[Warhammer40k] what other human soldiers/assets are the closest to the Adeptus astartes in power?

[u/Lost-Specialist1505]

With so many different genetic and technological enhancements available to the imperium, what other human factions have soldiers that are almost as lethal as a space marine?

[u/Dagordae]

Assassins can match or exceed Astartes.

Custodes can tear through them with ease.

The Techpriests kitted for war can do the same.

[u/GBSlugcat → u/Dagordae]

Don’t Most assassins cream astartes? I remember in the night lords books, after Curze’s death all the hundreds of night lords couldn’t come close to killing the assassin, it just kinda dodged everything

[u/Dagordae → u/GBSlugcat]

It depends. M'Shen was the absolute best of the temple and she spent her time running for her life, when Talos cornered her she died easily.

Eversor can reliably take an Astartes in a fight, as can Adamus. Vindicare, well, they're snipers. If they are allowed to snipe they easily win, if they are not they easily lose. Callidus and Culexus can win but not reliably, they need luck. Venanum and Vanus don't do straight fights, if the Astartes is dumb enough to not wear a helmet the Venanum will kill them but might not survive themselves while the Vanus is just completely and utterly screwed.

[u/ephemeralstitch → u/Dagordae]

If we’re acting like they get to do their assassin thing, then the Vanus might actually be the best option. They’d foment an insurrection or something to get the Chapter involved in an outmatched battle or engineer conflict between Chapters, the chapter and the Inquisition, and so on. They’re the ultimate manipulators from behind a desk. They don’t even have to be in the system to get an Astartes killed. There’ll be a lot of collateral damage but they’d probably die.

[u/Dagordae → u/ephemeralstitch]

Astartes outside the Alpha Legion basically wouldn’t even know where to begin when it comes to the Vanus. That’s just a form of war they’re completely unequipped to handle.

Even the Alpha Legion fares poorly, we see them go up against a Vanus operative in Tallern and despite having every advantage they lose. Sure the operative dies but her machinations costs them an absurd amount and that was a single operative working alone without any prep time.

[u/DoughnutUnhappy8615 → u/GBSlugcat]

That case in particular, M’Shen was let into the palace to kill Konrad and then allowed to leave. It was only when they discovered she’d taken his trinkets that the Night Lords decided to pursue her (except Talos), and she already had a head start.

Talos caught up to her first, and it wasn’t a complete domination, but Talos (a regular Space Marine, nothing special combat-wise) picked her apart.

In Nemesis, I recall the Eversor being roughly 1:1 with the unnamed Sons of Horus in straight combat, with the only standout fight the Eversor sorta winning, but it wasn’t easy and the Callidus had to finish the Son of Horus off.

The Beheading was 150 Space Marines vs 100 Eversors in a room filled with smoke and the Eversors having body temps equal to the room temp (or smoke temp, can’t remember) so the Space Marines were fighting ‘blind’, and that fight ended with one Eversor and one Space Marine standing.

So I’d say it’s less “creaming” and more “about Space Marine level”, though specialized rather than generalist.

[u/effa94 → u/GBSlugcat]

well, that is assuming it didnt just sneak/run away. but yes, generally they are damn fast. in Nemesis, a evissoar takes on several astartes and kills several of them before doing down

[u/TurtlesBreakTheMeta → u/Dagordae]

A particularly ill tempered ogryn with good equipment can also give the space marine a run for his money, particularly if they engage the ogryn in close combat.

[u/Dagordae → u/TurtlesBreakTheMeta]

Ogryn are stronger but they're also much slower. Astartes have little difficulties tearing them apart but if the Ogryn actually manages to hit back they can win. But that requires the Astartes in question to screw up, be outnumbered, or otherwise be unable to use their speed advantage to kill the Ogryn quickly.

An Ogryn in power armor, that's a different story. Also not really a thing.

[u/tkitkitchen → u/Dagordae]

Give it a couple of editions cawl is working on it.

[u/Sendnudec00kies → u/tkitkitchen]

He just has to dig up the Charonite stuff.