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Chaos Battleship

2023-05-30T00:28:51Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

The heaviest class of warship available to the forces of the [[Chaos|Ruinous Powers]], '''Battleships''' are often the armored fist of the [[Abaddon|Warmaster]]. Many are millennia old, and with their hulls still bearing the scars of the [[Horus Heresy|the conflict that forced their exile]] to the [[Eye of Terror]].

Chaos Battleships are big, mean, and heavily-armed and armored. They feature a wider, flatter, and sleeker profile (if you ignore the spikes that is) when compared to their [[Imperial Navy Battleship|Loyalist counterparts]]. Being based on older designs, they also lack the Armored Prow that characterize contemporary Imperial Ships.

A lot of them have been... ''changed'' by their time in the Immaterium, and depending on their Commanders, may come in varying flavors of [[Black Legion|spiky]], [[Khorne|angry]], [[Nurgle|disgusting]], [[Slaanesh|perverted]], or [[Tzeentch|nerdy]].

== Battleship Classes ==

=== Basic ===

==== Desolator ====

[[Image:BFGADesolator.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The Warmaster's Spearpoint.]]

One of the more 'standard-issue' class of Chaos Battleships. The [[Retribution-class Battleship|Retribution-class]] if you will.

A design dating to the dawn of the Imperium, and constructed using technology long lost to the Imperium, the '''Desolator''' was a warship that emphasized destruction from afar and it was fully capable of doing so, with [[Lance Weapon|Lance]] turrets, long-ranged [[Macrocannon|macro cannons]], and [[Torpedo]] tubes as standard.

Between M31 and M34, at least five Desolators turned against the Emperor's light and none now remain in service. With the introduction of newer Battleship classes and a change of Imperial doctrine. There are no more Desolators left in Imperial service, all having turned to Chaos long millennia before.

The Desolator is heavily armed; carrying 8 [[Torpedo]] Launchers, 6 Double-Barrel Heavy [[Lance Weapon|Lance]] Battery Weapons and 2 Triple-Barrel Super Heavy [[Naval Missile Turret|Missile Turrets]].

*'''Length:''' 8-12km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 55 megatons; approx
*'''Crew:''' 160,000 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 2.0 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx
=== Carrier ===

==== Desecrator ====

[[File:DesecratorBattleship.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The forgotten middle-child of the family.]]

More of a carrier-battleship than a true carrier.

First encountered during the Gothic War, this new class of Chaos Battleship represented the first newly encountered Chaos vessel recorded by the Imperium in millennia. It is believed that the Desecrator is a modified version of the Desolator-Class Battleship, modified by removing the forward Lance batteries in place of attack craft hangers and the addition of Weapons Battery turrets to the dorsal spine.

Sporadic reports of Desecrator battleships conducting raids throughout Segmentum Obscurus have persisted in the years since the Gothic War. One such raid against the Imperial Navy base of Junta IV resulted in the boarding and capture of three Imperial escort vessels.

*'''Length:''' 8-12km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 53.3 megatons; approx
*'''Crew:''' 142,000 crew, 30,000 pilots and support personnel; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 1.9 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx
==== Despoiler ====

[[Image:BFGADespoiler.jpg|300px|thumb|right|And you thought you could avoid Carrier-spam?]]

A Carrier-type, the '''Despoiler''' was based on a blueprint found by the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] on [[Barbarus]], the homeworld of [[Mortarion]](which should have been a hint that the thing was gonna cause trouble). Similar in design to the infamous ''Terminus Est'' commanded by [[Typhus]], it was discovered too late that it had [[Just As Planned|severe flaws in its Geller Field generators.]] Not surprisingly, many turned Traitor, which led to the Imperium abandoning the construction of the class.

The Despoilers at first don't appear to be that unique, as they have Dorsal [[Lance Weapon|Lance]]s and Broadside Landing Bays and Weapons Batteries. Their difference is that, like the Terminus Est, they managed to have a Prow Landing Bay as well.

On a more interesting note, despite being a new class, [[Derp|GW fucked up their fluff]] and had [[Rogal Dorn]] disappear aboard a Despoiler, [[What|5000 years before the class was created]]. Note this class was actually already named "Despoiler-class" by the Imperium. Yet, they were [[Fail|''surprised'']] [[Heresy|these things went traitor.]] [[EPIC FAIL|Wow.]] Also, after fixing the Gellar Field problem, [[Lolwut|the Imperium still decided not to build more,]] which was [[Stupid|stupid]] since there was no longer a reason not to. I get not wanting to chance it, but beggars can't be choosers.

The Despoiler is armed with 1 Heavy Launch Bay capable of carrying 8 squadrons worth of [[Swiftdeath Fighter]]s, [[Doomfire Bomber]]s, and [[Dreadclaw]]s, 1 Quad-Barrel Super Heavy [[Lance Weapon|Lance]] Artillery, 4 Heavy [[Macrocannon|Macro Battery Weapons]], 2 additional Launch Bays and 3 Double-Barrel [[Lance Weapon|Lance]] Turrets.

*'''Length:''' 8-12km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 53.7 megatons; approx
*'''Crew:''' 145,000 crew, 28,000 pilots and support personnel; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 1.9 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx

== In Battlefleet Gothic ==

With their long weapon ranges and high speeds, Battleships lean toward the long-ranged keep-away playstyle that Chaos favors. Due to their high armor and shields, they can ''also'' do well during short-ranged brawls, though with their weaponry there's no real reason to do so.

That said, if one wants to come close and personal, Chaos can make Boarding Actions more effective for a cost by taking [[Chaos Space Marines]] as crew. Taking those will ''then'' give a player the option to field Chaos Space Marine Terminators.

A single Battleship may be included in your list or every three Heavy or regular Cruiser deployed.

== In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 1 & 2 ==

Comparatively cheaper than the Battleships of the Imperial Navy, Chaos Battleships are also faster, with speeds matching Cruiser-class warships (only the ''Retribution''-class has the same speed). Without Armored Prows, they're less protected up front, and are less effective in Ramming maneuvers, but due to the extremely long ranges of their weaponry, have no reason to get into brawling range.

Unlike in the tabletop game, there's no option to upgrade to a [[Chaos Space Marine]] crew, so Chaos Battleships are less effective in Boarding actions.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Chaos]]

[[Category: Fleets of Chaos]]

[[Category: Chaos Space Marines]]

[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Ships]]

{{40k-Chaos-Ships}}

Chaos Cruiser

2023-05-30T00:28:01Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

Making up the majority of [[Chaos]] fleets, '''Cruisers''' are medium-sized warships known for their speed and maneuverability. Able to function independently for long periods, Cruisers usually function as raiders for the Traitor fleets, striking deep into Imperial territory to cause havoc.

During fleet actions Cruisers will screen the approach of their fleet in conjunction with their Escorts. Once the battle starts in earnest however, these ships will join the battle line, and contribute their firepower to single out targets of opportunity.

== Cruiser Classes ==

=== Basic ===

==== Murder ====

[[File:BFGAMurder.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Replace me not.]]

Once the Cruiser of choice before the [[Lunar-class Cruiser|''Lunar''-class]] went into production, the '''Murder'''-class was armed by the best Plasma cannons that the Mechanicus could provide. Formidable at range, and equipped with powerful engines, a disproportionate number of ships of this class went Traitor in the millennia leading to the [[Gothic War]], ''what a coinkadink!''

In battle, the Murder class is a formidable foe. The Murder is armed with powerful mid-ranged [[Macrocannon|Macro]] [[Plasma|plasma]] broadsides, while a long-ranged [[Lance Weapon|Lance]] battery is mounted on the prow. The Murder-class is even more deadly when working in groups, as the combined firepower of several ships is enough to bring down even a Battleship, such as when three craft destroyed the Relentless Persecution near the end of the Gothic War.

Since it’s name is “Murder” and was replaced, these ships are definitely yandere.

It is armed overall, with 1 Double-Barrel [[Lance Weapon|Heavy Lance Artillery]] and 4 [[Macrocannon|Macro Battery Weapons]].

*'''Length:''' 5km
*'''Mass:''' 24.2 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 51,000 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 5.5 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx

==== Emasculator ====

[[File:15099678_f1024.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Otherwise known as the Cuck Ship.]]

The funnily-named [[Derp|Emasculator]] is a mix-weapon Cruiser whose name wouldn't be out of place for the cuckoldry of [[Slaanesh]].

Weapons wise, it's really not that different from the Slaughter, just instead of having the merged weapon bays, they are distinct and separate, which seems to somehow drop its overall damage output somewhat. In addition, not having the merged weapon bays, while making things easier to read stat-wise due to the way info is displayed in-game, you lose some redundancy with the Emsaculator compared to the Slaughter, since the destruction of a weapon bay here means losing all Lances or Macros on one side of the ship, as opposed to the loss being an even split with the merged bays.

On the plus side, the Emasculator is the only Chaos Cruiser with a heavily armoured prow section, granting any hits that come from the front a better damage reduction. This comes at the cost of engine speed, however, and might not be as useful of a trade-off to most people, since Chaos ships like to spend most of their time making circling broadside attacks at long ranges, and not presenting their front armour.

It is armed overall, with 1 Triple Barrel [[Macrocannon|Light Macro Turret]], 2 [[Macrocannon|Macro Battery Weapons]], 2 Double-Barrel [[Lance Weapon|Lance Battery Weapons]] and 1 Triple Barrel [[Naval Missile Turret|Missile Turret.]]

*'''Length:''' 5km
*'''Mass:''' 24 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 49,000 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 5.3 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx

=== Carrier ===

==== Devastation ====

[[File:BFGADevastation.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Death from afar.]]

A Carrier-class, the '''Devastation'''-class carries two Launch Bays, which are supplemented by long-ranged [[Lance Weapon|Lance]] broadsides, and a prow [[Macrocannon|Macro Weapons battery]]. A fairly versatile and self-sufficient class that is more in line with a Carrier-Battleship than a true carrier.

In the games, the Devastation takes the spot for your "lance-heavy" Cruiser while also bringing launch bays for squadrons, which if you aren't aware, [[Doomfire Bomber]]s can penetrate armour with their attacks too, complimenting your lances as long as you can get another carrier to deploy [[Swiftdeath Fighter|interceptors]] or otherwise find a way of guaranteeing their safety to their target.

Without the benefit of reload orders affecting your lances, keep this ship in lock-on orders to give its macros greater range so it can engage with its full compliment at 13,500 points.

It is armed overall, with 1 Triple Barrel [[Macrocannon|Light Macro Turret]], 2 Launch Bays carrying a complement of [[Swiftdeath Fighter]]s, [[Doomfire Bomber]]s, [[Dreadclaw|Dreadclaw Assault Pod]]s or more rarely, [[Kharybdis Assault Claw]]s, 2 Double-Barrel [[Lance Weapon|Heavy Lance Battery Weapons]] and 1 Triple Barrel [[Naval Missile Turret|Missile Turret.]]

*'''Length:''' 5km
*'''Mass:''' 23.6 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 45,000 crew, 15,000 pilots and support personnel; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 5.4 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx

=== Ordinance-Boat ===

==== Carnage ====

[[File:BFGACarnage.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Not unlucky at all, nope.]]

A ship with a ''very'' bad rep and considered a sign of ''very'' bad luck for loyalists.

Designed as support ships, the '''Carnage'''-class' role was to provide fire support for other ships with its long-ranged guns. The Carnage class was ill-fated from the start. First, much division was caused within Battlefleet Obscurus by the myriad technical problems with its weaponry, such as the difficulty of providing power to its weapons.

What's more, the very first Carnage class cruiser, the Relentless, would earn the new name Initiate of Skalathrax after [[Heresy|turning traitor]] during the Skalathrax Landing and [[Extra Heresy|destroying half of the convoy it was guarding.]] Due to this cursed reputation, the ship made it an object of contention within the [[Imperial Navy]].

An ordinance-boat, the Carnage was armed with mid and long-ranged [[Dakka|Macro Weapons Battery broadsides, and carried another Macro battery on the prow.]]

It is armed overall, with 1 Triple Barrel [[Macrocannon|Light Macro Turret]], 2 [[Macrocannon|Macro Battery Weapons]], 2 [[Macrocannon|Heavy Macro Battery Weapons]] and 1 Triple Barrel [[Naval Missile Turret|Super Heavy Missile Turret.]]

*'''Length:''' 5km
*'''Mass:''' 26 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 53,200 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 5.5 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx
==== Slaughter ====

[[File:BFGASlaughter.jpg|300px|thumb|right|KILLFRENZY KILLFRENZY KILLFRENZY.]]

The Lamborghini of Chaos Cruisers.

The fastest Cruiser-class available to Chaos forces, the '''Slaughter'''-class gets its speed from the Scartix Coil, an experimental drive system. When one of the ships went Traitor, the engine designs were destroyed, leaving the Imperium unable to replicate it. Even though the idea they didn’t have copies of the data used to make it, even if not the schematics, is honestly impossible to believe. Especially the Mechanicus, who is utterly obsessed with recovering and guarding technological knowledge and has been suffering losses of knowledge for millennia. Yet, we’re to believe the Imperium wouldn’t be paranoid about losing data. Or just, y'know, look into records of how the factories making the coil were built and build more. In fact, were the factories already making them destroyed or just the plans? So, there's that, too.

The Slaughter is armed with short-ranged [[Lance Weapon|Lance]] and [[Macrocannon|Macro cannon]] broadsides, and a [[MOAR DAKKA|Macro weapons battery mounted on the prow]]. Configured as a close-ranged brawler, the Slaughter takes advantage of its high speeds to close into its foes, unload its guns, then quickly escape any return fire.

It is unknown if the [[Dark Mechanicus]] could still replicate and create more of these Scartix Coils, however.

It is armed overall, with 1 Triple Barrel [[Macrocannon|Light Macro Turret]], 4 [[Macrocannon|Merged Macro]] [[Lance Weapon|Battery Weapons]] and 1 Triple Barrel [[Naval Missile Turret|Missile Turret.]]

*'''Length:''' 5km
*'''Mass:''' 25.1 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 51,000 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 6.2 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx

=== Lance-Boat ===

==== Inferno ====

[[File:InfernoClass.jpg|300px|right|thumb|More troubled than it looks.]]

The Inferno Class Cruiser is a class of Cruiser used by the Forces of Chaos.

It is a troubled ship like most Great Crusade-era ships.

Believed to be an early design and a later counterpart of the Carnage-Class, it was marred by technical difficulties including maintaining and powering its [[Lance Weapon|long-range weaponry.]] As a result, the class was quickly supplanted by more modern designs in the Imperial Navy.

A small number of these crafts turned renegade before they were removed from service in M35, and have since joined Chaos-affiliated fleets. Chaos probably got around the technical issues with Space [[Bullshit]].

*'''Length:''' 5km
*'''Mass:''' 23.2 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 48,600 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 5.5 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx

== In Battlefleet Gothic ==

Cruisers are the backbone of any player's fleet. Modestly-priced points-wise, there's enough variety among the ships available to Chaos to fill any fleet role. In general, Chaos Cruisers are much faster than their [[Imperial Navy Cruiser|Imperial counterparts]] and, barring the Slaughter-class, have longer weapon ranges.

As with all things related to Chaos, Cruisers may be commanded by [[Chaos Lord]]s, which grants access to Marks of Chaos. In turn, they can also be crewed by [[Chaos Space Marines]] for additional cost (which ''then'' allows access to Chaos Terminators).

A fleet can include up to a dozen cruisers as part of its list.

== In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 1 & 2 ==

As a bit of a counter to Imperial vessels, Chaos Cruisers are much faster, and lean more toward longer-ranged attacks. Their Boarding capabilities are... decent, as far as Chaos goes, but don't write home about it.

That little detail aside, much like in the tabletop game, Cruisers are cheap and are used to mostly fill out your fleet list.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Chaos]]

[[Category: Fleets of Chaos]]

[[Category: Chaos Space Marines]]

[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Ships]]

{{40k-Chaos-Ships}}

Chaos Escort

2023-05-30T00:26:59Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

''(This article is about the starships in a Chaos void fleet. For the other type of Chaos escort, look [[Daemonette|here]].)''

The smallest and most common type of warship available, '''Chaos Escorts''' are lightly armed and armored, but compensate for this by being extremely fast and manoeuvrable. As their designation suggests, they often accompany larger ships during fleet actions, screening them against torpedo attacks or enemy escorts.

In the [[Fleets of Chaos]], Escorts normally act as raiders, penetrating deep into Imperial Space to prey on vulnerable supply ships and transports. Weak individually, such Raiders group up in squadrons for both mutual protection.

Since Chaos fleets are generally very heavy on the Cruiser and rarely have anything between escort and capital ship, they wisely (wisdom should be Chaos heresy) have pretty powerful escorts for their size and cheap enough to come in ridiculously vast numbers. Pretty good at countering Imperial torpedo spam, too. Or rival Chaos fleets' attack craft.

Escorts fall under two broad types: the much larger ''Raider'', which is better-armed and protected, and the smaller ''Destroyer'', which is a lot nimbler and faster.

== Destroyers ==

=== Ordnance-Boat ===

==== Iconoclast ====

[[File:BFGAIconoclast.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Waaaay too common]]

A constant peril to shipping, roving squadrons of these Destroyers are a regular part of pirate fleets. Weak on their own, this is normally compensated by sheer numbers, and enough Destroyers working together can even bring down a Cruiser. Other than swarm tactics, they are usually seen engaging enemy escorts, destroying attack craft, and shooting down incoming torpedoes.

The Iconoclast itself is armed by a short-ranged [[Naval Missile Turret|Missile Launching Weapons Battery turret]]. Sooo...what are those tubes on the sides for if not guns or torpedoes? [[Derp|Chaos, that’s what.]] Being crazy-stupid for its own sake. Lore-wise it is actually a well-armed ship.

...This ship does look pretty cool, though. Rogue Traders like it.

The Iconoclast is equipped with 6 [[Naval Missile Turret|Light Missile Turrets.]]

*'''Length:''' 1.3km
*'''Mass:''' 6.1 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 16,500 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 7.2 gravities max sustainable acceleration

== Raiders ==

=== Basic ===

==== Infidel ====

[[File:BFGAInfidel.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Underestimate at your own peril.]]

[[Meme|ALLAHU AKBAR!]]

Jokes aside, originating from the Monsk orbital shipyards, this was meant to replace the [[Cobra-class Destroyer|''Cobra''-class Destroyer]], the [[Blood Ravens|designs were found to have been stolen.]] A few years later, ships bearing the same description were reported to be attacking Imperial supply convoys. As a result of this, the class was redesignated as the '''Infidel'''.

Imperial efforts to reconstruct the stolen plans resulted in the development of the [[Falchion-class Escort|Falchion Escort class]]. In 938 or 939.M41, the two "sister" classes (the Falchion and the Infidel) would confront each other for the first time in a naval battle over Sabatine.

The Infidel is armed with 2 front [[Torpedo]] tubes, as well as 4 short-ranged [[Naval Missile Turret|Light Missile Turrets]] in front.

*'''Length:''' 1.8-2km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 12 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 24,000 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 7.0 gravities max sustainable acceleration
=== Lance-Boat ===

==== Apostate ====

[[File:15097906_f1024.jpg|300px|right|thumb|[[Brundlepenis|Putting the word 'prostate' in apostate.]]]]

The Apostate is one of four new ships (not including Titans) added to the Chaos Navy with the release of the Chaos Expansion pack and not present in the original game.

The Apostate packs a pair of [[Lance Weapon|Light Lance Artilleries]], making it a bit unique in that it doesn't have any macro weapons at all. The benefit is that all of the damage and CPM the Apostate deals will be very reliable no matter what range it is firing at, given the 100% accuracy of the lances.

While the 90 degree firing arc, customary to prow most lance weapons, limits the ability for the Apostate to move and fire, it seems quite potent as a cheap harasser. Micromanaging their flight path during the long reload times of the lances and using "Stealth" or "Lock On!" will maximize their lifespan while the whittle away the hitpoints of your enemies at range.

The last thing worth mentioning, though important to remember, is the slower speed of the Apostate which is at 200, the same as Cruiser class vessels in the Chaos fleet. [[Derp|Why that's the case or how the fuck an escort got this mangled,]] we have no idea. So best to let these boys sit out of the back.

The Apostate is armed with the aforementioned 2 [[Lance Weapon|Light Lance Artillery]].

*'''Length:''' 1.8-2km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 10 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 22,000 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 5.5 gravities max sustainable acceleration

==== Idolator ====

[[File:BFGAIdolator.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Your guess on the nature of these prongs are as good as mine.]]

A giant tuning fork with rocket engines.

Said to be the product of the [[Dark Mechanicus]] [[Forge World]] of Xana II, the '''Idolator'''-class Raider incorporate features and systems of possibly [[Heresy|xenos origin.]] These ships were also infamous for their incredible long-ranged gunnery, which points to a targeting system that the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] cannot readily duplicate. [[Heresy|Why they're trying to duplicate Dark Mechanicum technology is an important question that no one has answered]].

It is easily identifiable for its bizarre prong-shaped prow. Don't ask us why the forces of Chaos like to stick four flimsy-looking prongs at the front of their ship, it is not like it is reinforced to withstand a ram like their Imperial counterparts. It's quite possible this is meant to be the lance and/or the targeting system, probably the latter given that's mentioned to be unique to them.

The Idolator is armed with a short-ranged front-facing [[Lance Weapon|Lance]] battery as well as 4 mid-ranged [[Naval Missile Turret|Light Missile Turrets.]]

*'''Length:''' 1.8-2km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 11.3 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 23,200 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 7.0 gravities max sustainable acceleration

== In Battlefleet Gothic ==

The cheapest and smallest ship type available, the Escorts are also some of the fastest and agile ships available. There is no limit to the number of Escorts that can be included in a list except points, so use them to round of a fleet.

That aside, use Escorts to screen your much more expensive units from Ordinance or Torpedoes, or harass isolated ships.

== In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 1 & 2 ==

Much like their counterparts on the tabletop, Escorts are cheap and quick ships. Aside from their obvious role as Torpedo screens for much more expensive vessels, they've also been used as scouts and spotters.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Chaos]]

[[Category: Fleets of Chaos]]

[[Category: Chaos Space Marines]]

[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Ships]]

{{40k-Chaos-Ships}}

Chaos Heavy Cruiser

2023-05-30T00:26:20Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

The '''Heavy Cruiser''' is a warship type originally used by the Imperium of Man, but now is primarily seen in the service of the [[Chaos|Great Enemy]]. As an early attempt to create a cheaper and easier-to-maintain class of ships that could replace the [[Imperial Navy Grand Cruiser|Grand Cruisers]], Heavy Cruisers try to capture the firepower of a Battleship on the smaller but swifter frame of the Cruiser.

Heavy Cruisers fell out of favor with Navy commanders due to the costs involved in maintaining their advanced systems. Their roles in fleets were soon filled by [[Imperial Navy Battlecruiser|Battlecruisers]], which were much economical to construct and easier to maintain due to using simpler technology.

[[Chaos]] has no such bias, and over the millennia ships of this type have made their way into [[Fleets of Chaos|Traitor fleets]].

Interestingly, heavy cruisers (other than the Acheron) were not inherently flawed designs who mass-defected to Chaos. The Imperium merely stopped using them, so the only ones left in active duty are those that had turned to Chaos or been built by Chaos shipyards. GW only knows what idiot decided a set of very fast ships overflowing with macrobatteries or lances or attack craft was not worth maintaining. Especially since Chaos is infamously terrible at maintaining advanced technology, which means maintaining the ships’ systems was likely not difficult or could have been replaced in ships under construction with simpler, less advanced technologies. Either that or Chaos replaces some of the systems with Daemons, which is obviously not an option for loyalist forces.

== Heavy Cruiser Classes ==

=== Basic ===

==== Hecate ====

[[File:HecateClass.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The master of mixed weapons.]]

The Hecate-Class Heavy Cruiser is the average joe of Heavy Cruisers.

Developed in late M33 as a replacement for the Styx Class Heavy Cruiser, it was seen as more well-rounded for fleet engagements and solitary patrols. The ships were being built at Cypra Mundi when newer designs from Mars were deemed more suitable for the Imperial Navy. Most were decommissioned by the Imperium in late M35.

By M36, a number of vessels had turned renegade, leading many to fear some inherent design flaw made these ships susceptible to corruption within the Warp. As a response, the Imperial Navy was quick to decommission whatever of the Cruisers remained. Since then, the class is frequently seen in the armadas of Chaos Space Marine fleets and in particular the [[Black Crusade]]s of [[Abaddon the Despoiler]].

The Hecate finally appeared in BF:A2 when it was released with the Chaos Campaign expansion, the Hecate drops two of the launch bays carried by the Styx to provide a more front line combat carrier type of vessel, with a much better DPS/CPM profile and a nice chunk of savings on points. The Hecate seems to be an alternative carrier for when you want to bring squads but still need the raw firepower to deal with any unexpected surprises that could end up running your squads dry or proving them to be ineffective, even in large numbers (ie: Necrons and their aoe fighter killing ability).

The Hecate’s weapons and defenses would be good for tearing up a normal cruiser’s shields and breaking its defense turrets. Then some fighters and a lot of bombers could pretty easily wreck havoc on an opponent with fighters distracting and engaging remaining turrets while bombers deal damage. Or use the attack craft before/during the engagement to weaken a target’s offensive capabilities to make them easier prey for the Hecate. Against an opposing attack craft heavy fleet, mixed carriers would probably be better suited using their fighters defensively and their bombers for targets of opportunity already suffering significant damage.

The ship is armed with 1 Triple Barrel [[Macrocannon|Heavy Macro Turret]], 2 Heavy [[Macrocannon|Macro Battery Weapons]], 2 Launch Bays carrying a complement of [[Swiftdeath Fighter]]s, [[Doomfire Bomber]]s, [[Dreadclaw|Dreadclaw Assault Pod]]s or more rarely, [[Kharybdis Assault Claw]]s, 1 Double-Barrel [[Lance Weapon|Lance Turret]] and 1 Triple Barrel [[Naval Missile Turret|Super Heavy Missile Turret.]]

*'''Length:''' 5.3-5.4km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 29 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 62,000 crew, 10,000 pilots and support personnel; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 5.3 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx

=== Carrier ===

==== Styx ====

[[File:14406235_f1024.jpg|300px|thumb|right|I'm still much better than my replacement.]]

A Carrier-type, the '''Styx'''-class was eventually phased out in favor of the [[Mars-class Battlecruiser|''Mars''-class Battlecruiser]]. Which of course makes no sense as the Mars [[Derp|carries far fewer attack craft and is generally considered a failed design.]] A versatile design, many Chaos Lords appreciate its ability to provide [[Swiftdeath Fighter|Fighter]] and [[Doomfire Bomber|Bomber]] support on top of its long-ranged weapons.

The Styx features a pair of Launch Bays, with a long-ranged Weapons Battery and long-ranged dorsal [[Lance Weapon|Lance]] battery. The long-ranged guns means that the ship can keep relatively out of danger while still being able to contribute the firepower of its weapons.

More importantly (since the attack craft are the real power of this ship), it can blast the crap out of enemy escorts/raiders that try and make torpedo runs against it long before they get in range without having to re-direct its attack craft to protect itself while also being able to contribute a notable amount of firepower to assist friendly ships engaged with whatever.

Overall, the profile of the Styx is 1 Triple Barrel [[Macrocannon|Heavy Macro Turret]], 4 Launch Bays carrying a complement of [[Swiftdeath Fighter]]s, [[Doomfire Bomber]]s, [[Dreadclaw|Dreadclaw Assault Pod]]s or more rarely, [[Kharybdis Assault Claw]]s, 2 Double-Barrel [[Lance Weapon|Lance Turret]] and 1 Triple Barrel [[Naval Missile Turret|Super Heavy Missile Turret.]]

*'''Length:''' 5.3-5.4km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 28.3 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 55,000 crew, 15,000 pilots and support personnel; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 5.2 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx

=== Ordinance-Boat ===

==== Hades ====

[[File:BFGAHades.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Near or far you'll die anyway.]]

The Ordinance-boat of the Heavy Cruisers, the '''Hades'''-class is equipped to engage opponents at not-quite brawling range. While it doesn't have the shields or armor to take a sustained firefight with larger ships, it's still more than a match of any Imperial Cruiser.

The Hades is the mirror of the Acheron, weapons-wise, with mid-ranged [[Macrocannon|Macro Weapons Battery broadsides]] (despite its lowish shields and armor or its size and so should be long-ranged all around) supplemented by a long-ranged forward-mounted [[Lance Weapon|Lance]] battery, and dorsal-mounted long-ranged Lance turrets.

In battlefleets, the Hades shines even brighter when leading a group of other long-ranged ships like the [[Murder-class Cruiser|Murder-]] and [[Carnage-class Cruiser|Carnage-class cruisers,]] letting them combine their long-range guns into a solid wall of death awaiting any captain dumb enough to try to close the gap.

The Hades is armed with 1 Double-Barrel [[Lance Weapon|Heavy Lance Artillery]], 4 [[Macrocannon|Macro Battery Weapons]] and 2 Double-Barrel [[Lance Weapon|Lance Turret.]]

*'''Length:''' 5.3-5.4km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 32 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 68,100 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 5.4 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx

=== Lance-Boat ===

==== Acheron ====

[[File:BFGAAcheron.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Ancient grudges cut deep.]]

The Acheron-Class Heavy Cruiser is a Chaos starship that was built on the [[Cardinal-class Heavy Cruiser|Cardinal-class heavy cruiser]] hull which, interestingly, is the only keel-built Imperial ship still operating that fans know of.

A testbed for experimental and possibly [[Heresy|xenos-based technologies,]] only one was thought to have been built. Said ship suddenly defected to the side of [[Abaddon]]'s forces during the [[Gothic War]]. Multiple ships of the same type were spotted since that time, which means that there's a [[Dark Mechanicus]] [[Forge World]] somewhere churning them out.

A dedicated [[Lance Weapon|Lance]]-boat, the '''Acheron'''-class features long-ranged [[Lance Weapon|Lance]] broadsides, a mid-ranged dorsal Lance battery, and a mid-ranged forward-mounted Weapons battery. It may have been intended to take out or weaken shields while approaching an enemy and then pivot and unleash a storm of lances.

The ship is armed with 1 Triple Barrel [[Macrocannon|Macro Turret]], 4 Double-Barrel [[Lance Weapon|Heavy Lance Battery Weapons]], 2 Double-Barrel [[Lance Weapon|Lance Turret]] and 1 Triple Barrel [[Naval Missile Turret|Missile Turret.]]

*'''Length:''' 5.3-5.4km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 29.3 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 61,000 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 5.3 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx

==== Hellfire ====

[[File:HellfireClass.jpg|300px|right|thumb|When you put so much in Dex, you forgot your vitality.]]

The Hellfire-Class Heavy Cruiser is a class of Heavy Cruiser that was originally an early attempt by the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] to mount large Weapons Batteries onto a Cruiser-class hull. Initially only fitted with relatively weak [[Lance Weapon|Lance]]s, after several years of tinkering with the ship's power generators the Mechanicum was able to add further-ranged and more powerful lance batteries. Thus the ships became formidable and were used in planetary sieges and system blockades.

That being said the ships still suffered from multiple issues. Their huge arsenal greatly reduced their speed, something which proved a constant hindrance for smaller and more manoeuvrable ships it fought alongside. Their lack of Void Shield generators (due to most of the ship's power going to its weaponry) also made them easy targets for enemy fire. Additionally, due to the large space required to fit its ammunition and power generators, crew quarters were cramped and under-supplied. All of these weaknesses made the Hellfire ill-suited for long-range patrols unless supported by a flotilla of transports and escorts.

Due to the undesirable conditions on board, crew morale tended to suffer during long periods at dock or patrol. In such cramped and crowded conditions, the murmurings of discontent started to spread and many of these vessels and their crews eventually mutinied, leading them down the road to Chaos. Today, most Hellfires remain in the fleets of Chaos.

A shame the AdMech was too pants-on-head retarded to just make the weapons batteries smaller but the guns inside the same as those on a larger class of ship. Imperial weapons batteries have fifty weapons each. Make it like, twenty guns from a battleship. There, problem solved. Put battleship engines in your cruiser while you’re at it and use the increased power to power increased void shield strength and layers as well as much thicker armor. Say, battleship level of both. You’re welcome.

*'''Length:''' 5.3-5.4km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 31 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 48,000 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 3.8 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx

== In Battlefleet Gothic ==

Heavy Cruisers are a good source of firepower if [[Chaos Battleship|Battleships]] or [[Chaos Grand Cruiser|Grand Cruisers]] are unavailable for some reason (like lack of models). Barring the Styx, they're somewhat cheap points-wise, but always keep in mind that they're not any tougher than a regular Cruiser.

A Heavy Cruiser may be taken for every two Cruisers in a list. Like any other ship on the Chaos list, any one commanded by a [[Chaos Lord]] may select a Mark of Chaos, and gets the option of adding Chaos Space Marine crew for additional cost.

==In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 1 & 2==

A slight upgrade over regular Cruisers, Heavy Cruisers feature better weaponry in exchange for a more limited selection of vessels. They're a smidgen more costly than a regular Cruiser as well, so they can't round off points as efficiently.

The roles of the three Heavy Cruisers available are clearly delineated, so it really falls under a player's preference how the ships fill their fleet list.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Chaos]]

[[Category: Fleets of Chaos]]

[[Category: Chaos Space Marines]]

[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Ships]]

{{40k-Chaos-Ships}}

Abyss-class Super Battleship

2023-05-30T00:25:06Z

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[[File:AbyssSpaceFleet.jpg|400px|right|thumb|A ship specifically made to [[Anal circumference|penetrate the rear end of]] [[Ultramar]].]]

Short of mobile battle stations, Battleships are often considered the largest and most powerful bog-standard ship that any faction could produce as a standard model. Some, like the [[Gloriana-class Battleship]] is the largest vessels still classified as a 'battleship'. However, to quote [[Star Wars|Qui-Gon Jinn]], ''there is always a bigger fish''. Overshadowing even a Gloriana, this is where the term, [[Powergamer|'''''Super Battleship''''']] is used. To put this further into perspective, the only known human vessel to out-size these monsters is [[The Phalanx]] (and maybe the late ''Imperator Somnium''), which dwarves even them, though to be fair, Phalanx has the advantage of being built with Dark Age archeotech.

Super Battleships are incredibly rare due to the sheer size, high construction cost and the mother of all maintenance cost overruns. It is telling that even in the [[Great Crusade]], the [[Imperium of Man]] with all its might and vast resources only managed to build three of these damned things (To be fair, it was more like a side project for Lorgar when he got his [[Heresy]] on). Dubbed the Abyss-class Super Battleships, these monsters were named after the construction of the first ship, Furious Abyss, and was the flagship of <s>[[Bitch|whiny bitch#2]]</s> [[Primarch]] [[Lorgar]] of the [[Word Bearers]]. Without telling anyone, Lorgar [[Trap|actually revealed he constructed two sister ships]] on the onset of the [[Horus Heresy]]. How in the everloving fuck that ''bible-fucker'' hid not one, but TWO of these stupid ships from [[Emprah|Daddy]], we have no idea. Though he couldn't have hidden such a herculean project THAT well, since [[Derp|it was at least known by the higher members of the Martian Mechanicum, before the schism]].

Due to the fact that all three of these Super Battleships were in command of the Word Bearers, only [[Chaos]] got a hold of these bad boys.
[[File:G713e23f89.png|400px|thumb|right|<s>Gothic</s> Abyss ship from the tabletop.]]

*'''Length:''' 27-30km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 280-340 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 320,000-420,000 crew, including 100,000 pilots and support personnel; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 0.7 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx

== Overview ==

[[File:Abyss-class Battleship.png|thumb|An Abyss-class ship passing near a planet. Note the resemblance to the [[Star Wars|Rebel Alliance emblem]].]]
The Abyss-class Super Battleship was a unique configuration within the Imperium at the time and were quite large with even Emperor and Gloriana Battleships being dwarfed by these massive vessels. It was roughly shaped like a sword with three points sticking out from the vessel like a trident. These ships were more akin to floating cities then battleships and a noted appearance was a large [[Derp|open golden book present on its hull.]] Lorgar was never the one who was known for being subtle. The command throne was on a raised dais with numerous screens present allowing its commander to control the entire vessel.

The nature of the ship meant that many did not think it was capable of carrying fighters but these individuals were often surprisingly mistaken [[Creed|when the ship launched its complement of fighters from its hangar bay.]]

The Abyss contained the first prototype plasma lance, which was capable of destroying other ships in close combat. It was also capable of being equipped with psionic charges which were able to be deployed in the Warp and disrupt the senses of a [[Navigator]].

== Known Ships ==

{{topquote|You built two."<br>"Oh, no. I built three.|[[Magnus the Red]] and [[Lorgar|Lorgar Aurelian]]}}

=== Furious Abyss ===

The one and only.

The Furious Abyss was created secretly by a branch of the [[Adeptus Mechanicus|Mechanicum]] [[Dark Mechanicus|who held loyalties]] to Warmaster [[Horus]] during the early start of the Horus Heresy. It was made at the shipyard moon of Thule and given as a gift to the Word Bearers, who were serving their Primarch in their plan to assault the loyalist Legions that would serve the Emperor. After the commemoration ceremony, the shipyard was destroyed, killing all the workers and allowing the ship's existence to remain a secret as its design was unknown to everyone outside its construction. As you know, this was kind of counterproductive, since Golden Daddy should realistically notice that something was off with the ''massive'' redistribution of resources in his ''own empire''. And if they could keep the secret that well, keeping them around for more secret projects would be a great idea.

The detachment of Word Bearers in command of the vessel was led by Fleet-Captain Zadkiel, who was given the task by [[Kor Phaeron]] to take the ship to [[Macragge]] and destroy the planet in order to create havoc among the [[Ultramarines]]. During its flight through space to its destination, it was detected by the Fist of Macragge and the Ultramarine vessel was used as target practice and destroyed by the Furious Abyss as it continued its journey. However, the distress signal from the ship's Astropaths was sent to an Imperial outpost and received by Captain Lysimachus Cestus, who led a group of Ultramarines, [[World Eaters]] ([[Wat|''Of all people'']]), [[Space Wolves]] and [[Thousand Sons]] to investigate the message.

The fleet made its way and caught up with the Furious Abyss and learnt it was commanded by the Word Bearers. Confused, the loyalists contacted the ship but did not receive a response. Zadkiel instead contacted the commander of the Waning Moon, Mhotep, in order to secure his allegiance to Horus's side. However, Mhotep decided to warn his comrades leading to a fight between the squadron and the Furious Abyss which was no contest for the large vessel. It destroyed numerous escorts and the Waning Moon before entering the Warp in order to reach Macragge. As it did so, it deployed a Psionic mine into the Empyrean in order to disrupt any following ships' Navigators and their ability to travel through the warp. After the bible thumpers got their asses kicked by Grandpa Smurf's boys in blue, it was cleared from Macragge's orbital lanes and demolished, [[awesome| its destruction being used as a funeral pyre for Ultramarine Fleet Commander, Lysimachus Cestus.]]

=== Trisagion and Blessed Lady===

The Trisagion and the Blessed Lady were two sister ships whose design was based upon the Furious Abyss. They were built in secret, and were unleashed during the later days of the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy.

Like the Furious Abyss, they were both built by Dark Mechanicus [[Heretek]]s for use by the Word Bearers, who themselves had secretly fallen to Chaos. Following the destruction of their previous flagship, the Trisagion ultimately became the personal flagship of Lorgar. Both ships later took part in the assault on Armatura, a world vitally important to the Ultramarines, while the Trisagion was a part of the purging of [[Nuceria]] alongside the World Eaters, where they engaged a large Ultramarines fleet.

Towards the end of the Heresy, the Trisagion became the flagship of [[Zardu Layak]]. It was the base from which the Dark Apostle and Lorgar himself attempted to find [[Fulgrim]] in order to bring him to the muster at Ullanor before the Siege of Terra. The ultimate fate of both ships is unknown.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Chaos]]

[[Category: Fleets of Chaos]]

[[Category: Chaos Space Marines]]

[[Category: Word Bearers]]

[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Ships]]

{{40k-Chaos-Ships}}

Blackstone Fortress

2023-05-30T00:24:29Z

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[[File:Blackstone.png|thumb|right|An example of a Blackstone Fortress; the Egyptians were wondering what happened to the pyramids after the Emperor flattened Egypt to make into his own private beach resort... Also, they look like the stars of Chaos when looked at from above.]]

{{Topquote|Hoho! They’ll never get hold of me lucky charms!|[[Vaul]], being wrong as usual}}

The '''Blackstone Fortresses''' are seven ancient space-based super weapons armed with four [[Warp Cannon]]s said to have been forged by the [[Eldar]] smith god [[Vaul]] (or perhaps the [[Old Ones (Warhammer)|Old Ones]]) to destroy the [[Necron]] star gods, the [[C'tan]]. For this reason, they are sometimes called (especially by Eldar) the '''Talismans of Vaul'''. However, nobody ''truly'' knows where the Fortresses came from, who made them, or why, with the inner workings of a fully functioning Fortress a mystery even to the Eldar. Six of them were re-fitted as fortresses of Battlefleet Gothic but were eventually self-destructed, presumably by [[Abaddon]] along with one that was nearly re-taken leaving two to flee into the [[Eye of Terror]].

Strangely, the Eldar don’t seem to have a problem with the [[Imperium]] possessing the Fortresses. Probably because they’d rather people who utterly hate Chaos have them rather than spend their limited resources taking and defending them themselves.

*'''Length:''' 10-15km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 140-190 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 150,000-240,000 crew, including 75,000 pilots and support personnel; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 1.3 gravities max sustainable acceleration; approx
==The Eldar Legend==
Vaul was said to be equally skilled at creating both things of beauty and tools of war. He was able to forge the souls of the departed into his creations. During the [[War in Heaven]] against the Necrons and C'tan, he created the Talismans of Vaul, which were controlled by the spirits of Eldar seers killed during the war. The C'tan were basically all-powerful in the material realm, but they were extremely vulnerable to the [[Warp]], so the Blackstone Fortresses were given a massive [[Warp Cannon]] as their primary weapon. At the heart of each Talisman sat one of the Eyes of the Witch, which were gifted to Vaul by Morai-heg, allowing the departed spirits to channel vast amounts of energy straight from the Immaterium.

It seems Vaul had a particular rival in the [[Void Dragon]], a powerful [[C'Tan]] who possessed control over material machinery. The war between the armies of Vaul and the Void Dragon raged in the heavens, but in the end, the Void Dragon's dreams of conquest were halted in their tracks. Seeing the possibility of defeat growing, the Void Dragon would lead its minions directly on the battlefield. None could stand before a fully-manifested god. So, to ensure its powers were at its zenith, it began draining the energies of a binary star. Taking the form of a cloud of dark light, it surrounded the stellar bodies, leeching energy from them until it was sated. Vaul knew the stars as well as he did his forge. So, with these weapons, Vaul went to confront the Dragon. Although the outcome is unrecorded, the Dragon still lives (although sealed away), so we can guess Vaul suffered [[FAIL|epic failure]]. Maybe, though, it was actually an epic -- you don't just barge in on an overpowered god and gimp him to the point of being a pokemon. It is also possible that the combined firepower of these fortresses made the Void Dragon weak enough that it had to retreat to ancient Earth and start eating virgins. Even though the Void Dragon was not destroyed, Vaul's efforts seem to have been instrumental in the weakening of the Dragon to the point that it was able to be imprisoned beneath Mars. If the Void Dragon was shattered like the other C'Tan, then it is possible that the Blackstone Fortresses may have been, at least partially, responsible for doing so.

===It's conspiracy time!===
It might even be possible that during the War in Heaven there may have been "alliances" formed between the Necrons and the ancient [[Eldar]] in order to battle the warp-spawned terrors that had been unintentionally released upon the galaxy during this time (such as the [[Enslavers]]). Vaul and the Blackstone Fortresses may have played a role in the [[Silent King]]'s plan to shatter the C'tan into shards. It is possible that the Necron lords and the ancient Eldar may have worked together to bring an end to the War in Heaven by aiding each other in freeing themselves from their respective masters.

==In 40k==
Six of the Fortresses were left adrift in the Gothic sector, where they were found by the [[Imperial Navy]]. The Navy moved in and turned them into naval bastions for Battlefleet Gothic, despite being unable to activate most of its armament. However, [[Abaddon]] found some artifacts that allowed him to assume direct control of the fortresses and managed to swipe three of them, kicking off the twelfth [[Black Crusade]] (AKA the Gothic War). Before the Navy and the [[Eldar]] stopped Abaddon, one Fortress scoured a planet; three of them combining their beams destabilized a star, causing it to go supernova a month later and destroy the system. Afterwards the Imperial and Eldar navies then chased after the fortresses and managed to take one back, but then Abaddon caused it and the three still in Imperial control to self-destruct.

