Black armour, white tabards and crusader zeal: the Black Templars are one of the most striking Space Marine Chapters. This guide answers one question: who are the Black Templars, and why are they always on crusade?
The short answer
The Black Templars are a Space Marine Chapter created from the Imperial Fists after the Horus Heresy. Their founder, Sigismund, swore a crusade that would never end, and every leader since has renewed that oath. More than ten thousand years later, the Chapter is still fighting it.
Sigismund, the first Champion
During the Horus Heresy, Sigismund was First Captain of the Imperial Fists Legion and right-hand man to his Primarch, Rogal Dorn. When the traitors besieged the Imperial Palace on Terra, Dorn named Sigismund the first Emperor's Champion. He was given the finest weapons and armour and swore to challenge the champions of Chaos, and he triumphed over every one he faced.
The Second Founding and the eternal crusade
After the Heresy, the great Legions were broken into smaller Chapters. Sigismund led the most zealous Imperial Fists into a new Chapter, the Black Templars, and became its first High Marshal. His personal black-and-white heraldry became the Chapter's colours.
The Imperial Fists were under suspicion at the time because they had resisted the break-up of the Legions. Sigismund believed only an act of supreme faith could prove their loyalty, so he vowed never to stop fighting the Emperor's enemies. He was eventually slain by Abaddon during the First Black Crusade, but every High Marshal since has renewed his oath. The current High Marshal is Helbrecht.
How the Black Templars differ from other Chapters
- No home world: the Chapter is fleet-based. Its spiritual heart is the High Marshal's battle barge, the Eternal Crusader, which holds its most sacred relics.
- Crusades, not companies: rather than ten neat companies, the Black Templars split into crusading forces led by Marshals, spread across the galaxy.
- Bigger than the rules allow: sources disagree on their exact size, but they are generally thought to have more warriors than the thousand-strong limit most Chapters follow.
- Faith above all: they revere the Emperor as a god and loathe psykers and witches.
- Close combat: they favour charging into the enemy with blades and bolters, shouting their battle cry: "No Pity! No Remorse! No Fear!"
The Emperor's Champion
The Black Templars keep Sigismund's role alive. On the eve of battle, the brothers meditate, and one of them may receive a vision of the Emperor. If the Chaplain accepts his confession, that warrior is anointed as the Emperor's Champion and given the Black Sword and the Armour of Faith. His task is to find the enemy's leaders and defeat them in single combat. By tradition there is one Champion for the whole Chapter, but in practice each crusade usually has its own.
Before battle the Champion leads the brothers in renewing one of their four vows:
- Suffer Not the Unclean to Live
- Uphold the Honour of the Emperor
- Abhor the Witch, Destroy the Witch
- Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds
Painting the Black Templars
Lexicanum lists the Chapter colours as black with white shoulder pads. Their models are also covered in tabards, purity seals and crusader iconography, which gives you lots to paint. Here is a simple, generic recipe:
| Area | Base | Shade | Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black armour | Black | Black or very dark blue wash for depth | Dark grey edges, then a finer light grey on the sharpest corners |
| White shoulder pads and tabards | Off-white or light grey | Soft grey or brown wash in recesses | Pure white on raised areas |
| Parchment and purity seals | Pale bone or cream | Brown wash | Off-white highlight; red wax seals |
| Metal and gold trim | Silver or gold | Brown or black wash | Brighter metal on edges |
| Crosses and icons | White on black, or black on white | Thinned grey to soften edges | Clean white or black line to tidy up |
The crusader crosses and heraldry on tabards and banners are perfect for practising freehand. Our guide to painting freehand banners covers simple techniques for getting clean shapes.
Black Templars and the Imperial Fists
Although they share gene-seed and a common ancestor, the two Chapters feel very different. The Imperial Fists are disciplined defenders who follow much of the Codex; the Black Templars are zealous, fleet-based crusaders who ignore it when it suits them. To see how other Chapters compare, read our guide to Space Marine Chapters.
Common beginner questions
Are the Black Templars Codex-compliant?
Not really. They keep the core of Space Marine organisation but run themselves as crusades, and they are generally believed to be larger than the Codex allows.
Who killed Sigismund?
According to the background, Abaddon slew him during the First Black Crusade.
Do the Black Templars use psykers?
No. They abhor witches, which is why they have no Librarians, unlike most Chapters.
Quick summary
- The Black Templars are a Second Founding successor of the Imperial Fists, founded by Sigismund.
- Their crusade has never ended, and every High Marshal renews Sigismund's oath.
- Black armour, white shoulder pads and crusader iconography define their look.
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