Roles of the Primarchs | Warhammer Lore

One of the things I love discussing about Primarchs is their intended purpose, of course, they were great warriors and leaders but what else was their intended role to be once the Imperium had conquered the Galaxy?

Background music by Legio Symphonica:

00:00 Intro
00:32 Lion El'Johnson
02:54 Second Primarch
03:23 Fulgrim
04:53 Perturabo
06:34 Khan
07:26 Leman Russ
08:42 Rogal Dorn
09:50 Curze
11:46 Sanguinius
13:25 Ferrus Manus
14:34 Eleveneeth Primarch
14:51 Angron
15:51 Roboute
16:64 Mortarion
17:52 Magnus the Red
19:23 Horus
20:34 Lorgar
21:32 Vulkan
22:58 Corax
23:45 Alpharius/Omegon
24:38 Outro

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[ChapterMasterValrak]

What role did you favourite Primarch have?

[Glumnut]

I always thought Angron with his ability to absorb the pain of others was intended to ironically be the Peacekeeper of the Primarchs, which is why his sons upon seeing him suffer with the Butcher's Nails took them on themselves to try and share in his pain. With his power and a decent upbringing he would have had the deepest insights into the pain/plights/burdens of those he took the pain from, able to mediate grievances be it Primarchs or between Planets/Systems in the Imperium to see the others view and help verbalise their emotions/pain as he would have felt what they feel.

[agentcoriolis]

I heard that Angron’s thing was to be the peacemaker, he apparently had an empathic ability to calm the emotions of those around him. That fact alone if true makes his current form even more tragic.

[stevenlawson]

If you take out the way the world they grew up on shaped them and go with solely their abilities -

I - The Lion - General to the imperium, given weapons to protect from within as well as without

III - Fulgrim - to bring balance and overall better quality to the imperium's populace

IV - Pertuabo - with the knowledge to build almost everything imaginable his skills twinned with Vulkan would make anything anyone needed to live incredible lives as well as protect against anything

V - Jaghati - a rogue trader type role, ranging out further and further seeking all that could be found whilst protecting and warning against any treats from beyond

VI - Russ - executioner, not really any extra to say lol

VII - Dorn - the one to protect the imperium through design

VIII - Konrad - remove his upbringing and you have a flawed Seer of fates, twinned with Sanguinius together they would of foreseen any coming threat and been able to allow the others to act accordingly

IX - Sanguinius - a symbol of the imperium's ideals as well as a fate-seer, also being a perfect back up to if Horus or the Lion were lost

X - Ferrus - the midpoint between technology and man, there to push the belief in the machine God to eventual extinction and unit humanity with technology in a way not seen since before the men of Iron caused it's destruction

XII - Angron - the healer of the populace. If his empathic abilities were ever allowed to develop in his sons, fear could almost become a thing of the past

XIII - Guilliman - the statesman and the galactic logistical overseer removing the flawed and tragically slow nature of the administratum

IXV - Mortarian - the being capable of going anywhere, a warrior to be welded by Horus and The Lion to bolster any line and take on situations even too hazardous for other forces.

XV - Magnus - the maintainer of the Webway but also his sons becoming tutors to individual world's bringing enlightenment and removing all sources of things too dangerous to know ( and yes Magnus did wrong)

XVI - Horus - to unify the imperium and take overall command, no real changes

XVII - Lorgar - the great Iterator, keeping the secular Vision on point (may of course done this too well)

XVIII - Vulkan - the builder of the weapons and tools envisioned by Pertuabo and used to aid Ferrus in recreating humanities Golden Age but also keeping the Dark age tech weapons running for the Lion to defend from outside threats

IXX - Corax - the assassin, more the unseen versions of what Konrad's legion became removing threats from within the imperium

XX - The Twins - the information network, very much like Inquisitor Cortez's current structure but on a galactic scale

That's my view anyway

[Eta_Carinae__]

I saw a neat theory posted ages ago about Perty's role being essentially to be the Master of Mars. His totalising intellect and drive to pursue knowledge would earn their respect, but more importantly his militant atheism and his tyrannical disposition would serve to stamp out worship of the omnissiah. I think it would be pretty amusing if Perty and Dorn were planetary neighbours in their ultimate purpose.