Interestingly, the fortresses SHATTERED like glasses instead of just exploding when they self-destructed.

One of the two remaining Blackstone Fortresses in Abaddon's control would later be destroyed in the ''Fall of Cadia''. Sick and tired of Creed's awesome bullshit and panicking after the Necron anti-warp pylons are activated and threaten to close the fucking [[Eye of Terror]] [[awesome|itself forever]], he rams the planet with his Fortress as a last ditch gambit to destroy the pylons and kill the last Cadian garrison. Cadia is quickly overtaken by the Warp, but [[Humanity Fuck Yeah|a substantial number of the Imperials manage to escape]].

''Rise of the Primarch'' reveals the whereabouts of Abaddon's last Blackstone Fortress. Apparently Abaddon had gifted the Fortress to [[Huron Blackheart]], who used it as a prison for [[Roboute Guilliman]] during the Terran Crusade, at least before [[Cypher]] and a Harlequin Shadowseer broke him out. Since then, the Harlequins of the Masque of the Shattered Mirage along with a rogue faction from Craftworld Yme-Loc have launched at least one attack on Huron's Blackstone Fortress in an attempt to capture it.

''Forgebane'' and current developments reveal that the Blackstone fortresses are made of a material named [[Noctilith]], also called...[[Derp|Blackstone]]. Unfortunately, silly, somewhat unimaginative name notwithstanding, this is the kind of substance that probably nobody but the Necrons really have the skill or durability to operate to its full potential effectively, let alone safely. This material, exactly the same used in several Necron structures like '''the anti-Warp Pylons of Cadia''' holds a curious but worrying property. You see, Blackstone interacts naturally with the warp and depending on the polarization it can shrink Warp Rifts and negate all Warp-related activity in the area, which is what the pylons does; or ''amplify the Warp itself'', causing all kind of nasty effects like the beams shot by the Fortress or spontaneous Warp Rifts. The funny thing is that there is a lot of stuff made from this material and caches hidden everywhere (the Shadowlight device from the [[Ciaphas Cain]] novels was very likely made from the stuff, and look how dangerous that thing was), maybe even undiscovered Fortresses. The vast majority of it is located on [[Necron]] Tomb Worlds, however, and they absolutely refuse to share it since they use it extensively in their own technology.

Recently, a newly emerged seventh Blackstone Fortress that has appeared in the galactic west. Unlike the others, this one appears to be fully active, with a highly advanced defense system and an uncanny ability to act on what seems to be its own volition. It also has a habit of catching ships in its gravity field and "consuming" them. The implications of this are uncertain but unsettling. The numerous ships the Fortress has consumed has made it a prime spot for archaeotech, attracting all sorts of treasure hunters to it. These adventurers congregate in a space-station called Precipice, where humans, xenos, and mutants live in uneasy peace as the powerful lords of the place don't like the idea of everyone killing each other. This den of scum would've probably been wiped out by the Imperium were it not for the bureaucratic deadlock where its numerous branches cannot agree which one of them has the legal right to claim the fortress for itself and the extreme difficulty of actually getting to it. Rumor has it that [[Roboute Guilliman]] is soon to make a decision to resolve the matter and thus Precipice's days are numbered.

The Blackstone Fortress novel has also raised a bit of doubt on the origins of the Fortresses, with the implications raised that the seventh Blackstone Fortress is not from the Milky Way galaxy at all, and the intelligence driving it is more alien than anything related to the Eldar. Granted, these implications came from a Daemon, who refers to the Fortress as "Old Unfathomable," and a [[Kroot]] who got his insights by eating bits of the fortress' drones. (The daemon could have meant "It is not of THIS AGE OF the Galaxy," since the warp has changed quite a bit over 65 MILLION years. No matter their claims or delusions of timelessness and eternal existence, etheric beings of chaos didn't exist during the War in Heaven).

TL;DR: Old Ones were neglectful morons. Shock.

==Hover Drones==
[[File:Hover_Drones.JPG|200px|right|thumb|More expendable than a Grot.]]
These little buggers are spawned from the much bigger Guardian Drone.

While they may look [[Lofn|small and cute,]] they make the job of defeating the Guardian Drones much harder. As such, they are basically there literally [[Grot|take the bullet]], being so small that don't even have a model, but a token instead.

On tabletop, if there is already a Hover Drones token in the same hex as the hostile threat, you would treat this as a Charge result instead. Otherwise, place a Hover Drones token in the same hex as the hostile.

This token moves with the targeted hostile - at the end of the hostile's Movement Phase, place the Hover Drones token in the same hex as the hostile. When this hostile is the target of an explorer that is 2 or more hexes away, if there is the token in that hex, the attack has no effect and you remove the Hover Drones token.
{{Clear}}
==Spindle Drones==
[[File:SpindleDrone.jpg|250px|right|thumb|'' "The chances of anything coming from Mars. Are a million to one, he said!" '']]
Probably one of the few canonical [[Old Ones]] machine that is known other than the aforementioned Blackstone Fortress and the [[Webway]]. A Spindle Drone (''Vigilis triangulus'') is a robotic war machine that defends Blackstone Fortresses from intruders and is an analogue of self defense system. Similar to the Sentinels from [[Halo]], they are cheap, easy to produce and are there to maintain the gargantuan ship when in peace times and immediately switch to "FUCK EVERYTHING" mode when hostile forces are located.

The origin of Spindle Drones remains mysterious, save that they are native to the Blackstone Fortress. When destroyed, their bodies are reabsorbed into the interior of the Fortress. Transportation craft are rendered inert when a Spindle Drone corpse is brought on board.

Spindle Drones are armed only with a single weapon called a [[Plasma#Drone Pulse|Drone Pulse]] which counts as a S3, D1, 18" pistol with zero AP. They are there to swarm the target until there is nothing left. Hence, they are a neutral force unaligned to either Imperial, Chaos or Xenos, with their loyalties only in serving the ship. Because of this, they are one of the most alien and ancient constructs, with a design aesthetic too smooth and biomechanical for even the ancient [[Eldar]].

On the tabletop, these guys [[Get shit done|get shit done]]. For 60 points a pop, you get 4 W2, A2 MEQs with a somewhat disappointing 18" S3 pistol. Even if that weren't already a bargain, they have a special ability similar to the [[Beastmen (40k)|Chaos Beastmen]] also in the pack, but much easier to manage. This ability is aptly called '''Threat Level Rising''' - for every Spindle Drone that is wounded or dies, [[Awesome|the remaining Spindle Drones gain +1 to their strength, damage, and AP.]] This may not sound amazing at first, but it adds up.

If you keep them just out of trouble, which shouldn't be too hard given their T4, S4 and 4+ save, these guys can become excellent monster and character killers, becoming the suicide bomb of your dreams. Also do remember that with their UNALIGNED keyword, these guys should be able to go into any army, but possibly only in a separate detachment.

{{clear}}

==Guardian Drones==
[[File:Guardian-drones.jpg|250px|right|thumb|''Ooooooooo Laaaaaaaaaah!'']]
The big cheese <s>Martian Tripods</s> cousins of the smaller Spindle Drones. Not to be confused with the ''other'' [[Tau drone#Guardian Drone|Guardian Drone.]]

Guardian Drones (''Vigilis maximus'') are giant robotic war machines, that defend Blackstone Fortresses from intruders where even Spindle Drones aren't enough. In battle, they can unleash Hover Drones that will intercept any attacks aimed at the Guardian Drones. They are big enough to carry a few Spindle Drones under its belly and has enough [[Dakka]] to reliably threaten vehicles, let alone named characters in Blackstone Fortress.

On tabletop, they have solid stats, befitting for its tank-like status. While their movement is 5", they have a decent WS and BS of 3+, with S5 and T6, making it a tough egg to crack. Moreover, they have a ridiculous 7 Wounds, with an A4 and 3+ Sv. This thing ain't going down quick, especially with its 10+ Ld.

In terms of its weapons, it has two. The first is the [[Plasma#Destroyer Pulse|Destroyer Pulse]], which is pretty nasty for tough targets at S9, Ap-3 and D4 with an 18" range. This is all the more impressive considering it is counted as a [[Wat|Pistol 1.]] The second weapon are the Heavy D6 [[Missile Launcher#Guardian Salvo Launcher|Guardian Salvo Launchers]] which can pepper the enemy with some solid S5, AP-3 and D1 with a 24" range. And if things get into “close encounters of the combat kind” territory those Manipulator Limbs get 4 attacks at -2 AP and 2 Damage.

Also, they are classified as MONSTERS, which means that they could fire on the move and in combat with ''no penalty''. Finally, their presence supercharges Spindle Drones by replacing Threat Level Rising with a flat +3 to AP, S, and Damage so they're all spitting out S6 AP-3 D4 shots left and right. Yikes.

{{clear}}

==The Game==
Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress is a dungeon crawler board game along the lines of [[Warhammer Quest: Silver Tower|Silver Tower]] and Shadows Under Hammerhal, albeit in the 40k setting as opposed to [[Age of Sigmar]]. The players control a party of four adventurers (chosen out of the eight in the box) on an expedition into the depths of the Blackstone Fortress. In between expeditions they stop at Precipice to trade archaeotech and utilize the various services of their ship. The ultimate goal is to conquer four Strongholds and find your way to the Hidden Vault, in order to claim the ultimate prize, hidden in a special envelope that you're probably going to tear open as soon as you open the box because you're too impatient to play ten sessions in order to legitimately find out.

===Game play===
The game consists of two kinds of events - challenges and combats, drawn from the deck of Exploration Cards (The Escalation Expansion uses a a book of pre-laid out chambers and passages). Challenges involve dice rolls - either of D6 (Activation/Destiny Dice) various Action Dice (D6, D8 and D12 laid out with options for failure, success and critical success) and the Blackstone Dice (D20), often involving the chance to end up either with a discovery card or a serious injury depending how lucky you are.
Combat involves psykers fighting hostiles in a set area shown on the card set up using modular dungeon tiles marked with hexagonal movement squares. Players must usually reach another portal to escape, gathering discovery cards ([[archeotech]] and clues that can be traded for resources) and fight randomly generated hostiles (in some combats, and most vaults, set hostiles are laid out for the players to fight). Dead hostiles can be returned to the table via reinforcement roles - emerging through portals. All the dice mentioned above are also used in combat for various purposes. Explorers can take a number of wounds (which can be healed during the exploration) and grievous wounds (which generally cannot) before being taken out of action. Any explorer that is taken out of action risks dying permanently and not being available for future missions.

===The Playable Characters===

''From the original Blackstone Fortress Box''
*'''Janus Draik''': A [[Rogue Trader]] and the closest thing to the main character of the games. He has a pistol but his real skill lies in his swordmanship - with his Flurry of attacks being excellent at close quarters. Also gets a free gambit at the start of each round of combat, increasing his chances of attacking ahead of the hostiles.
*'''Taddeus the Purifier''': A mad priest who came to the fortress due to a vision from the [[Emperor]]. For a rather tubby looking zealot, he can pack a hit with his [[Power Weapon|power maul]] and [[stubber]] - while his servo skull mounted gun allows him to put good quality fire power into medium range targets.
*'''Pious Vorne''': A hive-ganger acolyte of Taddeus. Despite looking like she wears armor, she has terrible defense. She makes up for it with her [[heavy flamer]], arguably the best weapon in the game.
*'''Espern Locarno''': An Imperial [[Navigator]]. Despite being rather poor in combat, he has a plethora of support abilities that make him incredibly useful, being able to save Destiny Dice, mind-control opponents, create psychic defense barriers, and owning a ship that is the only way to resurrect dead party members.
*'''[[UR-025]]''': An [[Legio Cybernetica|Imperial Robot]] working for the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]], definitely not a [[Men of Iron|Man of Iron]], nope. Probably the most powerful character in the game, with his amazing defense and strong weapons. To compensate, he only gets three activation dice as opposed to the four everyone else gets. Capable of surviving, and dishing out, a good amount of firepower.
*'''Rein and Raus''': [[Ratling]] twins who [[Heresy|deserted from the Imperial Guard]]. Though individually weak, their gimmick lets them operate as two characters in one. One boasts one of the best [[Sniper Rifle|sniper rifles]] in the game while the other has a grappling hook which grants him a lot of mobility (and can be used to move rapidly to seize/reach objectives). Both are also equipped with stub pistols should they find themselves lacking sufficiently high activation dice.
*'''Dahyak Grekh''': A [[Kroot]] tracker, and probably the individual who knows the most about the Fortress due to absorbing the memories of those he eats (even finding out a way to do this with the Spindle Drones). His field craft ability allows him to get the drop on hostiles early on, and his booby traps can deal with most smaller hostiles and he can hold his own both at range and in close combat (although he is far from the best at either)
*'''Amallyn Shadowguide''': An [[Eldar Ranger]] from [[Biel-Tan]], searching for archaeotech she believes might be able to rebuild her fractured [[Craftworld]]. A capable addition to any team of explorers with both good close combat abilities and a sniper rifle.

''From the Escalation Expansion''
*'''Neyam Shai Murad''': A new Rogue Trader from Escalation, here to smoke out terrorists. She's more of a gunslinger than Draik and has a sword for a leg. Despite having the sword for a limb, she doesn't seem to use it in combat - with both her attacks being based on her use of her negotiator pistols - not that she needs anything else as she can, with the right activation dice, lay down a considerable amount of shots capable of causing severe damage to large enemies or ripping apart grouped together hordes of weaker hostiles.
*'''Daedalosus''': A Technoarchaeologist from Escalation. He can handle himself in close combat but his Eradicator Pistol is relatively useless at short and medium range until he inspires. His designated target ability is useful (especially since he struggles to take down targets himself)
*'''Aradia Madellan''': A [[Primaris Psyker]] from Escalation. She comes armed with a [[laspistol]], which delivers reasonable medium range attacks, and a force staff. She also has the powerful smite psychic ability.
*'''Gotfret de Montbard''': A [[Crusaders|Crusader]] from Escalation. As with the models in the Ministorum lists, he's big and tanky with a [[Storm Shield]] and Power Sword. Possesses no ranged attacks but more than makes up for it with excellent close combat skills, surprisingly mobility and a solid defense.

''Solo Explorer (From editions of White Dwarf)''
*'''[[Solitaire|Harlequin Solitaire]]''': A new explorer introduced for playing the game with just the one explorer. It has no spaceship and can't team up with others, purchase items at Precipice or generally do much beyond kick ass and take names. An incredibly powerful explorer capable of incredibly fast movement, with formidable defense and the ability to one-shot kill enemies like the Dreaded Ambull.
*'''[[Eversor|Eversor Assassin]]''': A kill-crazy Eversor who runs around the fortress single-handedly. Packs a lot of firepower.
*'''[[Watch Master|Deathwatch Watch Master]]''': Probably one of the few times the [[Astartes]] on the tabletop match the ability of those in the fluff, as he can dispose of countless lesser combatants with no issues.

''Retinue characters (one of these may accompany any four of the above explorers, controlled by the party leader)''
*'''X-101''': A Strange [[Servitor]] from Escalation. It can only do two things a turn (three if Daedalosus is present - the only circumstance in which he can become inspired) but has close range and long range attacks. Realistically he is, at most, going to kill a few low level hostiles or put a few wounds on a large one during each combat. Since there are no penalties or costs for taking him though you may as well have him along. You never know when you might run into a traitor guardsman who needs a cheeky bit of cutter-beaming.
*'''Gren "Knuckles" and Dorg "The Wall" Broggan''': A pair of [[Ogryn]] brothers, a Bodyguard and a Bullgryn, introduced in the September 2019 issue of White Dwarf. Gren comes equipped with a ripper shotgun while Dorg is tooled up with a maul and shield. Since they're retinue characters, only one of the brothers may accompany your explorers on an expedition (this is vaguely explained away in the back story by the fact that Xalleus, the data trader who brought the pair to Precipice, always likes having one of them with him to guard him). Gren, as a bodyguard, sticks close to his charge and becomes 'inspired' when they are grievously wounded (which, if he is any use doesn't happen). He is armed with a ripper shotgun and may wound or kill a few light hostiles in combat per expedition. Big brother Dorg is slightly more autonomous (possibly due to his BONE implant). He has no ranged attack but is happy and capable of crushing anyone who gets too close with his power maul and shield - easily the better of the two brothers crunchwise.
*'''Skarburn Zapdakka''': An [[Ork]] [[Flash Gitz|Flash Git]] retinue character with rules and a special mission in the October 2019 issue of White Dwarf. It's not clear how many people are going to be prepared to fork out £32 for the Flash Gitz box of five boyz for one retinue character. Increasingly solidifies fears, first considered with the Broggan brothers above, that retinue characters are a ploy by GW to get mugs buying expensive 40k units to field new characters... [[skub|Or they are just a bonus for Xenos players since in most groups of 3-6 40k players odds are there is at least one Ork player]]
*'''Penitent 707''': Taddeus's [[Arco-flagellant]], presumed lost in an earlier expedition to the Blackstone Fortress.
*'''The Archivist''': A [[Zoats|Zoat]] "data broker" ostensibly here to salvage the remains of an ancient Zoat spaceship captured by the fortress, but as long as he's around he's not averse to looting as much other archaeotech as he can. While powerful, it might be a good idea to remember that he has a reputation for getting others to do his dirty work and then running off with the loot when they die.
*'''The Tinkerer''': A [[Jokaero]] weaponsmith. It can upgrade explorers' weapons or activation dice, place defense orbs around itself, and fire off its digital weapon.

===The Hostiles===
''The Original Box set''
*'''Obsidius Mallex''' - [[Chaos Lord]] and resident hardman commanding [[Black Legion]] forces present. Armed with a [[thunder hammer]] and [[plasma pistol]] ([[Chaos]], obviously).
*'''[[Chaos Space Marines]]''' - Black Legion warriors armed with classic [[Boltgun|boltguns]] (Chaos).
*'''Rogue Psykers''' - Psykers who have, uh, gone rogue? Their disrupt ability can prove an irritant (Chaos)
*'''[[Beastmen]]''' - The ever lovable beastman - armed with melee weapons and laspistols (Chaos)
*'''[[Negavolt Cultist|Negavolt Cultists]]''' - Wire-headed mad lads whose attacks negate defence rolls. Best shot at range (Chaos)
*'''Traitor Guardsmen''' - Standard Imperium Troops [[Lost and the Damned|who have fallen to Chaos]], squads over 5 strong must include a Sgt with a melee weapon and pistol and a bloke with a flamer. A full seven-man squad has weapons including melee, grenades, a flamer and lasguns. Probably the best ranged general unit for hostiles (although they are easy enough to kill) (Chaos)
*'''Spindle Drones''' - see dedicated section above. Get more lethal as their comrades get killed (Unaligned)
*'''[[Ur-Ghul|Ur-Ghuls]]''' - Transported from Commoragh to the fortress. Often under-estimated but, with a few lucky rolls on their part, can mess up your day in melee. (Unaligned).
''The Dreaded Ambull expansion''
*'''The [[Ambull]]''' - Giant muscular insect. Lots of wounds and has a separate 'enraged' profile in certain scenarios. Will attack, and be attacked by other hostiles - meaning there is a chance to keep your distance and let the hostiles weaken each other - a combat that can go either way but should leave the winner weakened and defeated side dead.(Unaligned)
*'''Borewyrm Infestations''' - Baby Ambulls, capable of delivering a nasty bite but nowhere near as lethal, or durable as big daddy Ambull. Like the Ambull, they are as happy ripping apart cultists and traitor guardsmen as they are the explorers.(Unaligned)
''Traitor Command Expansion'''
*'''[[Traitor Commissar|Traitor Commissars]]''' - From the Grendish 82nd regiment. He wields a power fist and a bolt pistol and can be dangerous in close combat. Only has two wounds but this is mitigated to an extent by his chaos Ogryn bodyguard (Chaos)
*'''[[Ogryn Brute|Chaos Ogryn]]''' - High wound count and a nasty close combat attack (Chaos)
''Escalation Expansion''
*'''Cultist Firebrand''' - An excellent model with some dangerous flame based attacks. At only five wounds quite easy to pick off before he can become the threat he is billed to be. Occasionally explodes with chaotic energy upon death with the potential to kill or injure anyone standing near him. (Chaos)
*'''[[Cultist|Cultists]]''' - Appear in squads of up to seven. A full complement includes a champion with a pistol and chainsword, a grenade launcher, a heavy stubber and a number of grunts with autoguns. About as durable as traitor gurdsmen (which is to say, not very). (Chaos)
''No Respite Expansion''
*'''[[Plague Marines]]'''- The 6th Plague Company warband called the Infested Brethren, here to spread [[Nurgle|Nurgle's]] gifts to the fortress's denizens.
*'''[[Poxwalkers]]'''- Here with their [[Death Guard]] masters.
''Annual 2019''
*'''Astroth Mythrak''' - A [[Master of Possession]] who's decided to start corrupting parts of the fortress. Has a spell that can rob a player of an Activation or Destiny die.
*'''[[Greater Possessed]]''' - Chaos Marines, but now super-possessed. Tasked with protecting Astroth with their freakishly powerful claws.

''Deadly Alliance''
Does not have any hostiles. It's possible the zoat becomes a hostile if he gets paranoid enough.

''Ascension Expansion''
*'''Guardian Drones''': Giant spindle drones with a very high number of wounds, the potential to be shielded from range attacks and a blistering array of weaponry. Also make the smaller spindle drones more dangerous.

===Other named characters (potential spoilers)===
*'''The Council of Precipice''' - ruling body of Precipice, the space station/settlement that the explorers are based on between expeditins to the Blackstone Fortress. Ensure the uneasy truce is, somewhat, maintained
*'''Grey Duchess''' - a trader in rare creatures who is believed to have taken the first Ambull aboard the Blackstone Fortress (Dreaded Ambull)
*'''Gandar Sett''' - An Adeptus Mechanicus Genetor and 'the foremost authority' on Ambulls (Dreaded Ambull)
*'''Veth Rayden''' - A [[Drukhari]] pirate. She is current captain of the Eye of Vect (Traitor Command)
*'''Xalleus''' - a data trader who brought the Broggan brothers to Precipice. Hires them out one at a time to groups launching expeditions into the Blackstone Fortress while keeping the other by his side (which also conveniently explains why you can't take both at the same time as you can only have one retinue character per party). Doesn't seem to bother asking for any tangible fee for their services as it costs nothing in terms of resources or archeotech to bring them along (maybe he needs them fighting to keep them from to getting bored and the explorers are babysitting). (White Dwarf Broggan Twins Expansion)
*'''Fleshspoiler''' - Obsidius Mallex's torturer. (White Dwarf January 2020 Daring Rescue Quest)
*'''Vykross Blackshard''' - named Black Legion Chaos Space Marine (White Dwarf January 2020 Daring Rescue Quest)
*'''Adepts of Blood''' - The Fleshspoiler's understudies (Traitor Guard Sergeant) (White Dwarf January 2020 Daring Rescue Quest)

===Expansion Box Sets===
*'''The Dreaded [[Ambull]]''': An Ambull is infesting the Blackstone Fortress and the explorers have been hired to exterminate it.
*'''Traitor Command''': Introduces two new enemies in the form of the Traitor Commissar and his Chaos Ogryn bodyguard, and a new quest revolving around preventing him from doing some nefarious Chaos ritual.
*'''Escalation''': The biggest expansion pack yet, adding in four new playable characters and new chaos cultist enemies.
*'''No Respite''': New quest featuring Nurgle enemies (no new models, just the Easy To Build ones)
*'''Deadly Alliance''': Adds The Archivist, more location tiles, and new cards to represent the strange phenomenon called the Seethe.
*'''Ascension''': Stated to be the end of the game, adding the Guardian Drones (literally GIANT SPINDLE DRONES). The Fortress is Awakening, and boy is it pissed off.
===De-Facto Miniature Packs===
''(Note these following two just contain additional miniatures previously released with earlier releases and have no additional rules/quests).''
*'''Servants of the Abyss''': One of the two boxes of minis released to support the Abominable Intellect Deck (see Card expansions), includes one sprue from the original Blackstone Fortress set that includes 7 Traitor Guardsmen (including a Sgt and a flamer), two Ur-Ghuls, two Negavolt Cultists, two Spindle Drones, two Beastmen, a Rogue Psyker and a Chaos Space Marine.
*'''Cultists of the Abyss''': All the Cultist miniatures from the above Escalation Expansion to complement the Abominable Intellect card deck - namely a Cultist Fireband and seven Cultists (including a champion, auto stubber and grenade launcher).

===Expansion Card Decks===
*'''Endless Peril''': 30 new exploration cards, 15 of them challenges and 15 of them combats.
*'''Advanced Arsenal''': New 24 resource cards for the original six explorer ships from the main box set (for a total of four each).
*'''Abominable Intellect''': Hard mode expansion. A deck of 44 new Encounter cards that have more enemies than usual (the expansion will be released with additional kits of the main game and Escalation hostiles, to complement the new encounter rates), plus additional rules that last for the remainder of a turn to make it more annoying.

===Blackstone Fortress Annual 2019===
''Contains all the White Dwarf add-ons listed below from between December 2018 and December 2019 and includes a miniatures showcase and designer's notes on Abominable intellect, as well as the following:''
*'''Strike Team''': Rules for playing an expedition with two-three explorers as opposed to the full four
*'''Wrath of the Daemonkin''' - a brand-new quest that sees your explorers take on a Master of Possession and his minion.

===White Dwarf add-ons===
*'''Light in the Dark''': December 2018 issue of White Dwarf. Prequel mission for two players (which must pick Thaddeus and Vorne), also coming with a bonus artifact as a reward.
*'''Hostile Threat Detected''': May 2019 issue of White Dwarf. Expanded rules for the hostiles player.
*'''A Deadly Lure''': June-July 2019 issues of White Dwarf. Requires the Dreaded Ambull expansion. Set after the mission from the expansion, the explorers have to come back and lure out the Ambull so that it can breach through a sealed chamber.
*'''Precipice Awaits''': August 2019 issue of White Dwarf. Features a list of additional things you can do between missions, making it feel more like old Warhammer Quest.
*'''The Broggan Brothers''': September 2019 issue of White Dwarf. Adds a pair of Ogryns as retinue characters, with an additional sidequest that is required to do to "unlock" them in other quests. Requires Escalation to be played.
*'''Skarburn Zapdakka''' - October 2019 issue of White Dwarf, including an Ork Flash Gitz mercenary as a retinue character, as well as the obligatory mission to "unlock" him for future expeditions.
*'''Harlequin Solitaire''' - November 2019 issue of White Dwarf. Introduces a Harlequin Solitaire to be played as a solo explorer (as opposed to the usual four-person team of explorers).
*'''Penitent 707''' - December 2019 issue of White Dwarf. Introduces a new retinue character (an Adepta Sororitas Arcoflagellant) and a mission to unlock them.
*'''A Daring Rescue''' - January 2020 (450) issue of White Dwarf, a new six-part quest to rescue an explorer from Mallex's minions.
*'''Sanctioned Carnage''' - February 2020 (451) issue of White Dwarf. Introduces the Eversor Assassin as another solo explorer like the Solitaire.
*'''Alien Intelligence''' - March 2020 (452) issue of White Dwarf. Introduces the Jokaero Weaponsmith as a retinue character.
*'''Xenos Hunter''' - April 2020 (453) issue of White Dwarf. Introduces the Deathwatch Watch Master as a solo explorer.
*'''Men of Metal''' - October 2020 (457) issue of White Dwarf. Features a quest where Daedalosus and UR-025 go to study the Spindle Drones. Originally planned to be in the August 2020 (455) issue, but postponed because the required Ascension expansion wasn't out yet due to COVID-19.
{{40k-Chaos-Ships}}
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[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]
[[Category:Battlefleet Gothic]]
[[Category: Chaos]]

[[Category: Fleets of Chaos]]

[[Category: Chaos Space Marines]]

[[Category: Word Bearers]]

[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Ships]]

Eagle Bomber

2023-05-30T00:21:01Z

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[[File:Eagle_Bomber_BFG.JPG|right|thumb|250px|The Vampire's spacier cousin.]]
[[File:Eagle_Bomber.jpg|300px|left|thumb|The Eagle Bomber.]]
A little known Eldar Bomber from [[Battlefleet Gothic]] that it is the more space-borne version of the [[Vampire Hunter]].

The Eagle Bomber is a type of Eldar bomber. It carries a modified holofield generator to protect it from enemy sensors which distorts the image of the bomber at close range, as well as sonic charges which can blast through the thickest armour. Its targeting systems allow pinpoint accuracy and coupled with the difficulty in hitting them, the Eagle is one of the best bombers in the galaxy.

*'''Length:''' 26m
*'''Wingspan:''' 26.4m
*'''Crew:''' 3 crew
*'''Mass:''' 70 tonnes; approx
=== Battlefleet Gothic Armada ===

The Eagle Bomber is the mainstay bomber for the Eldar Navy in [[Battlefleet Gothic: Armada]]. They function by going to a designated target within maximum range before unleashing hell on the enemy ship. Like all bombers, Eagle Bombers fly at certain angles and speed that avoids the Void Shields of enemy ships before laying down their bombing runs which usually take off a huge chunk of the ship's health. They, along with their [[Razorwing Jetfighter|edgier kin]], share the highest dodge stats in the game, increasing their survivability.

Since they use what is essentially a weaponized boombox, one must wonder how god damned powerful the audio frequency is for it to rip apart starship hulls with ease. [[Derp|But seeing as how sound cannot travel in the vacuum of space,]] [[FAIL|realistically these sonic charges should be useless.]] But GW likes to ignore realism anyway so why bother. Although if a sonic bomb activated on contact and directed its strike into the target, the sonic strike could disrupt matter in a large area.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Eagle_Bomber_Squadron.JPG|It is not intended to bomb eagles, though it will bomb things with a two-headed eagle on it.
</gallery>
[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

[[Category: Flyers]]
{{Eldar-Forces}}
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Void Stalker

2023-05-30T00:20:43Z

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[[File:Void_Stalker.JPG|400px|right|thumb|The lightning bruiser.]]
The [[Eldar]] only has one known class of Battleship called the Void Stalker.

The Void Stalker represents the pinnacle of Eldar technology and many are known to have taken part in the Gothic War. When the Eldar pirate fleets allied with Lord Admiral Ravensburg after the Battle of Gethsemane, the Void Stalkers were brought into service, previously not having been seen during the entire war. They are strong and powerful with various weapons including Pulsar Lances, Eldar Weapons Batteries and Eldar Launch Bays with Darkstar Fighters and Eagle Bombers.

Other Void Stalkers during the Gothic War pursued personal vendettas while the whole region was in turmoil. They are most commonly used by [[Eldar Corsairs]] rather than Craftworlders due to the fact that Craftworlders already has access to a bloody [[Craftworld]] of all things. One such Void Stalker, the ''Ynnead's Dream'', is the capital-ship of the Ynnari fleet, and also acts as their base of command.

The Void Stalker is armed with a total of 4 Launch Bays carrying [[Darkstar Fighter]]s and [[Eagle Bomber]]s, 4 [[Heavy Starcannon]] Artillery and 4 Heavy [[Pulsar Lance]] Beams.

*'''Length:''' 10-12km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 39 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 35,000 crew, including 20,000 pilots and support staff; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 7-8 gravities maximum sustainable acceleration

== In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 1 & 2 ==

In BF:A. the Void Stalker is the Eldar Corsair's only heavy hitter (A bit better than their Craftworld cousins which lack [[Derp|''any'' Battleships whatsoever]]). While the Voidstalker doesn't massively increase the dps from the Cruiser class options, packing in quad launch bays, an extra engine and nearly twice the hull points it is a lightning-quick behemoth capable of ripping apart smaller line ships with ease.

The Voidstalker's biggest selling point has to be the extended range of its weapons, the only ones on any of the Corsair ships that have a base range over 9,000 units. This means the Voidstalker can devastate enemy vessels from well outside normal identification range and just outside the range of an escort's scanner ability.

The one downside is, of course, the extreme points cost, limiting the number you can field at once to really only one under most reasonable circumstances. Having 2 Voidstalkers would only leave you just over 200 points in a normal-sized fleet and having extended ranged weapons isn't as useful if you don't have other ships to help with spotting. You could use the interceptors, but leaving the bays available to deploy bombers more often does a big boost to your offensive power.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Ships]]

{{40k-Eldar-Ships}}

Battlefleet Gothic

2023-05-30T00:20:09Z

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[[File:Impscale.jpg|500px|right|thumb|The Imperium of Man. Where's your [[Star Trek|Federation]] now?]]
'''Battlefleet Gothic''' is an out-of-production [[specialist game]] made by [[Games Workshop]], where players control fleets of spacecraft.

It is set in the Gothic Sector, bordering the [[Eye of Terror]], where [[Abaddon]] has launched his Twelfth [[Black Crusade]] in order to obtain the Imperium's [[Blackstone Fortress]]es. <strike>Don't ask how the Tau are there; Warp storm or some shit should be all the hand wave you need.</strike> The rules for ships that are aligned with the [[Imperium_of_Man|Imperium]], [[Chaos]], [[Ork]], or [[Eldar]] ''and'' were present in the Gothic War are in the main rulebook. Rules for ships other than that were released later in other publications with rules for playing games ''not'' necessarily set in the Gothic Sector - the largest and most relevant of which is ''Battlefleet Gothic - Armada'', which contains rules for ships belonging to other major factions in [[Warhammer_40,000|40k]]. (Note that in ''Armada'' it does not state that the factions, fleets and ships described were necessarily in the Gothic Sector, it is intended to expand the game to any void war in the whole 40k galaxy).

Some people still think that BFG is one of the best or at least most fun games that GW have ever made. Particularly assuming you just ignore the [[Necrons]], and everyone is playing competently, much fun can be had by all, doubly so when the optional limit on assault boats is used so that escorts are worth a fuck. Any game that encourages you to plow through the middle of the enemy so that you can shoot all your guns at once has got to be pretty good. Also, the flavor of the game is pretty fucking awesome actually, what with the various planet-demolishing shenanigans and just plain gorgeous rule book.

Also, in the land of 30cm range weapon batteries, it used to be that the man with an unerring ability to guesstimate his Nova Cannons on target was king. Putting the 1cm hole onto a 3cm ship base at 100cm range and straight fucking up a cruiser is just beautiful, though of course that takes a fair amount of skill. Alternatively, this can be achieved by building your own board and making apparently random stars bigger and brighter and knowing the distances between them. And then later rules revisions changed the Nova Cannon rules so that the template scattered instead of having to guess the distance to target (as part of the general change from "guess-range" weapons to scattering between 4th and 5th editions), rendering the whole thing moot.

In general it is outclassed by Battlefleet Neoclassical due to its purposeful use of rich ornamentation, elegant arcades, isolated decorative elements, superior shielding and medium range arsenal. When compared to the geometric designs, smooth lines, sparing use of ornamentation, forward acceleration and missile and lance arsenal of Battlefleet Art Deco it is clearly outmatched. Can go toe to toe with Battlefleet Ultra Modernist despite its use of vast fleets of cheaply mass produced fighters, and typically can best Battlefleet Romanesque in a straight up shooting fight unless severely outnumbered. Battlefleet Baroque was at one time rumored to be the next line of improved Gothic-class ships, until everyone determined that it was going to cost several quadrillions of credits just to rename the already existing ships without changing any hardware as not even the most ardent specialist transhuman mechanopriests were able to actually determine what was functionally different about the new ships compared to the old one. That said, whether or not a gunners' deck harpsichord would truly improve Imperial gunnery remains a point of heated debate to this day.

Battlefleet Brutalist was a rush-job aimed at producing sturdy, striking miniatures with simple, blocky, robust structures. Ork fleets looked great, everything else looked hideous.

==Factions==
===[[Imperial Navy|Imperial Navy]]===
Of course this wouldn't be a GW game without the [[Imperium]] being represented. [[Imperial Navy]] ships look like giant fucking Vaticans with warp drives and cannons. It is rumored that in the lower decks there's like...villages of lost workers, but nobody gives a shit. According to the rule book they have massive fucking crews and apparently zero actual technology to move shells weighing hundreds of tons into gun breeches and such. The book shows slaves running on massive treadmills to move them about. Wouldn't your navy work better if you used like... machines or something? If only we had a bunch of crazy ass priests who are fucking insane about technology on board to sort that shit out for us! This probably had something to do with with the fluff being from 3rd edition, in which Grimdark levels were at their highest to the point of being [[Grimderp|retarded]].

In general, the Imperials are good at torpedoes and nova cannons and other stuff. They also have 6+ front armor, which isn't that big of a deal, but it's nice y'know.

'''Alternate view'''

The above statement fails to point out that the Imperial Navy is the most diverse fleet in the game, comprising of no less than six fleet lists and sports more cruiser classes, in every subtype, than any other fleet in the game. You can take Space Marine or some Chaos ships as reserves and sport up to four re-rolls (more than any other fleet - except [[Abaddon]] who gives one re-roll every turn, so really Chaos have more than any other fleet since there's usually more than four turns in a game). Nova cannons are so powerful that it is considered poor gamesmanship to take more than three in a tournament list (1500 points) while many even advocate to using the one-per-750-points restriction and most of your basic cruisers can be upgraded to carry them. The six up prow is a huge help since most hurt comes from the front, and it lets you take [[Awesome|power rams]], a nice but situational point filler. Your average range is 30 cm, and only two basic cruisers can push to 45. Your 60 cm weapons are few and far between. Nothing fancy, you are the baseline that is used by other factions to set out their niche.

With all the options in the world, the biggest reason why the Navy fails to win many matches is that it is predictable by nature (hurr hurr, Imma fly at you while booming mah nova cannon, trying to fly between your lines to blast your arse off with both sides) and everyone and their pet otaku has a fleet. Easy to play, a real pain to master.

On the other hand, its toolbox fleet approach means you’ll always have what you need. It’s up to you to make sure everything is where it needs when it needs to be. Pick a method you want to use to make the other side die and then build your fleet around supporting that method. Like, if you want to focus on charging face-first with torpedoes and ramming, make sure you have some interceptors to help protect you from dangerous shit flying at said face. If you want to hang back and blast away from a distance, add elements to your fleet that protect you from countermeasures while complementing your approach in the offense.

In any case, the Imperial Navy is clearly intended to fight like angry Space Romans. So, get your power rams and assault boats ready!

===[[Fleets of Chaos|Chaos]]===
The [[Chaos]] fleet is pretty similar to the Imperial Navy, but emo'd up. They are a bit faster than their [[The God-Emperor of Mankind|corpse-god]] worshiping counterparts and have the largest selection of ships, making them superior to any other fleet (except sometimes Necrons) if correctly built. For various reasons, the Chaos ships look totally different from the Imperial ones, not just Imperial ones with tentacles and spikes and crap. They later made some ship that was supposed to be the 'old' Imperial ships that were bastard chimeras of both and they were ugly as all fuck and somewhat terrible, which raises the question of why the Chaos fleet is actually any good.

The reasoning behind the different looks of the Chaos and Imperial fleets is due to building techniques changing. Older vessels are mostly "keel built", meaning they were built upward from their keel and thus have a low, wide look to them. Meanwhile newer ships are mostly "spine built", meaning that the dorsal spine was made first and thus they have a tall, thin look. Additionally, the more recent Imperial ships have been built or retrofitted with an armored prow, while the Chaos ships lack one to allow for more speed. It stands to reason that older Imperial ships would look like the Chaos ones (which is why reserve fleets use Chaos classes and models) and any new ships turning traitor would look like Imperials.

Chaos is good at having MOAR DAKKA on their ships, and using their speed to rock balls.

'''Better view'''

Chaos sports the second most diverse fleet in the game with the second highest complexity and ship count. While they lack the strict durability and torpedo numbers of the Navy, they make up for it with absurd firepower, assault boats, better speed and overall better ships for fewer points. As a result they have some of the best ships, point per point, in the game. Your average range is 45 cm with lots of 60 cm options, and a few 30 cm options. They also have a pretty flexible set of upgrades, including putting [[Chaos Space Marines]] to improve leadership and boarding.

Where Chaos suffers is their lack of durability to incoming fire and ordnance. You quickly start missing that six-up armored prow after you watch your prized Repulsive grand cruiser get erased by a lucky round of fire. But that isn't much of a hindrance, because the only thing a 6+ prow is good for is ramming and eating torpedoes, and most of the time you're not plowing nose-first into the enemy lines anyway, and your side armour is precisely the same as corpse-god ships get.

Also, Chaos ships can have Marks of Chaos, and daemon-possessed ships, with some options being such a cheese even Elfdar feel their pants getting soggy, and as centrepiece models you have the [[Abaddon|planet killer]], and [[Exterminatus|activated blackstone fortresses]], which are [[Games Workshop|expensive]] in terms of points (750 apiece) but can shoop da whoop an enemy ship or two off the table.
It also has four god-specific lists that add up upgrades and unique ships, sometimes cheesy, sometimes outright rapey.
Nothing beats the priceless look on your enemy's face when your Conqueror starts counting how much boarding action power it has.

=== [[Necron Fleets|Necrons]] ===
[[Necrons]] have like 5 different kinds of ship and according to fluff are fucking nasty to fight. They are also the most powerful fleet, and have light cruisers that can blow apart battleships without a scratch, due to having the only armor saves of the entire game (no joke here) and a shitton of close-ranged weapons, and anyone who thinks they're outrunning you in a straight line had better prepare the lube, thus being unkillable and murder incarnate; if you want to reenact the [[Star Trek|Battle of Wolf 359]], this is your go-to choice. The drawback is that Necron ships are worth way more victory points dead then they cost to put on the table; losing even one can quickly turn into an unrecoverable points deficit. But there is no defeating a Necron fleet that outnumbers you, not in the fluff, not in the game. They remain OP, but then again, they are like millions of years old and are the most advanced ships in the game so that sounds about right.

===[[Eldar Space Fleet|Eldar]]===
[[Eldar]] ships (well, the corsair ones anyway) look suspiciously similar to the Minbari from [[Babylon 5]]. With only about six ships in the original rulebook, they were somewhat gimped from the get-go. They have shiny fields of awesome to protect them from lances and the like, but gun batteries fuck them up so hard it's retarded, particularly since they HAVE to dip into battery range to fire (the fields are basically naval-scale holofields which obscure the exact position of the Eldar ships, making them difficult to hit with pinpoint weapons, but doesn't help much against the "spam more dakka" approach to conventional battery gunnery). Also, the cruisers are so frail and lacking in firepower that they're worthless, so they're left with a fleet of escorts. While they're pretty fucking awesome for what they are, they melt when sneezed at, so the Eldar are pretty bad except in specific scenarios that let them abuse the fuck out of their movement rules. If the sunside edge is towards the enemy, you are fucked and there's just no reason to play.

'''Alternate View'''

Take the above, and add in that the Eldar sport the most powerful torpedoes in the game (with re-roll to hit, and only being hit by turrets on 6's, which is hands-down the best torpedo in the game. Even considering imperial Vortex torpedoes.) Also, their flyers are ridiculous, with re-rolls to hit, and 4+ SAVES for tiny fliers.
Also, they have weapons batteries that always get the full shots (unlike all other factions, which only get a fraction of their shots for the final rolling). And also, lances that can hit multiple times with a single lance shot.

Then add in the super awesome Forge World Eldar cruisers, and the fact that the Eldar got a damn battleship in the second release, which has EVERYTHING the Eldar have for weapons. Ridiculous cannons. Powerful multi-hit lances. The nasty torpedoes. And the dangerous as fuck flyers.

To sum it up:
Eldar are, together with the Necrons, the best fleets in the game.
And this is said by a BFG veteran who does not even play Eldar.

The buggers are nasty. Not negotiable.

Between this and canonical stuff like an Eldar Ghost Ship surviving a direct hit from an ancient Ark Mechanicus' secret Archeotech "Chrono Cannon" (that is a very misleading way of describing what happened) that apparently fires black holes (Emperor only knows what that weapon was originally designed to destroy back in Dark Age of Technology), and leaving only damaged as described at the end of the book Priest of Mars by [[Graham McNeill]]. Although, it was crippled and the only reason it wasn’t destroyed is because the shot hit (or clipped) a fin instead of being a proper blow. Otherwise it’s existence would have explosively and literally deleted itself. Be prepared for some insane Eldar trickery when facing off against these skinny mother fuckers.

'''Alternate Alternate View'''

As strong as their torpedoes and planes are they suffer a huge problem when building a fleet, originally there were only 6 Eldar ships , this has since been improved but practically your only choice to play the amazing torpedoes is in a half dead spasticated escort and you have to bring an entire 250 point cruiser which will fuck you over as it dies within a turn of coming into range of seeing the enemy even with your fun ordnance moves.

In the end the Eldar are a fun race but suffer badly from a case of lack of diversity which makes it hard for them to build a competent list with anything but as many Eldar hellbores and aconites as possible.

