Warhammer 40,000 Homebrew Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Machina Opus Techmarine2

This page, Warhammer 40K Homebrew Wiki:Canon Policy is part of the Wiki's Rules and Guidelines

Please ensure that you read these articles BEFORE you commence with creating articles, ignorance of these rules and guidelines will not be considered a defence.



The goal of this wiki is to serve as a repository for high quality homebrewed content, with the goal that content therein is indistinguishable (if not superior to) the content that can be found on the canon wikis. In other words, homebrews could be lifted out and slotted into canon with zero issues. To that end, we operate on a series of enforced quality control policies, in order to preserve the integrity of the site and its users. These rules and guidelines will help steer you towards our goal.
Note that it is unlikely that you will be banned for breaking most of these policies (except in cases of extremely numerous repeat offenses); however, articles and stories that do not meet the requirements laid out here will be tagged, and their authors will be expected to fix the issues. The primary purpose of this page is to establish the wiki's policy on canon friendliness.

If you have any further questions regarding the following policy or something not discussed herein, you may contact one of the Admins/Mods through Discord (preferably) or the Wiki’s Talk Pages. Our Discord server also contains channels specifically for the discussion of canon and NCF issues, where you can brainstorm your lore ideas prior to writing.

Canon Friendliness

In order to facilitate the aim laid out above, works submitted to this site must not conflict with the official Warhammer 40,000 canon, unless they are specified to be part of an alternate universe (see the "Alternate Universes" section below) or a purposeful expansion of a canon faction (see the "Expanded Universes" section below). Works deemed to violate this canon will be tagged as "Non-Canon Friendly", or "NCF" for short. Authors will have to address these tags or risk the removal of their content.

Note: The examples of NCF content detailed below are not an exhaustive list, and from time to time, an article may be flagged for an issue that is not mentioned here. The absence of that issue from the rules is not deemed a suitable grounds for removal of the tag or disregarding it (provided that the issue is confirmed by admin consultation to indeed be NCF).

What is Canon?

Within fiction, the definition of "canon" is the official material deemed to be part of the story of that fictional universe. This is in contrast to works of fan fiction, which, while often heavily based upon "canon", can deviate significantly from the official material. The alternative terms mythology, timeline, universe and continuity are often used, with the former being especially used to refer to a richly detailed fictional canon requiring a large degree of suspension of disbelief (e.g. an entire imaginary world and history), while the latter two typically refer to a single arc where all events are directly connected chronologically. Other times, the word can mean "to be acknowledged by the creator(s)."

A Note on Canon by GW

"Keep in mind Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 are worlds where half truths, lies, propaganda, politics, legends and myths exist. The absolute truth, which is implied when you talk about “canonical background”, will never be known because of this. Everything we know about these worlds is from the viewpoints of people in them, which are incomplete and sometimes incorrect. The truth is mutable, debatable and lost as the victors write the history…

Here’s our standard line: Yes, it’s all official, but remember that we’re reporting back from a time when stories aren’t always true, or at least 100% accurate. If it has the 40K logo on it, it exists in the 40K universe. Or it was a legend that may well have happened. Or a rumour that may or may not have any truth behind it.

Let’s put it another way: anything with a 40K logo on it is as official as any Codex… and at least as crammed full of rumours, distorted legends and half-truths.

I think the real problem for me, and I speak for no other, is that the topic as a “big question” doesn’t matter. It’s all as true as everything else, and all just as false/half-remembered/sort-of-true. The answer you seek is “Yes and no” or perhaps “Sometimes”. And for me, that’s the end of it.

Now, ask us some specifics, e.g. can Black Templars spit acid, and we can answer that one and many others. But again, note that answer may well be “sometimes”, or “it varies”, or “depends”.

But is it all true? Yes and no. Even though some of it is plainly contradictory? Yes and no. Do we deliberately contradict, and retell with differences? Yes, we do. Is the newer the stuff, the truer it is? Yes and no. In some cases, is it true that the older stuff is the truest? Yes and no. Maybe and sometimes. It depends and it varies.

It’s a decaying universe without GPS and galaxy-wide communication, where precious facts are clung to long after they have been changed out of all recognition. Read A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M Miller, about monks toiling to hold onto facts in the aftermath of a nuclear war; that nails it for me.
"
Marc Gascoigne, former head of Black Library.

This wiki considers the perception of canon described in the quote above to be the correct one. However, for the sake of simplicity, we have choosen to enforce a canon hierarchy. While we acknowledge that a hierarchical view of canon is technically incorrect, the hierarchy's primary purpose is as a guideline for administrators when dealing with NCF content should the issue of conflicting sources become involved.

