy affects the spirits of machines the same way other psychic disciplines manipulate the minds of sentient creatures. No technology is proof against this power, and weapons, vehicles and even fortifications can be cursed by a talented technomancer. The psyker reaches into the workings of his target, subverting its vital energies to turn weapons on their owners or cause tanks to roll to a shuddering halt. The power to destroy can also be turned to more benign ends, and Technomancy is equally effective in mending ailing Machine Spirits, readying them for war once more.

  • Subvert Machine - The psyker imposes his will upon an enemy Machine Spirit, forcing it into a state of dormancy or confusion, or even causing it to fire upon its own allies.
  • Blessing of the Machine - A dormant Machine Spirit is coaxed into vital life by the psyker's mental command. Though granted only fleeting animus, when such a spirit is roused from its slumber, it will not hesitate to lash out at those it deems a threat, transforming a vehicle into a more potent weapon of war.
  • Machine Curse - The psyker's otherworldly vision penetrates a vehicle's armoured shell, laying bare its vulnerable inner workings to his destructive manipulation.
  • Reforge - The psyker's mind communes with the Machine Spirit of a damaged vehicle, soothing its pain as otherworldly energies reforge its wounded hull.
  • Warpmetal Armour - At the psyker's command, Warp energy temporarily coalesces into a steely metal, bolstering the armour of nearby tanks or wrapping allies in a second skin capable of turning aside bullet and blade alike.
  • Fury of Mars - The psyker channels the mechanical wrath of the Omnissiah into an enormous, Warp-fuelled pulse that surges forth in an invisible wave to unleash ruin upon the impure technology of the foe.
  • Machine Flense - The psyker's mind lashes out at an enemy war machine to shred its armoured hull. Not yet satisfied with the damage he has wrought, the psyker redirects the jagged fragments he has torn free to assail yet more of his foes nearby on the battlefield.

Fulmination Discipline

Fulmination

Icon of the Fulmination Discipline

Some psykers regard lightning as the crackling essence of life, a vital force that the Warp-touched can draw upon to annihilate their foes. Fulmination is the power of arcing energy and electricity, and a psyker can wield it with but a flicker of thought. At its most basic, this discipline allows the user to hurl bolts of lightning across the battlefield, but this is only the beginning of what might be achieved. Fields of sparking light can be summoned by the Librarian to ward away damage or, with a blaze of light, he can teleport allies across a battlefield.

  • Electrosurge - Electrokinetic energy surges through the psyker's veins and arcs between his fingertips. With a gesture, it leaps forth to transform flesh into charred meat.
  • Electroshield - With a thought, the psyker summons a crackling shield of electrokinetic energy to ward away the bullets, blasts and blows of the enemy.
  • Electropulse - The psyker concentrates his power into a raging cyclone of electromagnetic energy that spirals outwards before detonating in a shock wave that causes all machine circuits to sputter and die.
  • Lightning Arc - Bolts of Warp lightning leap forth from the psyker's eyes and mouth, arcing violently among the enemy forces and leaving death in their wake.
  • Fists of Lightning - The psyker summons crackling coronae of living lightning that surround his fists. Whenever enemies are struck, incandescent arcs of lethal energy leap forth to course through their ranks.
  • Magnetokinesis - The psyker surrounds his allies in a bubble of magnetokinetic force before levitating them across the battlefield to a tactically superior position.
  • Electrodisplacement - The psyker bends the power of the Warp and an eldritch bolt of lightning flashes across the battlefield. In an instant, the psyker has displaced himself, switching his location with that of his allies.

Geokinesis Discipline

Geokinesis

Icon of the Geokinesis Discipline

The ground shudders beneath the feet of a geokine as he summons forth his powers. The discipline of earth and stone, Geokinesis is the art of reaching down under the skin of a world and turning its natural might into a weapon. The battlefield yawns open to swallow up those that oppose the Space Marines, or is riven by brutal earthquakes. Even whole segments of the battleground might be levitated high in the air by the Librarian -- enemies fall screaming to their deaths from floating plateaus, and yet more are crushed as the psyker relinquishes his control, causing hundreds of tonnes of rock to plummet from the sky.

  • Chasm - The psyker slams his hands together, and then pulls them slowly apart. As he does so, a wide chasm filled with lava opens under an enemy unit.
  • Earth Blood - The psyker draws on the very life force of the planet upon which he treads, sending forth a surge of healing energy that spreads up from the ground and into those standing nearby, closing wounds and refreshing the spirit.
  • Scorched Earth - The psyker focusses his mental powers on an area of nearby ground. The once-solid surface begins to writhe and burn, spewing rocks and lava into the air and turning the area into a quagmire of fire and magma to consume the foe.
  • Landquake - The psyker stamps down hard upon the ground, triggering a violent shock wave that ripples outwards and knocks enemy warriors from their feet.
  • Phase Form - The psyker creates an anomaly that pushes an ally out of sync with realspace. Objects lose some of their substance, allowing the ally to pass through them when it moves or see through them when it attacks.
  • Warp Quake - The psyker focusses on a single building or fortification and balls his hand into a tight fist. As his hand starts to shudder, so too does the building, until it starts to crumble and collapse.
  • Shifting Worldscape - The psyker tears the landscape asunder, raising up an area of ground and everything standing upon it, and moving it through the air to a new location.

Obscuration Discipline

Those Space Marine Vanguard Librarians seconded to Vanguard Marine operations are trained in the psychic arts of obscuration and illusion. They weave impenetrable cloaks of Warp energy around their battle-brothers, conjure haunting visions to distract and terrify their foes, and ease the Vanguard formations' passage through enemy territory.

  • Shrouding - The psyker uses his mastery of the Warp to fog the minds of his enemies, clouding their senses so that his allies appear as nothing more than indistinct shadows.
  • Soul Sight - The psyker shares his witch-sight with his brethren, causing their eyes to glow with an ethereal light. So empowered, no foe can escape their omniscient gaze; the souls of their targets flare like flaming beacons in the dark.
  • Mind Raid - The psyker peers into the mind of the foe, raiding their thoughts for secret codes, battleplans, the location of hidden forces and any other tactical information that might be useful. Such brute psychic interrogation doubtless inflicts severe cerebral trauma on its victim.
  • Hallucination - The psyker instils terror and panic within his foes by conjuring images out of their memories -- from past allies seemingly returned from the dead, to apparitions wrought from nightmares.
  • Tenebrous Curse - As the psyker twists his hand, a psychic bolt lances through the minds of his enemies. As they reel from the assault, their own shadows seemingly come to life, pulling their casters to the ground with frenzied determination.
  • Temporal Corridor - The psyker creates an invisible corridor in which the passage of time is altered, allowing his allies to traverse the battlefield with supernatural swiftness.