=== Tau ===
The [[Tau]] have two choices of fleet. Their initial fleets were composed of refitted modular merchant ships and scout vessels. After getting their shit wrecked, they got together and finally built combat ships. Players have the option of the modular, adjustable, Merchant fleet (boxy) or the efficient, effective Combat fleet (sleek). None of the ships' names are pronounceable. "to pronounce it correctly, I would have to cut out your tongue."

The most effective Tau weapon is (surprise!) missiles. Meaning, torpedoes which can adjust speed and direction, which is unique for standard torpedoes in the game (there are guided torpedoes for the IN, but they can malfunction, and do not have the adjust speed gimmick). Other than that, They have starship-sized Ion cannons (lances) and massive railguns (macrobatteries). The other little gimmick they get is that their bomber flyer, the [[Manta]], gets a 4+ save, simply for being massive as fuck.
Extra bonus is the ability to get an aura that lets you turret more effectively and ignore the column shift of battery at long range. Though you still don't get the 60range guns and your firepower is below the waterline.

Without using allies Tau fleets suffer horribly at the hands of Elfdar, Chaos and Necron foes. And if anyone gets to board you, you get your shit wrecked because your crew power is half of that of the basic enemy most of the time.

Your "combat" fleet sacrifices a lot for that tasty 90 sharp turn, being even less effective than your blocky cruisers of merchant fleet, getting even more assraped by Chaos, Elfdar and Necron, but they get the lances, so they are not as prone to one-sided ownage at the hands of 6-armour-all-around marines, though you go below the average in terms of air superiority and torpedo power when you start building combat-fleet instead of merchant-fleet, so try mixing them for best results, keeping your 6-hitpoint protectors squadroned behind beefier hero class to avoid sudden cripples.

=== [[Ork Fleets|Orks]] ===
The [[Orks]] look like the most fun to paint <span style="color:#33aa33;">DAT'S TROO, DA ORKSES HAVE DA BEST SHIPS COZ DEYZ A PROPA COLOUR, NOT LIKE DEM UMIES....'EY BOSS, WHYZ DEM 'UMIE SHIPS DAT COLOUR? DEM 'UMIES AIN'T SURPOSED TER BE LIKE DAT, DEY MENT TER BE ALL PINK AN SOFT, NOT GREEN LIKE US ORKSES...WAAAGH!!!...</span> , their ships are ramshackle at best and if you used gum instead of super glue to make them it would probably be more thematically accurate... and gross. In theory their random strength heavy batteries are pretty cool, it turns out that random translates alternately into 'pathetically ineffective whenever it's important' and 'did exactly what any other weapon system would have done' inside the game. However, fleets of ram ships are pretty awesome, because nothing is funnier than ramming the shit out of people.

=== Dark Eldar ===
The [[Dark Eldar]] are like the [[Eldar]] up to eleven, except you have no battleships. You are pretty much the epitome of glass cannon in this game, you hit hard and move ridiculously fast but if the enemy gets so much as a mean look your way you spontaneously combust. You have exactly two ship choices (a cruiser and an escort), rarely a good sign, although their ships have fully customisable weapon loadouts (unlike most other factions, where each ship has fixed armaments with maybe a couple of options).
Funny enough, your maneuverability is HORRIBLY worse than that of elfdar. You don't get 180' turns and an extra move in ordnance phase, you can just come to new bearing super-effectively.

=== Tyranids===
[[Tyranids]] are extremely deadly at close range, all ships besides the Hive Ship are expendable in the extreme, reasonably durable, and ridiculously deadly at boarding. But oh man are you fucked if your Hive Ship bites the dust. Also everyone who plays them just uses 'nid bits to scratch build their fleet. Unfortunately, the hive mind rules mean that a Tyranid player can only control one or 2 ships every turn. The other ships are forced to use an Instinctive Behavior algorithm that acts like basic programming for the ship (although in all likelihood this is what you were going to do anyway). This effectively means that a Tyranid player doesn't actually get to make decisions for his fleet most of the time.

'''Alternate View'''

Well the control of the ships is based on the number of consecutive successful Leadership tests. So have a lucky hand with Ld9 and nothing to worry. Even if you don't, the wonderful Instinctive Behavior will probably guide your ships towards your enemies... or the next planet...

But with that said, bear in mind that the hive has a huge fleet with an incredible amount of ships. Your amount of escorts alone exceeds other fleets by 3 or 4 usually. The bio-enhancements can make them pricey, but not all are needed, since only your super short-ranged battery gunnery (which is Tyranid space-puke basically) and your ability to EAT enemy ships will secure you victory. They come in numbers. Bodies over Bullets! In a huge scale...

===[[Space Marine Fleets|Space Marines]]===
The [[Space Marines]] are essentially the Imperium's mighty glaciers. Just like their ground pounders, except apparently the chapter serfs defend the ship and operate everything. They have armor like the Necrons do, on the two ships that aren't just Imperial escorts with a new paint job (you do know that SM have their own escorts?*). Those armored ships also have very powerful short-ranged bombardment cannons that are good, but thankfully aren't common enough to be broken. They excel at boarding and going toe-to-toe with the enemy, like everywhere else. They do this by regular boarding (where they get pretty big bonuses), hit-and-run raids by [[Thunderhawk]] (which serve as fighter and assault boat at the same time, while also having a 4+ save due to, you know, big armour and stuff. surprise!), or by simply shooting squads of Marines across space into the other ship (e.g., boarding torpedoes). They also can do [[Terminator]] teleport attacks when they are close enough. Much hurt to be had.

*After the initial release, which intended that you pay a bit extra to get regular Imperial escort ships with space marine crew, GW released models for actual specific SM escort-class ships. Those looked incredibly goofy, pretty much like beat-up bananas, and the crappy white-ish paintjob they had for the GW site were not really helping either. FW then decided to be awesome, and released better kits for them, which were absolutely beautiful.

=== Adeptus Mechanicus ===
The [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] are pretty much the Imperial ace custom squadron. They operate Imperial Navy vessels with a shiny paint job and upgrades (offset by higher prices and/or downgrades). Apparently, they use servitor slaves instead of human slaves, and occasionally use auto-loaders. Progress! Get an Explorator ship, which is like an Imperial Capital ship but shinier and goofier.
Your crews are techpriests and servitors, so you get better repairs but your shit gets wrecked by boarding action quite heavily. Maybe they should Blood Ravens themselves some Secutarii.

To show off his abilities Archmagos Zibbit installs better turrets on every ship out there (extra lulzy considering you can roll for area support turret on some ship(s)) and your cruisers get a shiny lance dorsal turret to mess up the Chaos lovers day.
You also get to ride the magnificent pimp ride known as Ark Mechanicus, basically a wet dream of every imperial out there, a souped-up Retribution battleship with nova cannon, best upgrades Mechanicus has to offer and a pricetag that feels awkwardly low for that amount of awesome in one place.
The only downside? It is the only battleship that doesn't get the mandatory +1 turret that imperials would get if taken as AdMech ships, having a general 4-turret value that can be overcome with enough bombers.
So a simple Retribution in AdMech list is pretty much immune to bombers and can hardly ever get torpedo damage, while the shiny pimp wagon can get hurt.

All in all the best way of playing imperials in a campaign is Adeptus Mechanicus, because you can refit that refit-cruiser after being refitted for rolling a high leadership.

== Homebrew rules ==
As mentioned above one of the best ways to make the game more enjoyable is to limit the number of fighters, bombers, and assault boats allowed. This limits the maximum number of these craft to not exceed the number of hangar bays available on the capital ships, rather than the original treatment of the hangars like nonstop factories (which encouraged building up truly gigantic waves of fighters and bombers on your end of the table before sending them across all at once). This prevents the game from devolving into something resembling the sky over the Pacific circa 1945. Not that there's anything wrong with that mind, but it's not Battlefleet Gothic.

While it may be regarded as optional, the rule limiting attack craft numbers to not exceed number of launch bays in the fleet ''was'' included in the last set of rules for BFG, so it isn't really a homebrew thing any more. Still, feel free to allow the 'nonstop factories' variant in your games, since it's quite lulzy to play.

To make up for lance weapons being over-the-top better choice compared to weapon batteries, a homebrew rule can be introduced as well. Just make lance weaponry suffer -1 to hit rolls if the target still has shields up. After all, lore-wise lances do have issues with void shields, and it has more than one instance where it's explicitly stated to be the reason ordnance boats are to be paired with lance-boats and most ship designs having both weapon types.

Homebrew missions are also a thing, because GeeDubs fails at making missions that don't favor one side too much, and random generation of terrain takes up a shitton of times.

Some projects, like Battlefleet Gothic:Revised, or just BFG:R, tried to reduce the copious amounts of books required to play it, and even reduce the balance inconsistencies. BF:XR took up the undertaking, but sadly the desire to keep the original rulebook intact is a major hindrance to any attempts to balance the game, no matter how much pointcosts are tweaked. Still, if one seeks to play the game it's handy just because the rulebook incorporates all the fixes of 2010 FAQ had.

There's also [[Pirate lords of 40k]] that expand on the boarding battles via Kill Teams style.

==[[/v/|Vidyagaem]] [[Battlefleet Gothic: Armada]] ==
[http://www.pcgamer.com/battlefleet-gothic-armada-announced/ Someone has decided that it is a good idea to make it a videogame (And it damn well is). IT'S HAPPENING.]
And it looks awesome, including Marks of Chaos from the FOUR gods, also pre-order will include the Space Marine and Tau fleets (which are also included with the game if you buy it in the first 2 months after release, so you can benefit from reviews of the finished product and not have to pay extra for them down the road) and a nice 10 percent discount, and we are working in the [[Battlefleet Gothic Armada]] article as it is in its opening beta, meanwhile watch the trailer:
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWteWul9cBE Gameplay trailer]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl4hAD_xhn0 Narrative trailer, featuring, of course, FAILBADDON THE (H)ARMLESS!]
* [http://www.battlefleetgothic-armada.com/ The official website]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3w3XeHpsis The launch trailer.]

Fast forward 2 years, the announcement for a sequel are out with a whole lot more factions to it. The first trailer looks pretty awesome. The second trailer is even better.

== External Links ==
* <strike>[http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/landingArmy.jsp?catId=cat480005a&rootCatGameStyle=specialist-games Battlefleet Gothic] on [[Games Workshop]]'s website -- look under "resources" for the rules.</strike> Dead because GeeDubs routinely purges their website.
* [https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0Bw_dULEfC3rbYzUyNjQzZTAtMDZiMS00ZjRlLWJjNzMtYTE5YmNjZjdjODQ1/edit Battlefleet Gothic 2010 Compendium], a set of updates made by a bunch of community members who worked with [[Specialist Games]] before GW axed it. It includes updates and FAQs to the main rules and all official fleets, plus new fleets for the Imperium (including the [[Adeptus Mechanicus]], the [[Inquisition]], and [[Rogue Trader]]s), the forces of [[Chaos]], the [[Eldar]], the [[Ork]]s, and the [[Tau]]. You can also get the whole compendium as a complete book [http://www.darkreign.org/sites/default/files/BFG%20FAQ%202010_0.pdf/ from DarkReign]. (dead link)
* [http://afterimagedan.blogspot.com/2012/10/battlefleet-gothicrevised.html Battlefleet Gothic: Revised], an effort to rebuild BFG from the ground up. The original coordinator retired from the project in July 2012 (which is a shame, since he had [http://www.battlefleetgothicrevised.com/ a slick dev blog]), but development is continuing actively at the [http://www.forum.specialist-arms.com/index.php?board=7.0 Specialist-Arms forum].
* [http://yenlowang.free.fr/warhammer-forum/BFG/BFG_-_Additional_Ships_Compendium_1.4.pdf Battlefleet Gothic Additional Ships Compendium]
* [https://rr30k.com/the-battlefleet-heresy-compendium/?fbclid=IwAR30z2AIjp1nrfoFgT_1ysl040FVEMj2dVj0GD5jmSjN_Kizc4zDUN3YL-o Battlefleet Heresy] A ridiculously thorough home-brew by the Remembrancers' Retreat podcast out of Richmond, VA for playing BFG set in the Heresy years. Rules for each of the Legions, as well as Imperial Army and Mechanicum. Currently in its fourth edition, compiled in a red-book-esq pdf.

{{Specialist-Games}}

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Battlefleet Gothic]]

Haven Spire

2023-05-30T00:17:14Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Haven_Class_Spire_Model.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Like an Imperial Space Station, [[Gay|but with more pixie dust.]]]]
The Haven-class Spire is a [[Eldar]] Space Station home to many [[Eldar]] Outcasts, a number of which become [[Eldar Corsairs|corsairs.]]

Although most Eldar live upon their vast floating [[Craftworlds]], those that have followed the path of the Outcast are scattered to the far extremes of the galaxy. Many of these outcasts become knife-ear pirates we know and love, joining the Pirate Princes of the Corsair fleets.

It is unknown if they could move, although knowing the Eldar, it wouldn't surprise us if it did.

*'''Height:''' 30km; approx
*'''Length:''' 15-20km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 120 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 100,000 crew; approx
== Overview ==

The Haven Spire is a base from which these Eldar launch these raids and is just one of the identified structures used by the Eldar. They are distinctively Eldar with large solar sails for capturing solar energy and are usually buried deep within asteroid fields or nebulae and have formidable weaponry as well as the corsair fleet. The Imperium are keen to destroy any Haven Spires they come across in the hopes of stopping pirate activity.

Their model appeared in ye olde days of [[Forgeworld]] where [[Battlefleet Gothic]] was still a thing on tabletop.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]
[[Category: Eldar Space Fleet]]
[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Ships]]

{{40k-Eldar-Ships}}

Eldar Space Fleet

2023-05-30T00:16:01Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:BFGAEldar.jpg|400px|thumb|right|To Protect the Craftworlds]]

The '''Eldar Space Fleet''' is the general term used to describe the warships that escort the massive [[Craftworld]]s as they roam the galaxy, protecting these remaining bastions of the Eldar race from outside threats. While not having that much of a presence in the main [[Warhammer 40000]] wargame, they are one of the main factions in the [[Battlefleet Gothic]] spin-off and its video game adaptations.

Unlike the warships of the [[Imperium of Man|Imperium of Mankind]], which look like cathedrals in space due their Gothic ornamentation, Eldar vessels are sleek and fragile-looking, gliding silently on the spaceways thanks to their solar sails. They are also blisteringly fast, and in the right circumstances are capable of speeds that far outstrip any other ships of their size. Eldar ships forego the armor that ships of other races use, and instead rely on their speed and Holofields to protect them, while using powerful Pulsar Lances to tear enemy ships to shreds.

Majority of Eldar ships also have most of their guns mounted in the front, with no guns on the broadside. This design choice likely stems from the fact it allows their ships to remain compact and reasonably defended, without skimping on firepower. Additionally, attempting to fire guns broadside requires them to slow down to strafe, something their ships aren't built do, hence the Eldar will typically either snipe from a distance to allow them to bring all their guns to bear without fear of immediate retaliation, or dart around the void of space doing brief but powerful hit-and-run attacks, overwhelming better armored but more sluggish ships of other races through speed.

While they mostly deal with spaceborne threats, Eldar ships also support warhosts in their objectives, carrying these to the worlds they need to be at if a convenient Webway Gate isn't available. These ships then will conceal themselves, often at an outlying world or debris field, to await the warhost's return.

Because all Eldar ship classes are used by Craftworlders and Corsairs, Imperials have come to dread the appearance of Eldar ships, as there's equal chance that they'll either help you (only to kill you later decades down the line), or raid and plunder you (and then your direct descendants, centuries later).

==Shields of the Craftworlds==
===Battleship===

'''Void Stalker'''

The largest ship available to the Eldar, the ''Void Stalker'' embodies this ancient race's methods of war, being heavily armed, lightning fast and somehow staying as nimble as an [[Imperial Navy|Imperial]] [[Imperial Navy Escort|Escort]]. It comes armed with mid-ranged Pulsar Lances as standard, and carries quad Launch Bays to launch Fighters and Bombers.

===Battlecruiser===

'''Phoenix'''

The second-largest ship in the Eldar fleet, the ''Phoenix'' comes armed with front-mounted Pulsar Lances, Weapons Batteries, and a pair of Launch Bays for Fighter and Bomber support. Its weapons systems are somewhat close-ranged compared to an [[Imperial Navy Battlecruiser|Imperial Battlecruiser]], but in return, the Phoenix is ''ridiculously'' fast for its size, easily leaving Imperial Escorts in the dust.

===Cruiser===

Most Cruiser-sized Eldar ships are called "Dragonships". Rarely even sharing the same design, they do have similar armaments, and adhere to the same tactics during fleet actions. Regardless of the Dragonship type, each one is ''still'' faster than an Imperial Escort.

The most common Dragonship variants and their armaments are as follows:

'''Firestorm:''' Armed with Torpedo launchers and Pulsar Lances.

'''Ghost:''' Equipped with Lascannon batteries and Launch Bays.

'''Moonray:''' Armed with Pulsar Lances and Launch Bays.

'''Starfall:''' Equipped with Lascannon batteries and Torpedo launchers. This is the equivalent of the Prismatic for the Dragonships.

'''Eclipse'''

A dedicated Carrier-craft, the ''Eclipse'' is armed with four Launch Bays, with only a pair of short-ranged Lances to defend itself with. Because of its high speeds, it's not as vulnerable as being a Carrier implies, but usually relegated to a defensive role, providing Fighter cover to intercept Ordinance.

===Light Cruiser===

Smaller compared to Dragonships, Wraithships are called as such because most of their systems are formed around a wraithbone core. The crew of these ships are often psychically attuned to this material, and as a result are able to control and maneuver the ships as if it were part of their own bodies.

Due to Wraithships having the same sort of weapons configurations as the Dragonships, they also share variant names.

'''Firestorm:''' Armed with Torpedo launchers and Pulsar Lances.

'''Ghost:''' Equipped with Lascannon batteries and Launch Bays.

'''Moonray:''' Equipped with Pulsar Lances and Launch Bays.

'''Prismatic:''' Armed with Lascannon batteries and Torpedo launchers.

===Escort===

As with other races, Escorts come in two flavors, with the slightly larger but better-armed Frigate and the smaller but quicker Destroyers.

'''Aconite'''

Forgoing the Pulsar Lance and Torpedoes of the ''Hellbore'', the Aconite compensates by having lots and ''lots'' of Starcannons. A pair of Aconites working in conjunction can easily put out the firepower of a Cruiser.

'''Hellebore'''

Armed with a pair of Torpedo tubes, a Pulsar Lance, and Weapons Batteries, the ''Hellebore'' Frigate has a comparatively more flexible load-out compared to its contemporary. It is used mostly as a flanker, though it can also complement ''Eclipses'' when used as a heavy Escort.

'''Hemlock'''

The designated Lance-boat, the ''Hemlock'' mounts a front-facing Pulsar Lance, and several Starcannon batteries for defense.

'''Nightshade'''

A dedicated Torpedo Destroyer, the Nightshade is armed with a pair of Torpedo launchers and Starcannons batteries.

'''Shadowhunter'''

In the videogame, this is the only Escort available to Craftworlders. To compensate, the Destroyer class was split into two variants with different weapons loadouts: one with a Shadow Lance, the other with a Lascannon battery.

==Other==
These are ships that don't have a specific class, and are assigned here instead.

*'''Eldar Transport''': Generic Transport. Engages in trade and logistical support for the navy/military. Speedy, fast, blah blah. Next.

*'''Vampire''': What some call the Manta of the Eldar. It comes in two Variants: The Hunter variant, which is an orbit deployed bomber geared towards blowing your expensive titans into tiny titan Mcnuggets, and the Raider variant, an orbit deployed dropship which mulches infantry. Oh, when we say Dropship, we MEAN dropship. This thing can carry anti tank cannons, infantry mulching guns, some grunts/wraith units, and even a Falcon tank with soldiers inside said tank, allowing you to get a massive number of troops on the battlefield.

==In Battlefleet Gothic==

Featuring fast and fragile ships that had oddly short ranges, an Eldar player has to pretty much master the art of Hit and Run. To really make the most of their ship weapons a player ''has'' to master the Eldar's unique movement mechanics.

Firstly Eldar ships have ''three'' movement speeds, with the lowest listed when a ship is moving sunward, while its fastest listed speed only available while moving abeam of a star. Secondly, Eldar had a ''second'' turn or move after all Ordinance had been used. These two combined make for a very mobile force in the right conditions, and an extremely vulnerable fleet in others, so an Eldar player ''needs'' to be mobile.

Speaking of defenses, Eldar ships... don't have a lot, actually. Holofields can defend against long-ranged snipes by Lances, but there's a hilariously long list of stuff that ''ignore'' Holofields entirely (Weapons Batteries, Bombardment Cannons, [[Gauss]] Whips...). They don't have turrets either, so good luck shooting down Ordinance!

The Eldar initially had a limited number of ships during the first release of the game, but subsequent waves mitigated that somewhat. Min-maxers will probably just bring Aconites and Hellebores anyway,but at least it has more variety now.

== In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 1 & 2 ==

Every bit as fast, deadly, and ''fragile'' as their tabletop counterparts, the ships of the Eldar are also a bit pricier compared to anything the Imperials can field. For the sake of variety, most of the ships available to Eldar list in the tabletop game were split in-game between the Asuryani/Craftworlders and the Corsair fleets.

The Corsairs are stealthier and have access to the Void Stalker and Frigates, but even ''more'' fragile, while the Craftworlders are tougher, are limited to the Phoenix as their Capital Ship. Because of the relative short ranges of their weapons, Eldar ships have to come in close to do most of their damage, but this is leveraged somewhat by their speed and their Holofields. Glide in, unload weaponry, then get the heck out of Dodge.

In a reversal from the tabletop, [[Lance]] weapons (which can't miss) will ruin any Eldar skipper's day. Add to this a vulnerability to Critical Hits, and Eldar have to avoid taking heavy damage as much as possible.

In the first game, the Eldar ships represented the Corsair Princes and (much later) Craftworld [[Ulthwe]] ships that historically allied with the Imperium to thwart [[Abaddon the Despoiler]]'s designs on the [[Gothic War|Gothic Sector]]. In the second game, thanks to their help reviving the [[Roboute Guilliman|Lord Commander of the Imperium]], the Eldar encountered are mostly aligned with the [[Ynnari]] led by [[Yvraine]], though there's the usual unaligned and opportunistic Corsairs for flavor.
{{40k-Eldar-Ships}}
[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]

[[Category: Eldar Space Fleet]]

[[Category: Vehicles]]

{{Eldar-Forces}}

Dragonship

2023-05-30T00:14:40Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

Like the [[Wraithship]], [[Eldar]] from the [[Craftworlds]] could craft their own Cruisers called '''Dragonships''', in contrast to the [[Eldar Corsairs|Corsairs]] which lack such a base of manufacturing.

The Dragonship is not a specific design like most other named vessel classes, but rather is a generic name for an Asuryani vessel of a larger size. The vessels under the name Dragonship have a similar armament and adhere to the same tactics but can be varied within these classes.

Variants are given their own name within the Dragonship "class," which is always a variant including "Dragon." For example, Dragonships piloted largely or exclusively by Spirit Stones are called Ghostdragons and vessels designed to work far from supply lines are called Void Dragons. Less common variations such as different sail configurations, weapons and even sizes are known to exist, but in lower numbers.

==Class==
===Basic===
====Starfall====
[[File:14419755_f1024.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Unfortunately, it does not look like a dragon. Not even vaguely.]]
The Starfall is the only Asuryani Cruiser that doesn't share a name with its smaller cousin Wraithship variant, the [[Prismatic-class Wraithship|Prismatic.]] Like the smaller version of itself, the Starfall benefits from the wide arc [[Naval Lascannon|Heavy Lascannons,]] being low maintenance as far as giving orders to keep it damaging the enemy fleet, with an occasional attack run made necessary to properly score hits with [[torpedo]] salvos.

Having 8 torpedo tubes as opposed to the Prismatic's 4, along with the already high dps and crit output, puts the Starfall at level with the offensive firepower of other factions capital ships.

It is worth mentioning that the two Heavy Lascannon ships essentially double the firepower of the standard weaponry, along with the special weapons, from the Light Cruiser version, whereas the [[Pulsar Lance]] Cannon options only carry an extra 50% firepower when it comes to standard weaponry. This makes the Starfall one of the best options for bringing high dps at an affordable (relatively) cost.

Overall armaments are 8 [[Torpedo]] Launchers and 4 [[Naval Lascannon|Heavy Lascannon Artillery.]]

*'''Length:''' 4.5km
*'''Mass:''' 15.8 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 15,300 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 8 gravities maximum sustainable acceleration

===Carrier===
====Ghost====
[[File:14419762_f1024.jpg|300px|right|thumb|The Ghost-class Wraithship's bigger brother.]]
Ghost-class Dragonships is essentially a bigger version of the [[Ghost-class Wraithship]]. The Ghost Dragonship has the best complement of weapons like the Wraithship, since it combines the launch-in-any-direction squadrons with the Broadside-capable with Runic Targetting orders and four [[Naval Lascannon|Heavy Lascannons.]]

This combination of weaponry means you can set auto to engage orders with a broadside attack profile at max range to keep the Ghost firing away while it uses its speed to dodge more fire than it would make head-on strafing runs or using head-on engage orders which you never want to do, since it causes ships to come to a stop when in range, in turn dropping your highly needed holofields.

For the benefit of this convenience and the insanely high on paper dps and crit chance, you'll be paying a point cost second only to the [[Phoenix Ship|Phoenix Battle Cruiser.]]

It is armed with 2 Launch Bays carrying [[Darkstar Fighter]]s and [[Eagle Bomber]]s and 4 [[Naval Lascannon|Heavy Lascannon Artillery.]]

*'''Length:''' 4.5km
*'''Mass:''' 15 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 12,400 crew, including 6,000 pilots and support staff; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 8 gravities maximum sustainable acceleration

====Moonray====
[[File:14419777_f1024.jpg|300px|right|thumb|When overspecialization comes to bite you in the ass.]]
A lance-boat/carrier hybrid.

Of the two Cruiser carriers, the Moonray is the least preferable outside of special situations, just like the [[Moonray-class Wraithship]], hindered by combining launch bays that don't require strafing runs to use properly, with the Pulsar Cannons which demand it.

Typically this is a ship you'll find yourself benefiting from taking, only when facing heavily armoured enemies, though if you don't have a problem managing all your micro needs, you shouldn't find the Moonray to be as hindering.

It is armed with 2 Launch Bays carrying [[Darkstar Fighter]]s and [[Eagle Bomber]]s and 3 [[Pulsar Lance]] Cannon Beams.

*'''Length:''' 4.7km
*'''Mass:''' 15.5 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 13,000 crew, including 5,700 pilots and support staff; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 8 gravities maximum sustainable acceleration

===Lance-boat===
====Firestorm====
[[File:14419770_f1024.jpg|300px|right|thumb|[[Anal circumference|Move over and bend over.]]]]
The lance-boat of the Dragonship family. Equipped with [[Torpedo]] launchers and [[Pulsar Lance]]s.

As mentioned above on the Moonray section, the notable difference between this Firestorm and its [[Firestorm-class Wraithship|Wraithship]] cousin is the fact that, compared to the superficial look at the Pulsar Cannon Beam vessels, is the reality that the Firestorm and Moonray only get a 50% boost to their standard weapon offensive power, as opposed to the 100% boost the Lascannon ships get.

Just like its little brother, the Firestorm Dragonship is a vessel that benefits from having torpedo racks on a ship that already needs to be positioned in strafing run attacks to fire its limited arc, armour-piercing beam weapons. Unlike the smaller variant, the Firestorm also takes the spot of the cheapest ship in its class, falling 8 points under the Starfall.

It is armed with 8 [[Torpedo]] Launchers and 3 [[Pulsar Lance]] Beams.

*'''Length:''' 4.7km
*'''Mass:''' 17 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 18,100 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 8 gravities maximum sustainable acceleration

== In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2 ==

The Asuryani Cruisers add the typical 400 hull points over the Light Cruisers, keeping all the armour and troop benefits that the Asuryani poses over their Corsairs counterparts. At this speed, the Cruisers still outmatch the escorts of most other factions.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]
[[Category: Eldar Space Fleet]]
[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Ships]]

{{40k-Eldar-Ships}}

Craftworld Ulthwé

2023-05-30T00:14:00Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

{{Infobox 40k Nations
|name = Ulthanash Shelwé
|image = [[File:Ulthwe_Banner_Flag.jpg‎|150px]]
|bgcolor = 434544
|fgcolor = D8D5AC
|Capital = Ulthanash Shelwé
|Official Languages = Eldar
|Power = Minor Power
|Size = Craftworld
|Head of State = High Farseer
|Head of Government = Seer Council
|Governmental Structure = Meritocratic Magocracy
|State Religion/Ideology = Eldar Mythology
|Demographic = [[Eldar]]
|Military Force = [[Craftworld]] Guardians<br>[[Craftworld]] Fleet<br>[[Aspect Warrior]] hosts<br>Black Guardians
|Colours = Black (primary)<br>Bone (secondary)
}}

'''{{PAGENAME}}''' (a contraction of '''''Ulthanash Shelwé''''', "the Song of Ulthanash") is one of the major [[Eldar]] [[Craftworld]]s in [[Warhammer 40,000]], famous for its use of [[Farseer]]s and Black Guardians. Its most famous scion is [[Eldrad|Eldrad Ulthran]], the former Chief Farseer of Craftworld Ulthwé and known as being one of the biggest dicks in 40k, which, [[Marines Malevolent|all]] [[Erebus|things]] [[Minotaurs (Chapter)|considered]], is quite the statement.

==History==
[[File:Ulthwe symbol.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Everyone's favorite pseudo-egyptian crying symbol. (It's called "Wadjet".)]]
Ulthwé was one of the last Craftworlds to hightail it out of the Segmentum Obscurus, and as a result is within spitting distance of the [[Eye of Terror]]. In the last ten thousand years, Craftworld Ulthwé has suffered thousands of attacks by the [[daemon]]s of [[Chaos]] and the teaming armies of the ruinous powers, earning its nickname "Ulthwé the Damned"; the Craftworld itself is covered in scars as a result of countless dark crusades. The Craftworld's primary enemy, unsurprisingly, is [[Chaos]], and it has placed a high emphasis on the [[Paths of the Eldar|Path of the Seer]] and training Warlocks, allowing the Seer Council to predict when attacks will come and better prepare Ulthwé for it. As a result of focusing on the Path of the Seer, Craftworld Ulthwé has far fewer [[Aspect Warrior]]s than other Craftworlds. To compensate for this, Craftworld Ulthwé has a standing army of [[Guardian]]s called the Black Guardians, a much more thoroughly trained Professional army ready to respond at a moment's notice.

Craftworld Ulthwé has occasionally worked with the [[Imperium of Man]] to better fight the forces of Chaos, but this relationship, like all Imperial-Xenos relationships, is an alliance of convenience and usually breaks down within moments of achieving either sides objective. This stems from failed first contact with the Imperium, when Eldrad attempted to warn the Imperium about [[Horus|Horus Lupercal]]'s fall to Chaos, but instead of warning the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Emperor]] himself gave his message to the [[Primarch]] [[Fulgrim]], who was already in the throes of Slaaneshi corruption thanks to the daemonic sword he kept after the Cleansing of Laer. It resulted in a firefight and left several Eldar not just dead but lost to Slaanesh (You would think that he would have been able to foresee that, but apparently not; it's not as if the powers of Chaos could mess with his foresight... the Dark Prince was directly hiding Fulgrims true fate thread, it was only when standing directly in front of the Primarch that Eldrad was able see the gods interference), along with the numerous atrocities heaped upon their race, both during the time of the Great Crusade and in the next 10,000 years by the forces of the Imperium has left a very sour taste. The Craftworld has been responsible for things like the Second War of [[Armageddon]], as it was Eldrad who diverted [[WAAAGH]] [[Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka|Ghazghkull]] to Armageddon, instead of towards a isolated Craftworld; so their not blameless here either. Craftworld Ulthwé also has a secret alliance with House Belisarius, a [[Navigator]] house with exclusive rights to fly to the starships of the [[Space Wolves]]. In M31, Craftworld Ulthwé saved the fortunes of House Belisarius, which began an arrangement where Belisarius gave Craftworld Ulthwé seven coins to call upon the debt. If an Eldar of Craftworld Ulthwé gives a Navigator of Belisarius one of the coins, the Navigator immediately drops whatever they're doing and helps the Eldar, taking the coin and paying back the debt. So far, this has happened five times in past ten thousand years. Naturally, House Belisarius makes an effort to keep the Space Wolves unaware of this agreement. They also have a working relationship with elements of the inquisition, and human agents throughout the Imperium, including Terra itself.

Once trapped in orbit around the Eye of Terror, Ulthwé now finds itself able to travel across the galaxy. This would normally be monumental moment for Ulthwé, being able to travel outside the orbit of the Eye of Terror for the first time since the Fall of the Eldar but seeing as the same incident also let Chaos run rampant across the galaxy... let’s just say that Chaos may have gotten that better deal here. The Ynnari have royally screwed up the social order of the Craftworld, with many leaving to join their number, and with the Exile of Eldrad (He and Ahriman should really team up, both tried to make thing better with a ritual but ended up getting exiled for it. The two could end up being bros for life) many more have chosen to follow him instead.

==Recent Events==

Due to having a large portion of their population either leaving to join Eldrad or the Ynnari, the Craftworld of Ulthwé now finds itself having to deal with the massive escalation in Chaos activity but with a much-reduced force to deal with the situation. In a move that stinks of desperation, the Seer council is now forced to send its remaining forces out across the galaxy in the hopes of countering the Ruinous powers by aiding the struggling forces of any faction still fighting the rampant forces of the great enemy. The Warhosts of Ulthwé appear on battlefields across the galaxy, providing aid and support, this includes helping out the Dark Angels and the Space Wolves, the T’au Farsight Enclaves and the Grey Knights. Ulthwé is determined to preserves as many allies that it can, all are needed for the future battles against Chaos, even if it means leaving Ulthwé itself in harm’s way. This would end up biting them in the ass when a combined force of Slaaneshi and Tzeentchan Daemons led by [[Kairos Fateweaver]] invaded the poorly defended Craftworld, only being driven off thanks to the intervention of Eldrad and his fellow exiles.

During the course of the Psychic Awakening, Ulthwé seers have been making a point to watch over a myriad of Imperial worlds and purge corrupt governors/councillors who through negligence or incompetence allowed Chaos to take root within their cities. In doing so, they often endeavored to ensure a more proactive, capable replacement would take charge before departing. This interventionist attitude hasn't been without cost however, with instances of retaliatory Imperial attacks against the Ulthwéans occurring due to the Seers often resorting to lightning strikes and assassinations over a more diplomatic approach. One notable instance of this occurred after a raid on an Imperial world known as Cadmas Tertius, where an Ulthwéan strike team eradicated a Slaaneshi cult lead by the rulers of the planet that would've brought their world to ruin. The governors who succeeded their predecessors knew not of the corruption of their predecessors, so when Ulthwé ambassadors attempted to parlay with them to explain, they were forced off the planet by gunpoint. The Adonis navy would follow this up with an ambush against the Ulthwé ships still monitoring them, destroying several of them before they could retreat.

==Tactics and Military Doctrine==
Ulthwé tends to do what it can to either avert or divert threats to their people by attempting to manipulate other factions into fighting their enemies for them. This particular approach has earned them no small degree of enmity from not only the Imperium (whom Ulthwé seems to attempt to trick and deceive at every conceivable turn almost on a whim to fight enemies the Imperium would have fought anyway), but even from other Eldar as well, as even they tire of Ulthwé's plotting; most of the time the manipulated forces will have no idea that they have been working for Ulthwe, for example no one in the Imperium knows anything about their involvement with Armageddon. When Ulthwé finds itself forced to intervene directly, they'll often rely strictly on their Black Guardians supported by Warlocks and Farseers when conducting war. Despite the relative lack of specialized Aspect Warriors native to Ulthwé, the professional soldiers of the Black Guardian's makes them far more efficient at flexibly engaging a wide variety of threats that other Craftworlds Guardians and even certain Aspect Warriors would struggle with. Their skills are also very heavily supplemented by the Warlocks and Farseers leading them into battle; the Craftworld has a standing army of War-walkers, support weapons, tanks, Air/voidcraft, wind riders and void fleets.

===Unique Forces===
*'''Black Guardians''' - Due to their immediate presence to the largest focal point of Chaos activity in the galaxy, even the lowliest public servant must be ready for combat at a moment's notice. As such, Ulthwé goes one step further and actually has a professional army made up of actual soldiers, not a citizen militia like every other Craftworld. Much like standard Guardians fielded by other Craftworlds, Black Guardians are fielded as either Storm Guardians or Guardian Defenders and are often tasked with operating Support Weapon Platforms and light vehicles. They often tend to work in tandem with Harlequin forces as well, utilizing the Webway for rapid (re)deployment as the signature Eldar lightning-fast assaults are known for.

== Famous members ==

*[[Eldrad|Eldrad Ulthran]]
*[[Taldeer]]
*[[Ronahn]]
*[[Caerys]]

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]
[[Category: Eldar Space Fleet]]
[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Ships]]

{{40k-Governments}}

Craftworld Saim-Hann

2023-05-30T00:03:10Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

{{Infobox 40k Nations
|name = Saim-Hann
|image = [[File:Saim-Hann Banner-d62s39r.jpg|150px]]
|bgcolor = C12926
|fgcolor = FFFFFF
|Capital = Saim-Hann
|Official Languages = Eldar
|Power = Minor Power
|Size = Craftworld
|Head of State = Several High Chieftains
|Head of Government = Chieftain Council
|Governmental Structure = Confederal Chiefdom
|State Religion/Ideology = Eldar Mythology
|Demographic = [[Eldar]]
|Military Force = [[Craftworld]] Guardians<br>[[Craftworld]] Fleet<br>[[Aspect Warrior]] hosts<br>Windrider Hosts
|Colours = Red (primary)<br>White (secondary)
}}

[[File:Saim-hann-image.jpg|200px|right|thumb|The symbol of Saim-Hann]]

'''{{PAGENAME}}''' is one of the five big [[Craftworld]]s, notably the one most players are exposed to (seeing as their colors are used on all the Craftworld miniature boxart). Saim-Hann specializes in jetbikes and about everybody there is part of a Wild Rider family - basically a clan of crazy Eldar jetbikers. They are known for loving it fast and rough; maybe they watched the [[Orks|Speed Freeks]] and thought "We can do that too, but even better than those amateurs!" (They, like the Speed Freeks and [[Blood Angels]], believe that 'Red ones go faster!') Unlike other Craftworlds, they are not particularly big on the typical Eldar Path, instead being more outgoing and enjoying the simple things of life to a higher degree than other Craftworld Eldar. This has earned them a reputation as barbarians among other Craftworlds; things like settling disputes and disagreements with ritual duels to the first blood and a general dislike for intrigue and manipulation do not help that impression. This does mean, though, that you can actually use diplomacy with them or at the very least won't at first opportunity go Corvus on you.

==Culture==
As Saim-Hann was one of the first Craftworlds to flee the ancient Aeldari empire before the Fall, they were isolated from the rest of their Craftworld kin for roughly two generations before the Phoenix Lords managed to locate them (and go figure, it was Drastanta who first discovered them) and introduce the Paths of the Eldar to their society. In the interim, the Eldar of Saim-Hann believed the best way to keep their people occupied was to introduce clan-based politics as their primary means of governance. This hyper-focus on familial politics has made the Saim-Hann Eldar place a great deal of value in honor, be it simply their own or (more likely), their clan's honour as a whole. The more respected the clan, the bigger their voice among all the other clans in Saim-Hann.

When it comes to matters concerning the Craftworld, the clan chieftains will call a council formed from all the other clans of Saim-Hann to vote on a course of action. They spend most of their time mainly bickering amongst themselves over who <s>has the biggest dick</s> has the fastest jetbike before actually voting on whatever it is they originally met up to talk about in the first place. Bar extreme circumstances or personal codes of honor, no individual clan is truly beholden to the will of the overall council and may still act as they see fit without fear of being censured. That said, as a clan's reputation is one of their most prized values, it isn't too often a clan can constantly blow off the council and still retain any real say in Craftworld affairs.

As you'd expect, the position of clan chieftain is primarily hereditary. Once a chieftain comes into power, they must walk the Path of Command if they have not already and can no longer be part of the Wild Riders or any Aspect Warrior shrine. To this extent, no individual (regardless of rank or import) may participate in clan-based politics while they ''are'' a part of the Wild Riders or Aspect Shrines, nor can such individuals act on a clan's behalf (such as championing a clan in a duel) or fully claim the title of chieftain until they relinquish their position from their Wild Rider host or Aspect Shrine. This is, simply put, because a member of the Wild Riders or Aspect Shrines is duty bound to put the Craftworld itself above all other concerns, including the individual's clan.

In a stark contrast to most other Craftworlds, the Seer Council on Saim-Hann holds very little sway among its people. As the chieftains are much more concerned with brand recognition and personal honour, they generally have little interest in galactic affairs not immediately concerning them or the Craftworld and don't pay much heed to the seer's obscure visions or requests. It is, in fact, almost becoming a trend for a majority of the clans on Saim-Hann to ignore or outright dismiss the Seer Council out of hand whenever it asks for an audience. Individual seers may still advise their relevant chieftains and the Seer Council may cast a single vote whenever the chieftains convene, but their actual influence is pretty minimal among the clans.

Of the various rituals Saim-Hann Eldar perform, there's currently only two really known at this time. Two clan warriors sometimes drink each other's blood in a ritual designed to create a bond between them in a manner not too dissimilar from the Blood Angel's insanguination rituals ([[Red Thirst|only Saim-Hann Eldar don't go batshit insane if they don't regularly get some sip]]). Blood-Bonds are considered among the most serious of rituals; individuals who fail to honor or aid those to whom they've bonded with are fully exiled from Saim-Hann, full stop. The other known would be the racing/dueling system the clans or individuals utilize when they get offended by slights from other clans (hint: this happens a lot). The duel is overseen by a neutral party while the two participants name a champion not currently employed as a Wild Rider or Aspect Warrior to non-lethally joust high in the sky on jetbikes. Though such contests are ''intended'' to end at first blood, it is not unheard of or unexpected for participants to die. Such deaths are generally frowned upon, but accepted as legitimate outcomes none-the-less.

When it comes to other Craftworlds, Saim-Hann is generally happy to help out Biel-Tan in cleansing aliens from maiden worlds, but are really turned off by Biel-Tan's extreme xenophobic tendencies and habit of murdering all non-Eldar life, even if they no longer pose a threat. They will also work well alongside the forces of Ulthwé but quickly grow tired of the constant manipulation and are not above telling the Seers of Ulthwé to go fuck themselves when asked to attack an unprovoked foe. They seem to get along alright with Alaitoc, as they've partnered up without issue to help defend Exodite worlds against insurgent Necron forces.

The only Eldar that most clans of Saim-Hann are regularly chummy with are the Exodites and Harlequins. The Exodite worlds apparently are fantastic places for the Wild Rider clans to host all sorts of rituals, with the exodites themselves being as close to any Wild Rider clan eldar as any. The Harlequins are the only space-faring Eldar that the Wild Rider clans never really have any beef with, partly because the murder clowns don't judge Saim-Hann for not being as "civilized" as the other Craftworlds.

They'd be besties with the [[White Scars]] were it not for the fact that both sides consider the other untermenschen. They also have a pretty good synergy with the Space Wolves due to their similar views regarding honour, something the Space Wolves themselves surprisingly praised about them. Outside of the Imperium and Chaos (who's obviously everybody's enemy), Saim-Hann as a whole doesn't have a single preferred enemy among all the clans (though they do hold an especially great dislike for [[Ork]]s, [[Necron]]s and [[Chaos]], but who doesn't?). Plus they clearly inspired the whole red makes things go faster thing amongst the Orks… or could that be the other way around?

==Recent Events==
With the coming of the Great Rift and the massive social turmoil that has engulfed the Craftworlds, everyone wants the Wild Riders of Saim-Hann on their side. Despite the Clan’s wanting to keep their independence and freedom, they are inevitably beginning to discover that it is almost impossible not to take sides in the civil unrest. They also got attacked by a Host of Death Guard who infected a part of the Craftworld with a Clan trapped inside it. To avoid the spread of the disease, Saim Hann was forced to blow the part off and abandon the infected. This, understandably caused the infected to despair and fall to Nurgle so now reports of plague Eldar-insect creatures attacking places are a thing.

