Home How To Join Our Heroes House Rules New Items Previous New Items Character Data Galaxy Info Creatures Bounties Antagonists Psycho Syte Links Site Updates Archives

Home Page
House Rules Page 1
House Rules Page 2
House Rules Page 3
House Rules Page 4
Character Data

Opening
History
Chaos and Loyalist Space Marine Differences
Champions of Chaos
The Traitor Legions and Renegade Space Marine Chapters
Forces of the Chaos Space Marines
Forces of Chaos
Commanders
Elites
Troops
Fask Attack
Heavy Support
Lesser Daemons

Chaos Space Marine

Click on image for full size

A Chaos Space Marine, also sometimes called a Traitor Marine or a Renegade Marine, is a former Loyalist Space Marine of the Imperium of Man who has chosen to betray the service of the Emperor of Mankind and dedicate his soul to the service of Chaos and its foul deities. Such corrupt Astartes normally belong to one of the 9 Traitor Legions that betrayed the Emperor during the ancient civil war called the Horus Heresy more than 10,000 standard years ago, while others come from Space Marine Chapters created long after the Heresy ended that have turned Renegade. Chaos can corrupt Astartes of any time and place just as its siren call leads many lesser men to their damnation.

During the Horus Heresy, the terrible Imperial civil war that pitted the Battle-Brothers of the 18 known Space Marine Legions against one another, there were two factions. These were the Loyalist Space Marines who continued to serve the Imperium and the Emperor of Mankind and the Chaos Space Marines of the Traitor Legions who betrayed the Emperor's trust and pledged their souls to the dark service of the 4 Ruinous Powers of Chaos. Some Traitor Marines pledged their service to all 4 of the Dark Gods, a force known as Chaos Undivided, whilst others preferred to dedicate themselves to the worship of only a single one of the Ruinous Powers. The Traitor Legions were led by the Warmaster Horus, once a Primarch of the Imperium and the Emperor's most trusted friend, son, and adviser before he was corrupted by the promises and lies of the Dark Gods and his own inner flaws.

The Traitor Legions were the most powerful component of the Forces of Chaos which fought during the Heresy, which also included the myriad daemons of the Warp, human Traitors from the Imperial Army, the Dark Mechanicus and Chaos Cultists drawn from across the galaxy. The flesh and Power Armour of Chaos Space Marines often warps and twists into new, darker and inhuman forms under the influence of the Chaos energies they are exposed to as their shapes morph to embody the corrupted Astartes' new allegiance. Chaos Space Marines fight for everything they were once forbidden to indulge in as the ascetic servants of the Emperor and the selfless guardians of Mankind. Pleasure, wealth, but above all else the power to rule their fellow men in the name of the Chaos Gods, is the driving ambition and goal of every Chaos Space Marine.

History

The Traitor Legions of the Chaos Space Marines represent 9 of the 20 original First Founding Legions of Space Marines who were created by the Emperor of Mankind from the genomes of his 20 Primarchs in the late 30th Millennium to fight the Great Crusade that forged the Imperium of Man. At this time Horus, the Warmaster of the Imperial forces and Primarch of the XVI Legion, the Luna Wolves, (which the Emperor allowed him to rename the Sons of Horus in his honour before the onset of the Horus Heresy to demonstrate his status as first-among-equals among the other Primarchs), was corrupted by Chaos and instigated the galaxy-wide Imperial civil war known as the Horus Heresy in his determination to replace the rule of the Emperor with his own.

After the death of Horus at the hands of the Emperor aboard his Battle Barge Vengeful Spirit during the Battle of Terra that ended the Horus Heresy, the remnants of the 9 Traitor Legions fled, along with the other Traitor Imperial forces that now served Chaos, into an area of the galaxy where the Warp bled into realspace, creating the permanent Warp Storm known as the Eye of Terror. Due to the nature of Chaos, and the temporal instability of the Warp, many of the very same Chaos Space Marines who revolted against the Emperor more than 10 millennia ago continue to fight against the Imperium today, having effectively been granted a tortured immortality by the will of the Ruinous Powers.

The Traitor Legions have kept their old names, with the exception of the Sons of Horus who were renamed the Black Legion by their new leader, Abaddon the Despoiler, once Horus' chief lieutenant and the First Captain of the Luna Wolves before he followed Horus into damnation. Besides Horus, 2 other Traitor Primarchs were killed during or shortly after the Heresy (Alpharius of the Alpha Legion and Konrad Curze of the Night Lords). The 6 surviving Traitor Primarchs have since been transformed into Daemon Princes by the Chaos Gods they serve. These daemonic Primarchs rarely take part in the affairs of their Legions or are major players in the affairs of the galaxy. Four of the Traitor Legions have pledged a singular loyalty to one of the great Chaos Gods. while the others serve the interests of Chaos as a whole in the form of Chaos Undivided. Due to the nature of Chaos and those who choose to serve it, not long after the end of the Heresy the Traitor Legions, save for the Word Bearers, largely stopped operating as unified military organisation and instead devolved into a series of separate and often competing warbands. The Traitor Marines who command these warbands, all potent Chaos Champions, sought their own personal glorification and the eventual opportunity to become Daemon Princes in their own right by earning victories in the cause of Chaos.

Due to the fractious nature of the Dark Gods, the warbands in service to a particular Ruinous Power often view other Traitor Marine warbands who serve its patron's rival deity as even more appropriate targets for their wrath than the servants of the Emperor. With such an attitude prevailing among the corrupted Astartes, it has often proven impossible for the Traitor Legions to present a united front against the Imperium since the death of Horus, which is one reason why they have never enjoyed a similar series of military successes over the past 10 millennia. The closest thing to unity that has appeared amongst the Traitor Legions and other Chaos Space Marines was when Abaddon the Despoiler, the successor of Horus as the Warmaster of the Black Legion, launched one of his periodic Black Crusades into Imperial space under the banner of Chaos Undivided, which is a temporary period of unity amongst all the Forces of Chaos when they seek to overwhelm the Imperium's defenses surrounding the Eye of Terror and drive on Terra once more. Abaddon is the only Champion of Chaos since Horus himself who is able to command, however begrudgingly and briefly, the loyalty of all 9 Traitor Legions, and he has led 13 Black Crusades out of the Eye of Terror against the Imperium of Man. The latest, the 13th Black Crusade, was launched in 999.M41 and hasproven the most successful for the Forces of Chaos since the Horus Heresy. The Chaotic troops were able to seize a foothold on the surface of the Fortress World of Cadia, though the Imperial Navy has so far managed to blockade Abaddon's Traitor Marines and the other Forces of Chaos from breaking out into the Cadian Gate, the only clear pathway through the Warp from the Eye of Terror into open Imperial space. Should the Chaotics manage to eventually break out of the Imperial Navy's stranglehold, the Chaos Space Marines may at last, after 10,000 years, bring down the realm of the Corpse Emperor and gain their vengeance for long millennia of exile. Then the galaxy will tremble as the servants of the Dark Gods at last throw down the Corpse Emperor and claim the souls of Mankind for their own.

Chaos and Loyalist Space Marine Differences

"Rejoice brothers! Your slavery to the false Emperor ends today!"
-Chaos Lord Araghast the Pillager

All men of power can choose to devote their lives to the pursuit of great good or great harm to others, and the Space Marines are no different from other mortals in this respect. Genetically engineered as an adolescent to be a superhuman warrior, and armed and armored with the Imperium's most advanced technology, a Space Marine is intended to serve as the ultimate defender of Mankind. Not only is his body protected against the weapons of his foes, but his mind has been toughened through the use of potent psycho-conditioning and indoctrination methods to expunge all fear, pain and temptation. To become an Astartes is to surrender one's own life and aspirations to the service of the Emperor and Mankind, and to wholly dedicate oneself to this singular purpose forever more. Those who live secure behind the shield of valor created by the Space Marines can never truly understand the true enormity of the sacrifice that the Astartes have made for their fellow men -- for they have sacrificed their own humanity in service of those they have sworn to protect.

When an Astartes falls from grace, he will fall further than other mortals. A lifetime dedicated to self-deprivation and selflessness is simply thrown aside and the Space Marine indulges his newfound independence in thought and deed to its fullest extent. Freed from the constraints of the discipline, traditions and responsibilities that define the Adeptus Astartes, a Chaos Space Marine can exercise his every whim, whether it be for bloodshed, mayhem, sensual pleasures long denied, ambition, love or simple vengeance. Given full reign to his long-supressed personal desires, his incredible physical powers and mental strength can be turned to the pursuit of the most malevolent acts, untrammeled by any sense of either mercy or guilt. When an Astartes' will finally breaks, the result is catastrophic as the whole edifice of his purpose and psyche tumble into an often violent maelstrom of unleashed and pent-up desire.

Having been created for combat, most Chaos Space Marines first turn to the only thing they have ever known -- the pursuit of war. Though their ideals and goals may have been cast aside, their superhuman bodies and tactical and strategic skills remain intact. Released from the confines of the need to follow orders and pursue missions prescribed by others, a Chaos Space Marine can become a cold and psychopathic killer without morals or restraint. He pursues this bloody life to its fullest extent, glorifying in the power of his genetically enhanced body and the ability it renders him to unleash death and misery upon those he once served.