Recruitment

The aspirants and newly-implanted neophytes of all Space Marine Chapters are screened by the Chapter's Librarians for signs of psychic capability. Those who possess the potential to become a Librarian are then forced to undergo the same trials and sufferings all other Space Marine neophytes of their Chapter face, but they also have to learn to harness their powers and protect their minds from the daemonic dangers of the Warp.

As Space Marines are far stronger mentally and physically than an ordinary man, their flesh is ideal for Daemons to inhabit as a daemonhost. For a Librarian, each day is a long walk along a narrow path which, should they stumble or stray, leads only to madness, possession and the deaths or destruction of all that they hold dear.

The training within a Chapter to become a Librarian is very difficult, as new Librarians must not only be strong enough to survive the rigours of their training, but possess enough mental discipline to fend off the Daemons and entities of the Warp, as these creatures see the enhanced form and mind of a Librarian as a great prize through which they could work much evil in the physical universe.

Codex Librarians

Blood Angels Librarian

A Blood Angels Librarian summoning forth his psychic abilities

Each Chapter selects its Librarians in its own way, either from seed worlds, as it does with the bulk of its Initiates, or from the ranks of gifted psykers brought to the Scholastica Psykana. Most Chapters train and test chosen psykers following the ancient ways laid out in the Codex Astartes.

Librarians of the Ultramarines, Blood Angels, Dark Angels, and Storm Wardens are all trained in this way, and, with few minor traditional variances, have been taught to live by the word of the Codex. There are, however, a few notable Chapters that do not follow the Codex Astartes and its laws regarding the treatment and control of psykers, including the following.

  • Black Templars - Deeply religious and reverent of the Emperor, the Black Templars are zealots with a deep and abiding hatred of the witch. Such is their disdain of those with psychic powers that they count no Librarians amongst their number lest they foul the Chapter's pristine gene-seed. The tasks of the Librarian, such as record-keeping and the study of lore, are divided among scholarly battle-brothers without the taint of the witch within the Chapter. Often an individual Black Templars Space Marine or Chapter Master will be responsible for maintaining a record of his own deeds—inscribing them on his armour so that nobody may doubt his courage or lineage.
  • Space Wolves - There are few things that are "standard" about the Sons of Leman Russ, and so it is no surprise that they treat their psykers differently than the rest of the Adeptus Astartes. The Space Wolves do not have Librarians or even a Librarius, scorning such dusty and lifeless collections of knowledge. Instead they adhere to the ancient Fenrisian traditions of their ancestors, and those with psychic gifts become Rune Priests—skalds and storytellers who keep the Chapter’s practices and history alive through millennia-old oral traditions. While Rune Priests use their own powers and train in their own way, they function much as other Space Marine Librarians do, tapping into the Warp and drawing forth power to create psychic effects and reshape reality.
  • White Scars - The Zadyin Arga or "Stormseers" of the White Scars perform the same functions as other Chapters' cadre of Librarians, though the Stormseers emerge from the deeply-ingrained mystical traditions of the tribal shamans and holy men who rode the plains of Chogoris with their Primarch Jaghatai Khan before the coming of the Emperor to Mundus Planus. Since the time before their Chapter's inception, when they were the shamans who first named Jaghatai Khan the Great Khan of the nomadic tribes, the Storm Seers have been called upon to continue to induct Neophytes and newly elevated Khans of their Chapter. The other responsibilities of the Storm Seer include teaching Aspirants the core beliefs of their Chapter. They firmly believe it is the manifest duty of the White Scars to destroy the enemies of the Imperium, awaiting the day that that Emperor will rise again, signaling the return of their lost Primarch and the beginning of the next Great Crusade to unify all of humanity. The Storm Seers believe that their powers are connected to the animistic spirits of the land and the air, and that as long as these natural forces fight alongside them, the White Scars will always be victorious. These elemental, animistic beliefs and the highly stylized Force Staff used by Storm Seers tie these warrior-mystics to their shamanistic past on the steppes of Mundus Planus.
  • Grey Knights - All Grey Knights possess a degree of psychic ability which is further developed and enhanced by their years of training on Titan. While only a handful of Grey Knights Battle-Brothers ever achieve the levels of power commanded by the Chapter’s Librarians, they are all capable of manifesting certain powers and abilities, especially in the company of other Grey Knights where they can combine their gifts to create great effects and more devastating psychic attacks. However, those who prove to have a strength of mind far greater than that of their fellows will go on to join the ranks of the Chapter's Librarians. The Grey Knights have many abilities that standard Space Marines lack. These powers are psychic in nature and work on a gestalt principle much like that of the Orks in which the more Grey Knights that are present in one location, the more powerful their psychic abilities become. Besides these powers, the Grey Knights are highly-skilled close combat fighters. Most Grey Knights who are masters of melee combat are able to win against even the most seemingly impossible of odds. Unlike Space Marine Librarians or other psykers, their power is deemed free of the taint of the Warp and they are the only psykers allowed, for instance, in a Crusade army of the Black Templars Chapter.

Deathwatch Service

WS Stormseer updated

A Stormseer of the White Scars Chapter, seconded to the Deathwatch

Many Librarians are known to serve the Long Vigil with the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Xenos, better known as the Deathwatch Chapter. Most of the Librarians called to serve in the Deathwatch hold the rank of Lexicanium, the most junior of the four ranks of the Space Marines' combat psykers.

They are nonetheless warriors of fearsome ability and renown. However, a small number of higher-ranked Librarians do serve as the watch commanders' most valued counsellors. Within their own Chapters, Librarians may have different titles and unique methods of utilising their powers but they fulfill a number of similar roles within the Deathwatch.