Saim-Hann's Seer Council recently requested Clan Moirec's Autarch Rhyloor and his Spiritseer relative Qelanaris to attack a Chaos cult on the tabletop campaign planet Vigilus. Once Rhyloor had gathered his warhost, he basically beelined directly for the Chaos cult's prophesied location without any attempt to even alert the Imperium of his actions. Of course, the Imperium didn't know what they were doing, so when the Aquilarian Council in charge of planetary defense heard that a band of Eldar was slaughtering "Imperial" citizens, they immediately mobilized their Tempestus Scions against them. Even though Qelanaris tried to explain what they were really doing, the Aquilarian Council's Tempestus Scions (who'd been fending off Dark Eldar attacks as of late) had no reason to believe them. It doesn't help that officially the Imperium as a whole does not generally distinguish between types of Eldar since the only difference that matters to them is that one takes prisoners and the other doesn't. So it should come as no surprise that the Tempestus Prime leading the mission, who happened to have quite a grudge against Druhkari, immediately ordered his men to shoot the shit out of the Saim-Hann war host. Once the Imperial forces leveled the city block and left, Qelanaris and the few Eldar not turned into paste or mist via rubble or explosive rounds that created said rubble gathered up the spirit stones of their fallen kin, Autarch Rhyloor among them, and returned to Saim-Hann. In a huffy fit of anger, Qelanaris slapped the spirit stones of everyone who died on Vigilus into [[wraithguard]] bodies and set back out for revenge.

To be relatively fair to Saim-Hann as a whole, Qelanaris' campaign for revenge isn't endorsed by its Seer Council, nor do any of the other major clans of the craftworld approve. Indeed, even when Ultrasmurf Lieutenant Eothrus attempted to parlay with Qelanaris because of the bro-tier things his Space Wolf buddies told him of the Saim-Hann eldar, Qelanaris decided the best way to respond was simply wraithcannon fire. What's worse is that all of Qelanaris' efforts were sort of in vain to begin with; by the time he had organized his wraith host and attacked Vigilus, the Ultramarines had replaced the Aquilarian Council (who Qelanaris was coming to kill) and were the ones organizing the planet's defense at that point. So if anyone's to blame for this degree of fuckery, it's Qelanaris and his dead dipshit Autarch brother Rhyloor for not trying to coordinate in the slightest with the Imperium. One could argue to the later point that doing so would've only alerted Vannadan's little cult to the incoming assault, and [[Eldrad|we know what happened the last time the Eldar]] [[Fulgrim|tried to warn the Imperium]] [[Horus Heresy|of Chaos corruption in its midst]]. Ultimately, Qelanaris' warband was repelled by the Ultrasmurf's [[Mary Sue|tactical genius]] and he was forced to quit the field crying in impotent rage all the while.

In a monumental show of common sense, Calgar (who had just taken complete command of Vigilus) managed to pin the remainder of Saim-Hann's forces and convince them to parlay. A Farseer called Keltoc had seen the possible futures that could come to pass in Vigilus and decided that actually working with humanity against Chaos would be the least batshit insane move available. The sons of Guilliman, being statesmen, as well as warriors, were able to cut a deal with warhost. Being that Saim-Hann still had a blood debt that needed fulfilling, (and knowing that their targets were both incompetent/moronic) Calgar rounded up all of the officers and senators that were complicit in the Craftworlder's deaths, promised them that there was candy inside the senate building, and then locked them inside with a bunch of pissed off magical aliens. Blood debt thus paid, the Wild Riders started waving their fast red elf butts in the face of every Speedwaaagh! they could find and then leading the charging Orks directly into Chaos battlelines. With these new warzones opening up, various Chaos Lords left their sieges to protect the traitor titans legions from the continued Ork assaults, hoping it would gain Abby's favour. With the Chaos forces distracted, an Eldar ship called ''Vaul's Ghost'' was able to deliver an Imperial payload directly into Abby's flagship, causing both it and him to quit the planet. Blood debt paid, planet saved, and Chaos given a good kicking, the Aeldari considered this a job well done and headed home. So in short, Eldar worked with humans without being dicks about it, a Chapter Master allowed Imperial officers and legislators to be murdered by Xenos to gain an alliance (Nth level Heresy), and an actual successful outcome for all parties. The Dark Imperium is truly a brave new world.

Some time after Vigilus, the Ynnari petitioned the clans of Saim-Hann for aid in exploring the world Agarimethea, which was rumored to have a vault containing pre-fall Aeldari relics of great power. Nuadhu, current Wild Lord and heir to clan Fireheart, offered the aid of his Wild Riders almost explicitly to [[That Guy |tap the ass of the Reborn Drukhari emmissary]] Yvraine had sent. Of course, when they actually arrived on Agarimethea, it was revealed that it was in fact a Necron Tomb World when Nuadhu managed to trigger their defense systems and woke up the Phaerakh in charge of the place. Thus, the Ynnari and clan Fireheart were forced to petition the rest of Saim-Hann's clans for help in cleaning up Nuadhu's mess. The majority of the clans on Saim-Hann were unimpressed by clan Fireheart's pleas for action (due to Fireheart's dwindling influence and the Ynnari's sketchy reputation) and were content to leave Agarimethea alone. Nuadhu called the opposing clans' representative a coward, resulting in a high-speed jousting honor duel between Druthkhala (that piece of Ynnari ASS Nuadhu was so thirsty for) and the opposing clan champion. When it became clear that Druthkhala intended to kill the other champion (as this duel normally ends at first blood), Nuadhu forfeited the match. This threw away any chance they had to gain the full support from Saim-Hann. Despite this massive setback, clan Fireheart was still able to rally their closest allies to battle while the Ynnari (specifically Eldrad) managed to convince the Saim-Hann Seer Council to lend the aid of several Aspect Shrines in addition to a few token seers to coordinate them. The newly bolstered combined forces attempted a lightning strike to reach the vault and the "treasures" inside for use against the burgeoning necron forces. Unfortunately, the vault was actually a gateway into the warp containing an innumerable Slaaneshi daemonhost who promptly began slaughtering aeldari and necron alike. In the face of this new threat, the Ynnari/Saim-Hann armies team up with the local necrons to close the portal (boy, Saim-Hann just seems to get along with anyone not affiliated with Chaos these days) at the cost of roughly a third of the Ynnari forces present. Once the portal was closed and the demons defeated, the necron Phaerakh made it clear to the eldar that the only thing she cares about is keeping the portals under her care shut and as long as the eldar leave them the hell alone, she is content to let them depart unmolested (at least no more molested than the Slaaneshi demons had left them). Eager to put this debacle to rest and content to accept the cease-fire, the Ynnari left and the Saim-Hann clans returned to their craftworld. While the Ynnari forces seemed to take the brunt of the casualties, so far it seems Saim-Hann as a whole still wants nothing to do with them; the clans who openly allied with [[Yvraine]] likely enjoy a much reduced political influence for their troubles.

As the Psychic Awakening has been unfolding across the galaxy, Saim-Hann has been assisting Alaitoc in the defense of various Exodite worlds who have come under attack from the Mephrit Dynasty. They've hosted several more meetings with the Ynnari, but after [[Drazhar]] somehow managed to sneak in through a webway portal located in the heart of Saim-Hann [[What|that not even a single local chieftain knew about]] and killed several Autarchs while trying to assassinate Yvraine, they are even less inclined to commit to the Ynnari's cause than they were after the Agarimethea incident. Though there were no notable individuals or clans named, it's extraordinarily likely Saim-Hann had at least a token delegation sent to Iathglas like literally every other Eldar faction to discuss the potential long-term alliance or reunification of all the Aeldari peoples. Much like all Eldar lore as of late, ultimately nothing of note came from the event; despite a sudden Slaaneshi daemon invasion being successfully repelled by the joint efforts of all the Aeldari involved, the victory evidently meant absolutely nothing since the leader of the daemonhost, [[Shalaxi Helbane]], wasn't [[Bullshit|actually fighting at his/her true power]]. So, rather than appreciate that they were still able to defeat a sizeable daemonhost with relatively few casualties (by GW standards) by working together, the various factions became stereotypically prideful and accusatory towards one another since they didn't ''really'' win the day. With this clearly "false" victory, [[Advancing the Storyline|all parties departed with little fanfare and no notable alliances achieved whatsoever]].

Back to Vigilus! Or rather, the pathway through the Great Rift that Vigilus stands guard over, known as the Nachmund Gauntlet. Abaddon, fully [[Just as Planned|aware his plans for Vigilus could go awry]], dispatched a number of warbands throughout the entire Nachmund Gauntlet to further his nefarious goals. D'vok the Unmaker, a Chaos Warpsmith in charge of such a warband set his eyes on the Exodite world known as Daethe, found within the gauntlet. When the Great Rift opened, Daethe was very nearly consumed by the warp. It absolutely would've been, had damn near the entire Exodite population not sacrificed their lives (and souls) to establish a ward to protect the World Spirit within Daethe from such predation. D'vok, however, didn't much care about that ward. As is well known to the forces of Chaos, Eldar souls are particularly juicy sources of energy for all sorts of warp-tech and what more could an aspiring Warpsmith want than a whole World Spirit filled to the brim with them?

Saim-Hann's Seer Council became very much aware of D'vok's attempts to crack Daethe open to fuel his daemon-engines and convened a meeting among several clan chieftains for aid in protecting their Exodite brethren's souls. As they have become want to do, most of the chieftains who answered the call were doubtful of their Seers' visions. Surely they were simply being deceived by Slaanesh. Others suspected it was a delusion brought on by the peculiarities of the Nachmund Gauntlet. More pragmatic minds decried the task as folly; clearly the souls where already lost, no need to waste more Eldar lives in a vain attempt to stop the Black Legion here. One particular chieftain stood, however. Ghaelyn of clan Vaethyr Kurthanil volunteered to lead a warhost to Daethe to defeat D'vok and spare the World Spirit and it's reservoir of souls a hellish fate as daemon fuel. She had a blood bond with the Exodites of the world and was honorbound to protect and avenge them for Chaos' transgressions.

Ghaelyn led a rather vicious lightning strike assault against D'vok's fortress consisting of Aspect Warrior hosts spearheaded by Jetbikes. Though D'vok wasn't quite anticipating the immediate, straight-forward nature of Ghaelyn's attack, ultimately the trap he had attempted to set up against the eldar payed off. He managed to capture Ghaelyn (as he had hoped to use her heightened psychic prowess to force his way past Daethe's psychic wards) and kill off a sizeable portion of her Aspect Warrior and Jetbike host in the process. Despite this, Ghaelyn was able to escape and regroup with the Rangers she had deployed elsewhere on Daethe. She had learned of D'vok's plans and informed her warhost. Those who were planetside (mainly Rangers and a few Warlocks at this point) volunteered to stay with Ghaelyn in an act of self-sacrifice to reinforce the planet's wards. Her Voidships were instructed to hunt down the orbiting Chaos vessels and return to Saim-Hann. Though stranded on a suicidal mission, Ghaelyn wanted to ensure D'vok and his warband would suffer the same fate; isolated upon Daethe's surface as a warp storm roiled into the system.

Ghaelyn led her Rangers on an assault against D'vok's fortress; D'vok himself was leading a (very onesided) attack against the few Warlocks left on Daethe. Though they died almost immediately before D'vok's forces, the Warlocks had managed to undo a significant portion of the Warpsmith's efforts to unshackle Daethe's psychic wards. Realizing the Warlocks had been a diversion (albeit one he could not afford to ignore), D'vok attempted to return to his fortress lest Ghaelyn seal him outside of it before the warp storm arrived.

Ghaelyn, however, wasn't trying to lock D'vok out. Instead, she was planning on blowing up the fortress's void shields entirely, exposing herself, her rangers and the entire Black Legion warband to the fury of the Warp Storm. In this sacrificial act, she succeeded. She and the few remaining eldar forces on Daethe fought D'vok and his warband to the death as the warp storm descended, killing all upon Daethe's surface. Though Ghaelyn and a significant number of her warhost perished, Daethe's World Spirit was secured and Chaos was denied Aeldari-powered Daemon Engines. Additionally, less than half of Ghaelyn's clan died to secure this victory, making a fairly rare non-pyrrhic victory for the Craftworld Eldar. Costly, yes, but not disproportionately so.

==Tactics and Military Doctrine==
Saim-Hann tactics are all about speed. Be it their Guardians or Seers, a solid majority of their military tends to rely on Windrider or Vyper jetbikes as the mainstay of their army. Unsurprisingly they also have a high concentration of the Swooping Hawks and Shining Spear [[Aspect Warriors]] on their [[Craftworld]]. Predictably, this high emphasis on fast, highly maneuverable units gives them even more of a predilection towards hit-and-run tactics or blitzkrieg strikes compared to other Craftworlders. While their preferred tactics are fully valid in most cases, they are also the most typical and by extension, predictable, of all the other Eldar Craftworlds.

Bar the Aspect Shrines and Wild Riders, all personnel and war assets belong to the various individual clans of Saim-Hann. Each clan has full autonomy regarding whether or not they wish to partake in a militarized campaign, or if they just want to chill back on their Craftworld. The Seer Council or other Wild Rider clans can attempt to pressure or encourage each other into action, but any clan who can't be bothered can and will just tell each other to fuck off and go about their business as usual.

===Unique Forces===
*'''Wild Riders:''' A unique division of Saim-Hann's militant forces, Wild Riders serve in a similar sense to the Path of the Outcast for most other Craftworlds, only on Jetbikes and actually being endorsed by Saim-Hann. Led by an individual known as a Wild Lord, the Wild Riders are utilized as a scouting/vanguard force and are frequently utilized for the eldar trademark bait-and-switch tactics. While part of the Wild Riders, an individual is free (and encouraged, with mild restrictions) to party and rage as they see fit so that like the Corsairs or Rangers, they get it all out of their system before rejoining Craftworld society as a whole.
*'''Windweavers:''' Warlocks and other Seers who specialize in Jetbike-mounted combat and support. Usually accompany the Wild Riders to battle, but outside that specific niche, there's little difference between them and other Craftworld's Warlock/Farseer Skyrunners.

==Notable Clans and Individuals==
*'''Fireheart''' - A clan on the decline, Fireheart is one of the few Saim-Hann clans that is openly allied with the Ynnari at this time.
**'''Naiall Fireheart:''' Current Fireheart chieftain, former Spiritseer and Nuadhu's father. For quite a long time, he was mortally ill until the events on Agarimethea transpired. Had a fling with an Icewhisper woman that resulted in Caelledhin's birth. Despite encouraging his son to indulge in his role as Wild Lord, he's perpetually disappointed by Nuadhu's obsession with getting laid (which, in retrospect, seems kind of hypocritical).
**'''Nuadhu Fireheart:''' Heir apparent to the Fireheart Clan and current Wild Lord of the Wild Riders. Ultimately the whole debacle that was Agarimethea was his fault, since he absent-mindedly woke up the dormant Necron Tomb present on the planet while trying to flirt with a Ynnari diplomat. His family just wants him to calm the fuck down and ''not'' jeopardize Saim-Hann's safety for the chance to rail Drukhari ass.
**'''Caelledhin Icewhisper:''' The illegitimate daughter of Naiall and Nuadhu's half-sister. Despite her last name, Caelledhin was "adopted" by Naiall and would much rather associate with the Firehearts since the Icewhispers are a bunch of elitist assholes who retch at the sight of her. In a rare change of pace, Caelledhin was quite cool and collected, compared to the impulsive Nuadhu and obstinate Icewhispers. Ultimately, she sacrifices herself in order to shut an ancient Aeldari warp portal full of daemons.
*'''Icewhisper''' - A fairly prominent clan who's particularly concerned about shaming Clan Fireheart and maintaining their elite status among the other major clans. Apparently they're influential enough to persuade a majority of the clans to their cause, with several (similarly named) clans' chieftains effectively serving as puppets to the Icewhisper's matriarch.
*'''Moirec''' - The clan that accepted the Seer Council's mission to wipe out chaos cultists on Vigilus, only for most of their war party to get wiped out afterwards due to tactical stupidity on their part.
*'''Vaethyr Kurthanil''' - The "Zephyrborne Hunt", as the translation states. A bit of an outlier clan, the Vaethyr Kurthanil often spent a majority of their time sequestered in their own council or away from Saim-Hann on epic, bloody quests. Due to this, they have a particularly close relationship with the Harlequins and several Exodite worlds, even more so compared to other Saim-Hann clans.
**'''Ghaelyn''' - Autarch Ghaelyn was the chieftain of clan Vaethyr Kurthanil prior to the conclusion of the Nachmund War. As clan chieftain, she fostered strong ties to various Exodite, Ranger and Harlequin forces, even going so far as to swear a blood-bond with several prominent leaders from those factions. Because of this, she was honorbound to commit fully to the defense of Daethe, a duty she served in full at the cost of her life. Despite this, she still ensured her clan would survive by taking absolutely no more than half of it's warhost to Daethe and sending all those forces remaining in orbit back to Saim-Hann once the situation on Daethe became clear to her. She sacrificed herself and what was left of her warhost to ensure the Chaos Warband present on Daethe would succumb to an encroaching warp storm before they could complete their dark work on the World Spirit.

== Name ==

Saim-Hann, like [[Biel-Tan]], is a name created by taking the name of a [[druid]]ic festival (Samhain, Beltain), and tweaking it a bit. Why [[Games Workshop]] did this is unclear but it may have something to do with the Eldar being [[Elves]] in space. Worth noting that H does not make a sound in Gaelic, it modifies the sound of other letters. Samhain sounds kinda like Sawin.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]
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[[Category: Ships]]

{{40k-Governments}}

Craftworld Biel-tan

2023-05-30T00:00:33Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

{{Infobox 40k Nations
|name = Biel-tan
|image = [[File:Biel tan banner large by mirageknight32-d62s4xb.jpg|150px]]
|bgcolor = 497236
|fgcolor = FFFFFF
|Capital = Biel-tan
|Official Languages = Eldar
|Power = Minor Power
|Size = Craftworld
|Head of State = Leading Exarch
|Head of Government = Exarch Council
|Governmental Structure = Authoritarian Magocratic Stratocracy (''before fracture'')<br>Federal Magocratic Stratocracy (''after fracture'')
|State Religion/Ideology = Eldar Mythology<br>Eldarcentrism<br>Militarism
|Demographic = [[Eldar]]
|Military Force = [[Craftworld]] Guardians<br>[[Craftworld]] Fleet<br>[[Aspect Warrior]] hosts<br>Wraith hosts<br>[[Corsair]] allies
|Colours = White (primary)<br>Green (secondary)
}}

'''{{PAGENAME}}''' is an [[Eldar]] [[craftworld]] which has a penchant for war. Unlike other craftworlds, who were generally ruled by [[Seer Council]]s, Biel-tan was led by a council of [[Exarch]]s, Eldar who are trapped on the [[Paths of the Eldar|Path of the Warrior]]. This gave them a rather idiosyncratic view of the galaxy and how to deal with it—in particular, their goal was nothing less than a re-founding of the ancient Eldar galactic empire, and to do that, they needed to cleanse the galaxy of all the upstarts squatting on planets they saw as rightfully theirs. They perform this cleansing by assembling an army of [[Aspect Warrior]]s and [[Exarch]]s known as "the Swordwind" to raid a planet, scour the inhabitants, and leave before anyone has time to respond. They prefer to target planets that have just been colonized, as the defenders will have had less time to get stuck in—in fact, many [[Explorator Fleet]]s have discovered planets that still contain the corpses of previous settlers. This "cleansing planets" policy, however, only applies to [[Maiden World]]s, those under the rule of enemies of the Eldar such as [[Ork]]s or [[Necron]]s, and to invaders of Exodite Worlds and Eldar colonies. They don't [[Exterminatus|wipe out all non-Eldar life]] on every planet they pass.

==History==
[[File:Biel-tan Craftworld.jpg|thumb|left|300px|(Former) Craftworld Biel-tan.]]
Biel-Tan got its start much the same way virtually every modern Craftworld did; running away screaming from the implosion of the ancient Aeldari empire. Unlike many others who elected to drift along sulking for thousands of years, Biel-Tan became staunch allies with Craftworld [[Iyanden]] in their mission to rebuild their lost civilization and reclaim some semblance of their glory days. The two divided and conquered, with Biel-Tan handling the "eastern" portion of the galaxy while Iyanden forged "west"ward, occasionally joining forces when needed. Biel-Tan was particularly zealous in their endeavors over the millennia spent [[Great Crusade|crusading]] against the forces of Chaos and started to turn a rather scornful eye towards the xenos that had started settling on maiden worlds. Offended that such grungy creatures would dare set foot on seeded worlds designed by eldar hands, Biel-Tan began cleansing any maiden world inhabited by non-eldar life, becoming increasingly militant and xenophobic in doing so. This began to strain their relations with Iyanden, who were also more focused on actually ''rebuilding'' their civilization and purging Chaos, not just slaughtering all the xenos who dared glance at their maiden worlds. Iyanden insisted that cleansing occupied maiden worlds wasn't the primary goal of their collective efforts, while Biel-Tan was pissed that Iyanden [[HERESY|wasn't concerned]] about the filthy xenos defiling the planets that were their birthright. These tensions came to a rather abrupt head when Iyanden declined to aid in the defense of an Exodite-populated maiden world under Imperial assault, once again claiming that dealing with the forces of Chaos was a more pressing priority. Following this, Iyanden started to grow increasingly uncomfortable with Biel-tan's zealotry and started [[meme|ghosting]] their brothers-in-arms until they officially cut off ties with their former allies; which Biel-Tan considered nothing short of treason. Biel-Tan has stood alone in its crusade as it cruises the stars, eradicating any xenos on all planets they believe once and forever belong to the Aeldari, they have made it their priority to act as guardians of the many Exodite worlds, and have earned their respect by doing so, to the extent that the Exodites have moved to enforce their much depleted allies in order to repay their debt to them.

==Culture==
Biel-Tan's culture is pretty simple and straight forward; the Eldar are the true masters of the galaxy and everything else is beneath them. They instill this mindset in their citizens and encourage an extremely militant lifestyle. This of course leaves little in the way of time or energy to spend on any other cultural pursuits or ambitions compared to other Craftworlds.

Biel-tan's greatest priority is protecting [[Exodite]] worlds, because they believe that the Exodites will be the foundation upon which the new Eldar empire will be built, with their planets used as staging areas for re-colonization and expansion efforts. Iyanden and Biel-tan used to work together on the "rebirth of the Eldar Empire" project, with Iyanden doing the colonizing and Biel-Tan acting as a provisional military force to protect the new colonies. However, Iyanden's refusal to aid Biel-Tan in protecting a Maiden World from [[Imperium|Imperial]] attack (having decided that it would be a waste of time to do so when they could be fighting greater threats like [[Chaos]] instead) led to the alliance's dissolution, as the disagreement led to both craftworlds assuming that the other was not as fully invested in the alliance as they were. Unsurprisingly, Biel-tan is the most populous craftworld (you know, following Iyanden getting eaten by Tyranids). However, despite their focus on keeping their worlds clear of non-eldar life and high population, they rarely if ever express any interest in subsequently ''colonizing'' the otherwise uninhabited maiden worlds they're so desperately protecting.

Biel-tan's claims of military might are true. The forces of Biel-tan were able to beat TWO Imperium sector fleets and TEN [[Space Marine]] chapters in order to get just one Maiden World. (As the saying goes: if six Space Marines fought six different [[Aspect Warrior]]s, the Space Marines would kill all but one, and the last Aspect Warrior would slaughter all the Space Marines.) This contrasts to [[Alaitoc]], which was attacked by a rather small Imperial force (given what they were up against) and the Eldar defenses were basically roflstomped <s>at high cost to</s> by the Imperial Guard, Space Marines and Titan legions. But hey, that's the difference between a Craftworld specializing in mass-producing Aspect Warriors and a Craftworld that's mostly just a bunch of scouts.

[[File:Biel-tan-image.jpg|200px|left|thumb|The symbol of Biel-tan]]

== Battle for Biel-Tan ==
In the Fracture of Biel-Tan book, [[Skarbrand]] and [[The Masque]], with their respective demon hordes, seek to gain access to a Webway portal that leads straight to Biel-Tan itself. Discovering the plot, Biel-Tan Eldar attempt to intercept them before they can strike at the Craftworld itself, which failed. As Biel-Tanners fight to defend their home the Masque saw it fit to prey on Eldar souls in the Infinity Circuit. Timely intervention by [[Yvraine]], who cast a spell that successfully summoned the Avatar of [[Ynnead]] stopped the Masque's feeding spree, though costing thousands of souls and fracturing the Craftworld in the process.

==The Fracture==
Following the catastrophic birth of the new Eldar Death God's Incarnation, the Craftworld of Biel-Tan is too heavily damaged to support its population, with the remaining Biel-Tan ships and populace fragmenting and splitting into differing small groups until the Craftworld can be repaired and the Infinity Circuit replaced. At least one portion of this group has become part of the mobile army that is the [[Ynnari]], whilst at least one army group has been mentioned as deciding to hide away in the Webway from now on, although as they are not Harlequins this cannot be a feasible long term survival plan. For the rest of the Eldar once part of the Craftworld, they are now simply scattered and divided nomads, bereft also of the Avatar of the War God they used to be particularly close to.

That said, the foes of Biel-tan have learned the hard way that they are far from defeated. Indeed, they have become even more efficient at surgical strikes due to the need for smaller forces, and are all too eager to exact revenge on Chaos.

Anybody who thought that the Eldar of Biel-tan might have learned a bit of humility is sadly mistaken. The Craftworld is still broken, and with half their population gone, either slain or departed to join the Ynnari, the ghost halls swell with newly animated Wraith constructs, due to their infinity circuit being kaput. These setbacks have only reinvigorated them; those who remain move forward with renewed vigor and a determination to scour clean all the would-be usurpers and bring about a new Aeldari civilization to rival the ancient empire of old.

==Psychic Awakening: Phoenix Rising==
In the wake of the Fracture and the rising psionic activity across the galaxy, the Craftworld itself has ultimately been broken down into a single massive fleet and is no longer one singular world ship. Though their military might is still roughly half its former glory due to the events of the Fracture, they have successfully been defending Exodite worlds from Chaos incursions. Indeed, with the aid of Fuegan, Baharroth and Karandras not only did they defend three separate exodite worlds from daemonic invasions at the same time, but they tracked the human cultists responsible for conjuring forth the daemonic host and nuked their planet with a psychic storm so intense it wiped out all life on its surface. A bit excessive, but in character for the Biel-Tani all things considered. This resounding victory over chaos as well as the presence of three Phoenix Lords inspired many exodites to lend their military might to Biel-Tan, reinvigorating the Craftworlders and bolstering their forces significantly.

==Tactics and Military Doctrine==
Biel-Tan, as mentioned numerous times, is famous for having the highest concentration of [[Aspect Warriors]] among all of the Craftworlds. This gives them immense tactical flexibility as they have a much greater reserve of specialists to field as the strategic situation calls for them. Their higher capacity for waging war also enables them to engage in battles that many smaller Craftworlds simply wouldn't be able to handle, and is arguably the reason Biel-Tan is the one Craftworld who can actually fend off the Imperium on a fairly consistent basis without suffering frankly obscene casualties.

Since the shattering of their Craftworld and the exodus of roughly half their original population, Biel-Tan has since consolidated their power into a massive fleet. While this does reduce their capacity for war considerably, it has also enhanced their mobility and flexibility. They've begun conducting far more raids through usage of the [[Webway]], now a fairly practical option since they're no longer operating strictly from their former Craftworld.

=== Unique Forces ===

*'''Void Spinner''' - An exclusive and upscaled version of the otherwise widely used [[Night Spinner]] hover tank, Biel-Tan fields this super-tank when they wish to utterly destroy their targets. Unlike the Night Spinner, the monofilament nets fired by the Void Spinner are laced with wraithbone parasites and bacteria that break down their targets on a molecular level. Suffice to say, this makes Void Spinners particularly effective at cleaning up Ork and Tyranid infestations. This technology was originally used to assist with terraforming by the ancient Aeldari empire and most Craftworlds are repulsed by Biel-Tan adapting it for war.

==Name==

By analogy with Saim Hamm, Biel-tan is a modified form of the druidic festival bealtaine, also Irish for May. Craft world lugganath (lunasa, August) and yme-loc (Imbolc, the coming of spring) also are adapted from Irish months/druidic festivals.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]
[[Category: Eldar Space Fleet]]
[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Ships]]

{{40k-Governments}}

Craftworld Alaitoc

2023-05-29T23:59:13Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

{{Infobox 40k Nations
|name = Alaitoc
|image = [[File:Alaitoc banner large by mirageknight32-d62s4fo.jpg|150px]]
|bgcolor = 405685
|fgcolor = F7D80B
|Capital = Alaitoc
|Official Languages = Eldar
|Power = Minor Power
|Size = Craftworld
|Head of State = High Farseer
|Head of Government = Seer Council
|Governmental Structure = Authoritarian Magocracy
|State Religion/Ideology = Eldar Mythology
|Demographic = [[Eldar]]
|Military Force = [[Craftworld]] Guardians<br>[[Craftworld]] fleet<br>[[Aspect Warrior]] hosts<br>[[Outcast]] allies<br>[[Corsair]] allies
|Colours = Blue (primary)<br>Yellow (secondary)
}}

'''{{PAGENAME}}''' (also known as "The Starstriders"—the most [[/tg/|George Michael]] of aliases) is the most puritanical, overtly racist, and obnoxious of all the [[Eldar]] [[Craftworld]]s, potentially even rivaling [[Eldrad|that prick]] with their sheer arrogance. Primarily comprised of [[Eldar Ranger|outcasts with sniper rifles]] and a [[Eldar#Eldar Corsairs|disparate selection of pirates]], the forces of the Alaitoc can most accurately be described as "shady as fuck", choosing to spend most of their time chilling in the [[Webway]] waiting for shit to go down, or holding casual meetings with everyone's favorite [[Harlequin|circus freaks]]. Mostly, the forces of the Alaitoc like to observe from afar, casually mocking [[Ahriman]] as he knocks frantically on the door of the [[Black Library]], sobbing like a girl in the rain waiting to be let in. Because the forces of the Alaitoc are made up of [[Neckbeard|grumpy loners]], [[Rogue_Trader_(Sourcebook)|with ideologies rooted firmly within the past with no scope for change]], they hate the idea of spending their time floating around in a big hunk of [[craftworld|space-metal]]; consequently, this means that few Eldar actually live aboard the Alaitoc craftworld. Most choose to leave to follow the [[Paths of the Eldar|Path of the Outcast]] where eventually they become pathfinders. On occasion, they are recalled to the craftworld in times of need, but most of their time is spent causing havoc and general jackassery upon passing merchant vessels, transports, and anything [[Necron]].

==A Word on the Necron Grudge==
Alaitoc used to be known for fighting mostly the [[Imperium]] (which they did very well, very much adding to the Imperal commanders notion that fighting the Eldar is like fighting ghosts), but they became archenemies of the Necrons because [[Games Workshop|GW]] needed an Eldar force that "remembers" being created for that very purpose, and also because everyone and their dog fights the Imperium. Also, common sense says that a whole Craftworld devoted the Imperium isn't that intriguing. The choice was made easier by how spread out Alaitoc's forces are; this means the Imperium being their primary foe was unfeasible. A better choice might have been [[Saim-Hann]] as they keep alive most of the Eldar's ancient traditions and would be more likely than Alaitoc to return to their roots; even their colors, white and red, are a perfect contrast to the black and green most Necrons favor.

Alaitoc has had mixed success, at best, in confronting the Necron. One part of this is probably because their preferred leader for fighting the Necron is an absolute loser called [[Eldorath Starbane]] who, like most Farseers, [[Macha|will only win a battle if he has Space Marine allies holding his hand for him.]] But the blame can't all be placed on him; the famed ranger Illic Nightspear, for example, has never managed to do anything more than run away from battles and get captured. How did he escape capture? Well a [[Plot_Armor|Space Marine]] saved him. Beginning to notice a pattern?

===Alladrios Kulcassian===
A possible reason for Alaitoc's newfound [[Necron]] hatred could be the story of the Alaitoc [[Farseer]] Alladrios Kulcassian from the 3rd edition Necron codex. In the story, Alladrios had ordered Craftworld Alaitoc to attack the Imperium's training facility for [[Culexus]] assassins on a rogue planet. He was doing this because a Culexus assassin killed his sister (who was also a Farseer), and the Eldar consider dying at the hands of one to be a horrific fate (as it resulted in complete destruction of the soul vs. being consumed by Slannesh... tough call). Once within striking distance, Alladrios was about to give the order for Alaitoc's forces to destroy it.

However, though eager to avenge his sister, Alladrios came down with a case of something rare in 40k: common sense. He read the runes to see the future consequences of the attack-- a wise choice, as every alternate future after the Culexus temple's destruction showed Alaitoc being destroyed by an unidentified enemy (possibly Necrons or the Imperium's forces). Alladrios was torn but swallowed his pride and called off the attack; though he loved his sister dearly, the price of vengeance was too high. As Alaitoc turned and left, the story concluded with a bitter Alladrios deducing that the Necrons and/or the [[C'tan]] put the pariah gene in humanity, likening it to sowing crops, and are preparing to harvest them.

==The Events of ''Path of the Eldar''==
[[File:Alaitoc-image.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Alaitoc Symbol.]]
Due to the selfish actions of the ranger Aradryan and the corrupt and egocentric Imperial commander De’vaque, who had dealings with the Eldar pirate Yrithain in an attempt to enrich himself at the expense of the Imperium, Alaitoc found itself under attack by all of the Imperial forces De’vaque could muster, led by the Chapter Master of the [[Sons of Orar]], Nadeus. These events are the main focus of the books ''Path of the Eldar'', by [[Gav Thorpe]], which follow the story of three Eldar youths, Korlandril, Aradryan, and Thirianna. Thorpe decided to leave out their current Necron hunting job (Alaitoc's anti-Necron stance was introduced in 2011 irl, when Thorpe was more than halfway through the ''Path of the Eldar'' trilogy).

The armada that was sent was massive and each of Alaitoc’s [[Farseer|Farseers]] had been ascribed a region of the skein to watch. Thirianna herself was responsible for watching the unfolding fates of more than a dozen Imperial starships from frigates to battleships on her own, whilst the other seer members kept track of many, many more (the imperial fleet consisted of hundreds if not thousands of imperial ships and smaller void craft). Thirianna was impressed that the human ships were protected by [[Warp]]-based technologies ([[void shields]]), for she had not believed them capable of such technology, though it was still simplistic compared to the Eldar mastery of the Warp. Maybe they had become complacent in their dealings with humans because their typical conflicts with the Imperium would normally be dealt with on their own terms and as far away from the Craftworld as possible. But Thirianna's reaction can probably be chalked up to her youth and naïveté, as she, up to this point, had no experience when it came to dealing with humans, and given Alaitoc’s strict customs and insular tendencies, it’s not very likely that such information would be common knowledge. Because not knowing your enemy's capabilities couldn't possibly be a stupid decision. Her lack of knowledge is further made odd by the fact Thirianna was also a Dire Avenger, and was explicitly written killing Chaos infected human children (just like how Imperial forces kill countless innocent alien children all the time, not to mention the thousands of human children that are fed into Imperial factories, or made into child soldiers, and let's not forget how many have been sacrificed to the Emperor every day to keep that glorified lighthouse going; if you haven't realised yet the setting is not a nice place to live); which you don't need any real information on human Warp drives to do, so the fact she was a Dire Avenger is a pointless one.

After the first wave of Imperial ships were butchered, the main Imperial fleet appeared, arriving in small groups scattered around the edges of the star system. The Alaitoc fleet was just not numerous enough to cover every approach. Although they could not ultimately prevent the Imperials from boarding Alaitoc herself, by the time they had finally managed it the space around the craftworld was a graveyard of Imperial vessels.

Before the [[Space Marines]] arrived to save the day, the [[Imperial Guard]] were getting slaughtered within the craftworld by Alaitoc [[Aspect Warriors]], which isn’t a surprise given that they had THREE [[Phoenix Lords]], including [[Phoenix Lords#Maugan Ra|Maugan Ra]], fighting alongside them. One incident saw a small group of warriors luring thousands of Guardsmen, including entire armed divisions, into the centre of one of the craftworld's massive domes before turning off the gravity and ejecting the whole lot into the void. Taking advantage of the limited movement of the Eldar Titans within the confines of the inner corridors, the Imperial Guardsmen were actually able to take down the Alaitoc titans. Given the correct weapons (such as heavy Vanquisher cannons, which are basically anti-Titan guns), the Imperial Guard could indeed accomplish such an objective (though most of them died doing it). The reason the Sons of Orar chapter took light casualties during the initial fighting was because their chief [[Librarian]] was purposely sacrificing the lives of the Imperial guard to preserve the lives of the Marines. Thirianna put a stop to this when she hunted him down and crushed his mind like a grape.

The Craftworld's Farseers had told their people that they had foreseen Alaitoc would survive. The conclusion? Due to the intervention of the Ranger Aradryan, the Imperium discovered they had been tricked by the [[Dark Eldar]] and De’vaque's treachery was finally revealed. In short, the Alaitoc Eldar could have beaten off the attack, but it would have been bloody; despite each Eldar warrior killing dozens of imperial soldiers, for every Eldar lose they would have likely lost eventually given the sheer Imperial number advantage, especially with the, y'know, Imperial Titans inside blowing shit up with the Eldar Titans dead. Though the Guard was taking a brutal beating, they were still pushing through and gaining ground throughout the battle- although this was actually part of the Eldar strategy (I know, I know, blame Gav) to avoid needless Eldar losses. The plan was for the Eldar forces to hit the Imperial forces hard and then fall back in order to lure large numbers of Imperial soldiers into areas where they could be dealt with and away from the civilian areas which would allow them to evacuate before the Imperial forces arrived. This is not to mention any reserves from both sides that would have arrived eventually. Instead, they just told the Space Marines that they had been manipulated into attacking Alaitoc by the [[Dark Eldar]] and an Imperial governor. During the fighting within the Craftworld, the Eldar fleet had continued to destroy the Imperial fleet, leaving their forces upon Alaitoc stranded and surrounded, as they had been continuously lured further in until they were cut off from any reinforcements. Once the Eldar had finished evacuating the last of its population, they had planned to destroy Alaitoc by imploding her Webway portal and killing all the humans left behind (which would still be very much an Imperial victory). They also told the Space Marines that if they did not stop, a fuckhuge fleet of Eldar with ships from pretty much every craftworld was on its way to kill everything that was not Eldar within 20 lightyears.

And so, although Alaitoc is one of the smaller of the big five craftworlds, weaker Eldar for Eldar than other craftworlds such as [[Biel-tan]] and [[Ulthwé]] (who are constantly at war), and not made up of warrior tribes like [[Saim-Hann]] or a huge amount of wraith constructs like [[Iyanden]], they managed, through the sheer scale of Imperial losses, to ultimately convince a Space Marine Chapter Master to negotiate a truce:

"How many thousands have died already?" whispered Alaitin. "How many of your warriors have fallen to clean the blood from this man’s hands, Chapter Master?"

The boom of the pistol caused Aradryan to jump. De’vaque’s head disappeared in a cloud of blood and bone and his headless corpse collapsed to the pavement.

"Too many," snarled the Chapter Master. "Call off your ships and I will cease the attack".

In the end, nearly a third of Alaitoc lay in ruins from rim to core, but the number of Eldar dead was only counted in the thousands (which unfortunately also counted as heavy losses because the Eldar don't have a surplus of lives like the Imperium), and could have been far higher (though the Imperium only wanted to smash everything; killing was just a bonus as they knew how evasive the Eldar are). The Imperium, upon leaving, decided to go kill the ones responsible. Some [[Fail|victory]], but victory is not measured in corpses, especially when fighting the Imperium. For them, it was a strategic victory. The Eldar rely on the stuff the Imperium destroyed to survive; besides that, the Imperium had shown that a small (by Imperial standards- about the same size as the forces sent against the Tau) force could cause serious problems for a Craftworld and the Imperium did not give a shit about the number of ships it would cost, which told the Eldar what they already knew: that the Imperium has absolutely no respect for the lives of its own warriors and that they were so blinded by their own hatred and so heavily indoctrinated that they would willingly suffer truly horrifying loses as long as the enemy was destroyed. Anything less against the vast majority of the Imperium's enemies would just result in constant losses until every human was dead or worse. Ten millennia of that results in a truly terrifying culture. Directly attacking the Imperium with sheer force was not an option with their low numbers; the Imperium could afford to throw away millions if not billions of their own and they wouldn't even care, which the Eldar are not prepared to or willing to do.

Although there will be those who read the books that go straight into the chest thumping “My guys can beat up your guys”, this is unnecessary as it was written by Gav Thorpe and he's got some weird fetish for elf deaths (not this time since only a few thousand died, but that's relative to how many he thought were in the Craftworld in the first place) even when prior books state that the Imperium avoids fighting Craftworlds because it'd be a war of attrition that would be too costly for even them (though it wouldn't be a war of attrition since the Eldar cannot afford to replace their losses and attrition is entirely about which side can replace its losses the quickest; the Imperium wins wars of attrition against the damn ''Tyranids''). It took the entire legion of Space Wolves at full strength and with the backing of the Imperium at its height years to destroy one Craftworld (or months, depending on what book or what the writers decides sounds best at the moment) though saying "full Legion" is misleading as the Space Wolves had very small numbers and it didn't have the backing of the Imperium, only the fleet that encountered that Craftworld which was too stupid to realize attacking everyone it sees is a bad idea.

It also does not help that Gav Thorpe is of the camp of "there are as many elves as there needs to be and they're just strong enough to make things tragic". But the battles are really set dressing to what the book's actual message was, mainly that someone's actions have consequences even when they mean no harm. Although we know the true meaning- It's Warhammer 40,000; the books' messages are always "explosions are awesome, buy our miniatures".

Basically just don't question anything about the book unless you want your head to hurt and find yourself trying to cross-reference several different [[codex]]es to see if you missed something important.

==Recent Events==
Alaitoc backed the survivors of Idharae when they sought retribution on the [[Invaders]] Space Marine Chapter in revenge for the unprovoked and opportunistic destruction of Craftworld Idharae; said attack has forced the Invaders to become a fleet-based Chapter but, just like the Craftworld survivors, they have gone on to make a new home for themselves, the Eldar survivors now live upon Craftworlds Alaitoc, and the surviving Marines, most likely just like the [[Scythes of the Emperor]] have been reinforced with the new [[Ultima Founding]].

It also attempted to foil the efforts of the [[Word Bearers]] upon the planet Gruelbowl (yes, that is really its name) but were incapable of doing so (probably because Alaitoc doesn't seem able to do anything unless Space Marines are helping them).

Alaitoc itself has not, so far, become a major proponent of the [[Ynnari]], with only a limited number of its people joining the movement and the Craftworld itself remaining distant. Indeed, through the events of the Psychic Awakening, they blatantly believe that of the many enemies the Aeldari have, their true enemy has been and will continue to be the Necrons and until they've been fully eradicated they ''cannot'' spare any attention to the efforts of the Ynnari. Okay then.

While the Asuryani of other worldships finds their people divided and desperate for the first time, the staunch sons and daughters of Alaitoc have ever been cast like a net across the stars – and no matter how far they wander from home, they remain ready to close in around their craftworld’s many enemies. Because being spread out everywhere means they can defend from everywhere in derpelf logic. They've also been defending [[Exodite World]]s from the [[Mephrit Dynasty]] with the help of Saim-Hann.

==Tactics and Military Doctrine==
While Alaitoc itself doesn't really conduct war in a manner atypical from other Craftworlds, they do employ a significantly higher percentage of allied Rangers and Corsairs to supplement their forces. In this regard, they tend to have an edge in scouting and intelligence gathering capabilities.
In typical Eldar fashion however, they do so without concern of who might this strategy be dicking over, which in this case happens to be themselves. Their pathfinders have unintentionally provided the Imperium with almost all its information on the Craftworlds, due to their agents being captured.

=== Unique Forces ===

*'''Pathfinders''' - The Ranger equivalent of an Exarch, Pathfinders are highly skilled individuals who have lost themselves to the Path of the Outcast. Though they lack the discount Phoenix Lord armor regular Exarchs use to effectively resurrect themselves upon death, Pathfinders are still masters at their craft. Even though they're no longer considered part of Alaitoc society officially, Alaitoc can still call upon a significant number of still-loyal Pathfinders when they find themselves in need of their highly refined skills.

===Name===

Highly speculative at the moment. Given that most craftworld names have some sort of Celtic origin, Alaitoc is less obvious. The first part of the name may refer to eala, Irish for swan. Nothing to do with "starstriders" as of such...

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]
[[Category: Eldar Space Fleet]]
[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Ships]]

{{40k-Governments}}

Craftworld

2023-05-29T23:56:26Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

{{Infobox 40k Nations
|name=Eldar Craftworlds
|image=[[Image:Eldar_Flag.jpg‎|250px|center]]
|bgcolor=
|fgcolor=
|Capital=Decentralized, with [[Alaitoc]], [[Biel-tan]], [[Iyanden]], [[Saim-Hann]], [[Ulthwe]] notable
|Official Languages=Eldar Lexicon
|Power=Middle Power
|Size=Unknown number of surviving Craftworlds
|Head of State=Varies, but [[Farseer|Farseers]] usually prominent
|Head of Government= Varies, but [[Seer Council]] usually prominent
|Governmental Structure= Varies, but Seer Council usually prominent
|State Religion/Ideology= [[Eldar Mythology]]
|Demographic=[[Eldar]]
|Military Force=[[Eldar]] Forces, [[Eldar Space Fleet]]
}}
'''Craftworlds''' are massive, self-sufficient [[Eldar]] vessels, essentially mobile planets made of Wraithbone flying through space.