Some Chaos Space Marines never grow past this point and remain bloodthirsty Renegades, corsairs and pirates for the rest of their long lives. Others, now free to explore the temptations of the galaxy all around them, reach out in all direction to widen their mental horizons and experiences. Once a subservient cog within their Legion or Chapter's machinery dedicated to the service of a distant Emperor, a Chaos Space Marine may come to relish the chance to be a master rather than a servant, enslaving nations and whole worlds into the service of himself and the Ruinous Powers. Others prefer to pursue different avenues, such as the study of once-illicit texts or a passion for technical or sorcerous knowledge forbidden to the servants of the Imperium. Some Chaos Space Marines prefer to inflict pleasure and pain upon themselves, pushing their bodies and minds to the limits of what they can withstand and beyond, desperate for a sensual reward that mortals, even Astartes, were never intended to experience.

To be a Chaos Space Marine is ultimately to feel a near god-like power over other beings, particularly one's fellow men. Having been freed for decades, if not centuries, from the experience of fear and now released from responsibility, a Chaos Space Marine does not dread either retribution or punishment for his deeds. For most Chaos Space Marines, all memories of their heroic pasts are soon lost amidst the rivers of blood and the ecstacies of new sensation, and any thoughts of the future are but half-imagined cravings for more... more power, more killing, more pleasure, more pain.

By dedicating himself body and soul to the Dark Gods, an Astartes not only finds a patron who approves and encourages his new life, but who will actually reward him the further down that path he walks. For one whose sole existence was once defined by the necessity of self-denial and utter obedience, the euphoria of this realisation of true freedom can be an even more potent intoxicant than the pride he once felt at being accepted as one of the Emperor's Space Marines.

It is this temptation that constantly beckons to all Loyalist Space Marines. They cannot claim to be ignorant of its existence, as the teachings of their Chapter and its Chaplains remind them daily of both their purpose and their duties. No Space Marine casually walks away from these once-welcome bonds, no matter what might occur in his life. For an Astartes to turn to the service of Chaos he must consciously make the choice to walk a radically different path, to choose profane freedom over righteous service. Once made, it is a decision that can never be recanted, for from the moment that a Space Marine renounces his service to the Emperor, he is truly lost and irrevocably damned.

The Chaos Space Marines have the same genetic origins as the Space Marines in the gene-seed created by the Emperor from the genomes of the 20 Primarchs, and thus have the same physical abilities as their uncorrupted counterparts. Due to their allegiance to Chaos, Veteran Chaos Space Marines often suffer from extreme mutations (or Chaotic "gifts" depending on the point of view). Traitor Marines are virtually immortal due to their sojourns within the Warp, and their millennia of experience afford them levels of tactical mastery and advanced battlefield skills that the much younger Loyalist Space Marines have not yet earned.

Chaos Space Marines are equipped with the ancient patterns of Power Armour and weapons they had when they initially betrayed the Imperium at the start of the Horus Heresy, which are broadly the same as those used by the current Loyalist Space Marines (although some differences now exist with regard to Jump Packs, Power Armor appearance, etc). At present in the late 41st Millennium, some 10,000 standard years after the Horus Heresy, the Imperium of Man has made a few, mostly minuscule technological advancements, due to the recovery of certain Standard Template Construct (STC) technologies from the interstellar human civilization that existed during the Dark Age of Technology, though in most ways the Imperium has either completely stagnated or even regressed from the technological level prevalent across the Imperium during the Great Crusade in the early 31st Millennium. Chaos Space Marines have far more limited access to the handful of new inventions that have appeared on the galactic scene in the last 10,000 years. In general, anything developed since the Heresy is unavailable to the Traitor Marines unless it has been captured or was already deployed among Space Marines who went Renegade in more recent centuries; for example, the Iron Warriors Traitor Legion is well-known for capturing and using more modern patterns of Imperial tanks and armoured vehicles. While Chaos Space Marines may possess older technology than their Loyalist counterparts, they compensate for this weakness through the ability to summon daemons from the Immaterium and make use of daemonic technology like daemon engines, as well as the unbridled power of arcane sorcery drawn from the Warp without fears of limitation or corruption.

Because the Chaos Space Marines have all dedicated their souls to Chaos, they are extremely fearful of death, knowing that their souls will ultimately be consumed by the Ruinous Powers, unless they can earn the rare promotion to become Daemon Princes in their own right. The Chaos Gods do not truly care for their Chaos Space Marine servants, any more than they do for any mortals who serve them. The Dark Gods would gladly see them tortured for all eternity within their realms in the Immaterium simply for their own pleasure. Worshipers of Khorne are cursed to feel eternal rage but denied the ability to slaughter, the children of Nurgle are forever consumed by despair and the wracking pains of a hideous death, those who serve Slaanesh as their patron will be tortured for the sheer pleasure of the Prince of Chaos until the end of time, and the servants of Tzeentch know only endless insanity as their souls constantly change in form and the knowledge of the universe they crave is forever placed just out of their reach. In theory, those souls who choose to serve Chaos Undivided are either shared or fought over by the Chaos Gods in the afterlife of the Immaterium.

Only the promise of eternal life as a Daemon Prince, a dubious honour earned through unbridled success in the service of Chaos, reassures those mortals who pledge their lives and souls to Chaos. This fear of death, however, does nothing to slow or halt the vicious might of the Chaos Space Marines, who are quite sure that the power they have received from the Chaos Gods in return for their souls will ultimately provide them with rule over their fellow men, as is the right of every Astartes. It will also provide the opportunity to earn the necessary glories required to appease the Dark Gods and claim the daemonic immortality they offer as ultimate reward.

Champions of Chaos

Click on image for full size

In the Immaterium, similar thoughts and emotions of the sentient beings of the galaxy join together like rivulets of water running down a cliffside. They form streams and flows of anguish and desire, pools of hatred and oceans of pride. For billions of standard years these tides and waves of psychic energy have flowed unceasingly through the Warp and such is their power that they eventually formed creatures hewed from the energy of the Empyrean. These instinctual, formless entities eventually gained rudimentary consciousness and the Chaos Gods were born -- great psychic presences composed of the best dreams and worst nightmares of the galaxy's mortals. As the sentient races of the galaxy prospered and grew, their hopes and dreams, their rage and conflicts and their loves and hatreds, all fed the growth of the Chaos Gods and nurtured their power. Eventually, the gods reached into the dreams of mortals to demand both their praise and their service.

A Chaos God can only increase its power through the collective actions and thoughts of the galaxy's mortals, regardless of their species of origin. Those who worship a Chaos God and behave in a way that feeds its psychic nature are rewarded with strange gifts, mutations, extraordinary psychic powers and potentially the greatest reward -- ascension as an immortal Daemon Prince. As the Chaos Gods battle one another within the Warp and the Realm of Chaos, so to do their followers wage war upon one another in the material universe. The victors of these battles earn more power for their masters, although the machinations and natures of the Chaos Gods are such that often a victory is unnecessary, merely the acts of sacrifice and battle in and of themselves.

When the devotees of Chaos die, their psychic energy, their souls in the Warp, do not fade away to an unknown destination, are not destroyed and are not devoured by daemons like the souls of others. Instead their souls are swallowed by the collective power of the gods, sustaining them and increasing the eternal power of Chaos.

Although untold billions of sentients worship the Chaos Gods under a myriad of different guises, names and aspects, for the majority of those who serve Chaos, the Dark Gods offer simply the chance for more power and wealth in a universe where such things are rarely easily attained. But there are those few men and women who dedicate their lives to becoming true warriors of the Chaos Gods. For these devotees, the allure of Chaos is even stronger. The Champions of Chaos have a deep, fervent belief in the Ruinous Powers and their committment is total: they swear themselves body and soul, in this life and beyond, to Chaos.

Those who dedicate themselves to the service of Chaos are doomed to an all-or-nothing existence as Chaos Champions in the service of one of the Dark Gods, or even of Chaos Undivided. The reward for those who please their god is ultimate power; for those who fail it is only eternal oblivion. To achieve greatness in the eyes of their god, Chaos Champions will perform any act, no matter how immoral, insane or vile. A Champion of Chaos does not simply praise and venerate the Chaos Gods, he swears his life and soul to their service, bargaining away his own essence in exchange for power and the rewards of their patronage. Granted the forbidden knowledge and strength of Chaos, a Champion can lead armies, conquer whole worlds and achieve greatness and ultimately, immortality. At the same time, the gods who choose to favour this Champion can bring their influence to bear upon him, so that even as he furthers his own ambitions, he also furthers the dominance and plots of his patrons. Chaos Champions are the leaders of the Forces of Chaos and the majority of them are Chaos Space Marines, though some have far more mundane origins. It is a great irony that the same abilities that make Space Marines the greatest defenders of the Imperium are also extraordinary assets for those who would become the most potent warriors of the Chaos Gods.