[Writh]

I have a bit of a different take on the Primarch's roles in my mind. In a version of 40k where the Primarch's didn't get scattered and there was none who betrayed I see it as follows:
The Lion was intended to be the Warmaster. Fulgrim was meant to guide humanity culturally, nurture the creation of art and music. Perturabo was meant to constantly be improving Imperium infrastructure and as well as civilian and municipal buildings. The Khan is meant to be a vanguard that lives at the edge of the Imperium and ventures beyond to find new territory. Leman Russ was meant to be the internal military response to insurrection, a military police. Dorn was meant to build the larger military structure or building that are fortresses in their own right. Curze was meant to deal with civil law enforcement (S.W.A.T.) Sanguinius was meant to be a figure head as I imagine the Emperor likely planned to vanish back into obscurity once things were done. Ferrus, I imagine the Emperor planned have him eventually sees control of Mars to bring it properly under the Imperium from their he would be charged with advancing Imperium tech. Angron, unbutchered was an empath and could take the pain of others onto himself. He was either a diplomat, able to empathically guide negotiations by knowing how the other party is feeling. Or the Emperor was really informed on mental illness and breakdown and Angron and his legion were meant to council the population to keep them happy. Roboute is obviously meant to be in charge of logistics. Mortarion, I guess I agree with Valrak on this one as I can't think of anything else. That and more over the Emperor did seem to be trying to move to a non-psyker human race. Magnus was suppose to power the webway. Horus was likely meant to just be secondary General that could support the Warmaster. Lorgar was suppose to spread the Imperial Truth. Vulkan though he has skills at making weapons his instincts are more to the protection of humanity. For this reason, more than forging, Vulkan is humanitary crisis response. Example: a flood, Vulkan and the Salamanders would go in to rescue the people still stuck on their rooves, stuff like that. Corax I don't know enough about him, honestly his power makes him seem like the Emperor's personal assassin. Alpharius and Omegon are meant to run the Imperium espionage apparatus.
If you read all that let me know what you think.

[EOMEGArobot]

I think while Dorn was the architect of fortresses, Perturabo could have been the architect of infrastructure. If left to his own devices the lord of iron could produce the most efficient factorums, the cleanest sewage recycling and the most beautiful cultural landmarks. In several of the Primarch novels its mentioned how he designed amphitheatres, recycling plants and building not meant for war but to improve the lives of those in the imperium. In a setting where the emperor was not the monstrous ruler of one of the most repressive regimes of all time I think Perturabo would have been the builder of the people.

[WR]

Fulgrim turned Chemos from a dystopian nightmare to somewhere people would genuinely want to live, I suspect the Emperor would have wanted him to oversee developmental/renewal projects on compliant worlds post-Crusade.

[thlegion]

Jaghatai Khan was an Outrider who took the fight to the enemy and was also the one who called out the Emperor for his faults. I say that as the Emperor didn't want to deal with him as the Khan wasn't afraid to call out the Emperor for his hypocrisy and double standards. As the Khan said, "You can't build an Empire on a lie."

[roguehart]

My list
The Lion: Imperial grand Marshal
Fulgrim: Imperial ambassador and minister of culture
Perturabo: Imperial minister of Finance. Numerous references to how he calculated how much losses achieving an objective would cause and judging it's viability.
The Khan: Minister of intergalactic exploration
Russ: Imperial Counter-revolutionary forces. (Possibly Chief party organizer)
Dorn: Minister of infrastructure and development
Konrad: Supreme imperial Judge
Sanguinius: Imperial Herald, to bring the emperors decrees to the far reaches of the imperium.
Ferrus: Integration liason to the Mechanicum
Angron: Minister of wellfare. (Remember Angron was ready to die with his people and not being allowed to do so was a big reason he betrayed the emperor)
Roboute: Lord of the administratum
Mortarion: Imperial minister of health
Magnus: Communications minister
Horus: Imperial Castellan acting as regent basically.
Lorgar: Imperial historator and custodian of the imperial truth
Vulcan: Master Armorer of the imperium responsible for taking care of and issuing the most destructive weapons the imperium has
Corax: Head of Biological research
Alpharius/Omegon: Counterintelligence

[LCliffhanger]