Canon Hierarchy

Within the Warhammer 40,000 community, most content created or licensed by the franchise's owner, Games Workshop, Limited, is considered canon. However, due to the myriad sources and the extended time period that lore has been produced over, some sources are considered "more" canon than others. This means that if two canon sources conflict with each other, whichever source is considered more important or trustworthy is the one that is to be followed. This is known as a canon hierarchy. Canon hierarchies may vary from person to person, but to make things simpler, this wiki follows a single hierarchy, which is as follows:

  1. Officially released statements from Games Workshop and/or its employees
  2. Official Warhammer 40,000 Codices
  3. Dark Imperium Novels
  4. Other Black Library Publications
  5. Forge World Publications
  6. Official Games Workshop product descriptions & licensed third-party content (such as movies and video games)
  7. Fan-base speculation

If two sources of the same level conflict with one another, the newer source overrides, the older one.

  • Note on Dark Imperium lore: With the events of the Era Indomitus of M42, much of 40K universe lore has been retconned with the release of these books. Whatever lore is amended within the Dark Imperium novels or other works produced by Games Workshop or Black Library reflecting this, all other sources of lore (the newest edition of canon) are considered set-in-stone as the main canonicity of the 40K universe, with all other older sources being considered NCF or AU.

"Spirit of the Lore"

In addition to enforcing a canon hierarchy, the wiki also operates on a policy of adhering to the "spirit of the lore". Due to the inherent nature of 40K lore, exceptions exist for almost every example of a rule. As a result, in order to maintain a consistent quality across the board, several "defences" will not be permitted when discussing NCF issues. For example, the "Crusading clause/Black Templar defence". While it is true that the Black Templars exceed the 1,000 strong Astartes limit due to their interpretation of the crusading clause, they are an exception to the rule, with the overwhelming majority of Chapters adhering to the Codex requirement. Therefore, we expect our contributors to likewise adhere to this guideline. However, in specific circumstances, deviation may be permitted after discussion (if, for example, there are severe consequences to the Chapter exceeding the limit). Likewise, the fact that "X piece of equipment is unaccounted for" does not mean you can just give it to your creations. A Chapter possessing a Gloriana Battleship, for example, because we do not currently know the fates of one or two of them, will be frowned upon due to the severe straining of credulity.

"Grandfather Clause"

In some instances, an article may be permitted to retain something deemed NCF, if it was written prior to a change to the 40K canon, which made the issue retroactively non-canon. In such circumstances, the author can dispute an NCF tag on these grounds. You can add the following tag Grandfather Clause Template by putting {{Grandfather|Relevant edition/novel}} at the top of your article to denote this.

Non-Canon Friendly

Articles contradicting canon are to be tagged as Non-Canon Friendly, or NCF. The NCF Template will be placed at the top of the page using the shorthand code {{NCF}}, with a description added to the text and, if further elaboration is required, a comment will be left on the user's talk page detailing the reason for the tagging. Only an administrator may remove the template unless a page is tagged as NCF, but no explanation is given within 24 hours, in which case the author of the tagged page may remove the NCF template themselves.

The use of inflammatory language (i.e. the use of language that is likely and/or clearly intended to provoke another user) when responding to an NCF tagging will result in the author receiving a warning.

After an article is marked as NCF, the author has 30 days to either fix the article or refute the tagging. After the 30 days are over, an admin vote will be held as to whether or not the tag should be removed or the article should remain tagged and be moved into a Sandbox. If the author agrees to fix the article but requires more time, the one month deadline may be extended to accommodate this.

Some things that are considered Non-Canon Friendly, as mentioned above, this is not an exhaustive list:

  • Claiming your Homebrew Chapter is part of, or a successor of, one of the Lost Legions. [‡ See note below.]
  • Saying your Homebrew Chapter is a Grey Knights Successor Chapter
  • Saying your Homebrew Chapter is a Space Wolves Successor Chapter from a Founding prior to Ultima. [† See note below.]
  • Saying your Homebrew Chapter is created from Fallen gene-stock. [†† See note below.]
  • Saying your Homebrew Chapter is a 5th or 6th Founding Successor Chapters created from Dark Angels' gene-seed. - During this era, the High Lords of Terra purposefully did not seek the gene-seed of the Dark Angels Chapter for either Founding, primarily due to their concerns over 'legion building'.
  • Saying your Homebrew Chapter is a 2nd Founding Successor Chapter of the Salamanders. The Salamanders were reduced to a mere seven companies after the Horus Heresy, and as such were exempted from the initial splitting of the legions.
  • Claiming your Chapter was created from Traitor Legion or Chimeric Gene-seed (Case-by-case basis) [Θ See note below.]
  • Saying your Chapter is of the Second Founding. - While not explicitly forbidden (minus the caveats listed above), if an author chooses to write about one of these venerable Chapters, they will be held to a higher standard than the average Homebrew Chapter article, requiring a comprehensive history section and the blessing of the Admin team. The author will need to do one of the following: complete the Chapter in Sandbox first and seek permission to publish or write the article as a Third Founding Chapter and then request permission to upgrade it to Second Founding afterwards. Either route will require a substantial amount of writing and it is highly recommended that newer writers shouldn't write about a Chapter older than the Third Founding.
  • 21st Founding Chapters are permitted. - However, you must ensure when writing them that you consider that they are called "cursed" for a reason. No Chapter from this period has survived unscathed, and almost all suffer from severe issues and are pariahs among the other Chapters. As such, when writing them, you should take care to include misfortune in their history and dealings, and severe gene-seed flaws. Articles which use this founding merely as an excuse to justify Chimerism will be frowned upon.
  • Claiming your Chapter was created whole from another Chapter. - (Only in rare circumstances, such as the Sons of Medusa did this occur. This will be considered on a case-by-case basis, you must acquire prior Admin approval.)
  • Claim your Homebrew Chapter was created from a lost company
  • Claiming your Homebrew Chapter was secretly created by a Primarch
  • Having your Homebrew Chapter fulfil the role of another Imperial organisation such as the Inquisition or Mechanicus.
  • Saying your Homebrew Chapter was founded by someone other than the High Lords of Terra
  • Claiming that your Homebrew Chapter has fixed the issues with their progenitors' gene-seed - (For example, cured the twin-flaws of Sanguinius).
  • Claiming that your Astartes are female - GW's lore (no matter what we may personally feel on the matter) is clear on this point. Astartes can only be created from males. You cannot claim that they are secretly female either.
  • Claiming your Chapter is larger than 1,000 Astartes. This is a flagrant violation of the "1,000 Astartes only" rule in accordance with the Codex Astartes. Only in rare circumstances should a Chapter be allowed to be larger than 1,000 Astartes (such as the Black Templars Chapter), and only if they are a fleet-based Chapter (Subject to Admin approval, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis.)
  • Saying your Homebrew Chapter is from the First Founding.
  • Saying your Chapter is allied with a xenos race - Space Marines are inherently xenophobic. Any known example of them forming an alliance with a xenos faction has been on a temporary basis, for a single battle or campaign. It is extremely implausible that they would form a longer lasting connection and even less so that it would go unnoticed by the Inquisition.
  • Saying your Chapter are adherents of a xenos philosophy - As above.
  • Saying your Chapter is a Gue'vesa Chapter - As above.
  • Saying your Chapter are allied with the Legion of the Damned - This mysterious band of seemingly wraith-like Space Marines appear unbidden, only when all hope seems lost, striding forth from its hidden netherworld to bring retribution to the Imperium's foes, and then just as mysteriously, disappearing as quickly as they arrived. Therefore, you cannot say your Chapter is an ally of such enigmatic Astartes.
  • Saying your Chapter has slain their Primaris reinforcements - In-universe, attempts to kill off the Primaris presented by the Custodes does not end well for the Chapter involved. Additionally, with the increasingly safe and routine Rubicon process, it is now considered highly unusual to refuse to undergo the process. You should avoid imposing IRL biases into your homebrew writing were possible. If you cannot stomach including Primaris, it is preferable to simply state that your Chapter has yet to be visited by the Custodes.
  • Writing about future events beyond the "Present Day" (currently 025.M42) - Writing about events beyond the end-date of current events in the Era Indomitus, will be considered for all intents and purposes, non-canon. This is due to the fact that because of recent retconning of certain events, we cannot say what will be written about this era in the next few years. If an author insists (and with the approval of the Administration) they will be allowed to write beyond this known end-date, with the caveat that their article will be tagged with an EU (Expanded Universe) tag. [Ψ See note below]

Note on the Lost Legions - You CANNOT claim your Homebrew Chapter is one of the Lost Legions, as firmly established GW canon has already stated that the IInd and XIth Legions were deliberately expunged from all known Imperial records and archives before the onset of the Horus Heresy in early M31. These two Space Marine Legions were one of the first to suffer the ignominious fate of a Damnatio Memoriae (or 'Condemnation of Memory'), which is known in the modern era as an Edict of Obliteration - the policy of the deliberate destruction of icons and other symbols or monuments pertaining to an individual, usually of the Imperial elite, who has been declared Excommunicate Traitoris by the Emperor of Mankind. The most successful Edict of Obliteration carried out in Imperial history was the deletion of all records from the Imperial archives in reference to the two Lost Primarchs of the II and XI Space Marine Legions. The records of these two Primarchs and the II and XI Legions were so effectively purged that ten millennia later their transgressions against the Imperium of Man are still known only to the God-Emperor Himself. Therefore, it would be impossible for a Successor Chapter descended from the heritage of these two purged Space Marine Legions to exist, ten millennia later, in the modern M42, and it would be highly improbable any existing records in regards to these two expunged Legions would still exist as well.