The genetic alterations that create a Space Marine also make Astartes more resistant to the mutational affects of exposure to the energies of Chaos, which allows a Chaos Space Marine to better survive the attentions of his often-capricious new patrons. Just as their bodies benefit from the changes wrought upon them by the ancient technologies pioneered by the Emperor, so too are the minds of Space Marines honed to an incredible focus and possessed of a potent force of will. These are qualities that stand a man in great stead if he wishes to become a Chaos Champion. Those who lack a certain clarity of thought, the mental steel required to be successful, will soon be engulfed and lost in the constant anarchy of service to Chaos or will be swiftly overthrown and slain by more ambitious and ruthless subordinates and comrades. Chaos cares little for loyalty -- power is given to those strong enough to claim its rewards.

Chaos Space Marine Warbands

Save for a few Champions dedicated to the most pure service of Khorne, Chaos Champions do not live and fight alone. Other followers of Chaos are drawn to them, either through the will of the gods or through the draw of a Champion's own glory and reputation. These groups form the warbands of Chaos and they can vary in size from a handful of individuals to massive hosts that rival an Imperial Guard regiment in size and power. The most successful Chaos Champions command vast armies of devoted warriors. For Chaos Space Marines these warbands are mostly composed of comrades they fought alongside in their Traitor Legions or their Renegade Chapter. Yet it is not uncommon for Renegades with very different histories to find a common cause in their service to the Ruinous Powers, as Chaos recognizes neither hierarchy nor structure, only results.

These warbands compete with each other as much as they fight against xenos and the forces of the Imperium. Resources are precious and hard-won in the Eye of Terror and the Maelstrom and control of cities, continents and worlds is vital to the maintenance of power. Most valued over all other things is the favor of the Chaos Gods. Champions and their warbands must constantly prove their continued dedication to their patrons. The Chaos Gods are embodiments of the question: what have you done for me lately?

Champions earn rewards from their gods by destroying their patron's enemies and succeeding on obscure missions and quests. On the Daemon Worlds in the Eye of Terror, hundreds of warbands struggle in battle to best each other for possession of daemonic artefacts, ancient knowledge, weapons and war machines left over from the days of the Horus Heresy and from before the Fall of the Eldar. They are pitched into eternal conflict as sacrifices to their gods and to earn the power to summon daemons to their cause. When not battling one another, the warbands of Chaos Space Marines are a roving threat, for they are wandering bands of nomadic warriors intent only on slaughter and loot. From bases hidden in asteroid fields and upon the surfaces of deserted moons, aboard painstakingly maintained starships that date back to the Great Crusade, they watch and wait for their prey to appear, gathering strength wherever a new blow can be struck against the despised Imperium of Man and its hated Corpse Emperor.

Ascension

In the end, every Chaos Champion faces one of three fates. A life of constant warfare is a dangerous one and most will die upon the field of battle, forgotten by their god as just another failure but immortalised in legend by their remaining followers and comrades. These Champions are nothing more than blood-soaked sacrifices to Chaos, their goals and ambitions forever unfulfilled.

A Chaos Champion who survives the constant battles will slowly gain more and more favour from his chosen god. These rewards come in different forms. Some Champions may be "sent" more followers. Those with a taste for such things might learn potent spells of psychic sorcery, while all Champions will eventually exhibit strange, inhuman powers. Most of the "gifts" offered by the Chaos Gods take the form of physical and genetic changes -- mutations. Some mutations are beneficial, some are harmless -- and others are downright debilitating.

Though such changes can make a Chaos Champion a fearsome warrior, he risks receiving so many such "gifts" and become so mutated, that he loses all control of himself and degenerates into the hideous creature known as a Chaos Spawn. Even the superhuman, genetically-engineered body of an Astartes can only withstand so much genetic corruption and can contain only so much unnatural power. When this limit is finally breached, the Space Marine or other Champion will be lost forever, transformed into a gibbering and mindless Chaos Spawn. Driven insane, Chaos Spawn are nothing more than mindless, howling monsters of tortured, mutated flesh. Most die quickly and painfully, their bodies ripped apart by cascading and uncontrollable mutations as the power of Chaos is made wholly manifest within them. Of those who do not die instantly upon surpassing the limit of the Chaos power that their bodies can withstand, some are abandoned by their warbands to wander the Daemon Worlds until they are slain, while others are kept as pets and war beasts by those who were once their followers.

But the third fate of a Chaos Champion is the reward to which all devotees of Chaos dedicate themselves: ascension to daemonhood. The Champion's ultimate reward is ascension to become a Daemon Prince of his patron god. His flesh is transformed into the immaterial substance of the Warp and his mortal life is entirely cast aside. A follower of Chaos who ascends to become a Daemon Prince is an immortal and all-powerful warrior who will serve his god for all eternity and never know death or fear again. Some Daemon Princes leave their mortal followers behind and join the nightmare hosts of the Daemons of Chaos to plague worlds across the gulfs of space and time as embodiments of the power of their gods. Others choose to remain the leaders of their warband, now granted an eternity to bask in the adoration of their minions and earn perhaps even greater and unimaginable power from the Dark Gods that they have served so well.

The Traitor Legions and Renegade Space Marine Chapters

Chaos Space Marine Traitor Legions

Each of the 9 Astartes Traitor Legions fights using a different style of warfare that is defined by their Legion's culture and nature; also, 4 of the 9 -- the Emperor's Children, the World Eaters, the Thousand Sons and the Death Guard -- are dedicated specifically to the service of 1 of the 4 major Chaos Gods, Slaanesh, Khorne, Tzeentch and Nurgle, respectively. The other 5 Traitor Legions essentially serve the interests of all of the Ruinous Powers collectively in the form of Chaos Undivided.

The 9 Chaos Space Marine Traitor Legions who joined the rebellion of the Warmaster Horus against the Emperor, fully one half of the Space Marine Legions created during the First Founding are (in order of their Founding):

Legion Number	Primarch	Legion	Loyalty	Primarch Status
III	Fulgrim	Emperor's Children	Traitor (Slaanesh)	Alive (Daemon Prince)
IV	Perturabo	Iron Warriors	Traitor (Chaos Undivided)	Alive (Daemon Prince)
VIII	Konrad Curze (Night Haunter)	Night Lords	Traitor (Chaos Undivided)	Dead
XII	Angron	World Eaters	Traitor (Khorne)	Alive (Daemon Prince) Currently banished to the Warp
XIV	Mortarion	Death Guard	Traitor (Nurgle)	Alive (Daemon Prince)
XV	Magnus the Red	Thousand Sons	Traitor (Tzeentch)	Alive (Daemon Prince)
XVI	Horus	Black Legion	Traitor (Chaos Undivided)	Dead
XVII	Lorgar	Word Bearers	Traitor (Chaos Undivided)	Alive (Daemon Prince)
XX	Alpharius Omegon	Alpha Legion	Traitor (Chaos Undivided), possibly still Loyal	Unknown

The Emperor's Children

The Emperor's Children were one of the earliest of the Space Marine Legions to declare itself for Horus and his Traitors, fighting at his side against its own Loyalists during the Istvaan III Atrocity and against the Loyalist Legions during the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V. The III Legion and its Primarch Fulgrim had been corrupted following its encounter with the Slaanesh-worshipping xenos race known as the Laer and their world of Laeran late in the Great Crusade. The rot spread quickly through the Legion, and the Emperor's Children embraced Chaos, particularly the Prince of Pleasure, in all its depravity. Little trace can now be seen of the original armour and equipment of the Emperor's Children, covered as it is by skins of iridescent fur or scales, jewels, or the fantastical renderings of screaming faces or rutting beasts. The Emperor's Children fight for sensation and sensory overload, bringing a clashing cacophony of sound, colour, and energy to the battlefield.

The Iron Warriors

The Iron Warriors once formed the Emperor's legion of siege troops. They fought on a hundred worlds in the Great Crusade, laying siege to alien citadels and the palaces of Heretics with equal gusto. The Iron Warrior's Primarch, Perturabo, excelled in the arts of siege and trench warfare above all else, and his treatise on fortifications and their reduction formed the basis of several sections of the Tactica Imperialis. The Iron Warriors betrayed the Emperor on Istvaan V, their mazes of bunkers and razor wire becoming a death trap for their Loyalist brethren instead of the sanctuary they promised to be. The Iron Warriors wear relatively unadorned armour that is commonly pieced together from the older marks for its heavier frontal protection. They favour heavy weaponry like Lascannons or Missile Launchers for long-range engagements, although well-equipped Iron Warriors Assault Squads are also rightly feared.