Chief amongst them is that of the combat psyker. By focusing his prodigious psychic powers, the Librarian is able to unleash withering blasts of searing Warp energy at his foe, reducing them to ashes with but a thought. Often, the energies are directed and multiplied through the blade of a specially crafted weapon such as a Force Sword or Force Halberd, with which even the mightiest of foes will be cut down as wheat before the scythe.

Death can be unleashed from afar as well, for the Librarian is able to project his powers at distant enemies, launching deadly bolts of psychic energy from a staff, an outstretched hand, or through his very gaze. Unlike conventional weapons, a Librarian's psychic wrath cannot be parried and does not run out of ammunition. The only limit on a Librarian’s powers is his own will, and this is as strong as that of any of the Imperium's mightiest heroes.

Librarians are also the guardians of the secrets of the Deathwatch. Within each watch fortress is to be found the sealed Vault which stores weapons and relics too dangerous to be allowed to fall into the hands of Mankind's enemies. Also within the fortress' Vault is an archive of forbidden knowledge. Not even the watch commander has access to these archives -- only the Deathwatch's Librarians are entrusted with their access codes, and only they are judged strong enough to withstand the sanity-shattering secrets sealed within.

It is only in the direst of circumstances that a Librarian will enter a watch fortress' Vault archive, for each time he does so he is exposed to the whispering voices of long-dead alien beings, tempting him with the power to rule the whole of humanity in the name of ancient and blasphemous gods. Nevertheless, so terrible are many of the horrors faced by the Deathwatch that the Librarian may be required to consult the archives in order to discover some previous record of an enemy’s weakness. Such knowledge can spell the difference between a mission’s success and failure.

Another role carried out by a watch fortress' Librarians is that of providing the watch commander with counsel. Given their access to forbidden knowledge and their innate understanding of arcane matters, the word of a Librarian rarely goes unheeded in the watch commander's plans. In addition to this, many Librarians are gifted with some degree of prognostication -- whether by way of visions, meditation, consulting the Emperor's Tarot, or seeming intuition, Librarians can often discern something of what will come to pass.

Though such a premonition is rarely clear enough to provide complete certainty, it often provides clues that enable an experienced Librarian to make a sound judgement concerning potential dangers that may be faced in an upcoming mission, and to advise the Watch Captains accordingly. Often, the premonition focuses upon the actions of the Librarian himself, telling him that his own presence will be required if a mission is to succeed. Many Deathwatch Librarians have foreseen their own death at the hands of some alien monstrosity, and gone proudly and stoically to their fate, with certain knowledge that their death will sow the seed of their battle-brothers' victory.

Another task at which many Librarians excel is the sending of psychic messages. Most Librarians are skilled enough to send telepathic messages from the surface of a planet to a vessel in orbit, and more powerful Librarians might even be able to contact a fellow Librarian in another sector. Generally, the further the message is projected in realspace, the less clear it becomes. However, in several cases, a kill-team that has been considered to be lost has been recovered due to the efforts of a Librarian, who managed to invoke a simple insight from the mind of a battle-brother light years away.

Given the nature of some of the places into which the Deathwatch must go, such an ability is invaluable, and has saved the lives of many of Mankind's mightiest warriors. While many Deathwatch Librarians are, in effect, part of the watch commander's officer cadre and not permanently assigned to a single kill-team, in reality most come to associate themselves with one group of warriors. Such is the bond between the battle-brothers of a Kill-team that to separate them is to degrade their considerable combat effectiveness. Deathwatch Librarians are able to make a significant contribution to a Kill-team, lending their singular abilities to the eternal war against the alien horrors of the galaxy.

Librarian Ranks

Librarian Icons

Codex Astartes Librarian Rank Icons

Within the Chapter, all Librarians hold a rank based on their level of training and their standing amongst their peers.

In part these ranks indicate their principal role, be it on the battlefield or in the Librarius, but they are also used to establish a clear chain of command from the chief librarian down to the lowest lexicanium.

Lexicanium

A lexicanium (plural: lexicani) is a young Librarian who has generally not yet seen combat and is still learning to fully control and make use of his psychic powers. This is the lowest rank amongst a Chapter's Librarians, awarded to those who have passed their trials and who are now deemed fit to serve the Chief Librarian.

Reporting to the codiciers, it is the lexicanium's role to aid in the endless task of maintaining, studying and cataloguing the vast amounts of texts within the Librarius. In time of conflict, however, lexicani will leave the Librarius and take to the battlefield alongside their battle-brothers, using their powers to smite their foes.

In time, and with training and study, a lexicanium will eventually rise in rank and take on a more active role within the Chapter as a codicier. As codiciers they are often given more significant combat assignments, able to harness their powers with greater clarity.

Lexicani are often distinguished by their lack of a Psychic Hood and helmet, and they usually appear very similar to their fellow, non-psychic battle-brothers except for the blue power armour that all Librarians are required to wear by the Codex Astartes as a sign of their status.

Codicier

Codiciers, like lexicani, spend much of their time within the Librarius. They are tasked with organising and overseeing the efforts of the lexicani, while reporting to the higher-ranking Librarians.

By the time a Librarian reaches the rank of codicier, his command of his powers is almost fully realised and only the truly gifted will advance beyond this point.

However, a codicier's powers far outclass almost any other kind of psyker within the Imperium, and their psychic abilities are more than sufficient for the Chapter's purposes. These Librarians have enough control over their psychic powers to go into combat.

They usually receive further training to become epistolaries, so they can use multiple psychic powers in combat. They also usually do not wear a Psychic Hood to augment their abilities, but rather devices more useful than that of their Imperial Sanctioned Psyker counterparts who serve in the ranks of the Astra Militarum.

Epistolary

While most Space Marine Librarians never rise above the rank of codicier, a few continue to develop their gifts and grow in strength until they attain the rank of epistolary.

Epistolaries fulfill two main roles within the Chapter: firstly as potent battle psykers who can combat the deadliest of foes, and secondly as psychic communications officers for their Chapter's fleet.

In this role they form the basis of the Chapter's strategic command and control, directing fleets, coordinating mass planet-drops, and providing vital intelligence during invasions and assaults.

These Veteran Librarians are powerful and their primary role, when not making use of their gifts on the battlefield, is that of the chief psychic communications officer of their Chapter.