*'''Length:''' 100-500km; approx, however, as there are no standard design for Craftworlds they can differ in size greatly and is often vaguely described as 'moon'-sized to 'planet'-sized
*'''Mass:''' 0.7-18+ gigatonnes; approx, as each Craftworld is unique in appearance, with some being far denser than others.
*'''Population:''' No real crew, 1,000-3,000 [[Bonesinger]]s including 1,500,000 pilots and support personnel and a few hundred thousand to a billion potential passenger capacity; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 0.3-0.9 gravities average sustainable acceleration; able to cross a solar system in as little as a day on maximum acceleration

==History==
[[File:Biel-tan Craftworld.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Craftworld Biel-tan before it [[Ynnead|got shattered]]]]
During the height of the Eldar Empire, the Eldar built the Craftworlds as large merchant ships. Somewhat questionably for traders, they didn't install any sort of [[Webway]] or [[Warp]] drives on the Craftworlds, instead forcing the Craftworlds to travel at sublight speed. Ultimately, this would be to the Eldar's benefit, for the amount of time spent between Eldar worlds allowed the Eldar on the Craftworlds to see just how far their people had [[Fall of the Eldar|fallen into hedonism]]. Realizing that [[Slaanesh|something bad]] would happen soon, the Craftworld Eldar evacuated the Eldar still sane enough to realize how far they'd fallen from their [[Dark Eldar|depraved brethren]], and fled, taking with them the repositories of Eldar history, science, religion, and pre-Fall culture. (Before the Fall most of the Eldar populace looked down upon the Craftworlds with derision, seeing them as little more then cargo haulers).

[[File: The_Great_Exodus.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Wait a minute doesn’t the landmass on that planet look kind of like the Isle of Ulthuan… nah must be Just a coincidence.]]
[[File: Craftworld-Theminarae.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Craftworld crashes into a planet (Will of Iron comics). Damn these suckers are big.]]

Unfortunately, not all of them made it out of the Segmentum Obscurus in time, and many of the Craftworlds were caught in the creation of the [[Eye of Terror]] just as the hedonists were. So [[grimdark]]. One interesting note is that Khaine, for some reason, specifically manifested on the Craftworlds, as opposed to the [[Exodite]] Worlds or [[Commorragh]], instead his Avatars emerged at the heart of every Craftworld in the Galaxy.

Following their initial expulsion the next major event in their history was the foundation of the Path System by which they live their lives, a regimented and sharply controlled social system designed to curtail their inherent impulses and emotional strengths. The foundation for this system is usually credited to Asurmen, first of the Phoenix Lords, who traveled to every Craftworld to both impart to them the Path System, as well as to begin the creation of the Aspect Warrior Shrines. Shortly after this the Great Crusade began and numerous Craftworlds were hunted down and destroyed by the Imperium as it expanded. Craftworlds have always been tough nuts to crack, but they have suffered a high attrition rate over time despite their meager numbers, with even most of the Primary Craftworlds having been wrecked or reduced to but shadows of their former strength.

Today, the Craftworld Eldar comprise the largest number of Eldar left within the galaxy, but morbidly most are no longer amongst the living, their souls now residing within the Craftworld's infinity circuit. They have similar goals in preserving the Eldar but differ in their approach in doing so. Some like [[Biel-Tan]] seek to reestablishing their Empire through bloodshed as the foundations upon which to build their future domain, others such as [[Ulthwe]] consider this foolish, as they believe that the empire of the past is gone, and that looking backwards and trying to resurrect the glories of the past is a fools errand, especially when they should instead be looking towards the future and building something new. Despite their differences all of them are on the same page when it comes to fighting [[Chaos]]. However, the Craftworlds often disagree over how to achieve these things. This can lead to small conflicts between the different Craftworlds, but for the most part these are rare.

One should not think of the Craftworlds as a unitary, or even loosely allied, polity, as they are distinctly separate governments and states who do not operate in anyway as a conjoined body. To put it simply; each Craftworld is its own state and own tribe united by common legacy and race. Not unlike Space Marine Chapters.

==Mobile worlds==
It would be a mistake to view a Craftworld as just a big ship; they are mobile artificial worlds complete with seas, jungles, forests, deserts and even mountain ranges. Each dome can have it's own weather pattern, and they are not areas devoid of non-Eldar life; for each is populated with wildlife of all kinds.

Each Aspect Shrine is located within their very own dome, each with their very own ecosystem. The sheer size of these shrines seem almost too large to fit within the confines of even something the size of a Craftworld, making it appear like they make use of Tardis tech, with the interior of the domes being far larger then their exteriors.

The book Valedor describes a Fire Dragon shrine that had previously been destroyed being rebuilt. Not only did they recreate the desert that surrounded the Shrine but they also recreated all the creatures that had once populated it.

==Tabletop==
Back in the third edition of [[Warhammer 40,000]], [[Games Workshop]] released [[Codex]]: Craftworld Eldar, a "mini-dex" expansion booklet for the Eldar codex. It included five army list variants for the craftworlds [[Alaitoc]], [[Biel-Tan]], [[Iyanden]], [[Saim-Hann]], and [[Ulthwe]]. Each Craftworld receives a few unique units, and some receive army-wide special rules, a re-assignment of the available squads between the various categories (Troops, Elites, etc.), or even a different force organization chart. In the later Codex: [[Eye of Terror]] (released for the 2003 "Eye of Terror" summer campaign), Ulthwe got another mini-list for their "Strike Force".

Unfortunately, the Eldar got hit with the "less-is-more" bat in Fourth Edition, so the only difference between the Craftworlds on the tabletop throughout Fourth and Fifth Editions was that they had different colors and symbols. However, with the new Sixth Edition Codex, [[Games Workshop]] has <s>bowed to fan demands</s> seen an opportunity to make more money, and released a codex supplement all about Iyanden (unfortunately, it was written by none other than [[Matt Ward|Your Spiritual Liege]], and it shows). Seventh Edition passed by without any changes, but Eighth Edition is seeing a return of individual Craftworld rules!

==Notable Craftworlds and specialties==
[[File:EldarMapPsychicAwakening.jpg|500px|right|thumb|Map of current Eldar Craftworlds and movements.]]
===The Big Five===
:'''[[Craftworld Alaitoc|Alaitoc]]''' -- Follow the Eldar Paths more strictly and therefore have less fun. This leads many to become arrogant outcasts and eventually veteran rangers and pathfinders. They are also archenemies of the [[Necrons]], and fight the zombie-bots on a constant basis with [[Eldorath Starbane|mixed success.]] They are also careless spies and scouts, which have unintentionally provided the Imperium with almost all its information on the Craftworlds, due to their agents being captured.
:'''[[Craftworld Biel-tan|Biel-tan]]''' -- Formerly the most powerful of the Craftworlds, Biel-Tan was fractured during the birth of [[Ynnead]], losing half its population and putting it on the same path as Iyanden it seems. However, the remaining half have remained loyal to the Craftworld, still operating in an organized manner, and seeking to defend their damaged Craftworld rather than abandon it, the Craftworld itself is as a result still functioning (albeit badly damaged). When it was a fully functioning Craftworld, the Eldar of Biel-Tan were characterised by their wish to reclaim the old Empire of the Eldar before it [[Slaanesh|got screwed over]]. The Craftworlds was by far the most militaristic, and it's population driven to reclaim the galaxy through force (sounds like humanity during the Great Crusade), leading to a high number of [[Aspect Warriors]] who would go to war frequently with [[Human|the]] [[Ork|lesser]] [[Tau|races]]. They wanted to rebuild the Eldar Empire, and believed anyone else who even touched a [[Maiden World]] were squatters to be removed. Although They still wouldn't just blast away at colonists, they'd give their ultimatum of "leave or we'll kill you" and provide transportation on their own ships to new worlds. This Craftworld was notable for being more war like than most other Eldar. Even other Eldar had difficulty dealing with them. Biel-Tan was fiercely protective of Exodite and Maiden worlds, and was known to reserve a special hatred for [[Orks]], who are especially hard to exterminate from any planet they've managed to get a foothold on. In the original [[Dawn of War]], [[Macha]] was from Biel-Tan (and still is according to [[Dawn of War]] III, although current /tg/ canon suggests she spends much of her time on Ulthwé, due to Biel-Tan's lesser respect for Farseers). Now but a fleeting shadow of what they once were, Biel-tan has nonetheless retained its militaristic bent.
:'''[[Craftworld Iyanden|Iyanden]]''' -- It used to be the largest Craftworld, but then it got [[Tyranid|OM NOM NOM NOM'd]] so almost everyone is [[Wraithlord|dead]]. This Craftworld was the first to interrogate the Infinity Circuit within their Craftworld after the coming of the Phoenix Lord, the harvester of Souls gifted it to them. Fields lots of Wraith-units to make up for the whole "barely anyone left alive" thing. Known for their [[Spiritseer]]s, necessary for an army like theirs, and for being the most frequently invaded Craftworld by far. A constantly diminishing Craftworld. The only one Of the Craftworlds that make a lot of use of diplomacy, to the point of periodically hosting Imperial diplomats living with Eldar families. Also colonizes wild worlds instead of relying on Maiden Worlds and builds cities instead of just Exodite Worlds.
:'''[[Craftworld Saim-Hann|Saim-Hann]]''' -- Jetbikes all day eeveerrydaaay. Considered barbarians by some other Craftworlds, it is one of the least involved Craftworlds, rarely becoming caught up in events in the Galaxy. It does not change the fact that when they do interfere, the end result is still [[FAIL]]. Recently, the Craftworld suffered from a daemon invasion as a result of the Great Rift's formation (alongside all the other Craftworlds apparently, *sigh*) which resulted in a whole corrupted section having to be shed from the vessel - the inhabitants of which allegedly turned into horrible insect like daemon thingies.
:'''[[Craftworld Ulthwé|Ulthwé]]''' -- Used to be trapped in an ever shrinking orbit around [[Eye of Terror|the bleeding asshole of reality]] (which is why it's nicknamed "Ulthwé the Damned") so everyone is extensively trained for war, even has a professional standing army called the Black Guardians, and Seers are heavily emphasized. Also, this is where [[Eldrad|that dick]] was born. Also home to [[Caerys]], [[Idranel]], and [[Taldeer]] from the [[Dawn of War]] series. Collaborates with the Imperium (ie, manipulates them into doing their dirty work) more often than the others, so they're mostly to blame for Humans thinking all Eldar are treacherous dickbags. With the opening of the [[Great Rift]], Ulthwé now finds itself able to travel across the galaxy. This would normally be monumental, but seeing as the same incident also let Chaos run rampant across the galaxy... let’s just say the craftworld's newfound freedom is bittersweet at most.

===All the others===
====Still Active====
:'''[[Altansar]]''' -- The home of [[Phoenix Lord]] [[Phoenix_Lord#Maugan_Ra|Maugan Ra]]. Once thought lost in the [[Warp]], Maugan Ra managed to find them and guide them out. Not very liked by the other Eldar, because they (rightfully) think that nothing can remain untouched by the Warp. But don't mention that around Ra if you want to avoid [[DOOM: Repercussions of Evil|repercussions.]] The only Craftworld, so far, to seemingly have completely joined the [[Ynnari]]. It is currently in Segmentum Solar and is, in fact, very near Terra. Fluff even notes that it is unknown why the Imperium has not acted against them, though those of us with brains would assume their doubtless utterly massive hatred of [[Chaos]] would probably make them ready allies to the Imperium (that and they're Ynnari and so the Imperium will probably leave them alone so long as they don't get ''too'' close to Terra).
:'''Black Library''' -- Described as a Craftworld that exists wholly within the [[Webway]] (not [[Commorragh|''that one'']]). Not much is known about its structure or politics, other than that it houses an unparalleled archive on the secrets of the galaxy, including the origins of Chaos. Is protected by dread sentinels called the White Guardians, and only [[Harlequins]] ''and other trusted individuals such as Eldrad (and on rare occasions human Inquisitor under heavy supervision are permitted limited access)'' have the freedom to study here.
:'''Ctho''' -- Another "lost" Craftworld.
:'''Dolthe''' -- A little-known craftworld whose Dire Avengers fought alongside the [[Tanith First (And Only)]] to close a Webway portal in Monthax.
:'''Dorhai''' -- An isolationist Craftworld that see themselves as the sole untainted survivors of the Fall, so refuse to deal with outsiders. ''Similar to Kaelor''.
:'''Il-Kaithe''' -- On an eternal crusade against Chaos, they are unusual in that they take their [[Bonesinger]]s into battle. They hate daemons so much that they're surprisingly friendly to [[Drukhari|their darker brethren]] and the Imperium if they're willing to fight them too.
:'''Il'sariadh''' -- Nearly got raped to death when the Changeling infiltrated a Harlequin troupe and summoned a Slaaneshi incursion led by the Masque. Devastated, but surviving.
:'''Iybraesil''' -- A [[Drow|matriarchal]] society that likely employs large numbers of Howling Banshees. Staunch followers of [[Morai-Heg]] to the point they use her severed hand as their world-rune. They have a great interest in the [[Crone World]]s.
:'''Kaelor''' -- Paranoid isolationists, even amongst Eldar. Consider all of the other Craftworlds to be tainted in some manner, and so avoid contact, so they get ignored, though we know them to be tainted by association with [[C.S Goto]], so we ignore them. Notable for their influence over the [[Rogue Trader (RPG)|Jericho Reach]] and the fact their community cleaves to the old system of noble houses, so aspect shrines owe allegiance to nobles rather then the Craftworld as a whole.
:'''Kal'raktri''' -- Lies far in the Eastern Fringe. Mostly home to Seers and Wraithguards.
:'''Karan-Ske''' -- Lies close to Ultramar and constantly butt heads with the Smurfs.
:'''Kinshara''' -- Not much is known, other than this was home to a magnificent weaponsmith. The story goes that [[Maugan Ra]] kidnapped this smith and forced him to teach the Phoenix Lord everything he knew about weaponcrafting in order to manufacture the '''Maugetar'''. The Phoenix Lord was so pleased with the weapon that he mutilated the smith, [[Grimdark|cutting off his hands, tongue, and eyes so that he would never make a weapon to equal this creation.]]
:'''Lugganath''' -- BFFs with the [[Harlequin]]s, they think that the Galaxy has gone down the crapper (no shit, Sherlock) and want to start anew in the Webway after ridding it of the Dark Eldar (which is not likely to happen). To do this, they're trying to find a Craftworld-sized webway portal.
:'''Mero''' -- Sometimes referred to as "Meros". Only known to be a doomed Craftworld, like Ulthwé.
:'''Miandrothe''' -- found in the [[Dark Heresy Second Edition|Askellon Sector]]. Their particular shtick is that the Imperium doesn't know where they are, and they act through [[Corsair]] proxies. If they ever do do something on their own, they hope the Imperium is too dumb to tell the difference between Corsairs and Craftworlders. While this technically true, they forget the Imperium doesn't give a damn about said difference, so the plan is still terrible.
:'''Mymeara''' -- Has an [[Imperial Armour]] book named after them detailing their fall from planet to Craftworld. Home to the Shadow Spectre [[Aspect Warriors]] and their lost [[Phoenix Lord]] Irilyth. The Craftworlders successfully recover his armor and re-awaken his spirit, but at the price of getting their asses kicked by [[Space Wolves]].
:'''Telennar''' -- Buddies with Alaitoc and an infamous Harlequin troupe known as the Masque of the Twisted Path, who have a fetish for kidnapping anyone except for those from this Craftworld.
:'''Ul-Khari''' -- A craftworld trapped in the Gilead system. Got trashed pretty bad after colliding with a Death Guard daemon world but is still chugging along.
:'''Yme-Loc''' -- [[Munchkin]] motherfuckers who spam grav-tanks and [[Titans 40k|Titans]] in battle. Unluckily for them, their reliance on rare toys would prove to be a double edged sword. The [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] found their Craftlworld and proceeded to attack the hell out of it, only relenting once they had stolen enough Eldar technology to sate their deviant curiosity.
:'''Varantha''' -- Hates Chaos more than usual. Interestingly, it's known history has it going so far as to actively protect even Imperial worlds from Chaos threats and genuinely co-operate with Imperials. Even non-Chaos threats cause this like when they directed an Ork WAAAGH!!! into an Iron Hands fortress instead of allowing it to slaughter its way through Imperial and Exodite Worlds in the region. While this might be Imperial Worlds being saved by accident, it would arguably have been far more effective to direct the Orks to the Imperial Worlds knowing those would be total tarpits and honey pots to Orks or simply evacuate the Exodites and wait out the WAAAGH!!!. So, this might be the one Craftworld who ''maybe'' is genuinely helpful and just doesn't want more people in general being murderized by space monsters. To a reasonable (by 40k standards) degree, at least. Also, Varantha does actually trade with humans, so good public relations is good business for them.

====Ruined====
:'''Aon'tai''' -- Destroyed by Biel-Tan during a darker period in Asuryani history.
:'''Bel-Shammon''' -- Wrecked by the Imperium sometime before the Gothic War.
:'''Féin-Cineál''' -- Homeland of Achillrial, one of the first [[Autarch|Autarchs]]. His death due to betrayal led to the Craftworld's destruction. All that remains of it is Achillrial's Shimmerplume, a helm that absorbed sunlight and used it to blind people.
:'''Ila-Manesh''' -- Utterly wiped out by the Night Lords and their Defilers. A specially violent Defiler called ''Ghostcrusher'' single-handedly wrecked a shrine to Eldanesh and everything inside it.
:'''Idharae''' -- a small lightly populated Craftworld that teamed up with Malan'tai and Iyanden to fight Tyranids before Malan'tai got Doomed, then got themselves destroyed by the [[Invaders]] Space Marines. The Invaders also had the help of the Legion of the Damned along with other imperial forces. The Invaders also only attempted to attack after the craftworld had just fought off Hive Fleet Naga all on its own and was still in a weak position.
:'''Jielthwa''' -- Attacked by the Ultrasmurfs during the Great Crusade.
:'''Kher-Ys''' -- Destroyed by a [[Slaanesh]]i daemon incursion. Oh, and a [[Keeper of Secrets]] possessed their [[Khaela Mensha Khaine|Avatar]] during the fighting, you can imagine how much <s>proverbial</s> buttrape happened there. Sidenote: the whole story is a 40k version of the Breton legend of the sunken city of Ys[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ys] (''Kêr-Is'').
:'''Lanimayesh''' -- Population wiped out by Khornate daemons. After an expedition from Biel-Tan, what remained of it was ripped apart and pulled into the Warp.
:'''Lu'Nasad''': A craftworld that tried to escape The Fall by using the webway to find a safe refuge in realspace. After unlocking a sealed craftworld-sized webway gate, they passed through... to find themselves in a warp/realspace interstice known by the Imperium as the Rifts of Hecaton, which promptly [[Derp|ended]] [[RAPE|badly]]. The primary McGuffin of [[Rogue Trader (RPG)|FFG's Warpstorm Trilogy]] adventures. It's been completely corrupted by Chaos (The Eldar equivalent of a [[Daemon World]]) and is filled with creatures known as "Aspect Shells", hollow armors of Asuryani Aspect Warriors and Wraith constructs possessed by daemons.
:'''Magc'Sithraal''' -- A hub of piracy that was home to large groups of Corsairs and Wraiths. Basically the Eldar version of Reavers. Destroyed by [[Sanguinius]] and the [[Blood Angels]] during the Great Crusade.
:'''Malan'tai''' -- Got LOLDRAIN'D by a unique [[Zoanthrope]] who feeds off psychic energy. Needless to say, after it devoured the souls on the Craftworld's [[Infinity Circuit]], things went very bad for them. Are now extinct. The [[Grey Knights]] under the command of [[Anval Thawn]] went and saved the remaining soulstones from a Keeper of Secrets and were [[Matt Ward|uncharacteristically]] generous enough to give them back to the Eldar. (Considering what would happen if those stones were destroyed, it would have been best to give them to the Eldar)
:'''Mor-rioh<nowiki>'</nowiki>hi''' -- Back in the Great Crusade, they fought the Imperium during the War in the Shedim Drifts, which ended with its destruction at the hands of the [[Luna Wolves]], but not before the space elves decimated two Titan Legions.
:'''Muirgaythh''' -- Wiped out by a Slaaneshi incursion. Only one man survived, who went full Exarch afterwards out of [[RAGE|sheer rage]].
:'''Sethoywan''' -- The master of this Craftworld was slain by Daylight, from the Imperial Fists. The exact time is unknown, but prior to the War of the Beast.
:'''She'enshar''' -- Destroyed under unknown circumstances. Wreck lies close to T'au space, but is guarded by Harlequins.
:'''Taial'shara''' -- Destroyed by the birth of Slaanesh. Its remains lie close to the Cadian Gate.
:'''Theminarae''' -- Destroyed during the initial escape from the Fall when it crashed on the planet Quintus due to a Warp Storm kicking off in the Calaphrax Cluster.
:'''Thuyelsa''' -- Destroyed by [[Space Wolves]] and the [[Imperial Guard|Imperial Army]] at some point during the [[Great Crusade]]. The Army soldiers called it 'Scintilla City' because of the way it sparkled... as the 6th legion systematically smashed it to pieces. The Wolves took their time on this fight.
:'''Tuonoetar''' -- Smashed into bits by the [[World Eaters]] during the Great Crusade.
:'''Ul-Khari''' -- Fell victim to the Great Rift, which [[Exterminatus|threw a Hive World at it]]. Some of its people survived and have settled the planet, which was strangely devoid of any human life.
:'''Uthuriel''' -- Crashed on the planet Darcturus in the Moebius sub-sector. [[Bronislaw Czevak|Inquisitor Czevak]] tried to loot its Shrine of Khaine, but the Deathwatch was having none of that and tried to arrest him.
:'''X'amot''' -- "Vanquished" under unknown circumstances. Source of loot for the [[Iron Warriors]].
:'''Zandros''' -- Only mentioned twice, once as the home to a unique warrior aspect called the '''Slicing Orbs'''. The second time as the site of a duel between [[Karandras]] and [[Arhra]] throughout its shattered ruins and over the shrine of the aforementioned aspect warriors.
:'''Zaisuthra''' -- Isolated from other Craftworlds. Unlike the other Craftworlds, Zaisuthra didn't follow the Paths and worshipped the old Eldar pantheon nommed by Slaanesh. They also didn't have an Infinity Circuit and willingly allowed a [[Genestealer]] cult to spread and corrupt the entire population, thinking it would protect them from being raped and eaten after their deaths (not the worst idea, given the [[Slaanesh|alternative]]). The Craftworld also had a portal that led straight to the tomb of Eldanesh, in the long-lost Eldar homeworld. Needless to say, the Ynnari were so disgusted by the inbred Elfstealers that the [[Yncarne]] purged the whole damn ship after they were done looking for their special sharp stick.
:'''Zu'lasa''' -- Destroyed by the Fall and crash-landed on the planet Shanriatha. [[Lorgar]] once went there to kill what remained of its Avatar of Khaine.

====Uncertain====
:'''Os'Tara''' -- Featured in Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 2. Ynnead worshippers and buddies with the Ynnari. They bear black and white colors and use the Sign of the Phoenix as their world-rune (The symbol also represents Ynnead after his awakening). Gets ripped in two in the Necron, Chaos and Tyranid campaigns and in the Imperium campaign if Spire sides with Inquisitor Darkhammer. If Spire sides with the perfidous Xenos, they leave for parts unknown. Since the game is not canon outside of the prologue, they are likely alive. . . If their existence is itself canon.

==/tg/ made Craftworlds==
*[[Craftworld Eonhar]]
*[[Craftworld Aylis-Nasturcane]]
*[[Craftworld Driag-Nahl]]
*[[Craftworld Silva-Pallu Ine]]
[[Eldar Craftworld Creation Tables]]

== Gallery ==

<Gallery>
File:Iyanden.jpg|
File:Iyanden.2.jpg|
File:Craftworld.scale.jpg|
File:Dome-interior-.jpg|
File:Eldar_Craftworld.png|
File:Craftworld.under-attack.jpg|
File:Francois-gand-vaisseau-monde-hp-front.jpg|
File:Francois-gand-vaisseau-monde-hp-pers-back-top.jpg|
File:Francois-gand-vaisseau-monde-hp-pers-front-bot.jpg|
File:Francois-gand-vaisseau-monde-hp-pers-front-top.jpg|
File:Francois-gand-vaisseau-monde-hp-side.jpg|
File:Craftworld - Earth size.jpg|
</Gallery>

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]
[[Category: Eldar Space Fleet]]
[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Ships]]

[[Category: Wraithbone]]

{{Template:40k-Governments}}

{{40k-Planets}}

{{40k-Eldar-Ships}}

Eldar Light Cruiser

2023-05-29T23:53:54Z

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The Light Cruisers from the [[Eldar]] are fast glass cannons that rely on their Holofields for their enemies to miss their shots, like all Eldar vessels. Eldar Light Cruisers are usually operated by the [[Eldar Corsairs]] due to, in part, a lack of resources to maintain the esoteric [[Wraithbone]] structures of their [[Craftworld]] cousins. As such, these Light Cruisers are constructed from materials ''other'' than Wraithbone.

==Class==
===Ordnance-boat===
====Solaris====
[[File:14414407_f1024.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Now, if only those guns were [[Rape|turreted]]...]]
The 'close-range' brawler of Eldar Light Cruisers. The Solaris is a Broadside capable line ship of the Eldar Corsairs, since its [[Heavy Starcannon]]s are the main armament, which can be granted a wider arc with the Runic Targetting special orders and launch bays can deploy [[Darkstar Fighter]]s and [[Eagle Bomber]]s in any direction.

Unfortunately for many captains, it is easily mistaken for the Aurora class and this has led to many tactical mistakes. It has the typical large solar sail at the rear and was first identified by the Imperium during anti-pirate operations in the Yurol Nebula.

The high speed of the Solaris, coupled with its high strength Eldar Weapons Batteries (with limited traverse similar to the Aurora) allowed them to battle with Imperial escorts within the asteroid belt of the Arikar System. Finding themselves outgunned, the Imperial escorts retreated to the main fleet and the plan changed to a blockade of the Arikar system, but the speed of the Solaris vessels made this blockade impossible to maintain and after an ineffective year the blockade was lifted and the Soul Reavers are still at large in the Yurol Nebula.

It is armed with 1 Launch Bay carrying [[Darkstar Fighter]]s and [[Eagle Bomber]]s and 6 [[Heavy Starcannon|Starcannon Artillery.]]

*'''Length:''' 3.4km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 14 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 9,100 crew, including 3,000 pilots and support staff; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 8.5 gravities maximum sustainable acceleration

===Lance-boat===
====Aurora====
[[File:14414396_f1024.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Sure our armor is made out of tissue-paper...''if you could hit us''...]]
The Aurora is the armour-piercing, perfect accuracy beam vessel for the Aeldari Corsairs.

Little is known about the cruiser other than it has the normal characteristics of an Eldar vessel, light armour, Holofields, high speed and heavy weaponry. It is said to have the speed of an escort but the weapons of a cruiser. They are armed with Eldar [[Torpedo|Torpedoes]] and [[Pulsar Lance]]s but they are on a very limited traverse.

In one battle many Aurora class ships fought alongside Imperial forces, the alliance between the Imperium and Eldar pirate forces being formed after the Battle of Gethsemane. Within the Graildark Nebula, the combined Imperial and Eldar fleet encountered a fleeing Chaos fleet. The Eldar performed several flanking manoeuvres, leaving the Imperials unsure as to their allegiance, but once the first shots were fired the Eldar returned and slammed into the side and rear of the Chaos fleet. Several other Eldar ships maintained a perimeter to prevent any Chaos ships from escaping and the fleet was wiped out against the massed guns of the Imperial fleet and the high-speed strafing runs of the Eldar.

It is armed with 2 [[Pulsar Lance]] Beam and 4 [[Torpedo]] Launchers.

*'''Length:''' 3.5km; approx
*'''Mass:''' 13.7 megatonnes; approx
*'''Crew:''' 8,500 crew; approx
*'''Acceleration:''' 8.5 gravities maximum sustainable acceleration

== In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada 1 & 2 ==

The Light Cruisers of the Eldar Corsairs begin to show some of the significant hull point penalties they take in return for their Holofields and impressive engines, having only 2/3rds of the hit points of an Imperial or Chaos Light Cruiser, though travelling significantly faster.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Battlefleet Gothic]]

[[Category: Xenos]]

[[Category: Eldar]]

[[Category: Craftworld Eldar]]
[[Category: Eldar Space Fleet]]
[[Category: Vehicles]]

[[Category: Ships]]

{{40k-Eldar-Ships}}

Veteran Squad

2023-05-29T23:51:37Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Sternguard.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Ultramarines Sternguard Veterans]]
Though the term '''Veteran Squad''' can refer to any number of groups of experienced soldiers gathered in a single unit, in the context of [[Warhammer 40k]] this means either the Hardened Veteran squads of the [[Imperial Guard]] (Read: [[Grimdark|actually survived a battle]]) or, more frequently, the squads consisting of the most experienced brothers of a Chapter of [[Space Marines]].

Consisting exclusively of members of the Chapter's First Company, Veteran Squads consist of three different kinds of Battle Brothers: the [[Terminators]], the Sternguard Veterans and the Vanguard Veterans. Though these groups maintain a sense of rivalry with one another, on the battlefield they are a lethal and efficient force. And yes, the two helmetless guys in the picture are likely [[Captain Titus]] and [[Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine|Sidonus]] in their younger years.

==On the Tabletop==
[[File:Vanguard Veterans.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Ultramarines Vanguard Veterans]]
Both Sternguards and Vanguards were significantly retooled for 8th Edition. For starters, the Sternguard no longer have their four flavors of Bolter rounds (those are now a [[Deathwatch]] exclusive): instead they get a [[Special Issue Boltgun]] with 30" Rapid Fire 1 S4 AP-2 D1. While a significant downgrade from what they used to have, it is still a superior Bolter. This, and the LD of 8 instead of 7, makes for the main difference between the bare Sternguard and Tactical Marines, which comes with a price tag of 18 points instead of 13. It's when you look at the upgrades when they start to shine. For starters, a five-man Sternguard squad can pick two Special or Heavy weapons, including the Heavy Flamer while a ten-man Tactical squad can pick one Special and one Heavy weapon. But the real fun begins when you realize that everyone can replace their Special Issue Boltguns with a weapon from the [[combi-weapon]]s list. This includes the [[Storm Bolter]], which doubles the fire rate of a [[Astartes Boltgun|regular Bolter]] (but loses the improved range and AP of the [[Special Issue Boltgun]], so it's not worth it), but more importantly the [[Combi-Flamer]], [[Combi-Plasma]], [[Combi-Melta]] and [[Combi-Grav]]. These are not by any means cheap (starting at 11 for the [[Combi-Flamer]]), but when you realize that these guns can be fired ''in addition'' to their Bolters, and that ''flamers hit automatically'' means that with Combi-Flamers the Sternguard is now capable of devouring entire infantry blobs at a time. Furthermore, ALL Sternguard in a unit can take combi-weapons, not just the four initial ones running with the sergeant (who can take one too). Can you say 10d6 hits from flamers alone? If you're feeling lucky and are willing to stand close to your opponents, you can give them all combi-plasmas to act like a cheap [[Hellblaster]] squad, but don't use them against [[TEQ]]s. Oh yeah, and all of them wear [[Artificer Armour]] in one form of another, making them a tough unit to crack.

Vanguard Veterans do more or less the same. Meant for assault, the Vanguard cost only 18 points bare with [[Jump Pack]]s. At that point you start slapping on the special weapons. A combo of Power Sword/Storm Shield only sets you back a modest 27 points a model for something with a 3++ save that chops up power armored enemies with ease. An alternative is using a pair of [[Lightning Claws]]: while a bit more expensive it nets you a re-roll to failed to wound rolls and +1 Attack. This is especially useful against [[Nurgle]] worshipers, and if you're feeling lucky they might be able to finish a damaged vehicle under T8. Very expensive, but also very lethal, is to give everyone [[Thunder Hammer]]s. Almost doubling your points, it allows your Vanguard to reliably kick holes in tanks with S8 AP-3 D3. Sure, you'll only hit on a 4+, but it's hilarious when you manage to beat a [[Monolith]] into dust.

===Power Ratings===
When using Power Ratings the Sternguard become even crazier: you now no longer have to pay out the nose for those expensive combi-weapons. Slap on a series of Combi-Gravs and watch them devour entire squads of Terminators. 7 Power is a bit expensive for a small and relatively fragile frame, so do keep them protected.

The same goes for the Vanguard: 39 points is a lot for a one-wound model with a Jump Pack, Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield, but for five Vanguards armed like that when using Power Rating it's the same base 7 power. This makes them hilariously scary when used properly, beating up enemies left and right while being annoyingly durable thanks to their 3++. They're not invincible though, so use them with care.

==Sternguard Veterans==
[[File:BloodAngelsSternguardVeterans.png|200px|thumb|right|Blood Angels|thumb|Blood Angels Sternguard]]
The Sternguard are [[Tactical Squad|Tactical Marines]] cranked up to 11. They are the masters of the [[Bolter]] in all of its forms (In fluff, in the Crunch they have the exact same Ballistic Skill): from their [[Bolter#Special_Issue_Boltgun|Special Issue Boltguns]] to the [[Storm Bolter]] to various kinds of [[Combi-weapon]]s all the way up to the [[Heavy Bolter]]. They are also trained in the use of heavy & support weapons used by Tactical Marines: [[Flamers]], the [[Plasma Gun]]s, [[Meltagun]]s, [[Grav-gun]]s, [[Missile Launcher]]s, [[Lascannons]], [[Grav-Cannon]]s, [[Multi-Melta]]s and [[Plasma Cannon]]s. They are also one of the few squads entrusted with [[Heavy Flamer]]s.

Aside from the standard issue Bolt round the Sternguard Veterans are equipped with a number of different and specialized [[Bolt|Bolter rounds]]:
* Dragonfire Bolts are designed to explode into a superheated gas to tell any form of cover the enemy is in to go fuck itself.
* Hellfire Bolts replace the projectile's explosive payload with mutagenic acid, designed to combat the Tyranids and all sorts of big non-vehicle targets.
* Kraken Pattern Penetrator Bolts are improved rounds with a better range and penetration.
* Vengeance Bolts are more or less miniature plasma grenades that violently explode upon impact, but are a danger to the user as well. These were designed to combat the [[Chaos Space Marines]].

Post 8th edition. Specialized Bolter rounds are now exclusive to the Deathwatch. Being replaced with Special Issue Boltguns that fire rounds with the [[What|range of Kraken rounds and the damage of Vengeance Bolts.]] Which isn't as overpowered as it sounds. However it does make the options with a reach under 30" a huge waste on Sternguard Veterans. Making Heavy Weapons the preferred loadout.

In the Horus Heresy games there are Seekers Squads instead. Who are Sternguard in all but name and even have their own special ammo. The obvious predecessor before the creation of the Codex Astartes.

{{clear}}

==Vanguard Veterans==
[[File:BloodAngelsVanguardVeterans.png|200px|thumb|right|Blood Angels Vanguard]]
The Vanguard are the big brothers of the [[Assault Squad|Assault Marines]]. Highly skilled in close-quarter fighting, they use their [[Jump Pack]]s and powerful weaponry to make short work of the enemy.

Though the standard equipment of the Vanguard are the [[Bolt Pistol]] and [[Chainsword]], they have access to the Chapter's armory to become even deadlier in combat. The most commonly used equipment for the squad consists of twin [[Lightning Claws]] and the [[Thunder Hammer]]/Storm Shield combination, depending on what the mission calls for. They are also equipped with a selection of grenades.

Their "Heroic Intervention" rule used to let them assault out of deep strike, but needed to be declared they were going to try before placing and rolling for scatter. This has been changed so that they ignore disordered charges, and their sarge auto passes the test for a Glorious intervention.

In 7th, they still ignore disordered charges, but no more auto-pass Glorious Intervention tests: they can now re-roll dice for charge. Which, if you have Jump Packs, is pointless, as you can already re-roll charge. (Which is why you use the jump packs in the MOVEMENT phase.)

{{clear}}

==Tyrannic War Veterans==
[[image:TyrannicWarVeterans.png|200px|right|thumb|Tyrannic War Veterans]]
After the [[Hive Fleet Behemoth|Battle for Macragge]], the [[Ultramarines]] formed the Tyrannic War Veterans from the survivors of the battle Companies. Trained by [[Ortan Cassius]], their sole mission is to exterminate all Tyranids. They are more or less Sternguard with a bit of [[Deathwatch]]-light training thrown in to kill Tyranids as quickly as possible.

Tyrannic War Veterans ''are'' actually part of the first company, though they take their orders directly from Chaplain Cassius. They are a select group of Veterans from all companies that survived the Tyrannic Wars, but since they act as a separate unit from the rest of the chapter's organisation this meant a bit of deviation over the [[Codex Astartes]] on the part of [[Marneus Calgar]] before they could be deployed. They all carry relics of the fallen first company, wearing armour pieced together from the previous 1st company veterans, and carrying their old bolters which they load with Hellfire shells. Following the events of the Gathering Storm, they were recognized as an official part of the Chapter organization by Roboute Guilliman.

They also don't recruit new members, and number only a few dozen, which will inevitably decrease over time and be replaced with "standard" 1st company veterans. That said, following their Primarch's approval many of the Ultramarines' successors began to create similar squads.

Also, with the Tyranids Codex being the shitfest it was, the powers that be decided to drop in a Dataslate for the Tyrannic War Veterans, being a special formation whose existence is akin to kicking a dying puppy.

{{clear}}

==Company Veterans==
[[image:DarkAngelsCompanyVeterans.png|200px|right|thumb|Dark Angels Company Veterans]]
Since all of the Dark Angel's first company veterans who would normally make up the Vanguard or Sternguard units only deploy in [[Terminator Armour]] or become [[Ravenwing|Ravenwing Black Knights]] they don't get either. Instead they get "Company Veterans Squad". Literally veterans of whatever company they're in rather than the first. While not singularly specialized for ranged or melee like Sternguard/Vanguard, lacking Special Issue Boltguns for shooting, and jump packs for assaulting. They have the option to discard their Bolt pistols for a Storm Shield or a [[Power Weapon]], while exchanging their [[Chainsword]] to mix melee and ranged into the same unit, giving them some good versatility. They're also cheaper, as compensation for not having Special Bolter Rounds.

Command Squads have been axed in 8th and rolled into Company Veterans so everyone has them but lack the options that the Dark Angels can take. Including the ability to take Bikes for a cost, while Champions and Apothecaries are taken separately. The Dark Angels for some reason can't take Biker Vets at all. [[derp|So no choice but to take characters for bikes in the Elite slot.]]

Dark Angels can upgrade to Combat Shields without having to give up one of their weapons. Making them the best choice for Green Wing armies, or can be [[Cheese|meats shields for the Imperial Space Marine]]. One can also replace their Chainsword for a Heavy Weapon. With the buffs to Plasma weapons and Combi-guns, its not like DA players weren't already taking them for more Plasma spam. Admit it, you were already guilty of this or considered doing so.

Note that, organizationally, many otherwise-codex marines do use company champions rather than First Company veterans. Notably, the [[Space Sharks]], [[Iron Snakes]], and [[Iron Hands]].

{{clear}}

== See Also ==
* [[Bladeguard Veteran]]: ''The [[Veteran Squad]] of [[Primaris Space Marines]].''
* [[Wolf Guard]]
* [[Deathwing]]
* [[Sword Brethren]]
* [[Terminator]]

{{Marines-Forces}}

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Imperial]]

[[Category: Space Marines]]

[[Category: Official Space Marine Chapters]]

[[Category: Blood Angels]]

[[Category: Dark Angels]]

[[Category: Deathwatch]]

{{Blood Angels}}

{{Dark Angels}}

{{Deathwatch}}

Thalastian Jorus

2023-05-29T23:50:51Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Chaplain_Daenor.png|300px|right|thumb|Emperor forever shine his light on this dead 'ard motherfucker]]
[[FATAL|Buckle up your buttholes buckaroos]], because it's time for one of those rare moments where GW churns out something so bumcrunchingly [[awesome]] that even grizzled [[neckbeards]] can only shed [[Fist of the North Star|manly tears]] for it.

The story begins Circa 811.M37, before any of the [[Dante|players]] [[Astorath|that]] [[Mephiston|we]] [[Lemartes|know]] [[Corbulo|of]] were even born. [[Abaddon]] the Despoiler, fresh off his mini-victory of the 6th Black Crusade (the one no one gave a shit about) was feeling pretty ok about himself and decided to attack the planet Mackan with the bulk of his forces to steal an [[Eldar]] artifact he needed to progress his plan - or at least to make it look like he had a plan. So he rounded up his mates, [[Iskandar Khayon]], [[Lheorvine Ukris]] and [[Telemachon Lyras]] and proceeded to open up a sector's worth of whoop-ass. The Blood Angels responded at Chapter strength with a few companies from a [[White Scars]] successor chapter, the [[Rampagers]] for back-up and that's it, since the [[High Lords]] couldn't get their shit together fast enough it was up to the Astartes to turn away the massive tide of Chaos. It didn't go great.

The Rampagers didn't last long and even though the Blood Angels gave as good as they got - better, even - plus making a terrific account of themselves according to the death ratio, they just couldn't keep up with the numbers of the [[Black Legion]] by themselves unaided. After their last Captain on planet was unceremoniously relieved of his internal organs by the Warmaster of Chaos, Reclusiarch Jorus realized he had had enough of that "losing" shit and decided it was time for some payback.

==The Awesomeness that followed==
Thalastian Jorus immediately whipped his boys into shape, undeterred that the only fighting force of the Blood Angels left on Mackan was a bunch of howling and raving lunatics from the [[Death Company]] and the surviving Angels who had fallen to the curses of their chapter. Jorus was outmanned by a matter of thousands to one, he was easily outgunned by the sorceries Khayon could bring to bear and Lyras was a famous champion in Chaos circles. The fact that the Chaos forces thought they were dead was little comfort and each of the boys under his command was a barely controllable bloodthirsty berzerker. Even for Blood Angels, things looked grim indeed...

Abaddon and his boys [[anal circumference|never knew]] [[rape|what hit them]].

For days, the blood-crazed Blood Angels waged a guerilla war with the chaotics, striking hard and fast before vanishing again, [[Raven Guard]]-style. After weeks of harrying the Black Legion, they had drawn enough of the Chaos forces for Reclusiarch Jorus to make his final daring thrust into the heart of Chaos. Like a murderous tide, the Death Company fell upon the [[Justaerin|Honour Guard]] of the Warmaster and [[Eversor|tore them to ribbons]] pushing back Khayon and Lyras until it was just Thalastian Jorus and Ezekyle Abaddon face to face, with Ukris dying in the fighting.

And in a [[awesome|furious blaze of glory]] the little Reclusiarch that could achieved what [[Eldrad|so]] [[Saint Celestine|few]] can [[Sigismund|match]]: he wounded the Warmaster gravely enough that he had to quit the field. In fact, the wounds inflicted were so terrible that Abby still bears the remnants of the strike on his body as a strange mark of pride - or as a means of remembering a particularly valiant enemy. As the Reclusiarch and his suicide mission were cut down by the Black Legion (now sans the [[Bringers of Despair]], Falkus Kibre aside) it is most certain he had the smuggest of smiles as he was butchered to death.

When the [[Carcharodons]] arrived with the [[Imperial Navy]] to back up the nearly extinct Blood Angels and mopped up the remaining Black Legion who were still straggling behind after the main part of the Crusade had packed up and fucked back on to the [[Eye of Terror]], they found an interesting discovery. All the unrecovered Blood Angels corpses had had their gene-seed ruined beyond repair, an insult to unworthy opponents presumably. Of all the Chapter, only a handful of bodies were left undefiled: Reclusiarch Jorus and his Death Company, clad in their battered and broken black ceramite, seated in makeshift thrones made from the bodies and armor of those Black Legion warriors they had killed on that fateful night.

Pure. Distilled. MotherFuckin' Awesome!

In the same vein as [[The World Engine]]. Proof that GW can still write cool stories, where all sides get their time to shine and get bloodied in equal measure.