The Night Lords

Led by their saturnine Primarch, Konrad Curze (also known the Night Haunter) the Night Lords were greatly feared even before the Heresy. Curze believed in the use of terror as a weapon and his foes quickly learned to fear the night. The Night Lords were one of the first Legions to join Horus' rebellion, turning on what they saw as a weak-willed Emperor incapable of having the strength to lead. Even after Horus' defeat the Night Lords have continued to wage an unremitting campaign of terror against the Imperium. The Night Lords refuse to follow any of the Chaos Gods, and have become cynical, hard-bitten, and frighteningly ruthless warriors. They fight for the pleasure of it, and for the material rewards it can bring, and not for the worship of some deity. They look down upon their more dedicated brethren, whether they are fanatical Chaos Space Marines like the World Eaters, or zealous Loyalist Space Marines like the Dark Angels.

The World Eaters

Under the Primarch Angron, the World Eaters underwent psycho-surgery that transformed an already fierce legion into bloodthirsty berserkers through the use of cortical implants known as the Butcher's Nails pioneered on their Primarch's homeworld of Nuceria. When they betrayed the Imperium, it was of little surprise that the vast majority dedicated themselves to Khorne. The XII Legion fractured after the Heresy, scattering into warbands across the galaxy. However, any member of the World Eaters is likely to be bloodthirsty and violent. As is fitting to their patron God, the World Eaters wear armour as red as arterial blood, edged with brass and decorated with skulls and symbols of Khorne. Most disdain long-ranged warfare, preferring to close with the enemy to kill them with Chainaxe, Power Sword, and (if need be) Bolt Pistols.

The Death Guard

The Death Guard followed Horus into heresy, their sense of loyalty to their Warmaster and their Primarch, Mortarion, triumphing over their duty to the Emperor on distant Terra. The rebel Death Guard Legion was marooned in the Warp during the long journey to Terra to join the attack on the Imperial Palace. A mysterious, unstoppable contagion spread through the trapped fleet, putrefying all it touched. Mortarion himself became infected and in his delirium he called upon the Powers of Chaos to aid his Space Marines. Mortarion's fevered ravings were answered by Nurgle, and Mortarion became Nurgle's foremost mortal Chaos Champion and eventually his Daemon Prince. The Death Guard survived but they continue to bear the marks of Nurgle's first blessings upon them. Their once-white armour became stained and cracked where the bubbling foulness of their mortal bodies has erupted to the surface. They bear the three-lobed mark of Nurgle rendered as flies or rotting heads upon banners and shoulder guards. Their Bolters and Chainswords are caked with filth and rust but are no less deadly. Plague and contagion have become the Death Guard's primary weapons and they can be found anywhere in the galaxy spreading Nurgle's foul blessings.

The Thousand Sons

The path to damnation for the Thousand Sons Legion of Space Marines was longer than most, but its final plunge more complete than any. Even before the Horus Heresy the Sons' cyclopean Primarch Magnus the Red led his sons in the study of arcane lore and the practice of sorcery despite the Emperor's disapproval and the outright ban on such practices at the Council of Nikaea. When Horus gathered his forces the Thousand Sons tried to use their occult powers to warn the Emperor of the Warmaster's betrayal. Disastrously the Emperor was mistrustful of anything tinged by Chaos such as the use of psychic sorcery that He had expressly forbidden at Nikaea and He declared the Thousand Sons' Primarch to be taken captive and brought back to Terra for his disobedience. Leman Russ and the Space Wolves Legion were sent to devastate the Thousand Sons' homeworld of Prospero. To survive and protect their accumulated wisdom, the Thousand Sons sought the patronage of the Chaos Power Tzeentch, Changer of the Ways, greatest master of magic among the Chaos Gods. During the terrible battle known as the Burning of Prospero, Tzeentch transported Magnus and his surviving sons to the Daemon World in the Eye of Terror called the Planet of the Sorcerers. The surviving Thousand Sons have been split by internal schisms, their pursuit of occult knowledge estranging them to each other and even their cyclopean Primarch. A cabal of renegade Sorcerers led by their once-Chief Librarian Ahriman unleashed a great magic upon the Legion to prevent further mutation and corruption of its members by Chaos. This Rubric of Ahriman reduced most of the Thousand Sons to soulless suits of animated armour known as Rubric Marines, but left the surviving Sorcerers unmatched in power.

The Black Legion

The Black Legion is the only Traitor Legion to have changed its name in its ten thousand years of exile. In the First Founding the XVI Legion was created as the Luna Wolves. The Emperor subsequently allowed his favoured son Horus to rename the Legion "the Sons of Horus" in recognition of its accomplishments in the Ullanor Crusade and in honour of its Primarch. The Sons of Horus willingly followed their beloved Primarch and Warmaster into rebellion, fighting at the very forefront of his most important campaigns. When Horus was defeated by the Emperor at the Battle of Terra, the Legion's morale was shattered; their patron, their father, was gone. After the battle for the Imperial Palace the Sons of Horus renamed themselves the Black Legion, changing their Legion colours to black in memory and mourning of their fallen Primarch. They gave themselves to the worship of one Chaos Power after another and lost many of their number through possession and madness. The hardened survivors lead warbands against the Imperium to this day, still eager to expunge the bitter memory of Horus' defeat. The Black Legion has been reforged under the strong leadership of Abaddon the Despoiler, the former First Captain of the Sons of Horus, who has claimed Horus' mantle as the Warmaster of Chaos Undivided.

The Word Bearers

Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers Legion, was a scrupulous and dedicated follower of the Imperial Cult, and in many ways was the founder of the religion of Emperor-worship called the Lectitio Divinitatus that would one day become the Adeptus Ministorum. He led his XVII Legion in the building of vast monuments and immense rituals during the Great Crusade to secure the faith of those that were conquered in the God-Emperor. The Emperor rejected Lorgar's efforts however, telling him that he needed his Space Marines to fight, not worship and serve the secular Imperial Truth which disdained all religion and superstition. Lorgar's disillusionment with the Emperor's impiety drove him to worship of the Chaos Powers during the Pilgrimage of Lorgar undertaken some 43 standard years before the start of the Horus Heresy, entities that truly demanded worship and sacrifice from their followers. When Horus raised his banner the Word Bearers, who had largely driven Horus into corruption by Chaos from behind the scenes, eagerly followed him into rebellion along with a thousand hidden Chaos Cults they had established on the worlds they had brought into Imperial Compliance in the last days of the Great Crusade. The Word Bearers' fanatical zealotry has become dedicated to the worship of Chaos in its purest form, unadulterated by the veneration of any particular Chaos Power over the others. They are the only Traitor Legion that still maintains the rank of Chaplain, the darkly twisted individuals holding this office now known as Dark Apostles and leading their brethren in heretical prayers and insane catechisms. Immense cathedrals and rune-etched monuments still rise in the wake of the Word Bearer's conquests, but now they are blasphemous dedications to the glory that is Chaos.

The Alpha Legion

The Alpha Legion was the twentieth and final Legion created in the First Founding. During the Great Crusade the XX Legion earned renown for its strict discipline and organization. The Alpha Legion strove hard to outshine its brethren in all things and prove their worthiness to be among the older Legions. The war-lust of the Alpha Legion easily led them into heresy when Horus declared himself against the Emperor, though some legends say that the Alpha Legion secretly remains loyal to the Emperor in perhaps the greatest of the many deceptions and ploys it has worked. Here at last was their chance to prove themselves against opponents just as tough, as battle hardened, and ferocious as themselves. The Alpha Legion did much to ravage the Eastern Fringe during the Heresy, pursuing their own set of objectives far from Terra. In the ten millennia since they have continued to strike from bases hidden all over the galaxy. Unusually the Alpha Legion actively cultivates Chaos Cultists and rebels, multiplying their impact many times over. The Inquisition holds a special loathing for the Alpha Legion for their part in spreading Chaos Cults and fanning the embers of heresy into the raging fires of outright rebellion.

Renegade Space Marine Chapters

Through the passing of the centuries since the Horus Heresy, the Forces of Chaos have been further swelled by those Space Marines from the later Foundings who have turned from service to the Emperor of Mankind to pursue their own agendas. According to the current records of the Inquisition's Ordo Malleus, approximately 50 Loyalist Chapters or elements of Loyalist Chapters have turned Renegade in the ten millennia since the Horus Heresy. Examples include the Sons of Malice, the Damned Company of Lord Caustos, the Violators, the Thunder Barons, and the Astral Claws (known as the Red Corsairs since their rebellion against the Imperium during the Badab War). A more complete list can be found here.

Freed from the Imperial dogma and traditions of their Chapter, these so-called Renegade Space Marines fully indulge the needs of their superhuman bodies and their militant minds. They most often become corsairs, pirates and mercenaries, using their unparalleled combat skills to garner wealth and power for themselves, rising as tyrannical masters of pirate fleets and the masters of desolate frontier worlds. As they explore their new freedom from the discipline and strict purpose of the Adeptus Astartes, these Space Marines inevitably turn at some point to the Chaos Gods to gain more power to do as they will. From this point on, they are fated to walk the path of the Chaos Champion as much as any of the original Traitors of the Horus Heresy. These Renegades are hunted men -- loathed by all the other Space Marine Chapters, who consider it their foremost duty before the Emperor to destroy any Renegade Astartes lest their vile shame and dishonour leave a black stain upon all the Loyalist Space Marines who have never turned their face from the light of the Emperor or their duty to Mankind for their own selfish gain.