Even on the battlefield an epistolary can send and receive psychic messages. Epistolaries have more mastery over their psychic powers than other, lesser-ranked Librarians, which allows them to use their abilities more often in combat than codiciers or lexicani.

Epistolaries wear a Psychic Hood to augment their defensive abilities, carry a Force Weapon into combat and also have access to the full Armoury of their Chapter.

Chief Librarian

The Chief Librarian is the strongest and most powerful psyker within a Space Marine Chapter, who all other Librarians in the Chapter report to, take instruction from, and respect. Few, if any, of the psykers within the Chapter will ever become the Chief Librarian.

If there are no suitable candidates within a Chapter, the position is often left vacant. So rare are these psychic lords that many Chapters have but one or only a handful of psykers able to one day assume the responsibility of these mighty warriors.

The Chief Librarian is the master of the Librarius and the keeper of his Chapter's lore, as well as a member of the guiding council of the Chapter's senior officers with encyclopedic knowledge of his Chapter, its enemies, and the Imperium.

The Chief Librarian presides over the training and selection of all new Librarians, as well as the cultivation of psykers within the Chapter's ranks. He is also the closest of the Chapter Master's advisors, providing him with wisdom and knowledge. His abilities to divine the future are vital to his lord's decisions.

Chief Librarians very seldom take to the field of battle, as their abilities are far more valuable to the Chapter in other ways. However, when they do take part in a battle, it is a glorious and terrifying sight to behold.

With the power of their mind, they level fortresses, reduce entire armies to rivers of molten flesh, and split the very sky with fire and lightning. Chief Librarians often command other forces or assist the Chapter Master in battle.

Chief Librarians also spend a great deal of time training their lesser codicier and lexicanium battle-brothers in the dangerous ways of the Warp.

Combat Doctrine

Librarians are psychically-charged Astartes who are trained to use their abilities on the field of battle, as both weapons and as precognitive tools. The Librarians use a device known as a Psychic Hood to suppress their enemies' use of psychic powers and to augment their own.

The hood's wires tap directly into the brain and act as an extension of the wearer's consciousness, allowing him to detect nearby manipulations of the Warp and to channel them through a series of crystals designed to augment the Librarian's willpower and thus make him more resistant to an enemy psyker's manipulations of Warp energy.

When deployed, a Space Marine Librarian's psychic might exceeds even that of the Eldar Farseers in sheer brutality, though their abilities lack the sheer mental grace and accuracy that defines the fey Eldar species. Librarians wield potent Force Weapons, which are psychically-charged Power Weapons that allow the Librarian to enhance each strike with rippling psychic energy.

Appearance

Librarians Appearance

Librarians appearance, from left-to-right: Lexicanium, Codicier and Epistolary of the Ultramarines Chapter

A Librarian of a Codex Astartes-compliant Space Marine Chapter wears blue Power Armour with the Chapter badge on the left shoulder plate, while on his right he has the Horned Skull or Open Book of the Librarius -- ancient and potent icons symbolising the power and knowledge that the Librarian possesses. Most wear a white robe over their torso which typically bears a stitched symbol of their rank (usually that of a Codicier or Epistolary). He will often wear a tabard or cloak of yellow bearing a black band, which is embellished depending on his rank.

A Lexicanium's band is untouched, while a Codicier's has spikes or lightning bolts added to it, and an Epistolary has both spikes or lightning bolts and the addition of a skull placed below the band. Chief Librarians are a special case and often display symbols that reflect their own personal powers or honours dictated by their service to the Chapter.

Most Librarians carry scrolls and copies of ancient texts with them, either as badges of office or as references of wisdom. Almost all Librarians above the rank of Codicier wear Psychic Hoods, the arcane apparatuses which contain crystals that can amplify the wearer's abilities and strengthen their control over them, as well as enhance their resistance to the psychic abilities of others.

Some Librarians go to battle in Tactical Dreadnought Armour -- better known as Terminator Armour -- which is painted and decorated in the same manner as their fellows clad in normal Power Armour, and also includes a Psychic Hood. Because of the sheer size of Terminator Armour, those suits worn by Librarians are modified to carry special Warp-sensitive crystals (similar to those fixed within Psychic Hoods) inside the finger tips and palm, so that a Librarian can still use his powers while encased within the protective suit. However, a Librarian in Terminator Armour may wish to simply use his Force Staff to manage and exert his power, and wield a ranged weapon in his free hand.

Primaris Librarian

Primaris Librarian

A Primaris Space Marine Librarian of the Ultramarines Chapter in Mark X Gravis Power Armour wielding a Force Sword.

A Librarian of the Primaris Space Marines serves essentially the same function among Primaris Astartes as does his Firstborn Astartes counterpart. The only difference beyond his physical enhancements lies in his wargear, as it does for all Primaris Marines.

The Primaris Librarian blends the noble bearing of the Primaris Captain with a wealth of occult detail and baroque cybernetics indicative of a darker, more mysterious kind of warrior.

He serves as both a combat psyker and Chapter lorekeeper and is identical in function to the Firstborn Space Marine rank.

Notable Librarians

Each Chapter has a Chief Librarian, the strongest and wisest psyker in the entire Chapter. A psychically-powerful Astartes often becomes the Chief Librarian by virtue of experience or by demonstrating exceptional self-control and willpower, both vital traits for an Imperial psyker. Below are named some of the most well-known Chief Librarians of the Space Marine Chapters of the Imperium of Man.