Note on Space Wolves Gene-Seed & Successor Chapters - The Space Wolves were unable to created additional Successor Chapters due to the Space Wolves Canis Helix in their gene-seed, which can cause them to spontaneously mutate into lupine creatures, called Wulfen. After the disaster that occurred to their only known Successor Chapter, the Second Founding Wolf Brothers, who spontaneously mutated into ravenous Wulfen, they were hunted to extinction by the Space Wolves or chased into the Eye of Terror. Also, during the First Battle of the Fang in early M32, when the Thousand Sons attacked Fenris, the Daemon Primarch, Magnus the Red, destroyed the irreplaceable fleshworks machines in the Fang, that the Wolf Priests were utilising to create a new generation of Space Wolves, with the defects of the Canis Helix removed. With the death of the Wolf Priest who knew more about the Canis Helix than anyone alive, at that time, the secrets of the Space Wolves' gene-seed wouldn't be unlocked until Archmagos Belisarius Cawl revealed the Primaris Space Marines created from all the original gene-stocks of the First Founding Legions at the end of M41.

†† Note on Dark Angels Gene-Seed & The Fallen - Despite the Dark Angels possessing gene-seed that is one of the purest and least degraded of all, rumours continue to persist of nepotism and legion building. Over time these factors have led to the Unforgiven being regarded with distrust. Despite their impeccably pure gene-seed, the Dark Angels have been passed over for many of the Foundings that have created fresh Chapters to fight the Imperium's wars. Yet from time to time the Adeptus Terra have been forced to permit the Dark Angels another Founding, the records of which have mysteriously vanished shortly afterward. In this way, an uncertain number of Unforgiven Chapters have been created, each giving every outward appearance of fighting their own wars for the Imperium, while secretly aiding in the Dark Angels' hidden hunt. One must keep in mind that the Dark Angels' arch-enemies, the Fallen Angels (or the Fallen), are the original Calibanite Dark Angels that turned against Lion El'Jonson at the end of the Horus Heresy and attacked his returning fleet from the wars of the Heresy, which inevitably resulted in the destruction of their Legion homeworld of Caliban. In the end, the Ruinous Powers scattered the Fallen across time and space. The Dark Angels feel that until these erstwhile Heretic Astartes are all captured and forced to repent, they will be seen as 'Unforgiven' in the eyes of the Emperor and the Lion. Therefore, there would be NO plausible explanation or scenario for a Chapter EVER being created from the gene-stock of these treacherous Astartes. The Dark Angels and their fellow Unforgiven would never countenance the existence of such an aberration, plus, they would do their utmost to either capture or wipe out those who are members of the Fallen.

Θ Note on Chapters descended from Traitor or Chimeric gene-stock - These types of Chapters will be considered on a case-by-case basis, however, it is not permitted to write about a loyalist Chapter being openly descended from the lineage of one of the Traitor Legions. Aside from the fact that the Imperium has little incentive to utilise Traitor gene-seed in the first place, if such a matter was discovered, the Chapter involved would be immediately censored by the Inquisition. You must state your case to the Wiki Admins in regards to writing about such a Chapter, and once approved, you are then allowed to incorporate a Traitor Legion's lineage into your Chapter's lore. (NOT BEFORE ADMIN APPROVAL!)
Likewise with Chimeric gene-seed, the Imperium has only officially experimented with altering gene-seed on one occasion, the 21st Founding. It did not go well. Thereafter this was banned and any hint that a Chapter had altered gene-seed after this time will invite scrutiny. Additionally, there are no confirmed cases of Chimeric gene-seed within the Imperium. Even the most popular examples, the Minotaurs and Carchardons, are still only rumoured. It's okay to have your Chapter not know its gene-seed origin and hint at the idea of Traitor origins, but at no point do you want to outright say it. It's best to occlude a Chapter's origins and keep it mysterious, as this is much more inventive and makes your Chapter much more believable and interesting. (See detailed explanations here)