Though never equal in size or power to the original Astartes Legions, a modern Space Marine Chapter is a potent military force in its own right and when an entire Chapter turns Renegade it presents a grave threat to the Imperium. With all the resources of a Space Marine Chapter at their disposal, the Renegades of Chaos destroy Imperial armies, conquer Imperial worlds and despoil whole sectors of the Imperium. Such events warrant an extreme response from the Imperial forces, not to mention the other, Loyalist Space Marine Chapters. It is perhaps the greatest test of faith for a Space Marine to fight another Astartes and these internecine conflicts often have a terrible effect on other nearby Chapters. In these circumstances, such inter-Chapter wars tend to escalate quickly, engulfing many worlds with bloodshed. On Occasion, those forces sent to deal with the Renegade Chapter may actually end up, in whole or in part, becoming corrupted and joining with those they were sent to destroy, just as happened to many among the Traitor Legions so long ago.

An example of just such an outcome infamously took place in the 34th Millennium during the Obscuran Uprisings. During the course of 400 Terran years of anarchic separatist rebellions that shook much of the Segmentum Obscurus, at least 7 Loyalist Space Marine Chapters broke their oaths to the Emperor and took part in the looting and pillaging of hundreds of these Imperial worlds. Of these Chapters, 2 of them, the Sons of Vengeance and the Silver Guards -- had at first fought on the side of the Imperium but turned Renegade after their actions against the Chaotic Free Council of Hannedra II.

Forces of the Chaos Space Marines

The Forces of Chaos (also see "Forces of Chaos")

The Forces of Chaos is an all-encompassing term that includes the Chaos Space Marines and all the other beings and entities who serve the Ruinous Powers of Chaos and make war upon the Imperium of Man and the many other intelligent races of the Milky Way Galaxy. Among their number are included the Traitor Legions and Renegade Space Marines, human, mutant and alien Chaos Cultists, Traitor Imperial Guard, Traitor Titan Legions, the Tech-priests of the Dark Mechanicus, Chaos Spawn cannon fodder, and daemons of every shape and level of power as well as countless other foul beings too horrific to be mentioned here. All of these forces can be led into battle by the Chaos Space Marines, who are collectively the most powerful mortal servants of the Ruinous Powers who have ever lived.

The Lost and the Damned

There are also many normal humans and mutants who serve the Ruinous Powers as Chaos Cultists or belong to ancient regiments of the Imperial Army, the Traitor Titan Legions or the Dark Mechanicus. These groups joined Horus in his rebellion and then fled with the Traitor Legions into the Eye of Terror 10 millennia ago after Horus' defeat. These groups are often used by the Chaos Space Marines to bolster their ranks. These Traitors, mutants and heretics are collectively labelled the "Lost and the Damned" by the Inquisition.

Forces of Chaos

Click on image for full size

The Forces of Chaos -- A Witch, a Chaos Space Marine and a Tech-priest of the Dark Mechanicus

The Forces of Chaos, also sometimes referred to by the Imperium as the Archenemy, is a catch-all term that includes all of the myriad servants of the individual Ruinous Powers of Chaos and of the universal power of Chaos Undivided. While the Chaos Space Marines are probably the most visible and powerful of the Forces of Chaos, they are supported by countless numbers of other Chaotic servants, including human Chaos Cultists, Traitor Imperial Guardsmen, the Traitor Titan Legions, the remaining members of the Dark Mechanicus and the hordes of Chaos Daemons.

Commanders

Greater Daemons

Once summoned, any of the Greater Daemons of Chaos (Slaanesh's Keeper of Secrets, Khorne's Bloodthirster, Nurgle's Great Unclean One, and Tzeentch's Lord of Change) can act as the force commander in any Chaotic army aligned with their patron deity. They are incarnations of their Chaos God, living embodiments of everything Chaos represents. They are the guardians of their God's realm and the executors of his will. Often the Greater Daemons lead incursions into the mortal world, and act as the heralds of the Ruinous Powers of Chaos to Champions of Chaos and Chaos Sorcerers. Yet, they still have their own ambitions and plans, each contributing a part to the greater consciousness that is the Dark Gods. In realspace, Greater Daemons manifest as huge, terrifying creatures capable of slaying scores of warriors and destroying even main battle tanks. They have strange, sorcerous powers drawn from the psychic energy of the Warp and are virtually impervious to mortal weapons. Summoning such a creature demands a high price, for it takes a tremendous amount of psychic energy for a Greater Daemon to achieve corporeality in the material universe. The price is always a sacrifice, the death or possession of a living being that acts as a gateway from the Immaterium into the material realm. The rampant energy of the daemon passing through into the material universe inevitably destroys this host. As such, the sacrifice is not usually the one performing the summoning. They are also able to disrupt the barrier between the Immaterium and the physical universe around them enough to allow them to summon Lesser Daemons who are also aligned to their patron deity physically into the material world. For example, a Bloodthirster can summon Bloodletters, Lesser Daemons who also serve Khorne.

Daemon Prince

Click on image for full size

A Daemon Prince is a human Champion of Chaos who has been elevated to daemonhood as a reward for his or her actions on the behalf of one of the major Chaos Gods or by the will of Chaos Undivided. Daemon Princes have chosen to trade their humanity for the god-like power and immortality of a creature of the Warp. A Daemon Prince is a living extension of the force of Chaos. To ascend to the rank of Daemon Prince is the ultimate goal of the most powerful followers of Chaos, as it gives them immortality and power beyond the reckoning of mortals. Daemon Princes combine the brute strength of daemons with the combat skill and tactical acumen of Space Marines. However, if the Champion fails in the eyes of their God, their lives and ambitions end as they are cast aside and instead descend into the mutant state of a Chaos Spawn. Since Daemon Princes have been transformed into semi-autonomous extensions of the Chaos God they serve or of Chaos Undivided, they are now entities of the Warp and can never truly be killed in the material universe, only banished into the Immaterium for a specific amount of time, usually 1,000 standard years. Essentially, Daemon Princes will exist for as long as Chaos is a force in the universe. Daemon Princes often act as lieutenants to the Greater Daemons of the Ruinous Powers as powerful warriors and forceful leaders capable of fighting at the forefront of a daemonic assault, However, true daemons consider Daemon Princes to be inferior, too deeply and irrevocably tainted by their mortal origins to best serve the Chaos Gods.

Chaos Lord

Chaos Lords are those men (and in rare cases women) who have sworn their souls to the Chaos Gods to become their Champions and are consumed with an overwhelming desire for power and domination. They are not necessarily those who rose through the ranks properly in a hierarchical fashion, but are often those most blessed by the Chaos Gods or simply the most powerful or charismatic individuals among the Forces of Chaos. The greatest of the Champions of Chaos become Chaos Lords and are often granted hideous mutations and physical alterations by the Ruinous Powers to further their cause. Chaos Lords are so powerful as to be able to bind the other Forces of Chaos to their will, although this often brings a dangerous position as advancement among the Forces of Chaos is commonly achieved through the death or murder of another Chaos Lord or Champion. Some Chaos Lords lead through brute strength, others through cunning and some are maniacs bent solely on self-aggrandisement. Others are truly worshipers of Chaos and possess a zealous dedication to the Dark Gods. They prove so successful in their pursuit of the Ruinous Powers' goals that they are granted enough power to command whole legions of Chaos forces, including other Champions of Chaos. This thirst for dominion over all will drive them to attain power by any means, no matter the cost to others or themselves, though if they ever fail the Chaos Gods, they are sure to receive terrible punishments.

Chaos Sorcerer

The psychically-powerful Space Marine Librarians who have defected to the worship of Chaos are gifted by the Chaos Gods with potent sorcerous powers that shall forever drive them to increase their power and knowledge even at the risk of utter consumption by the entities of the Warp. These potent psykers are known as Chaos Sorcerers as they make use of psychic abilities so powerful that they are akin to the ancient human beliefs in magic. Only the Chaos God Khorne is averse to the use of psychic powers, seeing them as the weapon of the weak and he refuses to have any practitioner of sorcery fight under his banner. As a result, warriors who turn to Khorne kill any psykers in their midst as a sacrifice to their deity and as a symbol of their total devotion to the will of the Blood God. On the whole, Chaos Sorcerers are maniacal, selfish and extremely wise, the result of so many gifts from their patron Gods or the result of daemonic pacts with the foul denizens of the Warp. Many Chaos Sorcerers are devotees of Tzeentch, the Chaos God of Change and Sorcery. Of course, all debts must eventually be paid...