  • Chief Librarian Tigurius - Tigurius is the Chief Librarian of the Ultramarines, a masterful telepath rumoured to be the most powerful of all known Adeptus Astartes psykers. It is said that he touched minds with the Tyranid Hive Mind and survived - a feat previously considered impossible, as the psychic weight of the Hive Mind would overload the telepath and subsume his soul. His equipment enhances the power of his psychic abilities, doubling their maximum range.
  • Chief Librarian Mephiston - Mephiston of the Blood Angels not only survived the Black Rage, but also greatly benefited from it. His gaze is so terrible even the most disciplined heroes would quiver in his line of sight, and he possesses the ability to fly with his own power. He is a close-combat-oriented Librarian, and is perhaps the greatest Space Marine swordsman in the known galaxy.
  • Grand Master Ezekiel - Ezekiel is the greatest of all Dark Angels Librarians and has the ability to traverse the minds of his enemies, predicting their moves before they even think of them. His Mind Worm psychic power can cause an opponent's brain to literally melt and the destroyed brain matter then leaks out through the ears.
  • Hestion - This Librarian of the Salamanders Chapter played a valuable part in the first major conflict between the Imperium and the Dark Eldar in the 35th Millennium. He served on the strike cruiser Forgehammer when it was crippled by Dark Eldar raiders and taken through the Webway to Commorragh. With no means to call for aid, he saved the ship's complement by sending a psychic signal to the Astropaths of the Salamanders with the stricken vessel's coordinates. During the battle that followed in the Dark City of Commorragh, Hestion smashed many Dark Eldar gunships with a psychic storm and bought time for his battle-brothers to destroy the gravitic salvage spars holding the Strike Cruiser in captivity, allowing the Forgehammer to fly free again.
  • Rune Priest Njal Stormcaller - While not officially a Librarian, Njal Stormcaller serves the Space Wolves ]]Chapter\\ as their most senior Rune Priest, the non-standard Chapter's closest equivalent. Njal earned his surname for his ability to summon potent storms through the power of his mind and the observation of the most ancient of Fenrisian shamanistic rituals.
  • Chief Librarian Jonah Orion - Jonah Orion is a powerful psyker who served as a Librarian of the Blood Ravens Chapter under Captain Gabriel Angelos, Commander of the Watch and leader of the Blood Ravens' 3rd Company, since the Tartarus campaign. During the First Aurelian Crusade, he was one of the Chapter's Librarians tasked with battling against the Tyranid Hive Mind of the encroaching splinter fleet of Hive Fleet Leviathan who had entered Sub-sector Aurelia intent on devouring all of its worlds. This bought time for Captain Gabriel and his Company to make their way towards Aurelia. While traveling through the Warp, Jonah would end up being the sole survivor of the dozen Librarians, Navigators and Astropaths accompanying Captain Angelos. Following this ordeal, Jonah's powerful psychic abilities would play an instrumental role in rooting out several pockets of Tyranid bioforms left over from the original invasion over the following year. Jonah fought against his Chaos-corrupted, daemonically-ascended Chapter Master, Azariah Kyras, upon the Dead World of Cyrene, and was thought to have been mortally wounded during the final push to Kyras' position. Miraculously, Jonah survived his grievous wounds. Understanding the gravity of Jonah's sacrifices for the Chapter and his undeniable role in their victory against the Arch-Traitor Azariah Kyras, the newly-appointed Chapter Master Gabriel Angelos promoted Jonah to the rank of Chief Librarian.
  • Ahriman - Although not a Librarian of the Loyalist Chapters, the Chaos Sorcerer Ahriman had been the Chief Librarian of the Thousand Sons Legion during the Great Crusade and was infamous for his journeys throughout the galaxy, ransacking vaults and looting any Chaos or sorcerous artefacts he could get his hands on that would increase his own power or knowledge of the arcane. This caused many custodians of such artefacts, including several Space Marine Chapters, a great deal of paranoia and has resulted in the preemptive destruction of many artefacts to keep them out of Ahriman's hands. Ahriman is also responsible for turning the entire Thousand Sons Traitor Legion into mindless automata whose souls have been fused with their Power Armour through the use of the infamous spell known as the Rubric of Ahriman.
  • Sarpedon - Sarpedon was the Chief Librarian and later, Chapter Master, of the Soul Drinkers, a Renegade Chapter of Space Marines that is currently considered Excommunicate Traitoris by the High Lords of Terra. Sarpedon possesses the unique psychic power known as The Hell that allows him to psychically enter and then project his opponents' greatest fears along with a recent physical mutation giving him extra appendages, manifesting in the form of chitinous spider legs which were unwillingly bestowed upon him by the Tzeentchian Daemon Prince Abraxes.
  • Israfael - Israfael was a Chief Librarian of the Dark Angels Legion during the Great Crusade. He recognised Zahariel's latent psyker abilities during a competition with his cousin. He also vouched for Zahariel after he stopped an assassination attempt on the Emperor. Like many other Dark Angels, Israfael was sent back to Caliban after the short fighting on Sarosh.
  • Elikas - Elikas was a Chief Librarian of the Dark Angels Legion during the Great Crusade. He voted in favor of keeping the Legion Librarius in existence during the Council of Nikaea.
  • Targutai Yesugei - Targutai Yesugei was the chief Stormseer of the White Scars Legion during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy. Targutai had fought alongside Jaghatai Khan since their youth on Chogoris. Yesugei was known for his close relationship to the Khan, serving as his chief adviser and de facto executive officer within the Legion. At the Council of Nikaea, Targutai argued in favor of the responsible and limited use of Librarians and psykers in the Imperium and promised they could be a powerful weapon against the enemies of Mankind. During the Horus Heresy Yesugei remained on Chogoris while his Primarch was leading the Chondax Campaign, but sensed something was amiss as Horus' betrayal began and went to the Chogoris System to return to his side. While in the Warp on the way to Chondax, Yesugei's voidship encountered a Sons of Horus vessel which turned out to have been captured by surviving Loyalists of the Drop Site Massacre. Learning of the start of the Heresy from the Salamanders Captain Xa'ven, Yesugei and his new comrades continued on to Chondax to warn Jaghatai of Horus' treachery, facing resistance from the Word Bearers along the way. Plagued by dreams of Jaghatai's death, Yesugei and the other Loyalists eventually followed Jaghatai's trail to Prospero using Yesugei's frigate Sickle's Moon along with Traitor vessels captured along the way. Yesugei directed his small fleet against the Death Guard flagship Endurance, and were saved from destruction at the Death Guard's hands only due to the intervention of Jaghatai Khan, who managed to take command of his fleet after foiling a coup by pro-Horus conspirators led by Hasik Noyan-Khan during the Second Battle of Prospero. Four Terran years later, Yesugei was one of the few White Scars who had not lost faith in victory or become demoralised during the grueling attritional war the White Scars fought against the Traitors. Yesugei still believed that a path back to Terra could be found for his Legion. That path was eventually discovered in the form of the Dark Glass void station, which Yesugei boarded in an attempt to study. However as the Battle of Catallus raged, Veil, an agent of the Navis Nobilite who had infiltrated the White Scars fleet, managed to cause the station's destruction using Vortex charges. As the station was destroyed, Yesugei attached himself to the Dark Glass' command throne and painfully sacrificed himself to use the artefact, a twin of the Golden Throne, to open a portal into the Webway. As his body disintegrated under the strain, Yesugei sent a telepathic farewell to his closest friends -- Jaghatai Khan, Ilya Ravallion, and Revuel Arvida. The portal created into the Webway allowed the White Scars Legion fleet to reach Terra in time to play a pivotal role in the defence of the Imperial Palace during the Siege of Terra.