{{Marines-Characters}}

[[Category:Blood Angels]]

Tactical Squad

2023-05-29T23:50:25Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:TacticalMarine7th.jpg|270px|right|thumb|Meet the most vanilla of vanillas. The mascot of the entirety of Warhammer.]]
{{Topquote|Initiate tactical advance.|[[Tarkus]]}}

A '''Tactical Squad''' is a squad of [[Space Marines]] who are used as the flexible backbone of Space Marine chapters. Having previously served in both [[Assault Squad|Assault]] and [[Devastator Squad|Devastator]] squads, Tactical Marines have experience in both heavy weapons and close quarters combat, and are thus ideal for any type of combat situation. Tactical Marines are armed with [[bolter|bolters]] for ranged combat and a bolt pistol and combat blade (most humans would consider it a short sword, but in Astartes hands it is a knife) for close combat even though they were trained in and spent years using a chainsword. Some members will be armed with specialist weapons like a [[Flamer]], [[Grav-Weaponry#Grav-Gun|Grav-Gun]], [[Heavy Bolter]], or [[Missile Launcher]]. The squad's [[Brother-Sergeant]] will usually be armed with a [[chainsword]], [[power weapon]], or [[combi-weapon]].

The lore supporting Tactical Marines states that they've mastered every form of Astartes warfare: they are experts who are fully versed in all of their Chapter's tactics and wargear. So, in theory, any individual Tactical Marine could slip into any other role immediately if needed. Unfortunately, the fiction doesn't usually portray them being used this way, and they can't be used that way on the tabletop at all. Some people claim that this makes Tactical Marines ineffective, but this just isn't true. In 8th/9th Edition, a Tactical squad sitting in cover on an objective can be a very hard nugget for your opponent to crack, and the amount of firepower that the squad can spit out is also quite formidable. Furthermore, regular Space Marines are way, way toned down on the tabletop in order for other armies to remain competitive. If you'd like to get a sense of just how scary regular plain-Jane Tactical marines can be, check out the [[Warhammer Films|Astartes]] fan film or the old [[Deathwatch]] RPG by Fantasy Flight Games.

The Dark Angels under the Lion used them best as skirmishers/black ops while most of his Marines were dedicated to armored warfare, heavy weapons, assault, fast attack, or were Terminators. Basically, he did everything right as expected of the Primarch equivalent of Creed, despite being an unlikeable cunt. Tactical Squad equivalents in the Raven Guard and Night Lords were also used in a similar way.

Under a [[Codex Astartes|Codex]]-compliant Chapter, the composition of four battle companies (2nd through 5th) will include six tactical squads, while two of the reserve companies (6th and 7th) will be composed entirely of Tactical Marines who train using bikes and land speeders. Among the [[Space Wolves]], the role of Tactical Marine is filled by the [[Grey Hunter]]s, Wolves who have been promoted out of the [[Blood Claw]]s and show a degree of skill at controlling the inner wolf. Among the [[Black Templars]], the role of Tactical Marines are held by Initiates; those who have received their Black Carapace and have been assigned to oversee the training of a [[Neophyte]].

==Equipment==
All Tactical Marines wear the standard Space Marine [[Mark VII: Aquila/Imperator Armour|Mark VII Aquila Armour]], although certain chapters such as the [[Raven Guard]] and [[Iron Hands]] prefer the [[Mark VI: Corvus Armour|Mark VI Corvus Armour]] (also known as [[Beakie|Beakie Armour]]) and [[Mark IV: Maximus Armour|Mark IV Maximus Armour]] respectively, whilst other... poorer chapters like the [[Space Sharks|Carcharodons]] are forced to rely on the <s>older</s> bargain bin [[Mark V: Heresy Armour|Mark V Heresy Armour]]. Back in the [[Great Crusade]], Tactical Squads all wore [[Mark II: Crusade Armour|Mark II Crusade Armour]] and [[Mark III: Iron Armour|Mark III Iron Armour]], but by the time of the [[Horus Heresy]], these obsolete shits were being phased out by newer and more modern power armour, so it is very rare to see modern Space Marine chapters to house these older museum pieces nowadays.

Other than power armour, they carry a [[Bolt Pistol|bolt pistol,]] a [[Astartes Boltgun|boltgun,]] and [[Grenades & Explosives#Frag Grenade|frag]] or [[Grenades & Explosives#Krak Grenade|krak grenades]]. They may also be armed with a variety of [[Flamer#Flamer|Flamers]], [[Meltagun]]s, [[Grav-Gun]]s, [[Plasma Gun]]s, [[Heavy Bolter]]s, [[Lascannon]]s, [[Missile Launcher#Missile Launcher|Missile Launchers]], [[Multi-Melta]]s, and [[Plasma Cannon]]s. If you are a Space Marine Chapter with good relations with [[Forgeworld]] Graia, you may gain exclusive access to the [[Vengeance Grenade Launcher]] too. During the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy, it was quite common to see at least half a squad of Tacticals wielding boltguns with [[Chain Weapon#Chainblade|chainblade]] attachments. By the 41st millennium, however, such attachments are rare.

The Space Marine Sergeant may also have melta bombs and a teleport homer, and can exchange his boltgun and/or bolt pistol for a [[Chainsword]], [[Combi-Melta]], [[Combi-Flamer]], [[Combi-Plasma]], [[Storm Bolter]], [[Grav-Pistol]], [[Plasma Pistol]], [[Power weapon]], or [[Powerfist]].

==On the tabletop==
[[File:Lords of macragge by majesticchicken.jpg|500px|thumb|right|A tactical squad displaying a surprising amount of CQC ability against Orks]]
As of 9th edition, Scouts have been shuffled off to the Elites section and replaced with various flavours of [[Primaris Marines|Primaris]]. This means that if you're still stubbornly anti-Primaris, you'd better get used to tactical squads. They're now your ONLY firstborn option for Troops.

Offensively, a bare-bones tactical squad is on the wrong side of mediocre. The classic bolter suffered from losing its AP in the move to 8th edition, and even bolter discipline isn't enough to offset its low fire rate, making their shooting surprisingly anaemic. They're little better in melee, where at best they can expect to dish out two S4 attacks, again without AP.

Defensively, tacs have benefitted from moving to 2W, doubling their resistance to most small-arms fire, and T4 with a 3+ save makes them reasonably durable. Unfortunately, there's nothing about them that really puts them in a sweet spot of resilience like lots of wounds, high toughness or FNP, and 9th has increased the number of weapons which are D2, so while the extra wound is nice in practice there are plenty of ways for opponents to mop them up quickly.

Beyond the classic flavour, one the main reasons to use Tactical Squads is their access to heavy weapons. Most heavy weapons have seen a points drop in 9th edition, and can be fired after moving at a small penalty when rolling to-hit. Adding a heavy weapon to a tactical squad can ''dramatically'' boost their effectiveness; for just a measly 10pts, adding a grav-cannon will more than triple your average outgoing damage against enemy marines, while either a lascannon or multi-melta makes for a viable anti-vehicle punch. Even the missile launcher is a good choice here, allowing tactical squads to remain flexible and plug holes that emerge in your offensive options as the battle goes on and more important units get wiped out. [[Salamanders]] in particular love this because their free wound re-roll is most efficient when the good guns are spread over multiple squads.

If your opponent wants to get rid of them, they need to go through 8 T4 3+ wounds first, meaning they [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX|need to focus on completely destroying the unit with firepower that could be pointed at your other, more important units - and all they're removing is a unit that isn't really all that dangerous anyway.]] However, if they just ignore the tactical squad, so long as you choose the appropriate targets a heavy weapon will usually more than pay for itself over the course of the battle.

Another merit the Tactical squad has over [[Primaris Marines]] is mobility. Primaris troops will need to hitch a ride in either the [[Impulsor]] or [[Repulsor Tank|Repulsor]], while the Tacs can take either a [[Rhino]] or [[Razorback]]. The Rhino is by far the cheapest option and carries 10 models, so is ideal if all you want is a cheap, speedy box with no expensive frills, while the pricier Razorback holds just 6 but makes up for it with access to heavier guns. By contrast, the Impulsor costs the same as Razorback and carries the same number of models; it's very marginally tougher and slightly faster, but has a notably weaker ranged armament. The Repulsor is most akin to a Land Raider, and like a Land Raider, using it to ferry bog-standard Troops around instead of more valuable units is a completely waste of potential and points.

Paradoxically, the main strength of a tactical squad therefore lies in the fact that it's ''kind of a shitty unit''. For this reason, always take a heavy weapon; the worst-case scenario is that it'll be shot off the board before it can fire, and since you have to take troops as a tax anyway you're only paying the cost of the weapon, which is low enough to be expendable. Remember, every wound you suffer here is one fewer for your devastators, veterans or centurions - and if the heavy weapon marine survives then your opponent's shooting until that point is basically wasted.

==Gallery==

<gallery>
image:UltramarinesTacticalSquad.png|<center>Ultramarines</center>
image:BloodAngelsTacticalSquad.png|<center>Blood Angels</center>
image:IronHandsTacticalSquad.png|<center>Iron Hands</center>
image:MarkIIITacticalSquad.png|<center>Ultramarines</center><center>(Heresy-era, Mark III, note that they all have chainswords)</center>
image:MarkIVTacticalSquad.png|<center>Ultramarines</center><center>(Heresy-era, Mark IV)</center>
</gallery>

== See Also ==

* Primaris [[Intercessor]]

* Grey Knight [[Strike Squad]]

* Adepta Sororitas [[Battle Sister Squad]]

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Imperial]]

[[Category: Space Marines]]

[[Category: Official Space Marine Chapters]]

[[Category: Blood Angels]]

[[Category: Dark Angels]]

{{Marines-Forces}}

{{Blood Angels}}

{{Dark Angels}}

Scout Squad

2023-05-29T23:49:31Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[Image:Space_Marine_Scouts.jpg|right|250px|thumb|[[Astartes Boltgun|Bolter]] (& [[Chainsword]]) Scouts]]
:''For the [[D&D]] [[class]], see [[Scout (D&D)]].

{{Topquote|Forget all your preconceptions of war, of battle-lines clashing in the churned ground. Your mission is to attack before the foe even realises that the war has begun, to strike hard at those vital weaknesses that all armies possess, but that no commander will admit to. Under my tutelage you will learn how to seek out such fragilities and smite them with every weapon at your disposal. Master these duties and I will have nothing more to teach, and you will truly be a Space Marine.|Sergeant [[Torias Telion]]}}

{{Topquote|Grass grows, birds fly, sun shines, and brother, I hurt people.|The Scout, ''Team Fortress 2''}}

In [[Space Marine]] Chapters that follow the [[Codex Astartes]], '''Scouts''' are Space Marines in training. They have not yet gained the Black Carapace, the [[gene-seed]] organ that allows a Marine to interface with his [[power armour]], so they just lug around in un-powered [[Scout Armour]] instead. They are usually organized into squads in the Tenth Company, and are [[Reasonable Marines|the only Marines that regularly wield]] [[Sniper Rifle]]s/[[Nemesis Bolter]]s [[Reasonable Marines|or use camouflage]] (although, in some Chapters and the [[Deathwatch]], full Marines do use both), although sometimes, they can also use an [[Astartes Assault Shotgun]] or a regular [[Boltgun|Bolter]] if things get hectic. Fittingly, the [[Raven Guard]] use a lot of Scouts, since their combat doctrine centers around infiltration and sabotage. Once he serves about ten years as a Scout, the Space Marine receives his Black Carapace and power armour, and is sent off to the [[Devastator Squad]]s.

They are led by a Sergeant, who is usually a member of a [[Tactical Squad]] that chooses to impart his wisdom to a younger generation, but may also be a Veteran Scout who refused the opportunity to become a full-fledged Space Marine. In the case of the [[Blood Ravens]], they are led by [[Steve Blum]] voicing an angsty, ineffectual dork, who he hopes one day to teach all the Blood Ravens to be angsty, ineffectual dorks. His most important lesson is to go out of the way to point out problems and question every solution as if it was the most inexperienced idea you've ever heard.

Also, if you even say the word [[Meme|"bonk"]] within a hundred feet of an [[Angry Marine]] Scout with a Power Bat, he will beat you so hard you won't know which end of your sternum you're looking through.

Back in the times of the Great Crusade however, the Space Marine Legions didn't have Scouts at all. Instead they had the even better Legion [[Reconnaissance Squad]]s. Instead of being made out of simple Neophytes that were to experience their tour of actual combat, Legion Reconnaissance Squads were made out of experts at reconnaissance, intel gathering, guerilla warfare, assassinations and sabotage. If they were fighting along their brethren on the battlefield, then they'd become flankers and wreck havoc and confusion among the enemy's ranks. The [[Primaris Space Marines|Primaris]] would revive this concept with [[Eliminator]]s.
[[Image:SpaceMarineScouts.png|left|250px|thumb|[[Sniper Rifle|Sniper]] (& [[Missile Launcher#Missile Launcher|Missile Launcher]]) Scouts]]
=== A history of stat lines ===
So how mighty is the Scout, as Junior Marine, on a stat line basis? Well, he has always gotten slightly worse armour, due to not being power armoured.

In 2E's Codex Imperialis and Codex Ultramarines, Scouts had M4 WS4 BS3 S4 T3 W1 I4 A1 Ld7, which made then as good at punching as Space Marines (as Tactical Marines had 4 in all stats besides W and A was the space marine), but not as good at taking punches or shooting shit and they were slightly more prone to breaking when compared to their full brothers.
3rd Edition saw the Scouts get a good buff by becoming nearly-identical statwise to Tacticals, with the exception of their armor and loadouts.
[[Image:Raptors_Scout_Marine.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Scouts from the [[Raptors (Chapter)|Raptors]] chapter.]]

It was only around 5th where the Scout predilection for shooting came to the fore with WS3 and BS4. This made them guardsmen when it comes to punching things but space marines in the wounding. By 6th edition, all scouts/claws had space marine muscles, but had the finesse of a guardsman. When the Space Wolf and Blood Angel codices continued the trend, everyone expected this to hold through the edition. Then the Space Marine Codex dropped. At no point increase on anything, scouts and anything scout related got WS/BS 4. The Dark Angel codex dropped as well, with the same stat line boost as the Space Marine codex, and free access to Grim Resolve (i.e. Chapter Tactics for Dark Angels). This led to half of the Adeptus Astartes books having junior Marines with WS/BS 4. Meanwhile, the Space Wolves' Sky and Blood Claws get Rage and the old statline. It's still full of [[derp]], as this makes their power armor and frothing rabid rage offset their inexperience.

This leads us to 8th. Here, scouts remain equivalent to marines in stats while keeping their sneaky in different ways. ''Camo Cloak'' lets them add +2 to their save when they get shot from cover, which gives them durability equal to a similarly concealed marine. ''Concealed Positions'' pretty much is the old Scout USR, allowing a Scout unit to deploy anywhere on the board, so long as it's at least 9" away from an enemy unit.

=== I Can't Believe It's Not A Scout™ ===

Though using Neophytes as Scouts was established when the [[Emperor]] formed the [[Legiones Astartes]], not all [[Chapter]]s utilize them as Scouts:
*'''[[Space Wolves]] Wolf Scout:''' Scouts in the Space Wolves are bitter, experienced veterans taken from the Grey Hunters (the Space Wolves equivalent of the Tactical Marines); most of them are introverts that find it hard to fit in with the rest of the (incredibly gregarious) Space Wolves and prefer to operate more-or-less alone. New recruits are put in [[Blood Claw|Blood Claw squads]] instead. As a result, far from being recon-in-force fodder, Wolf Scouts are [[Ork Kommando|total operators]]. They're experts in demolitions, infiltration, sniping, target analysis, and generally sowing chaos in the enemy ranks.

*'''[[Black Templars]] Neophytes:''' The Black Templars are too cool to use Scouts. Instead, when an Initiate (the Black Templar equivalent of a Tactical Marine) decides he has learned enough, he takes on a Marine-in-training, referred to as Neophytes, which are then mixed into Crusader squads. This is nominally to pass the experience of an Initiate to a Neophyte, but in reality, the Neophytes just make amazing meatshields. And weapons caddies.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Imperial]]

[[Category: Space Marines]]

[[Category: Official Space Marine Chapters]]

[[Category: Blood Angels]]

[[Category: Dark Angels]]

{{Marines-Forces}}

{{Blood Angels}}

{{Dark Angels}}

Sanguinor

2023-05-29T23:45:41Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:I ve been reborn wip by rumbles-d3hyj4e.jpg|550px|thumbnail|right|To the left, [[Sanguinius]] himself. To the right, the Sanguinor in person. Not so different.]]
{{Topquote|In a [[Baal|far-off land]] where you have never wandered, there is a castle by the name of Montsalvat. And in the midst stands a light-filled temple more rich and lovely than anything else on [[Terra|Earth]]. Therein is kept a blessed miraculous vessel guarded as a sacred relic. Only men of the purest heart may guard it, therefore it was brought to Earth by a host of holy angels. Once every year a dove descends from Heaven to strengthen it anew with wondrous powers. The Grail it is called! It imparts upon its [[Blood Angels|brotherhood of Knights]] a [[Sisters of Battle|most blessed faith]]. Whosoever is [[Corbulo|chosen to protect the Grail]], the Grail itself arms with [[Mephiston|wondrous powers]]. No [[Avatar of Khaine|force]] [[Age of Sigmar|of]] [[Chaos|evil]] can overpower [[Dante|him]]; for once he has looked upon the Grail the [[Black Rage|gloom of death]] [[Awesome|flees from him]]. And even when he is sent to far-off lands appointed by the Grail to be [[Neckbeard|the champion of righteousness]], even there the holy power will still serves him; as long as he remains [[Grey Knights|nameless and unknown]], the power is his. For [[Geneseed|the blessing of the Grail]] is so [[Adeptus Custodes|fabulous]] that it may not be revealed to [[Matt Ward|the uninitiated]]. And so, the Knight of the Grail must never be [[Dark Angels|doubted]], for once his name and identity are known, he must leave the land. So, now, hear how I reward the forbidden question:|Lohengrin, Act III, by Richard Wagner}}

Among the [[Blood Angels]], there is nobody more mysterious than the Sanguinor. Known by the moniker of Exemplar of the Host, this mighty angelic warrior appears out of nowhere [[Legion of the Damned]] style whenever <s> plot armor fails </s> Blood Angel forces are in serious jeopardy while fighting.

==About the Exemplar of The Host==
Nobody knows who or even what the Sanguinor is. The marines believe that he's no more than a myth, while the Chaplains keep extremely detailed records on when he appeared during the millennia, and Dante's served so long that he's actually seen the Sanguinor several times, albeit rarely. Some believe that he's the personification of [[Sanguinius|Sanguinius's]] noble and idealistic side (while the rest took form of both the Red Thirst and Black Rage) that disappeared after the Primarch got slain by [[Horus]]. The [[Sanguinary Guard]] on the other hand think that the Sanguinor is actually Azkaellon. The latter is less believable for one single thing. The average lifespan of a Blood Angel is even greater than that of any non-[[Dreadnought]] or non-[[Chaos Space Marine]] (can live up nearly a thousand years or longer as [[Dante]] proved it thanks to their blood drinking habits), yet even the Blood Angels can't live that long. That would mean that Azkaellon should be as old as [[Bjorn]] (if not slightly older). This makes it completely impossible, unless he did find a way to increase his lifespan (but that is wild speculations, as well that nobody knows if the Space Marines have waaay longer lifespans than humans, or are truly immortal, unless he's a [[Perpetual]], which would suddenly amp up the (secret) political importance of the Blood Angels to raise the attention of the [[Inquisition|Historical Revision Unit]]).

However, it should be noted that it is rare for a Space Marine to die of old age, as many die on the battlefield before they even get close to that sort of age. But Cypher is over 10,000 years old, and the Salamanders (in Nick Kymes 2009 ''Salamanders'' novel) found a living Space Marine that crashed into the planet Scoria sometime in the Great Crusade. This also makes him as old as Bjorn and Cypher, while alienating him completely from any sort of Chaos effects. In the book Pandorax (2015 Novel by C.Z. Dunn), a [[Grey Knight]], supposedly one of the first grand masters, was found locked away in a mountain to guard an ancient chaos gateway. Considering that the first GK grand masters were chosen by Malcador himself and were among the last people to see the Emperor before his battle with Horus and ''[[Grimdark|elevation]]'' to the Golden Throne, that would easily make him around the 10k age range too. Thus it is entirely possible for the Sanguinor to be 10,000 years old while still phasing in and out of reality, a la Legion of the Damned. And if he is phasing in and out of the warp, doesn't time move differently in the warp anyway?

Our beloved [[HERESY]] detecting [[Inquisition|paranoia driven nutballs]] on the other hand speculate that the Sanguinor is neither of the first two, instead being something of a [[Daemon|warp creature]] created by the mass desire and need of the Chapter, proving that the Angels are slowly spiralling down into corruption (disregard it all as mad Monodominant propaganda). Whatever the truth is, the Sanguinor is part of the heritage of the Blood Angels and their loyalty to the [[Emperor]] and [[Imperium]].

Everyone seems to forget apothecary [[Meros]], who, not only "travelled" 10 thousand years in the future to "meet" [[Rafen]], but also saved his primarch's life on Signus Prime, by offering himself to possession instead of letting Sanguinius be trapped; though later used by Horus, he may have found a way to overpower the demon inside of him and become the Sanguinor.

===True Origins===
The GW digital advent calendar presented us with a story called '''"The Herald of Sanguinius"'''. Set at the beginning of the [[Imperium Secundus]], the [[Derp|New]] [[Emperor]] [[Sanguinius]] finds himself overwhelmed by petitions from people who wish to speak to him.

Captain of the [[Sanguinary Guard]] [[Azkaellon]], already considered a bit possessive in his duties as a bodyguard, gets a bit paranoid about letting all these people see his [[Primarch|father]], as he suspects treachery and betrayal everywhere. Sanguinius agrees that he cannot sit on a throne all day and hear petitions, so between them they agree to create a Herald who will speak for Sanguinius whenever the Primarch is busy doing something else.

To this end, the Sanguinary Guard came together and allowed two of their number, '''Aratron''' and Haratial to nominate themselves for this new position of "stand-in Emperor", then left the room whilst they drew straws between them. The "winner" was Aratron, whilst [[Azkaellon]] slew Haratial to keep Aratron's identity a secret ''(though any Blood Angel with half a brain would have realised that both guards were missing and had a 50/50 chance of guessing the right one)'' Then Aratron's face was permanently sealed within a golden mask and from then on referred to only as "The Sanguinor".

However, the original Aratron-Sanguinor stood in Sanguinius' stead on Davin by holding a daemon of Chaos Undivided in place, trapped in a portal between the warp and reality upon a fulcrum of destiny while the planet was then obliterated from orbit. This was a task that Sanguinius had set himself in the hopes of sparing the Blood Angels from the Black Rage without turning into a monster even worse than Horus as his visions suggested would happen to him if he survived the Horus Heresy, though realised in another vision that his sons would suffer the Black Rage on the event of his death in any case. However, the Sanguinor stepped in wordlessly and stood for him, setting the example of the best that Blood Angels could possibly be, becoming a symbol much more than a "warrior of flesh and bone." Sanguinius also observed that he began transforming into a "golden angelic form" as he entered the portal.

Azkaellon would later survive the Horus Heresy as the sole remaining Sanguinary Guard and also the only person who knew the identity of the Sanguinor, meaning unless he took the role himself or appointed a new one, the secret died with him. In modern 40k it is quite possible that the Sanguinor is just a continuation of the old tradition of creating a herald for their Primarch. If the role is ''not'' just simply a succession of individuals wearing the same armour then the original Aratron may exist in warp limbo in a similar way to [[Kaldor Draigo]] if not becoming an outright warp entity himself, potentially being summoned by all the mass worship of Sanguinius throughout all the Imperium, unlike any other Imperial Saint or Primarch. Since the Ministorum's usual worship is enough to create small "miracles" for the Adepta Sororitas, having the original Sanguinor become the genuine "Angel" of the Imperium and popping out of the warp whenever he is required makes a level of sense.

==The Khartas Incident==
One of his appearances was on the planet Khartas when the Blood Angels were pursuing Ork Freebooterz. The Ork vessel that crashed on the planet had its warp drive go haywire, allowing [[Daemons]] of [[Khorne]] to pour through the portal that was created by the drive. The horde of Daemons were led by Ka'Bandha (the same douche of a Greater Daemon that fought Sanguinius back during the Horus Heresy), who quickly slew nearly all of the thirty Blood Angels that made planetfall. The Daemonic Horde went to finish off the surviving marines that had [[Death Korps of Krieg|entrenched]] themselves in a ruined Cathedral, when the Sanguinor appeared out of nowhere and did the following:

- Bitchslapped Ka'Bandha out of the skies via the aerial variant of dynamic entry.

- Fought marine to daemon with him. The two fought with such [[Fist of the North Star|speed and ferocity]] that they couldn't best each other.

- Broke Ka'Bandha's Axe in order to twist the odds of the battle in his favour.

- Penetrated him through the heart with his sword.

- [[AWESOME|Flew with the Daemon up to the planet's exosphere and YEETED him so hard from there into the surface that it resulted in a giant blood-filled crater (the gore is still around to this day)]].

After finishing off the Greater Daemon, the Blood Angels and Sanguinor finished off the rest of his horde and destroyed the Ork warp drive.

When the Stormraven Gunships appeared to pick up the survivors, the Sanguinor vanished as fast as he appeared.

There was also that one time when he showed up in the dreams of a Heresy-era Apothecary somehow, which makes his identity even more confusing- quite notably, said Apothecary was unable to tell the difference between the Sanguinor and Sanguinius himself. Make of that what you will.

==Current Status==
The Sanguinor appeared to help the Blood Angels in the Shield of Baal campaign against the [[Tyranids]] after telling a weary Dante that there's still hope.

He shows up to help Karlean out in the new Angel's Blade campaign and beats the shit out of a Lord of Skulls. NEVER TRY THIS ON THE TABLETOP!! You will die hilariously easy.

He was last seen confiding with Dante after the latter sacrificed the world of Aeros to delay the Tyranid's advance towards Baal. In the final moments of the Devastation of Baal he finally appeared at the head of a host of the Legion of the Damned which tore the tyranids to shreds, and again later in a vision when Dante was near death (after taking down the Swarm Lord) before heralding Sanguinius. Take note that the latter two took place in the wake of the opening of the Great Rift, which may have granted him a greater amount of power and agency.

In the wake of the opening of the Great Rift, and the splitting of the Imperium in twain, the Sanguinor apparently has a new role -- as a beacon of safety that the Blood Angels and their Successors can follow as they traverse the Warp while in Imperium Nihilus.

==On the Tabletop==
{| class=wikitable
! || Pts || WS || BS || S || T || W || A || Ld || Sv
|-
| '''The Sanguinor:''' || 150 || 2+ || 2+ || 4 || 4 || 5 || 5|| 9 || 2+/4++
|}

The Sanguinor: Definitely not the primarch, unless Sanguinius was the runt of the litter. Turns out he's just Aratron suped up by the warp. Still a badass. 8th's handling of characters means that this guy's biggest weakness, the inability to join a bodyguard unit, has been completely negated.

His Encarmine Broadsword is S +2 AP -4 D 2, making him an absolute murder machine against 2 wound marines. Nearby Blood Angels get an extra attack in melee (which doesn't stack with shock assault), and he can charge after falling back from combat, letting him get out of tarpits and then into combat with the small, elite squads he wants to be killing. Plus, his Death Mask knocks a point of morale off nearby units, making those kills hurt even worse.

Given he has an aura granting +1 attacks to all Blood Angels Infantry within 6" and he has the Blood Angels and Infantry keywords, just like a Captain granting reroll 1's The Sanguinor will never not have 6 attacks. Savage Echoes can bring it up to 7 attacks! Though the aura doesn't do anything in the event a core unit is charged or is charging, it is useful in the case in which a blood angel unit was unable to kill an enemy in the initial charge. They want to Always Be Charging after all.

Remember to throw a grenade each turn, if possible. He may not have a gun, but at least it's something to do with that BS 2+.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:TheSanguinor.jpg|His mini in all of its fabulousness. Also, PROMOTIONS!!!
File:The sanguinor by rumbles-d4vd4n7.jpg|That Fabulous poker face of his.
File:Sanguinor s death mask wip by rumbles-d4wj4gj.jpg|If what the Sanguinary Guard said about The Sanguinor was true (as well as the Inquisition), then Azkaellon wouldn't look human at all, or the Sanguinor would have been a warp abomination rather than a Space Marine. So better if you think of him as Sanguinius reborn. That's all.
</gallery>

{{Marines-Characters}}

[[Category:Blood Angels]]

Sanguinius

2023-05-29T23:43:52Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

{{awesome}}
[[Image:SanguiniusArt5mt.jpg|thumb|500px|Papa Sang, as drawn by a [[Remembrancer]] during the Great Crusade. Looking ''100% FABULOUS''.]]
{{Topquote|A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.|Joseph Campbell}}
{{Topquote|Was there ever another Guardian so beloved by the people?|Paean to Saint-14, Destiny}}
{{Topquote|My good blade carves the casques of men,<br>My tough lance thrusteth sure,<br>My strength is as the strength of ten,<br>Because my heart is pure.|Sir Galahad, Tennyson}}

'''Sanguinius''', '''The Great Angel''', '''The Brightest One''', '''Lord of Baal''', '''The Master of Hosts''', (also known as '''Papa Sang''', '''[[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device|Fabulous Fucking Hawk-Boy]]''', '''Space Jesus''', '''Definitely Not Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant''', '''Primarch Fabulous''' to the people of /tg/), '''Sanguinius, Beloved by All''' was (and that 'was' is quite significant) the [[Primarch]] of the [[Blood Angels]] [[Chapter]] (formerly legion) of [[Space Marines]]. He was notable for the fuckhueg angel-like wings (not to be confused with the actual [[the Angel|Angel]]) that "mutated" out of his back during his childhood on his home planet, [[Baal]], as well as his heroic deeds during the [[Great Crusade]]. Unfortunately, Sanguinius was slain by [[Horus]] during his eponymous [[Horus Heresy|Heresy]], though it is widely believed that it was Sanguinius' weakening of the Arch-Traitor which made it possible for the [[Emperor]] to shut Horus's big, stupid, [[heresy]]-spewing mouth once and for all, and thus save mankind from the clutches of [[Chaos]].

[[FAIL|And for some reason the Black Library likes drawing him with silly hair rolls]]. Though at least his model accurately depicts his FABULOUS flowing hair, second only to the Emperor himself. Cry me a river [[Fulgrim]].

==Origins==
[[Image:Warhammer-40000-Sang-Primarchs-.jpeg|300px|thumb|A young Sangi rolelplaying his way through Jesus.]]
Like the rest of the Primarchs, Sanguinius was bio-engineered on [[Terra]] to serve as a general in the [[Emperor]]'s armies, and was stolen in his infancy and carried away across the galaxy by daemonic agents of [[Chaos]] in an attempt to foil the Emperor's efforts to unite humanity. Landing on [[Baal]], he was found by the Folk of the Blood, a local tribe who raised him to manhood. They were going to kill him for being a mutant, but when it became clear that Sanguinius was a badass warrior-prodigy the likes of which they'd never seen, they decided he was worth keeping. After all, Sanguinius was actually a pretty nice guy for [[Warhammer 40,000|40k]], and he was pretty handy at fighting off those other mutants that kept attacking them from Baal's radioactive deserts, which he could walk through without any protection. As such, Sanguinius quickly ascended as a leader among the tribes of Baal and drove back the hordes of mutants threatening their hold on the world, eventually attaining a near god-like status among the planet's denizens.

After the Emperor found Baal and bade Sanguinius to assume his rightful place among his armies. After a back-and-forth discussion with the Emprah, Sanguinius pledged his loyalty in exchange for the Emperor leaving Baal alone. This was both because he wanted to keep the planet as it was for the sake of developing Legion recruits, and because most of the population had insisted on worshiping him. Sanguinius had never encouraged this practice but had known that, as a 10 foot tall Giga-chad with angel wings, the stunted, heavily mutated inhabitants of Baal were going to worship him whether he liked it or not. Obviously Big E frowned rather lethally upon worship, and Sanguinius did not want his people to come to harm. The Emperor agreed, the greatest of Sanguinius' tribal warriors were extended the honor of joining the [[Space Marines|Adeptus Astartes]], and were thereafter implanted with the gene-seed drawn from Sanguinius' genome. These men became the first members of the ninth Space Marine legion to be founded, and the [[Blood Angels]] were born (not from Terra at least).

==The Great Crusade==
[[File:7d9a85e6e4a368bb435e943fc891a25b.jpg|thumbnail|right|250px|Sanguinius (left) and Horus whooping some ass together before [[Erebus|SOMEBODY]] had to go and damn the Imperium to an eternity of [[Grimdark|war, cultural stagnation, paranoia and self destructive behaviour]].]]
Joining the [[Great Crusade]], Sanguinius became best buds with fellow Primarchs [[Horus]], [[Roboute Guilliman]], [[Magnus the Red]], [[Jaghatai Khan]] and [[Rogal Dorn]]. Ironically (and later, tragically), his friendship with Horus is said to have been closer than that of any of the other Primarchs. Which, this being Warhammer, went straight to hell when the [[Horus Heresy]] started. He was easily the most [[Pretty Marines|fabulous]] of all the Emperor's generals (SUCK IT [[Fulgrim|FULGRIM]]); he wore a glowing, ornate set of golden artificer armor adorned with huge rubies which represented Terra, Baal, and Baal's moons, and his magnificent white wings would spread behind him as he took to the skies of the battlefield. But Sanguinius's beauty was not merely skin deep, as Fulgrim's often was. For instance, the Khan noted during a small family chat that while Sanguinius and Fulgrim were similarly resplendent, Sanguinius was completely at ease in his aspect, where Fulgrim seemed a bit brittle. At the same time, the Great Angel gave the impression that he'd be perfectly willing to cast off his finery, whereas Fulgrim gave the impression that he would rather die. Basically, in Sanguinius' case, [[Games Workshop|Geedubs]] abandoned all pretense of being subtle about the whole "the Emperor is God, the primarchs are the archangels, and Horus is Lucifer" thing—like, to the point that Sanguinius became known simply as "The Angel" among the armies of mankind.

After a short stint on Terra and a quick tour with Horus, Sang' got reunited with his Legion, which up to that point... kind of had a nasty reputation as being the ones to take on foul jobs and [[/tg/ gets shit done|getting them done]] [[Grimdark|no matter how hostile the warzone]] and laden with rumours of... just as foul behaviour (they weren't known as [[cannibalism|The Eaters of the Dead]] for no reason.) Being the bro'est of the bro's, Sanguinius didn't go all [[Lorgar|preachy]], [[Perturabo|vindictive]] or [[Angron|homicidally]] [[Night Haunter|insane]] on them; he merely told them: "Guys, show me what you've got." He came, saw and what he liked (like their tenacity and valor at arms) he promoted. What he didn't like (like the charnel rites of succession) he worked to contain and minimize, but without punishment or chastisement. What they lacked (like an appreciation of anything beside war) he endeavored to teach them. It is telling that, in a record amount of time, the newly christened (hah!) "Blood Angels" went from one of the most reviled to one of the most beloved Legions under his guidance.

He did some pretty cool shit during the Crusade too, at one point taking on an entire blood-mad Eldar Craftworld with a third of his Legion. Admittedly it was a struggle - the Craftworld fielded Wraiths in large numbers - and had to deploy the Ordo Sinister psy-Titans after massive Eldar Wraith machines destroyed his Legio Fureans allies, but still, Sanguinius managed to tear the head off one of the walkers. Not a sparkly, feathery man to fuck with.

Though not first in favor among the Emprah's Primarchs (that position belonged to Horus, pre-heresy), [[Magnus the Red|or the biggest psychic powerhouse]], [[Roboute Guilliman|or the best at empire-building]], [[Lorgar|or even the one who looked most like Dad]], Sanguinius was said to have the best ''blend'' of the Big E's attributes (which, considering the fact that space marines are a toned-down version of their primarchs, may imply the Blood Angels are the most similar to the Emperor). While a lot of the Space Marine legions and their generals fought in the Great Crusade just for the sake of glory and a good battle, Sanguinius and his Blood Angels fought for what the Emperor himself did: [[Noblebright|a better galaxy, a peaceful galaxy, one where humanity would be united, happy, and prosperous]]. During the Crusade, the Blood Angels formed a friendly rivalry with the [[World Eaters]] legion (yet another relationship the Horus Heresy would royally buttfuck), because both were noted for being assault-oriented shock troops; however, while they were pretty evenly matched in their level of prowess, saddled with the Butcher's Nails, the World Eaters were straight-up lunatics in combat, whereas the Blood Angels' ferocity was channeled and refined when it needed to be by Sanguinius' wisdom. The World Eaters fury ran hot, where the Blood Angels ran cold.

Also, everyone loved the guy. Even at the depths of his heresy, even ''Horus'' wished Sanguinius was one of his generals. [[meme|And he was a good guy who doesn't afraid of anything]].

===Signus Prime and Ka'Bandha===
[[Image:Signusianclash.jpg|thumb|left|400px|''"[[Awesome|If you truly do hail from the realm that men once called hell, when you return there, tell your kindred it was Sanguinius who threw you back.]]"'' —Sanguinius, taking a small moment to deliver this line after decapitating a [[Keeper of Secrets]] and [[rip and tear|"relieving"]] [[Khorne]]'s mightiest servant of his wings, and just generally setting the stage for Ka'Bandha's future [[butthurt]].]]

At one point during the Great Crusade, Sanguinius and the Blood Angels were tasked by Warmaster Horus with reclaiming the Signus Cluster from a supposed [[xenos]] infestation and liberating the humans there from their oppressors. However, when they arrived, they found that the entire system had been consumed by the evil influence of the [[Chaos Gods]], and specifically a [[Keeper of Secrets]] calling itself Kyriss [[/d/|the Perverse]]. This was actually a trap set by Horus in an attempt to eliminate Sanguinius early on, because he feared him more than any of his other fellow Primarchs as he was nearly his equal in both combat and commanding. In fact, at one point right before his fall to Chaos, Horus actually admitted to a Remembrancer that he thought that Sanguinius should have been named Warmaster instead of him. Also this was after Horus's corruption and Sanguinius was not aware of the Isstvan conflicts at the time. Long story short, the Blood Angels were stranded in-system, caught off guard, and lost a lot of Marines, ships, and crew, but eventually regrouped and conquered the armies of cultists and Chaos [[daemons]] in the Signus system. Kyriss even manifested on the bridge of the Red Tear, the Blood Angels flagship, from the frames of [[Khorne|eight]] servitors, to taunt Sanguinius. This was also Horus's first true defeat, as there was no benefit gained from the campaign.

But a greater threat soon emerged: [[Ka'bandha]], a powerful [[Bloodthirster]] and one of [[Khorne]]'s greatest servants. He attacked the Blood Angels while taunting Sanguinius in the middle of the battle and claimed that Horus had betrayed him. Refusing to believe this, Sanguinius attacked in [[rage]], and managed to stab his sword right into the daemon's chest and wound him severely. Ka'bandha, almost beaten, distracted the primarch with the truth of horus’s betrayal. Ka'bandha then lashed out with his whip, ensnaring Sanguinius' legs and crushing them. Then, leaving Sanguinius alive for [[Plot armor|some]] [[rage|reason]] (perhaps fearful Sanguinius really would become an angel if he died), then charged off to slay a few hundred Blood Angels. The Red Thirst, already a problem for the Blood Angels, was exacerbated by the psychic shockwaves of each of his sons dying, and Sanguinius vowed that he would take vengeance on Ka'bandha for this atrocity. In the Chaos temple at the centre of the battle, Sanguinius duelled Ka'Bandha again, ripping off a wing and then throwing him off a platform and back through a portal into the realm of Chaos. To top it off, Sanguinius then faced Kyriss and beheaded that sick fuck, promptly ending his rule and Chaos' hold on the system.

In a moment of hesitation, Sanguinius was tempted by the offer of becoming a Chaos Champion in exchange for curing the Red Thirst and Black Rage. Seeing this, Meros jumped straight into the portal, telling his Primarch not to give up hope, turning into the Daemon known as the Red Angel (Meros' geneseed would later be transplanted onto Rafen)

Inspired by his sacrifice Sanguinius was able to say no to the Daemons. This gave him the courage to resist the temptation of Chaos later on when Madai offered the same deal

===Later in the Horus Heresy===
{{topquote|Blade with whom I have lived, blade with whom I now die,<br>serve right and justice one last time, seek one last heart of evil,<br>still one last life of pain. Cut well, old friend, and then farewell.|Sir Orin Neville Smythe}}

After Signus Prime, the majority of the Blood Angels found themselves on the wrong side of the Ruinstorm. Drawn to Macragge by the Pharos, Sanguinius learned that his brothers Guilliman and the Lion were trying to set the beginnings of a second Imperium. Sanguinius reluctantly accepted the premise, and was instated as the Emperor of the Imperium Secundus. Being Emperor didn't sit easily with him, and much of the day-to-day ruling was done by Guilliman and the Lion. After Curze paid him a nasty visit / scrying competition, the Angel demanded more oversight into the affairs of the new Empire. When Curze was finally captured, all three members of the Imperial Triumvirate realised that Terra had not yet fallen, but that Sanguinius would be doomed to die by Horus's hand.

The Angel had in truth already foreseen his death at the hands of Horus, and knew what it would mean for his sons. However, he accepted that his sacrifice was necessary to preserve his father's works in the long run and took solace in the fact that the Blood Angels would continue to follow in his footsteps even as they grappled with the Black Rage. Moreover, via the temptations of chaos he endured with his brothers in the Ruinstorm--he found that the false hope he had been given, namely that he ''could'' survive the end of the Horus Heresy and even triumph, but learned it would come with a terrible cost. He would gain power from Chaos and slay Horus and save his sons from the curse to come--as a [[Wat|Greater Daemon of Chaos Undivided]] made mention that Horus had become an imperfect vessel and that papa-Sang was to take his place as the Angel of Ruin. So in a nutshell it's The Last Temptation of Sanguinius, but with less Willem Dafoe. Naturally space vampire Jesus didn't take the daemon up on the offer and fought his way through a daemon throng until he pinned the daemon halfway through the materium and the warp. In his mind a last defiant act, choosing to neither be slain by Horus or choose chaos, but to die holding the daemon in between the rift to the warp so his Brother-Primarchs could Orbitally Bombard Davin into dust. Unfortunately through vision he realized that the Black Rage would be inevitable, as the proto-rage had filled him by that point, its origins being explained as the violent hatred and rage at the Betrayal of Horus against him and the Emprah, and the sheer pain of his death, existing in the past and future as it resonated through time--and the grief of the death he hadn't experienced yet. [[Doctor Who|Timey Wimey bullshit shenanigans]] aside, if the Jesus metaphors weren't strong enough, [[Sanguinor|Sanguinius' Herald]] stepped up to the plate and planted his sword in the Daemon's spine and held it there so Sanguinius wouldn't have to die there. And with that last act the flickers of hope that had died in Sanguinius rekindled and witnessed the miracle of a new Angel coming into being. The Herald was empowered by the warp, glowing a radiant gold with the outline of wings springing from his shoulders as he became in the Primarch's own words the "Son of my hope". Explaining the origins of one of the Blood Angel's specialest of snowflakes, making him a Draigo/Celestine-esque Daemon Prince of Sanguinius. That sound you're hearing is the noise of every Puritan Inquisitor's blood-vessels bursting in their eyes.

On a positive, because of the Triumvirate of Primarch's success on Davin the [[Warp Storm|Ruinstorm]] abated revealing a straight shot to Terra, on a negative, Horus had left a massive fleet to protect the way there [[Just As Planned|(how he knew that THAT place would be the way that opened for them is a bit of a mystery)]] and all tactical scenarios concluded that if they tried to engage them simultaneously they would only be mired down so that none of them could reach Terra. So the Primarchs decided to split up, taking a page out of the Codex of Brother Vincentius Lombardius, they would split the defense and rush the goal: Guilliman using the sheer bulk of his larger fleet to engage the traitors while the Lion fell back and attacked the traitor Legion's homeworlds, burning them with extreme prejudice, while the Blood Angels hung back long enough for Guilliman to break the bulk of the armada and the Lion to draw away and contend with the forces that splintered away as he burnt their homes, giving us a nice tidy bow of exactly where the hell the other primarchs were when shit happened. As Sanguinius corroborated his visions with Curze, he felt that he had come across a revelation - hence the need for his Legion to be the ones to reach Terra. He may have been fated to perish at the hands of Horus, but even if destiny was set, the consequence could be altered. He would fight and die, but his sacrifice would allow the Imperium to persist. He let Curze in on this, letting him in on the razor-thin hope of the future's mutability; he said he could take the Night Haunter to the Emperor, and that the Big-E could do something Konrad had never thought of exploring: he could forgive him. Just as a spark of hope entered his eyes, Sanguinius promised that he wouldn't allow that for Curze, that he would freeze Curze in stasis and jettison the pod, preserving him for millennia if necessary, and that Konrad Curze had no fucking chance of outrunning or changing his future death, [[Awesome|terrifying 40k batman so hard he'd probably be locked in an eternity of despair as he's frozen in stasis.]]

Good is not nice, indeed.