Aspiring Champions and Lieutenants

Amongst the Traitor Legions there are those who stand apart from their fallen brethren. These Traitor Legionnaires show the traits of true leadership, honed keen by the constant struggle to maintain control over warbands of fallen Adeptus Astartes. These Aspiring Chaos Champions and Chaos Lieutenants are human warriors (usually Chaos Space Marines) and Sorcerers who follow a more powerful Chaos Lord into battle on behalf of the Ruinous Powers to achieve their own goals, which usually involves continuing along the road of serving Chaos until they become a full Chaos Champion or Daemon Prince themselves. They act as an extension of leadership in the chain of command of a Chaotic army, performing tasks that the main Chaos commander is either unable or unwilling to do. While not as powerful as their primary force commanders, their increased abilities bolster the effectiveness of the force, allowing for a more diverse array of tactics on the battlefield. They will also assume command should anything "unfortunate" happen to their leader. These Aspiring Champions are leaders in the making, adorning their amour with trophies from the slain and wielding ancient and potent weapons that may date back from the Heresy itself. They burn with ambition, aspiring to become more powerful champions amongst their fellows. However, only the most brutal and skilled can survive to become Chaos Lords. The most powerful and ruthless Aspiring Champions strive to win a coveted suit of Tactical Dreadnought Armor. Such armour makes them virtually immune to all but the most powerful weapons and allows them to easily wield weapons even a Traitor Legionnaire in power armor could not carry.

Dark Apostles

The Dark Apostles are the Chaplains and de facto leaders of the Word Bearers Chaos Space Marine Traitor Legion, second only to the Legion's Primarch Lorgar. Like all of the Word Bearers, the Dark Apostles worship all the Dark Gods in the form of Chaos Undivided rather than any single one of the Chaos Gods. Even before the Horus Heresy, the Dark Apostles had gleefully redirected the Legion's fanatical zeal from the preaching of their flawed version of the Imperial Truth to howling the praises of Chaos Undivided. Dark Apostles still carry their ritual Crozius Arcanum as they did before their fall, although the resulting Accursed Crozius have long since been corrupted and debased into deadly icons dedicated to the Chaos Gods themselves. Not only does this make them lethal assault weapons, it also marks the bearer as receiving the dark favour of the Gods, granting them protection from their enemies and allowing them a much deeper connection with the denizens of the Warp. When Dark Apostles go to war they are terrifying to behold, for the Apostles are fueled by their indomitable faith, daemonic blessings and the super-human might of a Space Marine. Few can stand and fight against a Dark Apostle and live to tell the tale. The Dark Apostles (and all of the Word Bearers for that matter) hold a certain hatred for the Adeptus Ministorum (the Ecclesiarchy) and all those who ally with it. They take great pleasure in destroying Imperial temples, burning Imperial Cult religious banners and above all killing Missionaries, Sisters of the Adepta Sororitas and if possible Ordo Hereticus Inquisitors.

Elites

Possessed Chaos Space Marines

Mutations often afflict Chaos Space Marines since the Chaos Gods, especially Tzeentch, will reward a corrupted Astartes with this "gift" of change. However, in the most fanatical warbands, dedicating their black souls to the Chaos Gods is sometimes not enough for some of these Chaos Space Marines. Some pledge themselves fully to the service of their Dark Gods, allowing themselves to be possessed by daemons. They become willing hosts to these creatures of the Immaterium. The willing Chaos Space Marine must adequately prepare for the possession through rituals of maculation and debasement, offering sacrifices and physically preparing their bodies to host the daemonic being. These possessed Chaos Space Marines are easily distinguished by their grotesque features and mutated bodies; they display vicious fangs, rending claws, razor-sharp horns and whip-like tentacles that partially mutates their body into the form of the possessing daemon. The Possessed Astartes gains great speed, resilience and strength. Possessed Marines can tear apart enemies with their bare hands and use their newly acquired inhuman senses to latch onto the Warp presence of other creatures. This grants the Possessed Astartes the innate ability to unerringly locate enemy positions and ferret out potential victims without being seen.

Chaos Terminators

Just like their counterparts, the Terminators of the Loyalist Space Marine Chapters, Chaos Terminators are Veteran Chaos Space Marine warriors who have faced many battles and have chosen to wear the ancient Tactical Dreadnought Armor of their Traitor Legions into battle. Chaos and Loyalist Terminators alike are slow-moving and often need a transport like a Rhino to carry them across the battlefield. Unlike the Loyalist Space Marines, however, Chaos Terminators are blessed by the Warp, which grants them mutations and other daemonic powers and unholy artifacts of Chaos to wield in battle. Chaos Terminators stand in great favor with the leader of their warband. Many of them are Aspiring Champions of Chaos who have left their brethren to elevate themselves in the eyes of the Ruinous Powers. The scarcity of Terminator Armour is such that sometimes an Aspiring Champion can only claim a suit for himself by killing the current wearer through ritual combat or by more devious means. Chaos Terminators are often employed as the elite personal guard of an esteemed Chaos Champion. Within the Chaos Space Marine warband they are the ones who enforce the will of their leader and are granted the pick of the spoils of victory. They are egotistical, brutish men, who use their physical prowess and their Champion's favour to intimidate other members of the warband.

Troops

Fast Attack

Chaos Raptors

Chaos Raptors are Chaos Space Marines that enjoy the hunt and are the equivalent of Loyalist Space Marine Assault Squads. Their role as shock attack jump troops during the Horus Heresy made these Astartes consider themselves to be an elite group. Within the Space Marine Legions of old, Jump Packs were comparatively rare, and for those Astartes chosen to assume this important role, this rarity perpetuated the belief in their own self-importance. Over time, the concept of preying on the vulnerable has led to the Raptors becoming vicious hunters of the weak. Using their Warp-corrupted Jump Packs, the Raptors fly around the battlefield chasing down their prey and swooping in for the kill using Bolt Pistols and Chainswords. They often modify their Power Armour into a more terrifying appearance and fit amplifiers and Voxcasters to it that emit piercing screams to add to their horrifying aspect. Raptors are easily identified by the large archaic Jump Packs they wear that date from the time of the Great Crusade and are outfitted with arched intakes and thrusters.

Chaos Space Marine Bikers

Well-armed and highly-mobile, Chaos Space Marine Bikers make excellent reconnaissance troops and are used to launch deadly raids behind enemy lines. Chaos Space Marine bikes are rugged vehicles with large engines that are powerful enough to carry their heavily armoured riders. They are fitted with on-board weaponry that can be fired by the rider without him needing to relinquish control of his machine. They are often festooned with blades and spurs that are used to cut and snare opponents as the rider smashes past. Amongst their ruthless brethren, Chaos Space Marine Bikers have a reputation for being merciless and cruel, often following a vanquished foe for many miles just to kill or capture them. But mostly they do so in the hope that their prey will lead them to fresh victims and more plunder.

Chaos Spawn

Chaos can be a blessing as well as a curse. Chaos Champions who have been "blessed" by their Gods gain unique appendages such as claws, tentacles, or other grotesque mutations, but failing the Ruinous Powers once too often will result in so much mutation that a Chaos Space Marine or Chaos Cultist can be transformed into a hideous Chaos Spawn, a mass of writhing flesh with numerous arms, claws, and fangs that only comprehends the will of Chaos. All remnants of humanity or the individual's original personality or memories are lost and the Chaos Spawn is only useful as cannon fodder in battle.

Heavy Support

Obliterators

Click on image for full size

An Obliterator is a former Chaos Space Marine, often a Techmarine, who is believed to have been affected by the so-called "Obliterator Virus", a daemonic virus that transformed these once-loyal servants of the Imperium into bloodthirsty mutant weapons of Chaos. They are monstrous hybrids of human, daemon and machine. An Obliterator is able to absorb any weapon into its body that is held for too long. These unfortunates can spawn these weapons from their very flesh, and also grow ammunition for them. Chaos Obliterators are biologically fused to their suits of Power Armour. As a result of their mutation, Obliterators are no longer even remotely sane. This insanity could be caused by the constant mental and physical trauma of absorbing weapons into the Obliterator's body or being biologically welded by his own body to his armour. This insanity is also possibly caused by the Machine Spirits of his weapons and armour fusing into a destructive daemonic entity after infection by the virus. Obliterators are never part of an existing Traitor Legion or Renegade Chapter of Chaos Space Marines; they prefer to sell their services to the highest bidder amongst the Forces of Chaos in return for access to the Archeotech that they crave.

Chaos Havocs

Havocs are the Chaos variant of the Space Marine Devastator, heavy weapon specialists who are trained to annihilate the foe at range. Squads of Havocs provide devastating anti-infantry and anti-armour firepower, dominating large swathes of the battlefield with volley after punishing volley. Such is the blood-pounding thrill of pouring heavy fire into the enemy ranks that many Havocs become obsessed by the power their weapons afford them. They see themselves as gods of the battlefield, blasting the insect vermin of the enemy into oblivion with each twitch of the finger. Consisting of 4 to 9 Chaos Space Marines, and led by an Aspiring Champion of Chaos, Havoc Squads are used to support their brethren during an advance by laying down a withering hail of fire. These squads excel at providing a devastating barrage of anti-infantry and anti-armor firepower that can dominate the battlefield with their merciless volleys. Often they will also employ a Rhino Armoured Personnel Carrier, speeding themselves to better vantages where they will be able to use the optimal amount of fire against their warband's enemies.