  • Kva - Kva, also called "He-Who-Is-Divided," was the chief Rune Priest of the Space Wolves Legion during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy. A senior memeber of his Legion, Kva served as the equerry and counselor to Leman Russ himself. During the Battle of the Alaxxes Nebula Kva could not bring the Wolf King out of his depression, and brought in Bjorn the Fell-Handed in an attempt to do what he could not. He later discovered and captured the Dark Angels infiltrator Ormand aboard the Space Wolves flagship Hrafnkel. Kva survived the combat in the Alaxxes Nebula and remained an important member of of Russ' Einherjar. He accompanied Russ back to Fenris, where he led the ritual at Syrtyr's Door that saw Russ' mind cast into the Warp to try and find a weakness against Horus. Kva, Bjorn, and 7 other Rune Priests took part in the ritual and while Russ was away, all were slain one by one by daemons. Bjorn was the only survivor, and he and Russ later found Kva's mangled body at the foot of the mountain.
  • Fel Zharost - Fel Zharost was the Chief Librarian of the Night Lords Legion during the Great Crusade. Zharost remained loyal to the Emperor unlike his fellows. It is likely that Zharost ultimately became Khyron, the Night Lord who was a founding member of the Grey Knights.
  • Vorias - Vorias was the Chief Librarian (Lectio Primus) of the World Eaters Legion during the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy. The leader of the World Eaters hated and slowly dying Librarius Division, Vorias was one of the original members of the World Eaters from Terra when they had been known as the War Hounds. As a result of this origin, his psychic nature, and not being implanted with the Butcher's Nails since this could kill psykers, Vorias was shunned by most of his comrades. During the Shadow Crusade as Angron was transformed into a Daemon Prince of Khorne by Lorgar's sorcery, Vorias attempted to "save" his Primarch but was killed by the psychic force of Angron's rage.
  • Aaroth Ptolemy - Aaroth Ptolemy was the first and greatest Chief Librarian of the Ultramarines Legion during the Great Crusade. Ptolemy was the founder of the great Library of Ptolemy on Macragge. In truth, by the late 41st Millennium, most of the details of his life were unknown to the Ultramarines of that era. For instance, he was known to have been present at the trial of Magnus the Red, likely a reference to the Council of Nikaea, but it is unknown if he was an accuser or defender.
  • Dio Promus - Dio Promus was a Chief Librarian of the Ultramarines Legion during the Great Crusade. He voted in favor of keeping a Legion Librarius during the Council of Nikaea. He was later recruited into the Knights-Errant. As a member of the Knights-Errant, Promus was tasked by Malcador the Sigillite with selecting candidates for the Titan Project, the eventual founding of the Grey Knights, and killing those who were seen as too mentally weak to serve in the new force of psychic Space Marines. Promus led a mission at the orders of Malcador to recover the psychic shards of Magnus the Red's soul. Accompanied by Yasu Nagasena and Space Wolves led by Bodvar Bjarki, their mission brought them to the worlds of Kamiti Sona, Aghoru, and finally Nikaea against the Thousand Sons Cabal of Ahriman. On Nikaea, Promus was struck down trying to fight a shard of Magnus, but Yasu Nagasena stepped in to protect him from a swarm of daemons. After the shards of Magnus merged and left for the Planet of the Sorcerers, Promus was confronted by Bjarki who learned of his past murders of Loyalist Legionaries at Malcador's direction from the daemon Fatewoven. Promus admitted the daemon's claims were true to Bjarki but refused to explain the secrets he was bound to keep. On the orders of Bjarki, Svafnir Rackwulf ended his life. Promus' friend Lemuel Gaumon then took his name as his own to honour his sacrifice.
  • Balsar Kurthuri - Balsar Kurthuri was originally a Librarian of the Raven Guard Legion during the Great Crusade. After the edicts of the Council of Nikaea forbidding the use of psykers in the Legiones Astartes, Kurthuri was forced become just another line Legionary, though he was one of the few among the Raven Guard to survive the Drop Site Massacre. Afterwards, Balsar was chosen to become his depleted Legion's Chief Librarian when his Primarch Corvus Corax reinstated the Raven Guard's Librarius to deal with the unnatural threat of the Horus Heresy. In the later years of the Heresy, Balsar's standing within the Legion would change again after a meeting with his fellow Librarian Fara Tek. Tek had returned to his Legion in the Rosario System and shared with Balsar a telepathic message he had received. Though the message was unclear, Balsar gathered from it that the Primarch Leman Russ' life was in danger. Tek could not tell Balsar where the message had come from, though he had been able to receive another message from a nearby Space Wolves Strike Cruiser that was being attacked by the Word Bearers and needed aid. Balsar immediately brought this information to Corax, who dispatched Captain Agapito Nev and the Battle Barge Providence to save the Space Wolves vessel. Agapito succeeded and brought the Strike Cruiser's commander, Rathvin, to meet with Corax. The Space Wolf informed the Raven Guard's Primarch that Leman Russ was indeed in danger, as his Legion had been cornered on the world of Yarant III by Horus' forces, who heavily outnumbered the Space Wolves. Rathvin left to join his his Legion in battle and Corax gathered his commanders and informed them the Raven Guard were going to Yarant III to aid the Space Wolves. Balsar was shocked when his Primarch informed him that he would not be joining them and that he had also been stripped of his title of Chief Librarian. Corax had once again disbanded the Raven Guard's Librarius. For reasons unknown to Balsar, Corax had grown deeply mistrustful of psykers and wanted his former Librarians to be immediately separated from his Legion and sent to Terra. Though Balsar was eventually able to convince his Primarch to let his fellow psykers remain with the Legion as long as they remained bound by the Edicts of Nikaea, the former Chief Librarian's fate was sealed. Corax commanded him to depart for Terra at once and told Balsar that when he arrived there, he was to present himself to Malcador the Sigillite. When Kurthuri arrived in the Sol System, accompanied by Captain Noriz and his Imperial Fists and Arcatus and his Custodians, the Custodian Ludivicus gave the order to hunt the Librarian down. Arcatus immediately obeyed, attacking Kurthuri on the bridge, but Noriz attempted to help him escape the vessel. Cornered by Arcatus, Noriz was killed by the Custodian, but Kurthuri was spared when he refused to use his psychic powers even to avenge the captain's death, for to do so would be to violate his oath to never use them. Kurthuri was brought before Malcador the Sigillite and presented with a suit of grey Power Armour by Umojen, himself the former Chief Librarian of the Salamanders, and became one of the Sigillite's Knights-Errant. It is possible that Balsar Kurthuri became Ogen, one of the founding members of the Grey Knights.