I think theres more to say that the Lion and the 1st were the real executioners, mainly because of the quote from Lion's Primarch book about the purpose of the 1st Legion, "where the space wolves were a threat, the 1st was the solution." as the emperor lays out the Lions purpose, the Lion is meant to destroy the greatest threats to the Imperium so completely, that none will even know or remember they existed, as many of the 1st Legions operations are secret, and the most dangerous threats the 1st handles and exterminated, have almost no information about them, the 1st Legion are the Exterminators, their literally the Imperiums Black Ink, so given that the Lost Primarchs have no real record of their existence, it falls in line quite well with the purpose of the First, also Leman wouldnt be able to execute the Lion, Leman could handle most Primarchs as he's easily in the top 3 or so Primarchs when it comes to combat but I think Lion rests safely at 1st Place (which is fitting for the 1st Primarch) also the Lion is kind of a big brother in many ways to the other Primarchs, even Guilliman describes him as "my big brother" once and while not first found, he would be the first born by all acounts, certainly the first created.

[rycolligan]

Perturabo could see the Eye of Terror in his mind because it is a flaw/weakness in reality, and his job is to fix it. I think his genius for devices is intended to help him understand things like the Necron black stone technology to seal off the warp. Perturabo is so good at destroying things because he understands exactly how they work, and where their weaknesses are, which is the same reason why he is so great at building things.

[kennethmacgregor-Gregorach]

Rogal Dorn's role was to recreate the look of Philip Scholfield. What if, just what if Alpharius/Omegon, weren't twin primarchs.. there was only Alpharius, but with his nature of misdirection he created the role of "the other" to confuse everyone.

[Tenetur]

Now, I completely agree with what you said about Perturabo - I totally want to see him create things, beautiful, innovative things, easing the struggles of mankind like the engineer he is.

...but a part of me want to see the relentless commander that Perturabo became, but loyalist! Imagine him commanding his Iron Warriors AND the Death Corps of Krieg! A match made in heaven, for sure!

[sugarcombfilms]

The Emperor himself told the Lion that while Leman was his Executioner, used to make examples of the Emperor's enemies, the Lion was his Exterminator, used to entirely wipe the Emperor's enemies from history. The Lion and his legion handled the foes so great, terrifying, or memetic that they didn't even deserve the stories of the Imperium conquering them.

[mangogoat]

With the lion being given such nasty weaponry, his involvement in the Rangdan Xenocides, the way he cleansed Caliban of monsters, the way he went straight to exterminated the wayward sons of the Fallen... he was the Emperor's exterminator, wiping his foes off the face of the universe

[haleonnovarider]

Sanguinius was a perfect balance of almost every aspect of humanity's goals as a species. He was universally respected by his brothers and was one of the few who had no ambitions beyond being who he was and being a loving and dedicated son and brother, while also having superior combat prowess (even among primarchs), and being psychically gifted, all the while having to fight a dark hunger that gives him feats of restraint and discipline that are unequalled anywhere in the other primarchs. I would say that you are pretty spot on with him being intended to be the heir of the throne. He has the perfect balance of the humors of his brothers, and is uniquely positioned to as he says stay above (Physically) everyone else. He was also uniquely one of, if not the only Primarch, that Russ was concerned about being able to take one 1 v 1, and with that being the case, he is in a position to use his brothers gifts in the intended way they were created, without having to contend with the natural competition that was bred into them all (Especially Russ/ The Lion). He could sit in the position of authority like he did in Imperium Secondus with Guilliman acting as Malcador and the remainder of the Primarchs in their positions helping the Imperium function of the immense level intended.

[Fordo]

My views?
The Lion: The Emperor's go to guy for getting anything done with absolute certainty it would be done with no questions, no hesitation, no talking about it afterwards, and no failure doing it.

Fulgrim: The guy who would take the brutal-utilitarian Imperium and give it art and beauty. The guy who would perfect every part of every process to make everything as efficient as it could be so the Imperium's time is well spent and no one wastes their time. Then the citizenry could focus on education and art themselves and start creating a new golden age of thinkers and philosophers and artists.

Perturabo: The guy who breaks down the toughest and most defended worlds and systems that require them to be destroyed and leveled... and then rebuilds them even better, with more artistry, efficiency, etc... And also generally focuses on offensive war and siege warfare and building fortresses and buildings with an offensive focussed mindset. Rebuild better, and keep moving to the next planet to do the same

Khan: Basically the same. The scout and early warning sign. The guy who would detect massive new threats and slow them down until the Imperium could mobilize to face it. Always mostly off the leash and doing his own thing, weakening the Imperium's enemies and sowing chaos amongst it's rivals.