[[File:Horus vs The Emperor.jpg|thumbnail|right|500px|Unfortunately, this is the image most people know Sanguinius from. (He's the fabulous dead guy lying on the floor.) This also is the least fabulous image of him.]]

With the help of the [[Dark Angels]] and the [[Ultramarines]], the Blood Angels were able to make it back to [[Terra]] in the closing days of the Horus Heresy to defend it from the traitor legions and their daemonic allies. Sanguinius and his legion led the defense of the Imperial Palace itself when the forces of Chaos closed in around it, and the Primarch slew innumerable daemons, traitors and other assorted scum in the process. Oh, and he also ''soloed a Warlord TITAN'' and then scared off its Warhound escorts by glaring at them too hard. A little while later, while singlehandedly defending the Eternity Gate from the entire Chaos force, Ka'Bandha turned up. The two went at it again rather majestically atop the Eternity Gate to the Emperor's throne room, and Sanguinius managed to [[Awesome|SNAP KA'BANDHA'S SPINE OVER HIS MOTHERFUCKING KNEE]]. He then hurled the bastard's corpse back into the throng of Chaos filth below, and the Blood Angels who had died by the Bloodthirster's hand were thus avenged in the most spectacularly badass of ways. As of ''Echoes Of Eternity'', the badassery of this already iconic moment was elevated to new heights. The fight between Sanguinius and Ka'Bandha at the time of the siege was a fight in the same way Kharn obliterating Erebus in the ''Conqueror'''s gladiator pits that one time was also technically a fight (fitting since both books were written by ADB). At this point in the war, Sanguinius' skill and prowess was such that Ka'Bandha could at best be called an annoyance, much in the way that a maybe-rabid raccoon getting into your trash could be described as an annoyance; loud, erratic, not entirely without risk, and it makes a big mess of the surroundings, but that's about it. Suffice it to say though that Ka'Bandha was now ''orders of magnitude'' beneath Sanguinius, and that showed in the brevity of their fight. This was subsequently made even '''more''' apparent however, because maybe 5 in-plot minutes after dispatching Ka'Bandha, Sanguinius was dueling his brother Angron. That proved to be a challenge actually worthy of the Great Angel's time... sort of, but it ended much the same way. We say "sort of" because despite Angron putting up a far better fight than Ka'Bandha had, Sanguinius, in order and at separate times during the duel: destroyed Angron's face/eyes, vaporized one of his arms, stabbed him through the heart, stabbed him through the brainstem, stabbed him through the heart ''again'', and then [[rip and tear|tore the Butcher's Nails, complete with brains and eyes, right out of his skull with his bare hands]]. So he killed or crippled Angron a good 6 times over. Had it not been for Angron's Khorne-given ability to draw power from carnage to regenerate himself, he'd have had nearly as brief a fight with Sanguinius as Ka'Bandha had. This level of ass-kicking would be well within [[Mary Sue]] territory for practically anyone else, but Sanguinius is the one Primarch who could both realistically pull it off due to his skill and the fact that he's got the Red (Thirst) Hulk mode, which he ultimately utilized while ripping Angron's head apart. He's also the one top-tier loyalist Primarch who isn't a douche (aka he's not Russ or the Lion), which also helps. Having seen this, the rest of the Chaos force went [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FjWe31S_0g fuck this shit I'm out] and ran, while the Loyalists were able to safely close the Eternity Gate.

But this is Warhammer 40,000, so by its very nature, [[noblebright]] is always surrounded by a sea of [[grimdark]], even when it's badass noblebright, and the [[Siege of Terra]] ranks up there as among the most grimdark events of the entire franchise. Eventually, Big-E himself, Sanguinius, [[Rogal Dorn]], Rogal Dorn's mustache, and a contingent of their respective Marines and Custodes launched a last-ditch assault against Horus, teleporting aboard his [[Vengeful Spirit|flagship]] and taking the fight to the Warmaster himself. As fighting broke out across the capital ship, Sanguinius got cut off from the rest of the assault party, and when he found Horus, he was alone. Horus, perhaps out of some small, lingering sense of affection for Sanguinius, offered his once most beloved brother, for the final time, a chance to turn to Chaos. But Sanguinius said '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEhDjz0WAZs"NEVAH!"]''' and the two Primarchs proceeded to battle for the fate of mankind. Though Sanguinius was one of the most powerful of the Primarchs, he was wounded and wearied from the fight on Terra and already at a disadvantage, and Horus had been granted terrible power by the gods of Chaos to boot (terrible indeed, because he apparently wasn't as good at warp poker as the EMPRAH and batshit insane by then. He even called one of his sons Maloghurst at some point as recently revealed in "Saturnine"). Horus therefore slew Sanguinius so hard that it psychically traumatized the Blood Angels for ages to come, and the [[Black Rage]] became the ([[Mephiston|almost]]) inescapable mental scourge it is on the chapter today.

==After Death==
[[Iskandar Khayon]] revealed an interesting fact about the [[Vengeful Spirit]], after letting himself be captured. Apparently, those who died aboard it had echoes of themselves bound to the ship, manifesting as crystal statues that let you experience a part of their death if you touched them.

Sanguinius's statue is the most talked-about in both Black Legion books. It seems to move around and regenerate somehow when no one notices. Khayon uses shards of Sanguinius's crystalline ghost along with shards of his sword to create Khayon's excellent force sword, which is probably equal to a master-crafted one if not even better. Doing this with a piece of Sanguinius’s couldn’t possibly end badly for a Chaos Sorcerer.

Interestingly this might mean Sanguinius could eventually be resurrected should the statue be captured. No statue of Horus exists on the Vengeful Spirit, so this might be the ghost of the Angel, trapped forever in his final moments. The fact that the Black Rage traps his sons in the exact same state may imply that the Rage is not the backlash of Sanguinius's death, but rather the echoes of his current statuesque existence.

Of course that would require [[Advancing the Storyline|ACTUAL PLOT,]] so it probably won't happen. It could ruin Girlyman's [[Yvraine|date night.]] This is also Khayon we're talking about, so it's also likely he's full of shit, as this phenomenon would've flooded every possible inch on the ship with crystallized corpses given how short the lifespans are for the Slaves working on it. (Because dying of natural causes in the [[Warp]] must happen all the time. Discounting possible Nurgle-entropy related stuff.)

During the Devastation of Baal, after being introed by the [[Sanguinor]], the spirit of Sanguinius appeared before [[Dante]] when the latter was in a near-death state after killing the [[Swarmlord]] and [[Awesome|proudly declared Dante his greatest son]]. After Dante expresses a desire to join his Primarch in death, Sanguinius sadly informs his long-suffering son that his duty has not yet ended, and uses his warp powers to heal and reinvigorate Dante, before he is painfully yanked back into the world of the living. Subsequently, in the time not long after [[Awesome|Dante's appointment as Regent of Imperium Nihilus by Guilliman]], [[Mephiston]] underwent the Rubicon Primaris, turning him into a [[Primaris Marine]]. During the procedure, he too was visited by Sanguinius in the spirit realm, which brought Mephiston to tears. Yes, you read that correctly; Mephiston, The Lord of Death him-motherfucking-self, literally (not figuratively) fell to his knees and began to weep when greeted by Sanguinius, and immediately addressed him as "my father". Just let that sink in. Interestingly, during his convalescence, in a conversation with Dante, Mephiston was able to recognize that Dante too had been visited by and conversed with their father. Though Mephiston expressed some uncertainty as to whether or not it had actually been Sanguinius whom they had spoken with, not wishing to be disappointed, Dante on the other hand knew better and was adamant.

==Legacy==
Although Sanguinius lost to Horus, it is widely believed that the Emperor would not have been able to destroy Horus afterwards were it not for the chink that Sanguinius put in Horus' armour. Second, it is also widely agreed that if Horus hadn't come to save his legion's ass that day on Terra, it would have been ground out of existence by Sanguinius and the Blood Angels. Lastly, it is also agreed that Sanguinius was tired after several days of fighting (he defied the likes of Ka'bandha and crushed ''Daemon primarch'' [[Angron]] on the battlements!), is already bleeding and wounded (as shown by Ruinstorm) and if he had been totally refreshed, Horus would have had a lot more than just a chink in his armour. However, in the Horus Heresy Collected Visions, it details the battle between the Emperor and Horus, and makes it clear that the main reason Big-E didn't kill him immediately is because he thought he might be able to save him… A sentiment that seems to be inching further and further to the fore as ''The Siege Of Terra'' series progresses, incidentally. Though it was a hope which was dashed as soon as The Emperor saw Sanguinius' body. However, in Visions of Heresy, Big-E still held back, even after seeing Sanguinius' body. It wasn't until the Emperor was mortally wounded on the floor that this changed. It says that as he's lying, waiting for the final blow, [[Ollanius Pius|a certain adamantium-balled Imperial Guardsman]] (exemplifying everything it means to be one) appears and rushes toward him, Horus contemptuously kills the Guardsman without barely an effort, laughing maniacally as he did so. It was this utter contempt for taking a life which FINALLY made the Emperor realise there was no saving his son.
[[File:Sanguinius by noldofinve-d4xpxx5-5157.jpg|thumbnail|right|400px|Look, if I HAD to bang a dude... just sayin'.]]
In short, if Horus is Lucifer and The Emprah is God, then Sanguinius is Jesus. Sanguinius died for your sins…just like Optimus Prime does on a daily basis.

Sanguinius also bears the rare distinction of being one of the few Primarchs (alongside [[Horus]], [[Ferrus Manus]], [[Leman Russ]], [[Perturabo]], and [[Roboute Guilliman]]) who were capable of lasting more than 3 seconds against [[Angron]]. In Echoes of Eternity, Sanguinius takes on a Daemon Angron and crushes him after unleashing his full rage. That's right, he beats the '''''superpowered''''' version of Angron. It should also be noted that, unlike his brothers, who each embodied one of the Emperor's traits ([[Roboute Guilliman]] was his strategy, [[Angron]] was his ferocity, etc.), Sanguinius was the embodiment of the Emperor as a whole. So, you could argue that the Blood Angels are the Astartes closest to the Emperor (suck it, Ward).

In the 41st millennium, Sanguinius is the Primarch most beloved by the [[Imperium]] for his [[Dreadnought|heroic sacrifice]] (despite what [[Matt Ward|he who shall not be named]] would say about [[Roboute Guilliman|our Spiritual Liege]]), and is a hero of the Imperial Cult. Across the Imperium a celebration called the Sanguinala is held in his honor, where adepts wear the iconography of the Blood Angels. A festival dedicated to [[Leman Russ]] would have been a better party, but would also have involved more property damage and alcohol-related deaths. Also, apparently, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBVxcGxRv_I Reclusiarch Grimaldus is not a huge fan of it].

The mysterious entity known as the [[Sanguinor]] is believed to be the incarnation of Sanguinius' better nature, or the first [[Sanguinary Guard]] Herald Azkaellon, miraculously preserved through time. Its actual origin, though, is far more mundane: when Sanguinius was named Emperor of [[Roboute Guilliman|Guilliman']]s [[Imperium Secundus]], he and Azkaellon invented the figure by sealing one of the Sanguinary Guard into his own armour, erasing his identity and allowing him to act as Sanguinius' public face and deal with petitioners, whilst Sanguinius himself could be elsewhere, you know...[[Get shit done|dealing with stuff]]. By the end of the Horus Heresy, Sanguinius' herald went through some kind of apotheosis on Davin while taking his Primarch's place in the opening of a warp portal, and Azkaellon would be the only member of the Sanguinary Guard to actually survive the Horus Heresy, so most people think the current incarnation is him. In modern 40k, outside of perhaps the Sanguinary Guard themselves, the only "living" people who know the truth of the Sanguinor's origin is [[Lion El'Jonson|the Lion]], but he's in no position to tell anyone, and [[Roboute Guilliman]], who cannot provide the origin of the Sanguinor without having to explain why the [[Heresy|"Emperor"]] needed a proxy. Since nobody else in the 42nd millennium is entirely certain of the truth, it's getting the [[Inquisition]]'s panties in a bunch. But whether or not the modern and original Sanguinor are the same person, something warpy had to happen since then, since the Sanguinor pops in and out of the immaterium, [[Legion of the Damned]] style.

It is a well-known fact that every female (human, xenos, and daemonette) in the the whole grimdark galaxy wants Sanguinius sexually, as well as most males, including <s>[[Khorne]]</s> '''{{Blam|WHO THE FUCK SAID THAT?!}}''' and [[Slaanesh]] (though that's about the lowest bar possible there). Many [[Sisters of Battle|Sororitas]] (and some [[Space Marines|Astartes]]) cry themselves to sleep at the knowledge that they won't ever be able to hold his beautiful golden mane as he slays their quivering love pudding with his mighty, throbbing, enormous power spear.

<s> A recent flub on Twitch TV has revealed that Sanguinius may actually not be dead after all, but rather in Stasis... God damn it GW!!</s> Actually they meant to say his model would be released for Horus Heresy along with the rest of the Primarchs who still don't have models. Thank god for small miracles.

Take note, this article contains a considerably smaller amount of the usual humor found on this wiki. That's just how revered Sanguinius is. People don't like joking about him.

As is the nature of the shifting turbulent cluster-fuckery that is Warhammer 40k lore, in a strange turn of events, Primarch Sanguinius is also the only <strike>Primarch</strike> <strike>Human</strike> ''being?'' that has garnered the respect of Szarekh, the Silent King of the [[Necrons]]. That's right, the King of ''a 60-million-year-old race, of space zombie-robot Egyptians that hates all life and views all other civilizations as inferior beings to be completely wiped out and almost harvested the entire galaxy'' [[awesome|seems to regard Sanguinius in significant esteem]]. When he met with Dante, he was wearing ''a freaking gold Sanguinius mask'' out of respect for the Great Angel. In fact, one of Szarekh's own heralds says to Dante of Sanguinius that "if there was ever a human to be mourned, noble [[Silent_King|Szarekh]] would say it was him." Holy crap. The single oldest material being in the entire setting outside of the C'tan seems actually to ''regret'' Sanguinius being dead. Revered indeed.

==Tabletop==
===HH 1.0===
[[File:Sanguinius7sp.jpg|thumbnail|right|400px|The angel himself, modeled here trying desperately to free his cape from the rock it's stuck on, however, even here his fabulousness doesn't let him down, as he strikes a pose similar to [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Guido_Reni_031.jpg Archangel Michael]. Not shown: the deluxe base featuring a daemon taking the place of Satan in that same painting.]]
Oh hell yes
{| class=wikitable
| Pts || WS || BS || S || T || W || I || A || Ld || Sv
|-
| 485 || 9 || 5 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 7 || 6 || 10 || 2+/4++
|}
The Archangel makes his appearance on the table at last! Sanguinius is a pretty mobile Primarch, as he can use his <s>Jump Pack</s> '''Great Wings''' in both the movement and assault phase, [[Forgeworld|which would be impressive if he didn't have fleet and could therefore do that anyway]], still he allows all Blood Angels with Jump Packs to do so as well, and also prevents his unit from scattering when he deep strikes. Speaking of buffing nearby squads his sons are so inspired by his '''Angelic Presence''' that if they are within 3" they add +d3 wounds to combat resolution. While you're flying about into combat, you can '''Sky Strike''' a unit you moved over, which is a single S6 AP2 vector strike that causes D3 hits on Zooming Flyers and Swooping MCs, making him the only Primarch that can reliably take down a flyer. He rounds out these buffs by making Dawnbreaker Cohorts into troops.

As Raven Guard and Night Lord players are well aware, Primarchs with Jump Packs are very very good at getting the charge, and Sanguinius comes with a host of buffs to make the most of it with a S10 AP2 HoW attack, his '''Regalia Resplendent''' providing the 2+/4++ saves that are standard for Primarchs and lets him reroll that Invuln on the charge, being the '''Sire of the Blood Angels''' gives him +1 I (to a Fulgrim-tier '''8''') and A on the first turn of combat (so he has Rage and Counter-Attack basically). Not enough for you? Good, you greedy bastard, because if you equip him with the '''Spear of Telesto''' he gets '''+3S''' on the charge with [[Awesome|Master-Crafted Instant Death AP1 attacks that double if you roll a 6 to wound]], alternatively, if you're an idiot, you can [[Derp|throw it away]] for ONE SINGLE S7 AP1 armourbane instant death attack at 12". Sure, if you take the Spear you have a backup MC Duelist Edge (I9 on the charge!) Blinding sword that scores double hits against daemons and psykers, but it's [[Fail|AP3]], do you really want to leave Papa Sang bouncing off an artificer sergeant?

Alternatively, you could equip him with the '''Blade Encarmine''' replacing both Telesto and Moonsilver with a S+1 AP2 Shredding sword that also grants Rampage for a possible maximum of '''11''' attacks on the charge, putting him on par with Angron with his Butcher's Nails attacks maxed out. This will likely be slightly overkill most of the time against baseline infantry, while the lack of potential S9 and Instant Death is a huge drawback against both vehicles, monsters and multi-wounded units. Take it if you want Papa Sang to butcher one of his brothers and any cocky motherfuckers with Eternal Warrior, or annihilate anything with a single Wound. Otherwise, go for the Spear of Telesto instead.

As for guns, he's got that attack with the Spear, frag grenades and a one-shot meltagun that's assault 2, one that doesn't even have the Melta rule. That's it. So make sure he gets stuck in, will you? Also make sure it's where you want him because he lacks the Hit and Run rule for some reason.

====Sanguinius VS Other Primarchs====
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">
Primarch fighting, while fun to see, isn't a very competitive thing to do as it'll usually tie up both Primarchs for the entire game without either of them dying. With that in mind this section is all about how Sanguinius fares against other Primarchs mathhammer wise. Please note that all the various abilities, with the exception of Blind, are taken into account (Blind is ignored because it is just too random and unreliable to come into play) and the match-ups assume the Primarchs are the only ones involved in the fighting, so various abilities like Angron's "The Butcher's Nails" and Rampage do not provide any bonuses. Also all of the Primarch use their most powerful weapons (because why have a contest if you don't do your best?), so Sanguinius will use the Blade Encarmine except against Angron. Furthermore the math is based on a standing start, which severely gimps Sanguinius as many of his buffs are on the charge.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

* Sanguinius VS Horus
**Horus hits 3 times (Talon), wounds 2.667 times, 1.33 after saves and IWND will take that down to 1 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Sanguinius Round 1: hits 4.667 times (Blade), wounds 4.148 times, 1.383 after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.049 wounds at the start of the next turn.
***Sanguinius on the charge: hits 5.333 times, wounds 5.574 times (including HoW), 1.858 after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.525 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Sanguinius Round 2+: hits 4 times, wounds 3.556 times, 1.185 after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.852 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Horus wins. Even if Sanguinius gets the charge, the Talon will cripple him in a couple of turns.

* Sanguinius VS Angron
**Angron Round 1: hits 4.5 times, wounds 3.75 times, 1.875 after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.54 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Angron Round 2: hits 3 times, wounds 2.5 times, 1.25 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.917 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Sanguinius Round 1: hits 4 times (Spear), wounds 2.667 times, 1.333 after saves and IWND will take that down to 1 wound at the start of the next turn.
***Sanguinius on the charge: hits 4.5 times, wounds 5.333 times (including HoW), 2.528 after saves and FNP (HoW affected) and IWND will take that down to 2.194 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Sanguinius Round 2+: 3.5 times, wounds 2.333 times, 1.167 after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.833 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**They kill each other. Well well!
**Note: On the charge Sanguinius wins with the Spear while achieving a mutual kill with the Blade. Negating Angron's FNP makes the Spear the better weapon.

* Sanguinius VS Mortarion
** Mortarion hits 2.5 times, wounds 1.667 times, 0.833 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.5 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 1: hits 4.667 times (Blade), wounds 3.5 times, 1.75 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.194 wounds at the start of the next turn.
*** Sanguinius on the charge: hits 5.333 times, wounds 4.833 times (including HoW), 2.417 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.861 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 2+: hits 4 times, wounds 3 times, 1.5 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.944 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius wins.

* Sanguinius VS Fulgrim
**Fulgrim Round 1: hits 3 times (Fireblade), wounds 2.333 times (Child of Terra), 1.167 after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.833 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Fulgrim Round 2: hits 3.5 times, wounds 2.722 times, 1.361 times after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.028 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Sanguinius Round 1: hits 4.667 times (Blade), wounds 4.148 times, 1.383 after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.049 wounds at the start of the next turn.
***Sanguinius on the charge: hits 5.333 times, wounds 5.574 times (including HoW), 1.859 after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.525 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Sanguinius Round 2+: hits 4 times, wounds 3.556 times, 1.185 after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.852 wounds at the start of the next turn.
**Sanguinius loses (!) as Fulgrim has a chance of killing him in round 5 (5.94 wounds average), and even if not Fulgrim has the higher initiative in round 6.
**Note: On the charge Sanguinius can beat Fulgrim by round 5 (5.93 wounds average) while lowering Fulgrim's own chances, but if he doesn't Fulgrim wins.

* Sanguinius VS Ferrus Manus
** Ferrus hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.083 times, 1.042 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.708 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 1: hits 4.667 times (Blade), wounds 3.5 times, 1.167 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.833 wounds at the start of the next turn.
*** Sanguinius on the charge: hits 5.333 times, wounds 4.833 times (including HoW), 1.611 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.278 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 2+: hits 4 times, wounds 3 times, 1 wound after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.667 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius loses, needing 8 rounds whereas Ferrus needs 7.
** Note: On Sanguinius' charge the odds are reversed, with Sanguinius needing 7 rounds whereas Ferrus needs 8.

* Sanguinius VS Curze
** Curze hits 3 times, wounds 2.25 times, 1.125 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.792 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 1: hits 4.667 times (Blade), wounds 4.148 times, 2.074 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.741 wounds at the start of the next turn.
*** Sanguinius on the charge: hits 5.333 times, wounds 5.574 times (including HoW), 2.787 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 2.454 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 2+: hits 4 times, wounds 3.556 times, 1.778 wound after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.444 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius wins.
** Note: With the first turn charge, Widowmakers and H&R Curze can achieve a mutual kill in Round 4, however Sanguinius regaining +1I and +1A in Round 3 lets him do 5.89 wounds average ''before Curze attacks'', so things could go badly for the Batman.

* Sanguinius VS Vulkan
** Vulkan hits 2 times, wounds 1.667 times, 0.833 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.5 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 1: hits 4.667 times (Blade), wounds 3.5 times, 1.167 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.611 wounds at the start of the next turn.
*** Sanguinius on the charge: hits 5.333 times, wounds 4.833 times (including HoW), 1.611 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.056 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 2+: hits 4 times, wounds 3 times, 1 wound after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.444 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius loses.
** Note: As with Ferrus, Sanguinius wins on the charge.

* Sanguinius VS Lorgar
** Lorgar hits 3 times, wounds 2.5 times, 1.25 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.917 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 1: hits 3.889 times (assuming Lorgar uses Dark Fortune), wounds 2.881 times, 1.44 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.107 wounds at the start of the next turn.
*** Sanguinius on the charge: hits 4.444 times (assuming Lorgar uses Dark Fortune), wounds 3.959 times (including HoW), 1.979 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.646 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 2+: hits 4 times, wounds 3.556 times, 1.778 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.444 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius wins.
** Note: As usual, psychic powers not included. You know how it would end anyway...

* Sanguinius VS Perturabo
** Perturabo hits 2 times, wounds 1.667 times (Forgebreaker), 0.833 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.5 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Perturabo (with Sanguinius blinded) hits 2.667 times, wounds 2.222 times (Forgebreaker), 1.111 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.778 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 1: hits 4.667 times (Blade), wounds 4.148 times, 1.383 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.049 wounds at the start of the next turn.
*** Sanguinius on the charge: hits 5.333 times, wounds 4.833 times (including HoW), 1.611 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.056 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 2+: hits 4 times, wounds 3.556 times, 1.185 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.852 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius (blinded): hits 2 times, wounds 1.778 times, 0.593 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.259 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius loses depending if/when he fails blind checks, even on the charge. He needs to not be Blinded for 2-3 rounds excluding the first to win.

* Sanguinius VS Rogal Dorn
** Dorn hits 2 times, wounds 1.5 times, 0.75 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.417 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 1: hits 4.667 times (Blade), wounds 4.148 times, 2.074 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.741 wounds at the start of the next turn.
*** Sanguinius on the charge: hits 5.333 times, wounds 5.407 times (HoW affected by Auric Armour), 2.704 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 2.37 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 2+: hits 4 times, wounds 3.556 times, 1.778 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.444 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius wins.

* Sanguinius VS Corvus Corax
** Corax hits 4 times (Scourge)/3 times (Shadow-walk), wounds 3/2.25 times, 1.5/1.125 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.167/0.792 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 1: hits 4.667 times (Scourge)/3.5 times (Shadow-walk), wounds 4.148/3.111 times, 2.765/2.074 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 2.432/1.741 wounds at the start of the next turn.
*** Sanguinius on the charge: hits 4.667 times (Scourge)/3.5 times (Shadow-walk), wounds 4.981 times/3.944 times (including HoW), 3.321/2.63 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 2.988/2.296 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 2+: hits 4 times (Scourge)/3 times (Shadow-walk), wounds 3.556/2.667 times, 2.37/1.778 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 2.037/1.444 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius wins, even if Corax Hit & Runs.

* Sanguinius VS Alpharius
** Alpharius hits 2.667 times, wounds 1.701 times, 0.851 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.517 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 1: hits 4.667 times (Blade), wounds 4.148 times, 2.074 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.741 wounds at the start of the next turn.
*** Sanguinius on the charge: hits 5.333 times, wounds 5.574 times (including HoW), 2.788 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 2.454 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 2+: hits 4 times, wounds 3.556 times, 1.778 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.444 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius wins.

* Sanguinius VS Roboute Guilliman
** Guilliman Rounds 1-3: hits 2.5 times, wounds 2.222 times (Gladius), 1.111 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.778 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Guilliman Round 4: hits 3.333 times, wounds 2.963 times (Gladius)/2.778 times (Hand), 1.481/1.389 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.148/1.056 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 1: hits 4.667 times (Blade), wounds 4.148 times, 1.824 wounds after saves (including AoR) and IWND will take that down to 1.491 wounds at the start of the next turn.
*** Sanguinius on the charge: hits 5.333 times, wounds 5.574 times (including HoW), 2.537 wounds after saves (including AoR) and IWND will take that down to 2.204 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 2: hits 4 times, wounds 3.556 times, 1.528 wounds after saves (including AoR) and IWND will take that down to 1.194 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 3+: hits 3 times, wounds 2.667 times, 1.083 wounds after saves (including AoR) and IWND will take that down to 0.75 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius wins.

* Sanguinius VS Magnus the Red
** Magnus hits 2 times, wounds 1.667 times, 0.833 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.5 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 1: hits 3.5 times (Blade), wounds 3.111 times, 1.556 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.222 wounds at the start of the next turn.
*** Sanguinius on the charge: hits 4 times, wounds 4.389 times (including HoW), 2.194 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.861 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 2+: hits 3 times, wounds 2.667 times, 1.333 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1 wound at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius wins, psychic powers not included.

* Sanguinius VS Leman Russ
** Russ (Axe): hits 3.5 times, wounds 2.917 times, 1.458 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.125 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 1: hits 2.333 times (Blade), wounds 1.778 times, 1.037 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.703 wounds at the start of the next turn.
*** Sanguinius on the charge: hits 2.667 times, wounds 3.204 times (including HoW), 1.602 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.269 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 2+: hits 2 times, wounds 1.778 times, 0.889 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.556 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius loses. Even if he charges, he's gimped badly in the later rounds by the -1 to hit.

* Sanguinius VS Jaghatai Khan
** Khan hits 4 times, wounds 2 times, 1 wound after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.667 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 1: hits 4.667 times (Blade), wounds 3.5 times, 1.167 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.833 wounds at the start of the next turn.
*** Sanguinius on the charge: hits 5.333 times, wounds 4.833 times (including HoW), 1.611 wounds after saves and IWND will take that down to 1.278 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius Round 2+: hits 4 times, wounds 3 times, 1 wound after saves and IWND will take that down to 0.667 wounds at the start of the next turn.
** Sanguinius narrowly loses due to the Khan striking first.
** With the charge Sanguinius will beat the Khan even if he Hit & Runs.

* TL;DR version: Sanguinius is (un?)surprisingly middling in the duels, the main reason being his bonuses requiring the charge. In fairness, he is mobile enough to get it. His various charge bonuses significantly improve his damage, but more importantly rerolling his saves just once boosts his average (for a Primarch) defense, which is why he distinctly has the charge situation crunched.
* On the choice of weapons: The Spear of Telesto's damage skyrockets on the charge, but due to the length of primarch duels the Blade Encarmine overtakes it in a few rounds, especially against 3++. The exception is Angron who is really hurt by Instant Death.
* Note: The Angel's Wrath Rite of War gives Sanguinius Hit & Run. With that and the Spear of Telesto, Sanguinius should be able to beat most primarchs. The exceptions are Precog Lorgar and Horus, with Ferrus, Perturabo and Lion close (good defense and varying abilities to neuter H&R).
</div></div>

===HH 2.0===
{| class=wikitable
| Pts || M || WS || BS || S || T || W || I || A || Ld || Sv
|-
| 485 || 8 || 8 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 6 || 10 || 2+/4++
|}

As a Primarch, Sanguinius gets quite a lot before even accounting for his gear (Bulky (<s>4</s> 6 on account of his wings), Eternal Warrior, Fearless, Independent Character, It Will Not Die (5+), Relentless and immunity to any stat modifiers aside from Wounds, plus all hits made can be allocated as the player wishes). Note that even though he's at WS 8, the way WS works nowadays means that he will overwhelm most praetors and even some of his own brothers quite easily. While he lost Fleet, he starts off with a respectable 8" movement and his '''Great Wings''' remain capable of acting like a jump pack, allowing him to Deep Strike where he wishes and also lets him change his movement to a blistering 14", all capable of bypassing any terrain and with the added advantage of being able to run while flying.

His support remains viable, as his '''Angelic Presence''' lets his sons in combat within 6" of him add an additional wound to combat resolution scores while his '''Sire of the Blood Angels''' Warlord Trait allows all units who either have jump packs or deep strikes gain +1 WS when they charge. This all comes with an extra reaction in the Movement phase while he is alive. This WT also stacks with his '''Regalia Resplendent''', which not only provides him with a 2+/4++ save but also lets his invuln be re-rolled when he charges.

Now we jump to his weapons. Regardless of loadout, he still retains '''Infernus''', a single-use inferno pistol with S8 AP1 and Armourbane (Melta). However, as he can only use this once and his frag grenades are no longer explicitly considered weapons, he'll need to be in combat more than ever. There, he has two choices of loadout...
*The '''Blade Encarmine''' remains a ferocious weapon, being a Master-Crafted S+1 AP2 power sword with a bundle of rules, with Rage (2), Rampage (2), Murderous Strike (5+) and Shred. This gives him a decent all-rounder blade that gives an advantage against crowds, although keep in mind that he is Bulky (6), meaning it can be quite difficult for him to outnumber his enemies if he has a squad with him.
*The '''Moonsliver Blade''' is considerably weaker, being only a Master-Crafted AP2 power sword, though it does have Blind and Duellist's Edge (1) to get to the punch before other enemies. On top of that, this sword also counts every unsaved wound it deals to daemons and psykers as doubled, turning Sanguinius into a nightmare against the Thousand Sons and any daemons he faces. Accompanying this is the '''Spear of Telesto''', a Master-Crafted S10 AP1 spear with Lance, Two-Handed and Exo-Shock (4+), meaning it can deal serious damage to tanks. The spear can also be thrown, making it deal Instant Death, but doing so will also mean losing it for the rest of the game, which is troublesome when dealing with high-toughness foes and tanks.

====30k Sanguinius Vs other Primarchs: Heresy 2.0====

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">
Primarch fighting has significantly changed in the new edition. The sweeping changes to the Weapon Skill system really put those with lower scores at a huge disadvantage. While the changes to universal special rules mean that characters can often bring more attacks (like with Rage and Rampage) or newer tricks (Brutal) to the table that they never could before.

This means that Primarch vs Primarch fighting is more likely to actually resolve itself within the duration of the game, rather than taking turns whittling off small numbers from each other.

Also, because Overwatch Reactions are now done at full ballistic skill, shooting will likely play a more significant role. However, for the sake of brevity, there should be no need to include them unless they make a meaningful difference to the outcome.

Sanguinius himself isn't great, and has definitely taken a hit since last edition-- his main gimmick is dealing high damage on the charge, and he doesn't have Hit & Run to charge in every turn. Regardless, he's still quite good, and shouldn't be underestimated.

<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

'''Sanguinius vs Lion:'''
*Lion with the Lion Sword & Deathwing subtype ''(hits on MC3+)'': 4.88 hits, 4.07 wounds, '''2.03 unsaved wounds''', which is reduced to 1.70 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND
**Lion with the Lion Sword & Deathwing subtype, Sanguinius charged from Deep Strike ''(hits on MC 4+, Sanguinius rerolls failed saves)'': 3.75 hits, 3.125 wounds, '''0.78 unsaved wounds''', which is reduced to 0.45 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND
*Sanguinius with Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 4+)'': 3.25 hits, 2.88 wounds, '''0.94 unsaved wounds''', which is reduced to 0.61 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND
**Sanguinius charging from Deep Strike with Blade Encarmine ''(9 attacks on MC3+)'': 6.22 hits, 5.53 wounds, '''2.26 unsaved wounds''', which is reduced to 1.931 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.

:Lion wins- though a few assumptions have to be made here.
::Despite being S7, the shredding Blade Encarmine is more likely to wound against T6 (88%) than the S10 Spear of Telesto (83%) and is even more likely to wound when gaining the +1 to-Wound from his Legion trait. Also Sanguinius only gets his +1WS when charging from Deep Strike, as his wings do not count as a Legion Warhawk Jump Pack. So if he charges normally, he should only hit at WS8 (4+).
:Sanguinius hits hard in the first round and due to being able to re-roll all failed INV saves will take little damage in return. After the first round however the Lion starts hitting back faster, with more attacks, and with greater accuracy.

'''Sanguinius vs. Fulgrim'''
*Fulgrim with the Laer Blade ''(Initiative 9, +3 attacks, Hits on MC 4+)'': 4.75 hits, 3.98 wounds, '''1.99 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.65 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Fulgrim vs. Charging Sanguinius: 4.75 hits, 3.98 wounds, '''1 unsaved wound,''' which is reduced to 0.64 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 4+): 3.25 hits, 2.89 wounds, '''0.96 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.6 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Sanguinius charging with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 4+): 4.25 hits, 4.13 wounds, '''1.38 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.04 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.

:Fulgrim wins, simply due to Sublime Swordsman.

'''Sanguinius vs. Perturabo'''
*Sanguinius charging with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 5.56 hits, 4.17 wounds, '''1.39 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.06 after IWND.
*Perturabo with Forgebreaker Desecrated ''(Hits on MC 5+):'' 2.22 hits, 1.85 wounds, '''0.925 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.595 after IWND.
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 4.22 hits, 3.17 wounds, '''1.06 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.73 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Perturabo with Forgebreaker Desecrated ''(Hits on MC 5+):'' 2.22 hits, 1.85 wounds, '''1.85 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.52 after IWND.

:Perturabo wins. While Sanguinius wins on the first round of combat, losing his re-rollable invulnerable save in round 2 and onward tanks his durability.

'''Sanguinius vs. Jaghatai Khan'''
*Jaghatai Khan with the White Tiger Dao ''(Hits on MC 5+)'': 2.56 hits, 1.71 wounds, '''0.86 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.53 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Jaghatai Khan charging with the White Tiger Dao ''(Hits on MC 5+):'' 2.89 hits, 2.41 wounds, '''1.21 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.88 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 4.22 hits, 2.81 wounds, '''0.94 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.61 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.

:The Khan wins due to Hit & Run. With his 18" movement, he's far more likely to get a charge than Sanguinius, completely ruining Sanguinius's devastating first round of combat.

'''Sanguinius vs. Leman Russ'''
*Leman Russ with the Sword of Balenight ''(Hits on MC 4+):'' 4.25 hits, 3.54 wounds, '''3.54 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 3.21 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Leman Russ charging with the Sword of Balenight ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 6.22 hits, 5.18 wounds, '''5.18 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 4.85 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Leman russ using Counter-Attack with the Sword of Balenight ''(Hits on MC 4+):'' 5.25 hits, 4.38 wounds, '''2.19 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.86 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 4+):'' 3.25 hits, 2.89 wounds, '''1.45 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.12 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Sanguinius charging with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 4+):'' 4.25 hits, 3.78 wounds, '''1.89 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.56 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.

:Russ wins.

'''Sanguinius vs. Rogal Dorn'''
*Rogal Dorn with Storm’s Teeth ''(Hits on 4+)'': 3 hits, 2.91 wounds, 1.45 unsaved wounds, which is reduced to 1.11 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Rogal Dorn with Storm’s Teeth when charged ''(Hits on 4+)'': 3 hits, 2.91 wounds, 0.728 unsaved wounds, which is reduced to 0.39 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine (Hits on MC 4+): 3.33 hits, 2.96 wounds, 1.48 unsaved wounds, which is reduced to 1.14 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.

:Rogal Dorn wins, though if Sanguinius charges, it's a tie.

'''Sanguinius vs. Konrad Curze'''
*Curze with Mercy and Forgiveness ''(Hits on 4+)'': 4 hits, 3 wounds, '''1.5 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.16 wounds at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Curze charging: 4.5 hits, 3.38 wounds, '''1.69 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.36 at the end of the turn due to IWND.
**Curze vs. Sanguinius charging: 4 hits, 3 wounds, '''0.75 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.42 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 4+):'' 3.25 hits, 2.89 wounds, '''1.45 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.12 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Sanguinius charging with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 4+):'' 4.25 hits, 3.78 wounds, '''1.89 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.56 at the end of the turn due to IWND.

:Curze wins with Hit & Run.

'''Sanguinius vs. Ferrus Manus'''
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 4.22 hits, 3.16 wounds, '''1.05 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.72 at the end of the turn due to IWND.
**Sanguinius charging with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 5.56 hits, 4.17 wounds, '''1.39 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.06 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Ferrus Manus with Forgebreaker ''(Hits on MC 5+):'' 2.22 hits, 1.85 wounds, '''2.78 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 2.45 at the end of the turn due to IWND.
**Ferrus Manus with Forgebreaker ''(vs. charging Sanguinius, hits on MC 5+):'' 2.22 hits, 1.85 wounds, '''1.38 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.05 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.

:Ferrus Manus wins.

'''Sanguinius vs. Angron'''
*Angron with Gorefather and Gorechild ''(Turn 3, +3 Attacks, Hits on 4+):'' 8.25 hits, 6.19 wounds, '''3.10 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 2.77 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Angron charging with Gorefather and Gorechild ''(Turn 3, +3 Attacks, Hits on 4+):'' 9 hits, 8 wounds, '''4 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 3.67 at the end of the turn due to IWND.
**Angron with Gorefather and Gorechild ''(vs. charging Sanguinius, Turn 3, +3 attacks, Hits on 4+):'' 8.25 hits, 6.19 wounds, '''1.55 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.22 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 2+):'' 5.25 hits. 4.67 wounds, '''2.33 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 2 at the end of the turn due to IWND.
**Sanguinius charging with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 2+):'' 6.81 hits, 6.05 wounds, '''3.03 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 2.70 at the end of the turn due to IWND.

:Whoever charges wins, so it's more in favor of Sanguinius since he's got a longer movement from his Great Wings. However, if Angron charges, Sanguinius is royally fucked.
:One interesting interaction is that Sanguinius has Bulky (6), which actually triggers Angron's Rampage (2).

'''Sanguinius vs. Roboute Guilliman'''
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 4.22 hits, 3.75 wounds, '''1.63 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.30 at the end of the turn due to IWND.
**Sanguinius charging with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 5.56 hits, 4.94 wounds, '''2.22 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.89 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Guilliman with the Hand of Dominion ''(Hits on MC 5+):'' 2.56 hits, 2.13 wounds, '''2.13 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.80 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Guilliman with the Hand of Dominion ''(vs. Charging Sanguinius, hits on MC 5+):'' 2.56 hits, 2.13 wounds, '''1.07 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.74 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.

:Guilliman wins, even if Sanguinius charges him.

'''Sanguinius vs. Mortarion'''
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 4.22 hits, 3.16 wounds, '''1.58 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.08 at the end of the turn due to IWND.
**Sanguinius charging with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 5.56 hits, 4.17 wounds, '''2.09 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.59 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Mortarion with Silence ''(Hits on 5+):'' 2 hits, 1.85 wounds, '''0.93 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.60 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Mortarion with Silence ''(vs. Charging Sanguinius, hits on 5+):'' 2 hits, 1.85 wounds, '''0.46 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.13 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.

:Sanguinus wins.

'''Sanguinius vs. Magnus the Red'''
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 4.22 hits, 3.16 wounds, '''1.58 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.25 at the end of the turn due to IWND.
**Sanguinius charging with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 5.56 hits, 4.17 wounds, '''2.09 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.76 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Sanguinius with the Moonsilver Blade ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 4.22 hits, 2.11 wounds, '''2.11 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.78 at the end of the turn due to IWND.
**Sanguinius charging with the Moonsilver Blade ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 4.88 hits, 2.44 wounds, '''2.44 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 2.11 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Magnus with Ahn-Nunurta ''(Hits on 5+):'' 2 hits, 1.67 wounds, '''0.83 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.50 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Magnus with Ahn-Nunurta ''(vs. Charging Sanguinius, hits on 5+):'' 2 hits, 1.67 wounds, '''0.42 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.09 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.

:Sanguinius wins.

'''Sanguinius vs. Horus'''
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 4+):'' 3.25 hits, 2.44 wounds, '''0.81 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.48 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Sanguinius charging with the Blade Encarmine: 4.25 hits, 3.19 wounds, '''1.07 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.74 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Horus with Worldbreaker ''(Hits on MC 4+):'' 3.75 hits, 3.13 wounds, '''3.13 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 2.80 at the end of the turn with IWND.
**Horus with Worldbreaker ''(Against charging Sanguinius, hits on MC 4+):'' 3.75 hits, 3.13 wounds, '''1.57 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.24 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.

:Horus wins. Even when Sanguinius charges, Horus still manages to outdamage him while taking hardly any damage in return.

'''Sanguinius vs. Lorgar'''
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 4.22 hits, 3.75 wounds, '''1.88 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.38 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Sanguinius charging with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 5.56 hits, 4.94 wounds, '''2.47 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.97 at the end of the turn due to IWND.
*Sanguinius with the Moonsilver Blade ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 4.22 hits, 2.11 wounds, '''2.11 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.61 at the end of the turn due to IWND.
**Sanguinius charging with the Moonsilver Blade ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 4.88 hits, 2.44 wounds, '''2.44 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.94 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Lorgar with Illuminarum ''(Hits on MC 5+):'' 2.22 hits, 1.85 wounds, '''1.85 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.52 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Lorgar with Illuminarum ''(vs Charging Sanguinius, hits on MC 5+):'' 2.22 hits, 1.85 wounds, '''0.93 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.60 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.

:Sanguinius wins.
:Interestingly, since Lorgar has the Psyker Sub-Type, the Moonsilver blade is the better pick against him, not even needing to charge first, since it has Brutal (2) against Psykers and Daemons.
:If Lorgar charges, and Sanguinius has the Blade Encarmine, Lorgar wins.

'''Sanguinius vs. Vulkan'''
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 4.22 hits, 3.16 wounds, '''1.05 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.55 at the end of the turn due to IWND.
**Sanguinius charging with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 5.56 hits, 4.17 wounds, '''1.39 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.89 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Vulkan with Dawnbringer ''(Hits on MC 5+):'' 2.22 hits, 1.85 wounds, '''0.93 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.60 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Vulkan with Dawnbringer ''(vs. Charging Sanguinius, hits on MC 5+):'' 2.22 hits, 1.85 wounds, '''0.46 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.13 at the end of the turn due to IWND.

:Sanguinius wins if he charges.
:Under normal circumstances, Sanguinius loses. However, since somebody has to charge, and it's vastly more likely to be Sanguinius, it's probably more likely for Sanguinius to win this one.

'''Sanguinius vs. Corax'''
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 4.22 hits, 3.16 wounds, '''1.58 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.25 at the end of the turn due to IWND.
**Sanguinius charging with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 5.56 hits, 4.17 wounds, '''2.09 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.76 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Corax with the Panoply of the Raven Lord ''(Hits on 5+):'' 2.33 hits, 1.75 wounds, '''0.88 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.55 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Corax charging with the Panoply of the Raven Lord ''(Hits on 5+):'' 3.67 hits, 2.75 wounds, '''1.38 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.05 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Corax with the Panoply of the Raven Lord ''(vs. Charging Sanguinius, hits on 5+):'' 2.33 hits, 1.75 wounds, '''0.44 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.11 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.