Defilers

At the request of Abaddon the Despoiler, the Defilers were created, making them the most common type of Daemon Engine, or daemon-possessed vehicle, faced by the Imperium of Man. Defilers are daemonically-possessed killing machines: a massive conglomeration of metal with two giant gnashing claws, six barbed mechanical legs, and an arsenal consisting of a powerful built-in Autocannon along with several other smaller weapons, though the weapons mix can differ dramatically from one Defiler to another. The Defiler is meant to be the Chaotic counterpart to the Space Marine Dreadnoughts and to go forth onto the battlefield and destroy whatever stands in its way, thus paving the way for the rest of the Chaos horde which will inevitably follow in its wake of destruction and utter carnage. The Defiler is operated by an enraged daemonic entity trapped within the construct's metal and which is held within this mechanical tomb by sorcerous spells of sedation and binding cast by the blasphemous Tech-priests of the Dark Mechanicus. Only the destruction of the Defiler will grant its imprisoned daemon's release back into the Warp.

Chaos Dreadnoughts

Chaos Space Marine Dreadnoughts are not revered for their wisdom or experience like their Imperial counterpart. Instead, they are usually shackled securely when not in combat because the Chaos Space Marine within has been driven insane by millennia of being trapped within the cold cybernetic sarcophagus as the power of Chaos warped his mind and spirit. They are used as insane behemoths to trample the enemy and are regarded with caution, as the madman within the Dreadnought can turn his wrath upon his comrades if there are no enemy units within range. It is exactly this unreliability that led Abaddon the Despoiler to call for the creation of the Defiler as a replacement for the Traitor Legions' original Dreadnoughts. Chaos Dreadnoughts' weapons are configured in the same way as Imperial Dreadnoughts but have no specific designations. As they are not wise or even reliable by any standard, Chaos Dreadnoughts are usually designated as fire support or frontal assault units rather than elite soldiers like their Imperial Space Marine counterparts. In earlier eras, Chaos Dreadnoughts could be configured into more powerful versions of their Imperial counterparts by the use of special Marks dedicated to one of the Chaos Gods, imbuing them with unholy sorcerous powers. This practice is no longer seen among these twisted cyborgs.

Chaos Rhino

The Rhino Armoured Personnel Carrier is an ancient design that has long been the most numerous of support vehicles for the Space Marines. Its service stretches back to the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy when the Astartes Legions first split between Loyalist and Traitor allegiances. When the Forces of Chaos were defeated and pursued into the Eye of Terror during the Great Scouring, they took their war machines with them. Chaos Space Marines often loot new Rhinos from their defeated Space Marine enemies and raid Imperial supply ships to secure new supplies of the venerable vehicle. Once these new Rhinos are in their hands, Chaos Space Marines deface all Imperial insignia, attach banners proclaiming their allegiance to the Chaos Gods and festoon the vehicles with spikes, blades and grisly trophies that transform it from the service of the Corpse Emperor to that of his greatest enemies. Over the ten millennia of their Long War against the Corpse Emperor, the Chaos Space Marines have continued to use the Rhino as their main transport vehicle.

Chaos Predators

The Predator is the main battle tank of the Space Marines and can be fitted with different weapons for anti-armor operations, anti-infantry firepower or to provide a mixed support role. Based upon the ever-versatile Rhino chassis, the Predator has an armoured turret that can sport an Autocannon or Lascannons and can be further armed with the addition of side sponsons mounting other heavy weaponry. By sacrificing all of the Rhino's troop-carrying capacity, the Predator is also protected by a reinforced chassis with extra armored Ceramite and Adamantium plates. Chaos Predators are used to provide mobile heavy support to fast-moving Chaos Space Marine attacks. Capable of laying down terrifying amounts of firepower, the Chaos Predator can eliminate enemy armour or pave the way for an infantry assault, or unleash a blaze of fire to decimate enemy squads that are attempting to mount a counterattack. Frequently, the Predators used by the Chaos Space Marine Traitor Legions have seen service for hundreds and usually thousands of standard years. They are embellished with horrific decorations, fluttering Chaos banners, daemonic gargoyles, beast-headed weapon muzzles and other icons of Chaos, making them as much a utilitarian statement of the Chaos Space Marines' hatred of the Imperium of Man and its Emperor as a war machine.

Chaos Vindicators

The Vindicator is another Space Marine vehicle based upon the Rhino Standard Template Construct chassis. The Vindicator sacrifices the Rhino's troop-transport capacity in order to mount reinforced ceramite and admantium armour, additional internal bracing and ammunition storage. This is needed for the massive Demolisher Cannon mounted on the vehicle's front which is supported by thick recoil suppressors. Protected by an enormous armoured plate at the front of its hull, the Vindicator can move into position under intense enemy fire, even approaching the walls of an enemy fortress until is potent main cannon is in range. The Demolisher Cannon fires a large bore shell packed with high explosives. While it lacks the range of a standard Battlecannon, the Demolisher is more potent and can breach a city wall or obliterate another tank. It is ideal for levelling bunkers and enemy fortifications, for blasting infantry out of trenches and foxholes and for smashing through the gates of a citadel. Chaos Vindicators were used extensively by the Traitor Legions at the Siege of the Imperial Palace during the Battle of Terra and have seen service in the Legions and with Renegade Chaos Space Marine warbands across the galaxy in the last 10,000 standard years. The Iron Warriors Legion, the loyal followers of the Daemon Primarch Perturabo, still field entire squadrons of Vindicators, emblazoned with Chaos sigils and adorned with the wreckage of fallen Imperial cities as their trophies of victory.

Chaos Land Raiders

The Land Raider is the heaviest ground vehicle used by the Space Marines of the Adeptus Astartes and is more like a mobile fortress than a main battle tank. With equally heavy ceramite and admantium armour on its flanks and rear as its front, it can plough into an enemy army with near-impunity, its thick armoured plates withstanding all but the deadliest of anti-tank weaponry. The Land Raider's cavernous hull carries a full squad of Chaos Space Marines, or more often, a fearsome detachment of Chaos Terminators. Once in position,a Land Raider opens its front assault ramp to disgorge its cargo of bloodthirsty warriors directly into combat with the enemy, while providing supporting fire from its myriad weapon systems. Land Raiders are highly prized by the Chaos Space Marines because their numbers are very limited. Chaos Warmasters and Chaos Champions often use a Land Raider as their personal transport to proclaim their status and power among the Forces of Chaos, adorning their armoured juggernaut with large Chaos banners, decorating its hull with the bodies of slain Loyalist Astartes and the various symbols of the Dark Gods. With its lascannons blazing and enemy shots sparking harmlessly off its powerful hull, a Land Raider is a bastion of strength that can spearhead an offensive or form a mobile rallying point when used on the defensive.

Soul Grinders

Soul Grinders are the ultimate Daemon Engines, the fusion of powerful daemonic entities with machines of war that originate from outside of the Immaterium but have already felt the touch of Chaos. These are often the wrecked remains of other Daemon Engines and possessed vehicles, such as the mighty Chaos Battle Titans of the Traitor Titan Legions, or the rampaging Defilers created by the Chaos Space Marine Traitor Legions. All this ruined materiel is absorbed into the Warp, flowing from realspace into the Immaterium through the Eye of Terror, the Maelstrom and other Warp rifts where the different realities touch. On the ash plains of the Immaterium outside the independent daemonic structure known as the Forge of Souls, battle never stops, as many amongst the higher ranks of Daemons vie with each other and duel for the chance to fuse with the mechanical constructs created by the Forge and become a Soul Grinder. This is because, unlike a possessed mortal body, these steel and ceramite shells can sustain a daemon in the mortal universe for decades, even centuries. During this time, the shape of each Soul Grinder will change, as their metal body slowly becomes more similar to the true form of the daemon possessing it. Such a precious boon does not come cheaply. To become a Soul Grinder, a daemon must take the three Oaths of the Iron Pact with the Masters of the Forge of Souls. First, that all souls harvested by the great blades of the newborn Soul Grinder will be used to fuel the Forge. Second, that the wrecked remains of all the war machines destroyed by the claws of the Soul Grinder will be offered for the use of the Forge. And lastly, that should one of the Chaos Gods attack the Forge of Souls and try to rule over it, all of the Soul Grinders will fight in its defence, discarding their previous loyalties to any of the four Ruinous Powers of Chaos.