Leman: The same as the Lion but public. The Emperor sends the Lion when he wants something done quietly. He sends Leman when he wants the WHOLE GALAXY to know.

Rogal Dorne: Kind of the same as Perturabo but while Perturabo is focused on offensive war, Rogal Dorne is focused on the defense. Rogal is sent to make sure any important world is secured and un-conquerable. Rogal is the guy who manages to make the ultimate defense still look beautiful and artistic, but sacrifice none of the defense to it.

Konrad: The Inquisition. Konrad was the guy who would make sure everyone in the Imperium stayed loyal and true to the Emperor. He'd hunt down traitors and make examples of them. He'd hunt down the corrupt and make examples of them. He'd be the Inquisition and the Arbites all in one. He'd see the future and know the future of those he hunts to know when to just scare them straight and when to kill and make examples of.

Sanguinius: The paragon, the one everyone wants to be and looks up to. The guy who could turn some of the most evil and terrifying people into noble heroes. He's proof that no matter what you or someone is now... with the right leadership and example anyone could turn around and become a noble hero.

Ferrus: I see him as a mix of Perturabo, Fulgrim, and Rogal. But focused far more on machines and technology. Ferrus is the bridge between he Imperium and the Mechanicum. he and his legion are supposed to be the ones who work closest with the mechanicum and share the same interest in technology. Ideally Ferrus would help turn the Mechanicum more in line to what the Emperor wanted, seeing humanity as just as good as machines if not better. And also he, Fulgrim, Rogal, and Perturabo are the 4 of them a backup if the mechanicum doesn't play ball, 4 people who can innovate and invent and create their own tech.

Angron: The Empath, the counselor. He's the guy who keeps the Primarch's happy and well psychologically. he's the one who see's bitterness, jealously, distrust, etc... in his brothers and helps alleviate them. He's the one who takes the pain away from his sons and his brother's sons, when the Astartes have done too much war and it starts to affect them, he takes that pain away so they can go back to war.

Gulliman: The administrator. The logistics guy. The guy who does all the work that isn't glorious or exciting.

Mortarion: The guy the Death Korps of Krieg would want as their Primarch. The guy who could fight on the worst types of worlds and fight in the worst conditions and still win. Endurance to all those awful effects, natural, radioactive, poison, warp, chaos, etc... he's the guy the Emperor can send into anything and know he'll win or hold the line when no one else could.

Magnus: The psyker focused on. The guy who would sit on the golden throne and control the webway. The advocate for psykers.

Horus: The diplomat, the leader. Someone who could be both warmaster and diplomat, someone who could make deals with Xenos. Someone the Emperor could trust to make the decisions he would make. Someone who could lead his brothers and not create jealousy.

Lorgar: The Missionary for the Imperium. The spokesman, the greatest orator for the vision of the galaxy the Emperor wanted. A person who cared that the people believed in the Imperium, not just obeyed the Emperor, but LOVED the Imperium and the ideals of the Imperium. Someone who could speak and some Imperial Citizen living the most brutal, tiring, thankless job... would see how what they are doing is worth it and part of the Imperium and that dream and be able to work with renewed joy.

Vulkan: The guy who cares about the people of the Imperium, the guy who cares for everyday people and puts them before all. Someone who doesn't lose sight of the common people against the greater good. Vulkan is given the Endgame weapon because he'd ONLY use it when needed given his car for the people.

Corax: The spec-ops of the Imperium. The special forces, the guys who sneak in and out, take out targets, plant bombs, etc...

Alpharius-Omegon: The intelligence aspect of war and peace, fighting without fighting. Spies, espionage, creating networks, etc...

Obviously some overlap, which I think is intentional. If one were to fall, others could still fulfill some of that role, but not as good.

[squidly]

Angron had the ability to heal people before the nails if memory serves. I believe his role was to be the mercy of the imperium.

[ozzinoodles]

Angron was an empath who was destroyed by the nails. There is a short story where he takes away the pain of his fellow gladiators so they could sleep.
Also, perty was the emperors architect. He would design grand palaces etc. The council of nikea chambers were his design built by the mechanicum.