Wargear

Librarian Wargear

  • Bolter (as replacement for Bolt Pistol)
  • Jump Pack (if required for orbital drop or other assignment)

If serving as a Terminator, the wargear available to the Librarian changes as follows:

  • Storm Shield (if in Terminator Armour and using a melee weapon)
  • A Storm Bolter can be replaced with one of the following:

Primaris Librarian Wargear

If a Primaris Librarian is wearing Mark X Phobos Power Armour, the wargear available changes as follows:

Videos

Sources

  • Codex Adeptus Astartes - Space Marines (8th Edition), pp. 63, 143, 202
  • Codex: Space Marines (8th Edition) (Revised Codex), pp. 64, 114, 119, 187
  • Codex Adeptus Astartes - Space Marines (7th Edition), pp. 17, 27, 39, 59, 61, 117-118, 131, 254-256, 292-294
  • Codex: Space Marines (4th Edition), pg. 17
  • Codex: Space Marines (5th Edition), pp. 56-57
  • Codex: Space Marines (6th Edition), pp. 80, 165
  • Codex: Space Marines (9th Edition), pp. 110-111, 133-135
  • Codex Supplement - Angels of Death (7th Edition), pp. 106-111
  • Deathwatch: Core Rulebook (RPG), pp. 182-200
  • How To Paint Space Marines (Supplement), pg. 46
  • Index: Imperium 1 (8th Edition), pp. 14-15
  • Insignium Astartes, pg. 42
  • The Horus Heresy - Book Five: Tempest (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 99
  • Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader (1st Edition), Games Workshop, Nottingham, 1987
  • Warhammer 40,000: Index Astrates - Volume I (Digital Edition)
  • White Dwarf 326 (US), "Psykana Librarius - Space Marine Librarians in Warhammer 40,000", pp. 76-89
  • White Dwarf 258 (US), "Index Astartes: Psykana Librarius, Space Marine Librarians"
  • White Dwarf 227 (US), "Chapter Approved: Dark Angels - Ezekiel, Grand Master of Librarians", pp. 73-80
  • White Dwarf 193 (US), "Dark Saviours: Dark Angels Characters - Ezekiel, Grand Master of Librarians, Keeper of the Book of Salvation, Holder of the Keys", pp. 91-95
  • White Dwarf 166 (US), "Space Marines: Codex Imperialis - Librarians", pp. 8-19
  • White Dwarf 145 (US), "Renegade: A Five-Part Campaign for Space Crusade - Campaign Background, Librarians", pp. 10-25
  • Heroes of the Space Marines (Anthology), "Headhunted" by Steve Parker
  • Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising
  • Dawn of War II - Retribution
  • Angels of Caliban (Novel) by Gav Thorpe
  • Betrayer (Novel) by Aaron Dembski-Bowden
  • The Grey Raven (Short Story) by Gav Thorpe
  • The Path of Heaven (Novel) by Chris Wraight, Chs. 21-23
  • The Shards of Erebus (Anthology Short Story) by Guy Haley
  • A Thousand Sons (Novel) by Graham McNeill, Ch. 20
  • Wolfsbane (Novel) by Guy Haley, Ch. 14
  • Wolf King (Novella) by Chris Wraight
  • Descent of Angels (Novel) by Mitchel Scanlon
  • Scars (Novel) by Chris Wraight
  • Child of Night (Short Story) by John French
  • The Buried Dagger (Novel) by James Swallow, Ch. 7
  • The Chapter's Due (Novel) by Graham McNeill, Ch. 6, pg. 106
  • The Crimson King (Novel) by Graham McNeill, Chs. 6-7, 19-23
  • Horus Heresy (Collectible Card Game), Quor Vondar card
  • The Grey Raven (Short Story) by Gav Thorpe
  • Corax (Anthology) by Gav Thorpe, "Weregeld" (Short Story), Chs. 2-3
  • Warhammer Community - Warhammer 40,000: Leviathan – What's In The Box?
Primaris Space Marine Forces
Command Primaris CaptainPrimaris LieutenantVanguard LieutenantPrimaris Ancient
Specialists Primaris Apothecary (Helix AdeptApothecary Biologis) • Primaris LibrarianVanguard LibrarianPrimaris Chaplain (Judiciar) • Primaris Techmarine
Veterans Bladeguard VeteranVeteranVeteran IntercessorVeteran Assault IntercessorSternguard VeteranTerminator (Assault Terminator)
Battleline Intercessor (Heavy Intercessor) • Vanguard Infiltrator
Close Support InceptorReiverIncursorAssault IntercessorJump Pack IntercessorOutrider
Fire Support AggressorDesolation SquadEradicatorHellblasterVanguard EliminatorVanguard SuppressorInfernus SquadFirestrike Servo-turretHammerfall Bunker
Combat Walkers and Vehicles AstraeusRedemptor Dreadnought (Brutalis DreadnoughtBallistus Dreadnought) • RepulsorRepulsor ExecutionerImpulsorGladiator (Gladiator ReaperGladiator ValiantGladiator Lancer) • Raider Pattern Combat BikeInvader ATVInvictor Tactical WarsuitStorm Speeder (Storm Speeder HailstrikeStorm Speeder HammerstrikeStorm Speeder Thunderstrike)
Aircraft OverlordDrop Pod
Space Marine Forces