In battle, Soul Grinders form the armoured spearhead of the daemonic hosts, using their massive firepower to hammer the enemy lines, covering the rank-and-file troops of the Dark Gods as they close with their enemies. Their daemonic nature allows them to appear out of thin air where least expected, makes them invulnerable to small arms fire and resilient to the hits of all but the most powerful of anti-tank weapons. As they advance towards the enemy, the Soul Grinders keep up a continuous barrage with their feared Harvester Guns, rapid-firing weapons built by the daemonic artisans of Chaos from the pieces of ancient weaponry seized from the world of mortals. But the most potent weapon of the Soul Grinder is its Maw Cannon--its hideous mouth is capable of unleashing the terrible energies of the Warp itself. These attacks can take many different forms, all strange and unnatural to mortal eyes. Sometimes the Soul Grinders can vomit forth great gouts of Warpflame, while at others their tongues lash out like a searing energy ray. They can even spit huge masses of mutating ichor incredible distances, annihilating entire squads in one great explosion. At close quarters Soul Grinders are all but unstoppable as their adamantine claws and piston-powered crushing limbs crackle with daemonic power. Few warriors are capable of standing their ground when a Soul Grinder finally reaches their lines.

Chaos Titans

Many Titan Legions of the Collegia Titanica sided with the Warmaster Horus during the Horus Heresy and turned Traitor against the Imperium, like the infamous Legio Mortis. These Traitor Titans and their crews were forced to flee into the Eye of Terror when the Heresy ended, much like the rest of the mortal Chaos forces. Exposed for countless centuries to the warping effects of the Immaterium and the baleful influence of Chaos, most of the Chaos Titans had been drastically altered. Most are now possessed Daemon Engines whose Machine Spirits have been replaced by a daemonic intelligence, whose outer hulls have been reshaped into forms more pleasing to the Ruinous Powers and whose crews were also transformed into the damned immortal pawns of the Dark Gods who can never leave their Titans. The standard Imperial classes of Titan, the Warhound-class Scout Titan, the Reaver-class Battle Titan, the Warlord-class Battle Titan and the Imperator-class Emperor Titan, once warped by the power of Chaos, are redesignated the Feral-class Scout Titan, the Ravager-class Battle Titan, the Banelord-class Battle Titan and the extremely rare Abominatus-class Emperor Titan, respectively. While less numerous than Imperial Titans, Chaos Titans are equally, if not actually more powerful, as a result of their daemonic endowments. If they appear on a battlefield, it requires the deployment of multiple Imperial Titans to defeat these hideous Daemon Engines.

Lesser Daemons

Lesser Daemons of Tzeentch

There are two types of Lesser Daemons who serve Tzeentch. The Horror is the basic daemonic soldier of Tzeentchian armies; they excel in ranged combat using armour-piercing projectiles that if used properly will decimate infantry and heavy infantry. Horrors only provide mediocre support against armoured vehicles. Horrors are described as constantly churning balls of raw Chaos energy that are able to take on any form they desire. Flamers are similar to Horrors except that they shoot fire from their multitude of mouths, acting as living flame throwers. These flames make the Flamer a more well-rounded unit able to effectively combat infantry and light armored vehicles. They are also great for breaking the moral of larger squads, forcing their enemies to flee.

Lesser Daemons of Slaanesh

The primary Lesser Daemon unit found in Slaaneshi armies is the Daemonette. These alluring creatures are fast-moving melee specialists who can seduce an enemy unit into not firing upon them until it is too late. Daemonettes make short work of most infantry and can usually keep pace with most fast-attack units like Chaos Space Marine Raptors. It is recommended by most Chaos Sorcerers that Daemonettes be summoned in close proximity to Chaotic units already assaulting the enemy.

Lesser Daemons of Nurgle

The Plaguebearers are the typical Lesser Daemonic soldier unit used in Nurgleite armies. These daemons are slower than others, but their ability to spread the horrific sorceorus disease known as Nurgle's Rot allows them to return any damage taken during an assault ten-fold. Often described as ugly, rotting, cyclopic mutants, their effect on enemy morale is devastating. They are incredibly damaging to most infantry, heavy infantry, and light armor in melee to short-ranged combat.

Lesser Daemons of Khorne

The primary Lesser Daemon found in Khornate armies is the Bloodletter -- a fearless, rampaging horned humanoid beast that dominates in melee combat. Their weapons are all considered Power Weapons, making Bloodletters extremely effective against most armor and infantry types. They have no morale checks since they are the embodiment of rage and bloodlust. They are one of the only daemonic units who wear armor. Another type of daemon associated with Khorne are his Flesh Hounds.These rabid, canine-like monsters act as a fast attack unit that is devastating to infantry in close combat. Flesh Hounds are savage beasts that relentlessly hunt down the enemies of the Blood God. Once the Flesh Hounds have found the scent of prey, nothing will stop their howls until it is the last sound their doomed quarry will ever hear. One of the most recognisable features of the Flesh Hounds is the large iron and brass collar that seems to grow directly out of their necks' flesh. These are a gift from Khorne, and not only provide physical protection, but also provide a mystical ward against psychic attacks. This anti-psychic defence makes the Flesh Hounds the bane of all the mortal servants of Khorne's hated adversary Tzeentch, and all the Sorcerers of the galaxy fear these Hounds of the Blood God.

Furies

Furies are the weakest form of daemon and can be found in any of the Ruinous Powers' armies. They have bat-like wings, razor sharp claws and horns, and while they can overpower a normal man they are cowardly creatures that only help out if the victory is assured. Any sign of loss or failure on the field of battle and Furies flee back into the sky. It has been conjectured that the Furies are made of the souls of mortals that could never decide which of the Gods of Chaos to serve--not because of a genuine love for all four of them in the guise of Chaos Undivided, but from a continuous swaying of worship of one Chaos God to another, driven only by the prospect of personal gain. When their souls are released from their mortal shells, none of the Ruinous Powers claim them--their fate is to be forbidden from entering any of their Realms in the Warp. Instead, they spend eternity in the shape of a grotesque gargoyle, condemned to be buffeted by the currents of the Immaterium, with no direction and no meaning. Such is the fate of the indecisive. When a Daemonic Legion breaks into reality, these bestial daemons see their opportunity for a temporary respite from their eternal tortures and flock onto the battlefield to vent their eternal anger against mortals.

Horrors

Horrors are effective anti-vehicle Lesser Daemon units usually found in a Chaotic army dedicated to Tzeentch. The Horror consists of many tentacles and a large mouth that spews intensely hot bolts of flame which work to sear the armor off of their mechanized opponents. They are not particularly large, but possess great destructive capabilities; a moderately large group of Horrors can easily dispatch a Chimera transport, or even a Leman Russ medium tank.

Discs of Tzeentch

The Discs of Tzeentch are for the most part considered a war gear option for Chaotic armies. They are stingray-like in appearance, and their sides are razor sharp which allows them to act like a living shuriken. They fly on the ethereal winds of the Warp, taking their riders above the field of battle where normal, ground-based hindrances and traps will not impede their progress. Units outfitted with Discs of Tzeentch are considered mounted cavalry.

Nurglings

Click on image for full size

Nurglings are small Lesser Daemons dedicated to Nurgle, grotesque in appearance, that infest the battlefield and the bodies of those who fight upon it. When selected as an individual unit, Nurglings act as a swarm, attacking together to bring down the mightiest prey. They are small enough to fit through the gaps in any armor, making them great for slowing down (but not necessarily killing) any unit. Their small size also makes them hard to hit for enemy fire. Nurglings can also accompany a Champion of Nurgle as wargear.

Juggernauts of Khorne

The Juggernauts of Khorne are large, armored daemonic beasts resembling a rhino or bull. These daemons act as unstoppable mounts for the Chaos Champions of the Blood God. Using a Juggernaut not only increases a Champion's speed, but their resistance to enemy fire as well as their overall combat effectiveness and intimidation factor in melee combat.

Fiends of Slaanesh

Fiends of Slaanesh are chimerical hybrids of human, reptile and insect, given a body through the perversity of the Prince of Pleasure. A Fiend has a long, segmented body covered in delicate scales that shimmer as it moves. It has four legs ending in disturbingly humanoid feet and two slender arms with vicious clamp-like claws that the Fiend uses to disembowel the enemy. A Fiend's tongue contains a narcotic poison that numbs the mind and body of those it licks, causing them to fall into a coma during which the Fiend will slice them apart slowly. Fiends move incredibly quickly, using their pincers and tail to maintain their balance. As it sprints forward, a Fiend irregularly sashays from side-to-side, so that it can appear to be running sideways or backwards, confounding the enemy.

Others

There are a vast and innumerable number of daemonic entities within the Immaterium, and their number and type is constantly changing due to the impermanent nature of Chaos itself. Each of the Ruinous Powers is served by his own cavalcade of Greater Daemons and Daemon Princes, whose appearance on a battlefield alongside the other Forces of Chaos is rare and usually only occurs when the Chaos Gods are seeking to earn a major victory against the Forces of Order. As such, Chaotic armies can sometimes be found accompanied by new and potent types of daemons that have not yet been catalogued by the Ordo Malleus of the Inquisition.

Chaos Space Marine

History

Chaos and Loyalist Space Marine Differences

Champions of Chaos

The Traitor Legions and Renegade Space Marine Chapters

Chaos Space Marine Traitor Legions

Legion Number

Primarch

Legion

Loyalty

Primarch Status

Forces of the Chaos Space Marines

Forces of Chaos

Commanders

Elites

Troops

Fast Attack

Heavy Support

Lesser Daemons