Ψ Note on the chronology of the Era Indomitus - As originally chronicled in the Dark Imperium novel series by Guy Haley published in 2017-2018 early in the 8th Edition of Warhammer 40,000, the Indomitus Crusade lasted for roughly 100 standard years and ended with the Plague Wars. However in 2021 Black Library retconned the events of the novels to take place only 12 standard years after the crusade had begun, now with no end date for the conflict. This change now places the events of the Plague Wars in circa 012.M42 early in the Indomitus Crusade by the chronology of the original Imperial Calendar. Thus the original end date of the crusade is now in limbo and the future of the Crusade uncertain. The current date of 025.M42 has been set by the latest date given in a GW sourcebook, Warzone Nachmund: Rift War, which lists the date as the winding down of the War of the Beasts on Vigilus. Note: For more a more detailed explanations, please refer to the Wiki's Guide Portal and the individual 'How To' Guides.

Expanded & Alternate Universes

Expanded Universe

Expanded Universe or EU is the name given to a homebrew, fan-made work (or collection thereof) which expands upon established canon, but does not contradict it. For example, if you write about a character that is part of the Ultramarines Chapter, you are expanding upon a canon entity.

All works on this site are considered to be part of a user's own personal Expanded Universe unless otherwise stated. Note that because of this you may not link to another user's work unless you have that user's permission. Repeatedly linking (three times or more) to another user's work without their consent will be treated as a form of plagiarism. The exception are pages that have been specifically marked by their author to be open for community use, and can thus be linked to or constructively edited by anyone without repercussions.

This wiki also allows users to create collaborative Expanded Universes. Collaborative EUs allow multiple users to contribute to a shared Expanded Universe. Different collaborative EUs may have different entry requirements, some may have none at all and allow anyone to contribute, while others may require users to have been invited or that they submit an entry application. Collaborative EUs may also impose additional quality control requirements in addition to the ones laid out here (conversely, they may NOT attempt to exempt themselves from any site policies). However, collaborative EUs cannot require their participants to contribute all of their work on this site to the EU, regardless of whether or not that includes their work prior to joining the EU. The site administration believes this to be unreasonable as well as potentially detrimental to one's experience on the site.

Note: EU articles can be linked to non-EU articles, as long as the expanded lore within the article does not contradict that of the canon article. For example, an EU article which expands the timeline beyond the cut-off of 025.M42 can interact with a non EU article as long as the events linking the two take place prior to 025.M42.

Alternate Universe

Alternate Universes (AU for short), unlike Expanded Universes, DO diverge significantly from established canon. While AUs are a tricky subject, in short, this wiki does allow them. However, AUs should ideally be a collaborative projects (with a preferred minimum of six active contributors) centered around a core idea that differentiates the AU from established canon. For example, the Dornian Heresy project started by Aurelius Rex over on the Bolter and Chainsword forum, takes familiar Primarchs and Space Marine Legions meet very different fates. In this twisted alternate timeline Warmaster Horus was able to cast off the daemonic influences that sought to possess him, and where the Ruinous Powers were instead forced to corrupt Rogal Dorn instead to overthrow the Emperor..
While AUs can be used to exempt one's content from the Canon Policy, this is not a "get out of jail free card" and the ideal outcome is for an NCF article to be restored to canonicity.

Note: Due to the nature of AUs, they cannot be linked to other AUs outside their own. Likewise they cannot be linked to EU or Canon articles.

Crossovers

Crossovers are not allowed on this wiki under any circumstances. This wiki is meant for fan-works involving Warhammer 40,000 only. While you may make references to other fictional universes in your work here, you may not outright include elements from them. This includes lifting entire factions from other universes and conducting surface level changes such as slightly altering the spelling of names.

Despite its obvious connections to Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer Fantasy is still considered to be a separate universe, and crossovers with Warhammer Fantasy are therefore not allowed. The only exception to this are characters, concepts, and items which exist both in Warhammer 40,000 and in Warhammer Fantasy, such as (but not limited to) the Forces of Chaos, the Chaos Gods, and various Chaos Daemons. As these elements also exist in Warhammer 40,000 canon, they may be included without your work being considered a crossover.

If you are set on writing a crossover story and are unwilling to write about Warhammer 40,000 only, there are numerous other websites on which you may post your ideas and content, such as fanfiction.net or deviantart.com.

Note: Portions of the text here has been copied from the affiliate Warhammer 40K Fanon Wiki under the Fair Use doctrine. No challenge to their status intended.

Homebrew Icon Warhammer 40K Homebrew Wiki Policies
General
Community Guidelines Policy · Article Ownership · Article Quality · Banning · Canon · Deletion Policy · Images · Privacy
Other
Humor Articles · HTML Policy· Multiple Accounts · Roleplay · Talk Pages · User Pages
Advertisement