Chapter Command Chapter MasterMaster of the KeepMaster of SanctityChief LibrarianMaster of the ApothecarionMaster of the ForgeMaster of the WatchMaster of the FleetMaster of the ArsenalMaster of the MarchesMaster of the RitesMaster of RelicsChief VictuallerLord ExecutionerMaster of RecruitsMaster of ReconnaissanceMaster of the SignalChapter AncientPrimaris AncientChapter ChampionHonour Guard
Company Command Command SquadReclusiam Command SquadCaptainPrimaris CaptainLieutenantPrimaris LieutenantCompany AncientCompany Champion
Specialists Librarian (EpistolaryCodicierLexicaniumPrimaris LibrarianVanguard Librarian) • Chaplain (ReclusiarchPrimaris ChaplainJudiciar) • Apothecary (Primaris ApothecaryApothecary BiologisHelix Adept) • Techmarine
Veteran Squads Veteran Marines (Sternguard VeteranVanguard VeteranVeteran IntercessorVeteran Assault IntercessorBladeguard Veteran) • Terminator SquadTerminator Assault Squad
Battleline Squads Tactical SquadIntercessor Squad (Heavy Intercessor Squad) • Infiltrator Squad
Close Support Squads Assault SquadAssault Intercessor SquadJump Pack Intercessor SquadInceptor SquadReiver SquadIncursor SquadSuppressor SquadBike SquadOutrider SquadCenturion Assault Squad
Fire Support Squads Aggressor SquadDesolation SquadDevastator SquadHellblaster SquadEradicator SquadEliminator SquadInfernus SquadCenturion Devastator Squad
Neophyte Squads Scout SquadScout Bike Squad
Light Vehicles Assault BikeAttack BikeScout BikeRaider Pattern Combat BikeInvader ATVLand Speeder (Land Speeder StormLand Speeder TempestLand Speeder TornadoLand Speeder TyphoonLand Speeder VengeanceLand Speeder ProteusDarkshroud) • Storm Speeder (Storm Speeder HailstrikeStorm Speeder HammerstrikeStorm Speeder Thunderstrike)
Combat Walkers Dreadnought (Castraferrum DreadnoughtSiege DreadnoughtHellfire DreadnoughtIronclad DreadnoughtVenerable DreadnoughtMortis DreadnoughtChaplain DreadnoughtLibrarian DreadnoughtFurioso DreadnoughtDeath Company DreadnoughtRedemptor Dreadnought (Brutalis DreadnoughtBallistus Dreadnought) • Wulfen DreadnoughtDoomglaive Dreadnought) • Nemesis DreadknightInvictor Tactical Warsuit
Armoured Personnel Carriers RhinoRazorbackDamocles Command RhinoRhino PrimarisRhino AdvancerImpulsor
Main Battle Tanks Predator Destructor (Predator AnnihilatorBaal Predator) • Land Raider (Land Raider PhobosLand Raider CrusaderLand Raider RedeemerLand Raider AchillesLand Raider PrometheusLand Raider Terminus UltraLand Raider AresLand Raider ExcelsiorLand Raider Wrath of MjalnarLand Raider Angel InfernusLand Raider Solemnus AggressorLand Raider Anvilarum) • Deimos Vindicator Laser DestroyerRepulsorRepulsor ExecutionerGladiator (Gladiator ReaperGladiator ValiantGladiator Lancer) • Astraeus
Artillery WhirlwindVindicatorStalkerHunterWhirlwind HyperiosLand Raider HeliosThunderfire CannonFirestrike Servo-turret
Aircraft/Air-Deployed StormtalonThunderhawkThunderhawk TransporterShadowhawkStormravenStorm EagleFire RaptorStormhawk InterceptorCaestus Assault RamDark TalonNephilim JetfighterStormfangStormwolfCorvus BlackstarOverlordDrop PodHammerfall Bunker
Rare, Relic or Retired Vehicles Contemptor Pattern DreadnoughtDeredeo Pattern DreadnoughtCerberus Heavy Tank DestroyerLeviathan DreadnoughtJavelin Attack SpeederJetbikeDeimos PredatorDeimos RhinoSabre Tank HunterLand Raider ProteusKratos Heavy Assault TankMark IIb Land Raider PhobosMalcador Assault Tank (Malcador Annihilator) • Sicaran Battle TankSicaran VenatorSicaran Punisher Assault TankSicaran Arcus Strike TankSicaran Omega Tank DestroyerSpartan Assault TankTyphon Heavy Siege TankFellbladeFalchionMastodonDeimos Whirlwind ScorpiusXiphon Pattern InterceptorStormbirdKharybdis Assault Claw
Raven Rock Videos
Warhammer 40,000 Overview Grim Dark Lore Teaser TrailerPart 1: ExodusPart 2: The Golden AgePart 3: Old NightPart 4: Rise of the EmperorPart 5: UnityPart 6: Lords of MarsPart 7: The Machine GodPart 8: ImperiumPart 9: The Fall of the AeldariPart 10: Gods and DaemonsPart 11: Great Crusade BeginsPart 12: The Son of StrifePart 13: Lost and FoundPart 14: A Thousand SonsPart 15: Bearer of the WordPart 16: The Perfect CityPart 17: Triumph at UllanorPart 18: Return to TerraPart 19: Council of NikaeaPart 20: Serpent in the GardenPart 21: Horus FallingPart 22: TraitorsPart 23: Folly of MagnusPart 24: Dark GambitsPart 25: HeresyPart 26: Flight of the EisensteinPart 27: MassacrePart 28: Requiem for a DreamPart 29: The SiegePart 30: Imperium InvictusPart 31: The Age of RebirthPart 32: The Rise of AbaddonPart 33: Saints and BeastsPart 34: InterregnumPart 35: Age of ApostasyPart 36: The Great DevourerPart 37: The Time of EndingPart 38: The 13th Black CrusadePart 39: ResurrectionPart 40: Indomitus
Advertisement