:Sanguinius wins.

'''Sanguinius vs. Alpharius'''
*Sanguinius with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 4.22 hits, 3.16 wounds, '''1.58 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.25 at the end of the turn due to IWND.
**Sanguinius charging with the Blade Encarmine ''(Hits on MC 3+):'' 5.56 hits, 4.17 wounds, '''2.09 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 1.76 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
*Alpharius with the Pale Spear ''(Hits on 5+):'' 2 hits, 1 wound, '''0.5 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0.17 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.
**Alpharius with the Pale Spear ''(vs. Charging Sanguinius, hits on 5+):'' 2 hits, 1 wound, '''0.25 unsaved wounds,''' which is reduced to 0 at the end of the turn thanks to IWND.

:Sanguinius wins.

</div></div>

==Gallery==
{{Promotions}}
<gallery>
File:SangSpear.jpg|Alternative model of Papa Sang posing for a Renaissance Art Fair.
File:Heretic.png|Sanguinius gets the bitches. All of 'em. Every last one.
File:Sanginuscool.jpg|Is it time for Sanguinius to choke some bitches again? '''Hell yes, baby.'''
File:Astartesjealousy.jpg| Sanguinius: The most bishie of bishies.
File:Sanguinius by koowanchee-d484eu4.jpg|Don't you wish your Primarch was hot like me?
File:Fear to tread.jpg|Sanguinius, only slightly less fabulous than usual.
File:Sanguinius1.jpg|He's fabulous. [[Fulgrim]] wishes he could be that fabulous.
File:Tsundere Ka'Bandha.png|This counts as [[Extra Heresy]].
File:879E3111-548D-402E-AD3F-AC82158F5EE9.jpeg|Spear or sword? Pick one or he gives you both.
File:Sanguinius by Syberfab.png|It's not gay if it's Sanguinius.
</gallery>

{{Primarchs}}

[[Category:Imperial]]
[[Category:Blood Angels]]

Sanguinary Guard

2023-05-29T23:41:09Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Sanguinary_Guards.jpg|300px|thumb|left|Just try to laugh at their golden nipples. Also, they look like the [[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device|Fabulous Custodes]]]]
[[File:Sanguinary_Guard.jpg|200px|thumb|right|My <s> six-pack </s> eight-pack is made of gold, your argument is invalid.]]

The Sanguinary Guard are an elite squad of [[Space Marines|Marines]] that are available only to the [[Blood Angels]] and their successors. The [[Honour Guard]] of a Blood Angels [[Chapter Master]] on the battlefield, these Marines are as deadly as they are fabulous, and they are very, VERY fabulous.

The story of these scrotum crushing badasses stretches way back to the times when [[Sanguinius]] reunited with the Emperor and assumed command of the [[Blood Angels|IXth Space Marine Legion]].

At first they started as their Primarch's bodyguards. The Guard always protected him through the worst--Mega-Arachnids on Murder, the Nephilim of Melchior, all that nasty jazz in the Signus System, the Siege of mother flubbin' Terra and most importantly the assault on the Vengeful Spirit where they [[Awesome|sacrificed themselves to a man to ensure their Primarch got to Horus]]. After Sanguinius's death at the hands of Horus, the only surviving member of this inner order was Azkaellon. Despite desperately wanting to be by his Primarch's side, [[Sanguinius]] had made Azkaellon swear an oath to stay on Terra to help rebuild. Presumably many [[Fist of the North Star|manly tears]] were shed.

Azkaellon was sad that he couldn't participate in the final battle alongside his Primarch, yet he knew that he couldn't jeopardize the final orders he was given. When the [[Horus Heresy]] finally ended and Raldoron became the first Chapter Master, Azkaellon made sure that the Blood Angels, and every single one of their successors would have their own Sanguinary Guard, so that these warriors wouldn't die out. The other purpose (and even truer than simply maintaining them) was to maintain them as a symbol of hope for the Imperium, as well as a living legacy for the space angel vampires.

To become one is not simply a field duty or honour of the highest calibre. To be a Sanguinary Guard is to become part of an order of those that can be described as mortals-become-gods, as well part of a living legend that is over ten thousand years old. It also means you can beat the ever-loving piss out of most anything in the known galaxy fluff wise, and you'll be spending a loooooot of time with Dante.

Following the [[Devastation of Baal|literal rape of the Blood Angels and their home of Baal at the hands of both Tyranids AND Daemons]] in the current setting, only ONE of these fabulous boys is currently still alive. A single Sanguinary Guard out of 20-or-so Chapters of them. Though they seem to have recovered to full or at least partial strength. In ''Darkness in the Blood'' which is a sequel to the ''Devastation of Baal'', half a dozen Sanguinary Guards accompany Dante on a mission.

== Battlefield Role ==

[[File:Lamenters_Sanguinary_Guards.jpg|300px|thumb|left|A rare sight of [[Lamenters]] Sanguinary Guards.]]
On the fields of battle, these warriors act, as mentioned before, Honour Guards of a Force Commander (if he's lucky anyway, more often than not the Chapter Master will hoard their skills to himself rather than deign to deploy them elsewhere). Armoured in the best [[Artificer Armour|Artificer Armours]], as well having Death Masks and Winged Jump Packs, the Sanguinary Guards are an impressive sight to behold. Their standard weapons are the [[Power weapon#Glaive Encarmine|Glaives Encarmine]], master-crafted [[Power Axe]]s and the [[Astartes Boltgun|Angelus Bolters]]--imagine a storm-bolter on steroids with razor-filament shards that explode when the bolt detonates and are mounted on their armours wrists, freeing up their other hand. Optional sidearms include the [[Inferno Pistol|Infernus Pistol]] or [[Plasma Pistol|plasma pistol]]. They can also now swap their "glaives" for [[Power Fist|power fists]]. This naturally causes them to unleash immense amount of [[Rip and Tear|Cleave and Smite]] up close.

== Variations ==

[[File:AE_Honor_Colors.JPG|300px|thumb|right|[[Angels Encarmine]] even add the alabaster colour to their [[Death Company|Death Companies]].]]
The Sanguinary Guard's looks differ marginally among the Blood Angel's successors (with only the right pauldron being painted in the successor's symbol and colours). There are only two known exceptions: the [[Angels Encarmine]], who paint their Sanguinary Guard's armours in alabaster white and black wings, as opposed to the traditional gold with white wings (though even the wing colours differ from successor to successor), and the [[Angels Vermillion]] who leave the armor the same red as everyone else. Possibly because they don't have the same suits of ancient armour and swag all the other chapters do as a result of being contemptuous dicks--[[Flesh Tearers|which is saying a lot]].

The Blood Angels also have a unique sub-group known as the '''Erelim''', who are essentially what you'd get if the Sanguinary Guard wore all black (including their feathers and skull helms) and were [[Chaplain]]s. There's only five of them at any one time, and they've never been shown leaving [[Astorath|Astorath's]] hidden reclusiam. Interestingly, their name is shared with the Blood Angels legion's [[Destroyer Squad|Destroyer]] cadres.

== On the Tabletop ==
[[File:Sanguinary guard flesh tearers.jpg|300px|thumb|left|Despite consistently being at less than half strength, the [[Flesh Tearers]] maintain close to a full Sanguinary Guard contingent.]]

Crunch wise you'll basically be paying for a terminator squad's armour save sans invulnerable save, plus fearless, sans relentless, plus free jump-packs and master-crafted power weapons and you have the ability to give the entire squad death masks <s>which look cool but are pretty meh, as most things you'll be fighting will most likely pass it</s> new changes are afoot! With the new errata the "fear" USR has been nixed in favor of "everything in base contact makes a leadership test, if failed they reduce their WS to 1". EVERYTHING. This is a huge deal as lower leadership models that could tarpit you before will die even faster, and Dante's will strike at a -2 LD modifier. Even other space marines. Sweet. Can take a chapter banner which gives another attack and re-rolls. Have a few nifty toys to take that set them apart from their terminator armoured brethren. Each can trade out their Angelus Boltgun for either an infernus pistol or a plasma pistol, and any can take a power fist instead of the Glaive Encarmine. Hook them up with a Sanguinary Priest and go MEQ hunting with sword-glaives or TEQ hunting with Axe-glaives or better yet give them all Infernus pistols and deepstrike perfectly with Dante right next to you opponents heaviest armoured vehicle and drink in his bitter tears. One downside that they'll hopefully fix in the newest update will by the option to turn one dude into a Champion.

Note that, while they're pretty awesome, they're not invincible, either in or out of close combat. Their lack of Invul means Grav and Plasma Weapons will make short work of them (a smarter commander will drop them behind LoS and make smart use of cover) and WS/I4 means that most of the top tier Close Combat Squads (Incubi, Deathwing Knights, Genestealers, Assault Terminators) will feed them their faces--though less so now that their death masks are actually a really viable option, giving the golden boys a solid fighting chance. They definitely need a Sanguinary Priest/Librarian with SoS to keep them breathing long enough to get into Close Combat and maybe to keep them going once they get there. Plus the offensive bonus of both those models is nothing to be sniffed at either, +1 WS from the priest or any of the buffs from the libby is really amazing.

A squad of these bad boys can be used as a blender/meatshield for Dante and a priest and can lead to a hilarious amount of high strength/low ap attacks on the charge. Will attract all of the firepower though. Add a librarian if you insist on aging your cheese even more. They will also function well as Tau Rapists and they will maul them to the last man\robot\battlesuit.

9th is here and fuck yes. 2 wounds! Force weapon equivalents! Death masks that -1 enemy morale!

== Notable Members ==

===Azkaellon===
Big daddy of the Sanguinary Guard and one of the most revered heroes of old. He's actually portrayed in the novels as being a more morally complex character than one would expect of a space marine. Duty driven to a fault and downright grumpy he makes a nice foil to the gregarious and [[Captain Titus|fatherly]] Chapter Master Raldoron. He and Raldoron willingly commit themselves and captain [[Flesh Tearers|Amit]] to secrecy after Amit murdered a buncha space wolves in his blood rage, all to keep Sanguinius single-minded on his goal to stop Horus. Also he and Raldoron were some of the only ones able to hold off the initial bloodrage on Signus Prime, the others cheated and stood next to a Pariah. [[Get shit done|He gets shit done]].

He also may or may not be turned into a [[Sanguinor|literal angel]]. Or may [[Pretend|just be acting like one]]. Or it may actually be Sanguinius' soul using Azkaellon's corpse as a medium... or it's just Sanguinius reborn! Fuck it's confusing at this point.

''Devastation of Baal'' implies that the first of these is canon: when Dante goes through his near-death experience at the very end of the book, the Sanguinor specifically acts deferential to Sanguinius when interacting with Dante's consciousness, stepping back and throwing out an arm to "indicate a presence greater than it," as Sanguinius' soul appears to speak with Dante (befitting [https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/The_Sanguinor#Origins the original Sanguinor's role] as a herald for the Primarch himself, and seemingly confirming they are related but separate entities). It's still ambiguous as to exactly how alive he is under the armour, though.

===Sepharan===
The former herald of the SG (<s>oh more angel puns how original</s> [[Space Wolves|bitch please]]); not much is said about him save that he "went into [[/d/|hell itself]] to save his chapter's soul". Probably just went out for some brewskies with the boys from Fenris and wound up gridlocked in [[Black Crusade|Cadia]] and had to make up a good excuse as to why he was late to the Sanguinala and why he had [[Failbaddon|so many Traitor Legion heads with him.]] Like most of the Sanguinary Guard, he died during the [[Devastation of Baal]], ripped in half by a [[Trygon]] during the Blood Angels' last charge.

===Erephon===
Blind, and liked playing life on hard mode so badly that when his eyes were gouged, slashed, shot, popped, needled, or sneezed out or however the hell he lost them he decided "Ya know what? Fuck Eyes!" [[Awesome|He promptly began kicking more ass without his vision, closing seven hellgates in the space of a single battle.]] Never let it be said the Blood Angels aren't an equal opportunity employer.

===Saranoth===
[[FATAL|His coming was so terrible it set Ork Waaaaagh! Rokchewa to flight.]] Jokes aside, he was probably the only SG who knows the rule that [[Dakka|there is never enough Dakka]]. He eventually bit it at the hands of some unknown (possibly [[Tyranid]]) xenos that drained his body to a husk and wrecked his armour (oh yeah, it's the 'Nids), so you can get his artificer Jump-Pack in [[Deathwatch (RPG)|Deathwatch]].

===Andrastor===
Stood alone on Cripple-Ridge against a Tyranid swarm. Either he [[Plot armor|defied all the odds]] and somehow won, or maybe he just bit it right there on that ridge and the tales of his victory are just propaganda. Both are viable options considering the source material.

===Dontoriel===
[[Ciaphas Cain|THE HERO OF CRYPTUS.]] The only member of the Sanguinary Guard to be named during the Shield of Baal campaign--rose to prominence during the assault on the manufactorum and the defence of Phodia City on Asphodex. Ate shit and died during the final hours of the [[Devastation of Baal]]; a fuckhuge number of Tyranid [[Tyranid_Warrior#Shrikes|Shrikes]] ganged up on him and knocked him out of the sky, then tore him to shreds when he hit the ground.

===Caraeus===
The only member of the Sanguinary Guard to have survived the Devastation of Baal, making him the ''de facto'' Exalted Herald of Sanguinius and fairly hardcore for living through that final charge... What [[Karlaen]] did with the members of the Guard who went with him to the Diamor Campaign is unknown--as last we know they were ok. Weirdly, [[Derp|the codex lists "Brother Daeanatos" as the last survivor of the SG at Baal...]] it could be his full name (his given and angel name like Caraeus Daeanatos) or some such, but it's most likely a derp on GeeDubs' part.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Sanguinary guard.jpg|Just look at the handsome bastard!
</gallery>

{{Blood Angels}}

Rafen

2023-05-29T23:39:50Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Rafen.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Why are Space Marine proportions so inconsistent.]]
'''Rafen''' is a [[Brother-Sergeant]] of the [[Blood Angels]] [[Space Marine]]s [[Chapter]] who played a central role in both the Blood Angels Civil War and in defeating the machinations of the vile [[Chaos Lord]] [[Fabius Bile]]. Along with Chief [[Librarian]] [[Mephiston]], Rafen is one of the very few individuals in the long history of the Blood Angels to have survived and mastered the genetic flaw known as the Black Rage--without having the soul bending weirdness that came along with Mephiston. Granted he only "mastered" it after an ancient relic called the Spear of Telesto burned it out of him and all the brothers in the field and Mephiston... who had fallen to it again because of [[Tzeentch]] and... [[Derp|reasons]]. And almost got promoted straight from a line brother to 5th Company Captain. [[James Swallow]] quickly realized this was dumb and averted away from that. Did I mention most of his notes for Blood Angels came from [[Matthew Ward|Matt Ward]]?

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaah. He was kind of a [[Mary Sue]] in the first book. He got better. The Second Series of books is EASILY better than the first... in parts. Others are still full of fail. Like a "Chapter civil war" between 1 Company justified the need to call EVERY THRONE DAMNED successor Chapter to give them their neophytes to rebuild. [[Crimson Fists|When]] [[Flesh Tearers|other]] [[Lamenters|chapters]] [[Raven Guard|don't.]]

That isn't to say cool things don't happen. They fight literal space vampires trying to drink the blood from the corpse of [[Sanguinius|papa Sang]], divebombed a [[Star Fort]] into a planet just so they could get a submarine into the water, fought [[lictor]]s inside a flooding hanger bay, and [[Awesome|rode on the outside of the submarine and fought a gigantic Tyranid kraken beast]] so... it's not all bad. Luckily nearly all of James Swallow's other books are infinitely better. Including his excellent SoB novels and the seminal 'Flight of the Eisenstein'.

tl;dr: [[Skub]].

Hasn't been in the story for over a decade now but might pop up again- his main writer was Swallow, who's still writing for Black Library (albeit mostly concerning the Horus Heresy rather than M41-42 Blood Angels).

{{Marines-Characters}}

[[Category:Blood Angels]]

Nassir Amit

2023-05-29T23:39:15Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Temperusmaximus.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Anger management? Never heard of it.]]
{{topquote|Eat shit, traitor!|Nassir Amit's advice to [[World Eaters|former colleagues]] during the [[Siege of Terra]]}}

'''Nassir Amit''' is a [[Space Marine]] that was Fifth [[Praetor|Captain]] of the [[Blood Angels]] Legion, then after the Horus Heresy became the first [[Chapter Master]] of the [[Flesh Tearers]] during the [[Second Founding]]. He named his Chapter after his own nickname. He originally got said nickname from Khârn (of all people) when he saw how scary the dude was in the World Eaters' recreational gladiator pits, and just how generally bloodthirsty and angry he was even before the death of Sanguinius really made that a thing for all Blood Angels. Beyond being a predatory, hard as nails motherfucker, Amit was also a brutally honest warrior that hated deceit and having to lie about things, and unafraid to voice his opinions; [[skub|which made others either like him a bit and overlook his general brutality or hate him even more.]] His end was a truly sad one however. Although his deeds were great and many, and he led the Flesh Tearers to many victories, he sadly was overwhelmed by the Black Rage that completely consumed him.

He is basically the canon [[Angry Marine]] and the inspiration behind his /tg/-created counterpart [[Temperus Maximus]]. His name seem to be African or Muslim, but he chose it at random when he became part of the Revenants.

==Notable feats==
Nassir Amit is a bit of a sideshow character in the [[Horus Heresy]] novels, but he still managed to rack up some impressive accolades:
* He’s one of the original Terran members of the Revenant Legion when they were a horde of ghoulish cannibals before Sanguinius found them and reformed them.
* He is brutally honest to a fault. Something Sanguinius appreciated but nearly got him killed by his Primarch when he suggested during the Signus Campaign that Horus had turned traitor.
* He equipped his men with flaying knives instead of standard combat knives to make them even scarier.
* He was known to wear Terminator armour in battle, equipped with dual Chainfists with Storm Bolters mounted to the wrists, for optimal [[Rip and Tear]] capability.
* He earned his nickname from [[Khârn]] fighting [[World Eaters]] in their duelling pits. No holds barred duels, sometimes up to death. And he won. Every. Last. One. He. Fought! (Though Khârn himself thought he could beat him... he’s probably trying his hand now.)
* He participated in the annihilation of the Nephilim along with his Primarch.
* He had no qualm about calling [[God-Emperor of Mankind|the Emperor's]] decision at Nikaea a stupid one (to the point [[Sanguinius]] had to kindly remind him the Emperor's word was law) and to offer asylum to any ex-Librarian in his company if their original one did not want them back. Not because he especially liked [[psyker]]s but because in his eyes it was a dick move and he wouldn't abide by dick moves.
**... The Emperor agrees with him on this now, but that probably has to do with [[Magnus The Red|Magnus]] falling to chaos.
*He showed the Alpha Legion how to eradicate [[Ork]]s properly in the Kayvas Belt.
*He was the first to realize (and dare voice) the existence of the [[Red Thirst]] and told Sanguinius straight-up that trying to cover that up was a mistake.
*He was the first to realize (and again dare voice) that Horus sent them into a trap in the Signus Cluster.
** Sanguinius (who up to that point was super-bro' with Horus) flat out backhanded him for this, and demanded he retract his statement... He didn’t because he’s just that ballsy.
*He was the first to realize (and yet again dare voice) that the [[Word Bearers]] had betrayed them.
**Very few were surprised by this prospect, unlike the situation with Horus.
*He has the dubious honour of being the first [[Blood Angel]] team-killing fucktard, succumbing to the [[Red Thirst]] and slaughtering a group of [[Space Wolves]] accompanying them in his fury.
**On the flip side, he volunteered to turn himself over to the Wolves and confess to said act and let them enact whatever retribution they wished upon him. Only [[Azkaellon]]'s concern about turning brother against brother even further made that a no-go, and he almost punched Azkaellon in the face for lying about the whole thing to Sanguinius. Whatever his flaws, the guy actually stood up for them!
**However this accidentally helped the Blood Angels by letting their Librarians use their powers without interference so ultimately this worked out.
* [[Awesome|He told Roboute Guilliman, to his face, that his Codex Astartes was a bad idea]]. Twice in a row! And [[butthurt|right after getting punched in the gut for saying it the first time]]. Amit would never forgive Guilliman for forcing the Codex upon everyone. Ever.
** Poetic irony: after waking up in the modern Imperium... Guilliman actually concurs. Amit’s probably laughing his ass off right now somewhere in the warp.
* He created the Reliquary of Amit, a container containing Sanguinius' last feather, suspended in stasis so it may never touch the ground, to express his sorrow over his Primarch's death. Being a bloodthirsty murder machine doesn't mean you can't weep manly tears.
* He was also old as fuck, as it was said that he personally declared Cretacia as the Flesh Tearers' homeworld despite the chapter being fleet-based for ''several millennia''. [[Dante]] probably doesn't hold a candle to him.
* He may be the only loyalist marine in the history of the Imperium to have been “gifted” [[Daemon Prince|apotheosis]], while still remaining loyal to the Imperium. That is the pinnacle of faith in the Emperor.
* He’s only The second known member of the entire Blood Angels legion to have overcome the Black Rage. (Unlike [[Mephiston]] he may have had [[Khorne|a bit of assistance]]. If you can call it that...)

{{Marines-Characters}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Space Marines]][[Category:Space Marines Chapter Masters]][[Category:Blood Angels]]

Mephiston

2023-05-29T23:37:31Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

{{Awesome}}
{{topquote|And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.|Judges xvi, 30}}
{{topquote|The Emperor is not a god. All gods are LIES.|Mephiston, ''Darkness In The Blood'' - The Lord Of Death himself simultaneously being badass, terrifying, and displaying his utter loyalty to the Master of Mankind.}}

[[File:DeathstormMephiston.png|350px|thumb|Whoever [[Kaldor Draigo|you are]], Mephiston eats like ten of your sorry asses for breakfast.|right]]
'''Mephiston''' a.k.a. angry Lucius Malfoy in SPEEHHSS is the Chief [[Librarian]] of the [[Blood Angels]] [[Space Marine]] chapter, one of the most powerful [[psykers]] in the [[Imperium]], and he bears the title "Lord of Death" for A FUCKING REASON! The [[Grey Knights]], [[Thousand Sons]], and others may come to mind first when one thinks of psychic heavy-hitters, but Mephiston is at an entirely different level; no joke, he's been able fuck with the schemes of daemon-primarch Magnus (albeit [[Not as Planned|kinda on accident]]). He's a monstrous creature in artificer armour and his sole purpose in life is to fuck you in close combat. He's the biggest [[Mary Sue]] of the entire setting, even compared to other Imperial characters, able to summon daemons without being corrupted, defeat Greater Daemons with his mind alone, able to stop time, give heart attacks to Farseers, overcome the Black Rage twice just by wanting to... Whether that makes him [[Awesome]] or [[Derp|stupid]] is up to you. He often contends with the likes of [[Ahzek Ahriman]], [[Njal Stormcaller]], [[Eldrad |that dick]], [[Varro Tigurius]], [[Swarmlord|THE SWARMLORD]] and [[Kaldor Draigo]] for the title of baddest psychic motherfucker in the galaxy that's still mortal. Well, technically Space Marines are functionally immortal but are killed in action long before it can be considered relevant.

==Origin and History==
Once upon a time, <s>Ramenphiston[https://i.imgur.com/tgQGpml.png]</s> Mephiston was called Brother Calistarius, one of many librarians of the Blood Angels (and possibly the same from the Sin of Damnation book, which would also make him the same Librarian Calistarius in the Space Hulk games). You know, just your average 8-foot tall, superhuman killing machine with psychic powers and [[vampire]]-ish tendencies. Nothing that special. Then one day, he was overcome by the effects of the Red Thirst.

Once a Blood Angel is overcome with the Red Thirst, he is afflicted by the [[Black Rage]] and is inducted into the [[Death Company]]. Death Company Marines are bat-shit crazy, berserker, vampire Space Marines. Since there's no cure for the Black Rage, the only thing that can be done for the Death Company is to use them as shock troops and throw them onto the front lines of the most brutal, meat grinder, suicide assaults and let them find a glorious death on the battlefield, like Samson in the House of Dagon.

During the second war for Armageddon, Brother Calistarius, as a Death Company Marine, was used to assault the [[Orks]] holding up in the Ecclesorium building of Hades Hive. As he and his fellow bat-shit crazy, berserker, vampire Space Marine brothers [[RIP AND TEAR|hacked, slashed and raped]] their way through the Orks' defences, they might have gotten a little bit too enthusiastic. As in, they brought the entire fucking building down on their heads.

Calistarius was the only one left alive, buried in the rubble with his body crushed and broken. Trapped, denied his glorious death, and unable to vent his rage by raping the shit out of the enemy, he was forced to sit and stew in his blind fury for seven days and seven nights. The madness of the Black Rage was tearing at his mind, screaming for blood and death, causing him to trip balls with out-of-this-world, fucked up visions that had driven all before him right off the deep end!

With nowhere to go and nothing to do, he had no choice but to stare down the visions and fight the madness. At midnight on the seventh day, he finally overcame the Black Rage and the Red Thirst and was reborn as Mephiston, LORD OF DEATH!

Having done what no Blood Angel had EVER done, he was reborn with new strength and power unlike anything he had ever felt before. Feeling the utter RAAAAAGE! and fury of Mephiston's rebirth, the thousand tons of rubble that had been crushing down on him and keeping him trapped SHIT ITSELF (how does rubble shit itself, you ask? Mephiston was angry with it, that's how!) and tried to escape, allowing Mephiston to burst free.

[[File:Lord of Death.PNG|250px|thumb|[[RAGE|A real champion is he who doesn't piss his pants at the mere presence of this bastard.]]|left]]As he burst free, he attracted the attention of a nearby Ork band. Now, there were several hundred heavily armed Orks and Mephiston was alone, his armour was shredded, he had no weapons, and was exhausted after what had just occurred. Given all this, it's clear Mephy wasn't really at his best. The odds were stacked against him, so it's fairly obvious what happened next...'''he fucked them ''right'' up!''' He butchered them, tore them apart with his bare hands. Then he grabbed hold of the biggest motherfucking Ork, PUNCHED A HOLE THROUGH HIS CHEST, AND TORE OUT HIS MOTHERFUCKING HEART. Then he skull fucked him while the other Orks just watched and cried girly tears of fear and defeat.

After this, because of his awesome power and the fact that the other Blood Angels were a bit scared of him and wouldn't refuse his application for promotion when he applied for one, he quickly rose through the ranks to the position of Chief Librarian.

===The Cybele Incident===
Mephiston was involved in, and helped to resolve, a conflict that nearly tore the Blood Angels Chapter apart. In the novels ''Blood Angels: Deus Encarmine'' and ''Blood Angels: Deus Sanguinius'', a schism occurs within the chapter during a campaign against the forces of [[Chaos]] on Cybele. A young Marine, Arkio, grew wings and then got all uppity and powerful, proclaiming himself to be the reincarnation of [[Sanguinius]], the Blood Angels' late [[Primarch]]. While many of his fellow Marines swore fealty to him, a number of others, including his older brother Rafen (his actual biological brother as well as fellow Blood Angel), refused to acknowledge any truth to his claim. As it turns out, they were right; the whole shebang turned out to be a typically dickish [[Tzeentch|Tzeentchian]] plot intended to tear the Blood Angels apart and turn them to Chaos, and was orchestrated by Inquisitor Remius Stele, a traitor and agent of Chaos.

Eventually, [[Dante|Commander Dante]], who was suspicious of the events on Cybele, sent Mephiston to assess the situation and decide if Arkio really was the reincarnation of Sanguinius. Almost immediately upon arriving, Mephiston sensed the taint of Chaos in Arkio, denounced him as a fraud, and identified Inquisitor Stele as a [[HERESY|heretic]] and a traitor, because Mephiston is a fucking discerning motherfucker and was way too smart for any of those asshats. But Arkio persisted in his claims, and Mephiston, feeling unusually gracious, allowed Rafen to kill him instead of just [[RIP AND TEAR|eviscerating]] the little bastard himself. Still, Mephiston got to annihilate scores of other Chaos Marines and cultists while he was there, so it was a good time overall.

===Divinatus Prime===
In ''Mephiston: Blood of Sanguinius'' it was revealed that while Mephiston had been "cured" of the Black Rage, whenever he tried to unleash his full might he would be overcome by a bout of UNSTOPPABLE RAGE (seriously, he conjured miniature Warp Storms several times in this book). Furthermore, his body was slowly changing (his skin turned darker, his RAGE became harder and harder to stop, etc.).

Mephiston sought the Blade Petrific, a Xenos artifact which could amplify its user's psychic power, as an answer to his problem (don't have to unleash full power if you can amplify less). The Blade was housed on the shrine world of Divinatus Prime, which had been lost to the Astronomican (Mephiston and his retinue had to jump, and traverse the Immaterium blind). Two Chaos Sorcerers, vying to be the protege of a third one, decided to make a little contest: Both of them would try to manipulate Divinatus Prime's populations to wage a civil war to see who would get the blade first.

Unfortunately, in the end, one of them escaped with the blade. [[Just as planned]], Mephiston deliberately let her to lead him to the third Chaos Sorcerer (whose identity he was implied to know.) Mephiston also realized that there was no salvation for him (his body had almost completely changed), but he said he "would be the Blood Angels' hope.". This also shows his deep loyalty. Rather than take the blade to save himself, he sacrificed his possible chance simply for a lead to a threat against humanity so he could destroy it.

==Revenant Crusade==

In 'Mephiston Revenant Crusade', good' ol Mephiston seems to have gone "blind" to the warp, this brings him to a world infested by insane Necrons. One of which boards his ship, and with his bodyguard of warriors, gets obliterated by a lieutenant and a few hellblasters. Mephiston then has them accompany him and his old friend Gaius, (not Merlin) down to the planet.

Whilst this is going on, A Codicier from Blood of Sanguinius named Antros, has been sent to investigate a way to cure the Rage or Mephiston warp overdose.
This brings him into contact with the Sons of Helios Chapter, a near dead Chapter who live next to the Great Rift. Without falling to Chaos. [[Just as Planned]]. Using the chant from the Sorcerer guy 'We dream, dreaming, dreamed,' ye. This is then turned out to be the result of a Chaos trick.

Antros then joins Mephiston. But in the end things get fixed, but Antros may be corrupted.

==Blood of Baal==
The third book of the [[Psychic Awakening]] event, it seems that two things are very clear: Mephiston has become [[Primaris Space Marines|Primaris]] and that the battle between the Blood Angels and Tyranids is going to have a rematch.

''Darkness in the Blood'' expands on Mephiston's transformation. Mephiston was being used as a kind of pseudo-guide for the fleets in Imperium Nihilus, and Mephiston seemed to be growing in power with the opening of the Great Rift. But despite his caution and his emphatic loyalty to Sanguinius and The Emperor, the sheer level of power increase occurring so rapidly, outpaced his self-discipline, and so Mephiston was losing control of it. This all came to a head during a trap laid by [[Slaanesh]], where Mephiston pretty much wiped the floor with Kyriss, but damn near succumbed to the Black Rage as a result. Fortunately however, Dante knocked Mephiston the fuck out so that they could return him to Baal, where the Lord of Death was volunteered to test the Rubicon Primaris. During the process, Mephiston's soul was cast into the ethereal plane, and ultimately greeted by none other than Sanguinius himself, who explained to the Lord of Death that the Sanguinor and his counterpart, the Angel of Darkness, represented the Purity and Red Thirst/Black Rage, respectively, inherent to all those of Sanguinius' bloodline, (who refer to themselves collectively as "brothers of the blood"). Mephiston was given the choice to take the embodiment of the Flaw into himself, similar to the Sanguinor, but acting as its opposite counterpart, with all the most savage parts of the Blood Angels.

After his rebirth, Primaris Mephiston is now a containment vessel for the Flaw, but realizes that drawing on that strength without restraint will make the Black Rage stronger and eventually reduce all those of the blood into something exponentially worse than even the [[World Eaters]]. That being said, when coupled with their self-discipline, the power boost granted by the flaw to those of the blood (and Mephiston in particular) becomes immeasurable. To paraphrase from the book somewhat, though it takes a toll, the flaw acts as a tool; one that may harm its wielder if not handled with care, but when tempered by disciple, duty, and loyalty to [[Emperor|The Master of Mankind]], becomes invaluable. To illustrate this point, Mephiston's first combat action after crossing the Rubicon Primaris saw him solo-ing a fucking [[Genestealer Patriarch]] (including the attending dozens of elites of its inner circle), all while simultaneously entirely blocking the psychic call they were attempting to send to the Hivemind. Mephiston didn't even break a sweat.

None but Mephiston himself are fully aware of the responsibility he accepted (though Dante has intuited a vague outline), but no one can deny Mephiston is still utterly loyal to Big-E, even if he is most likely the single most dangerous individual threat to the Blood Angels' souls. Astorath was prepared to kill him and Dante even considered it. But Dante judged (probably correctly) that the Space Vampires need Mephiston more than ever. It's also worth noting that though he is unsure whether or not his meeting with Sanguinius was real (an uncertainty that Dante does not share however), it nonetheless had a profound impact on him, seeming to instill in him some humility and even restoring some small traces of the humanity that he'd previously thought gone from him forever. Nowhere was this more apparent than when he met Sanguinius; from the first moment Sanguinius revealed his identity, Mephiston, the Lord of Death himself, was so awe-struck that he fell to his knees and wept, immediately addressing him as "my father".

==For All You Illiterate Folks==
Mephiston, however, is not based on a vampire, regardless of the Blood Angels connection. He is based on Mephistopheles, or Mephisto, a demon of Satan, marvel comic character and one of the Seven Chief (see the connection?) Devils. Mephistopheles was the demon who turned up to take [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faust Faust's] soul when he made a deal with the Devil, or Satan. When Mephistopheles first appeared to Faust, he actually advised Faust not to sell his soul. Mephistopheles didn't spend his time finding people to corrupt, but came to collect on souls from people who were close, or already, damned.

So you see, Faust is Brother Calistarius and Mephistopheles is Mephiston. Calistarius overcomes the Black Rage (his soul is already damned) and becomes Mephiston (sells his soul for great power). This theory is further reinforced by the fact that, in the Blood Angels Codex itself, it says (paraphrased) "in over coming the Black Rage, he became something much worse". As in, he sold his soul to overcome the torment of the Black Rage and in doing so became a demon, or one of the Seven Chief Devils of Satan.

This similarity is touched upon in the Lord of Death book, in which a lost Blood Angel chaplain accuses Mephiston of losing his [[Black Rage|"soul"]], referencing the twin curses of the chapter as being the heart and soul of who the Blood Angels are—and the reason for their humility and nobility. Mephiston rebukes him, stating that while part of the Blood Angels' humility was acquired by their suffering, it was in fact the tenets and beliefs of Sanguinius that truly fostered it. The chaplain dismisses this and [[rip and tear|very nearly comes to realize how very much of Mephiston's "soul" is still there.]] In the end, Mephy proves his loyalties as [[Doombreed]] himself screams to Khorne that he cannot [[Star Wars|sway Mephiston to turn to Chaos]]. Doombreed then leaves with Mephy knowing that he should have died right then and there

It should also be noted that [[Gabriel Seth]], [[Chapter Master]] of the [[Flesh Tearers]], of all people considers Mephiston a monster and an abomination. This sentiment earned him the scorn of basically every Chapter Master of every Blood Angels' successor chapter with Malakim of the Lamenters straight up saying that Seth's boys murder more people horribly than any one of the Lamenters' Death Company. Take that as you will. Although, Seth has too much of a fixation on the flaws. His main reason for disliking the Primaris Marines, for example, is their lack of the flaws which he believes are what defines the Sons of Sanguinius. Also he's a raging douchebag on even the best of occasions.

==On the Tabletop==
{| class=wikitable
! || Pts || M || WS || BS || S || T || W || A || Ld || Sv
|-
| '''Mephiston (Primaris)''' || 145 || 7" || 2+ || 2+ || 5 || 5 || 6 || 5 || 9 || 2+/5+++
|}

Mephiston is similar to last edition, with 5s for S, T, and W instead of 6s like the days of yore (or 4s for a standard librarian), but he makes up for it in other ways. His Sanguine Sword is now a Power Fist with no to-hit penalty; his other benefits include M7 (although he has no jump pack), BS2+ with his Plasma Pistol, A5 (6 on the charge/charged/intervention), a 2+ save, a 5+++ FNP, denying 2 powers instead of 1, and knowing 3 powers instead of 2, but that last is particularly lackluster, as he can still only cast 2; you'll probably want to take Unleash Rage (or Quickening, if you want him to buff himself better [[derp|since THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE MEPHISTON!]]), Shield of Sanguinius, and Wings of Sanguinius on him, then only cast the third power when you really need to get him into position. All of those benefits will cost you 57 points over a normal Librarian, or 47 more than a Primaris Librarian.

Mephiston has an excellent statline, lots of melee power (combined with a Sanguinary Priest, he can hit at S12!), can buff himself and/or others well, and is priced decently. He makes a good HQ (although his warlord trait is lackluster). His only weaknesses are no way to generate anything better than a 5++, allowing basic power swords to hurt him, and no means to deep strike with other choppy units. otherwise he can perform any HQ role quite well. He's in direct competition with a librarian dreadnought, given how much of his special character oomph was directed into making him beatstickier.E.

Mephiston with Quickening and the Red Rampage stratagem adds 2d3 extra S10 AP-3 D1d3 attacks that wound everything up to toughness 9 on 2s... holy shit, it won't matter if there can be only one, there's gonna be nothing left!

*His new Primaris model has arrived - and it's awesome. Depending on which of the two alternate arms you give him, it's essentially a miniature of the incredible black and white drawing of Mephiston standing and wiping his mouth while a shrine burns behind him.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Mephiston.jpg|He's as pissed off as an [[Angry Marine]] — on one of his quiet days.
File:Will power incarnate.jpg|Sheer willpower is what keeps him from tearing his own guys apart. ([[Mark Gibbons|MG]])
File:Warhammer-40000-Mephiston.jpeg|Some artwork depicts his hair as blonde, others make it look silver/white...
File:Awesome Art.jpeg|Mephiston has a lot of awesome artwork. Choosing a favorite is indeed hard.
File:Lord Mephiston.jpg|Kain of Nosgoth called; he wants his aesthetic back.
</gallery>

{{Marines-Characters}}

[[Category:Blood Angels]]

Lemartes

2023-05-29T23:32:37Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[Image:BLPROCESSED-Lemartes cover.jpg edit.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Fury Unbound]]
{{topquote|Rage, rage against the dying of the light.|Dylan Thomas, ''Do not go gentle into that good night''}}

'''Lemartes, the Guardian of the Lost''' – also known as The Cursed/Doomed Chaplain, is a [[chaplain]] belonging to the [[Blood Angels]] chapter of [[Space Marines]]. Lemartes is afflicted by the [[Black Rage]] but, unlike basically every other person in the history of the chapter (bar [[Mephiston]], who beat it in some way, shape, or form), he has such immense willpower that he can control it to a point. Essentially this means [[Angry Marines|he is always angry, all the time]], and always on the brink of choking some [[Abaddon|bitch heretic]]. Because of this, he is kept in stasis between battles, only being let out to lead his afflicted brothers in the [[Death Company]] to [[rip and tear]] everything in their path. He has officially been championed the 2nd most 40K thing in all of 40K by [[/tg/]], closely beat out by the drugged up ball of rage that is the [[Eversor]] assassin. That's secretly because he is an honorary Eversor being frozen and woken up only to [[RIP AND TEAR]].

==Origin and history==
Lemartes was once like every other ordinary chaplain in the Blood Angels. He ripped, he tore, he rallied his brothers to battle in a fury of faith and storm, and performed his duties of leading his Death Company brethren into battle every so often. That all changed on Hadriath XI, when Lemartes himself fell to the black rage while fighting [[orks]]. Following the usual showers of blood and gore that came when the Death Company go out for a night on the town, Lemartes was found by [[Astorath]] to be completely lucid in thought rather than a berserk madman. Lemartes asked Astorath to spare his life, vouching that he could continue the good fight in the name of the [[Emperor]]. Astorath, normally used to the somber job of chopping his mad brothers’ heads off, was intrigued by the chaplain, and brought him back to [[Baal]] for study under the [[Sanguinary Priest]]s. They too, found him amazingly controlling the curse through his own sheer power of will and strength, and thus the decision was made to keep him in stasis between battles, only waking him when the need for swift, bloody vengeance upon the Emperor’s foes required the forces of the Death Company. Basically like the ending of [[Halo|Halo 3]], but much more [[grimdark]]. Since then, Lemartes has done such wondrous things as rip, tear, rip and tear, tear and rip, smash, bash, crash, whack, crack, snap the enemies of the Imperium into bloody pieces, and then follow it all with a nap. In his Lords of the Space Marines novel by [[David Annandale]], Lemartes, Brother [[Corbulo]], and the Captain of the 4th Company, Castigon, fight [[Khorne|Khorn]]ate [[Chaos Space Marines|marines]] called The Blood Disciples on the planet of Phlegethon. The book does a great job of showing Lemartes’ thoughts from a first person perspective, which is to say, trying to not drown in a sea of never-ending rage and keeping his sanity. His tireless will allows him to save his brothers from a Khornate tornado of rage and blood that is slowly driving them insane, and eventually summons the [[Bloodthirster]] Skarbrand. Naturally, with the help of his afflicted Death Company brothers, Lemartes does what he does best, which is to say, beat the ever-loving shit out of the daemon and send him back to the warp kicking and screaming. Seriously, don't EVER make Lemartes even angrier!

==Tabletop==
{| class=wikitable
! || M"|| Pts || WS || BS || S || T || W || A || Ld || Sv
|-
| '''Lemartes:''' || 12" || 120 || 2+ || 3+ || 4 || 4 || 4 || 4 || 9 || 3+/4++
|}

'''The Blood Crozius:''' S+2 AP-2 D 2

Essentially a buffed chaplain, but with a focus on Death Company. Lemartes goes into battle with the similar wargear as other space marine chaplains – power armor, frag and krak grenades, a bolt pistol, his special crozius arcanum, the Blood Crozius, and a Rosarius. His special rules are, of course, Angels of Death, and Jump Pack Assault. He differs, however, with his special crozius – the Blood Crozius, the supposedly cursed mace of the original High Chaplain of the Blood Angels, which does considerably more damage against all enemies. Of course, he has his jump pack, and it wouldn’t be Lemartes without the same Death Company special rule of Black Rage. Furthermore, there are two more unique rules to Lemartes: Guardian of the Lost, where he can allow all friendly death company within 6" to use his leadership, and Fury Unbound, where you can re-roll failed charge and hit rolls, this applies to all DC ''models'' within 6". This guy makes it FAR more likely to charge DC out of deep strike, and helps them hit more when they get there.

==3rd Edition Codex Speech==
{{Topquote|The oldest legends tell of the noble [[Sanguinius]], sire of the Blood Angels. They tell of his grace and beauty; his love of humanity; his pure soul and unwavering loyalty to the Emperor. Some claim that he had the power of prophecy, that his eye saw along the voiding tracks into the future. It is even maintained that he foresaw the terrible things to come, and was aware of his own doom long before the Emperor's realm was shaken to its foundations by the treacherous Warmaster. If this is true, then Sanguinius' acts are even more selfless because of it."<br>"Brave Sanguinius faced the Chaos Warmaster in his lair, when that foul beast was at the height of its powers. Even before he was imbued with the false energies of the Dark Gods, the traitorous Fiend was all but unstoppable. Yet, knowing this, noble Sanguinius still met it blade to blade, eye to eye. When the Treacherous Serpent whispered promises of glory and strength in his ear, Sanguinius did not listen. Even as the Great Traitor was poised on the brink of infernal victory, the Lord of the Blood Angels was not swayed, though he knew it would cost him his life. Like all true servants of the Emperor, the Noble Angel knew that his soul would be forever with the Emperor; a reward far greater than any in this mortal world."<br>"And so it was that they fought - the Angel and the Beast. Titanic must have been that struggle, between those two gods amongst men. Long must they have rained blows upon each other, until it seemed that the life of the universe itself hung in the balance. And yet, for all his glorious might at arms, and his noble and pure mind, Sanguinius was bested. The despicable trickeries of Chaos were his undoing. But at that last moment, even as the blade of death waited to strike him, Sanguinius would not turn from the path of Light. Thus it was that the noble Sangunius, Lord of the Blood Angels, passed from this world. He who was everything a man should be was taken from us by the Darkness. A thousand times a thousand years of lamenting will never atone for our loss."<br>"Therefore remember proud Sanguinius, young acolytes, when you are faced with hardship. When the armour of your faith is buckled and torn, see in your mind that magnificent hero. Think upon his deeds and be humble, for his like will never walk the galaxy again.|Chaplain Lemartes' sermon to the Adeptus on the Cult of Sangunius}}

==Gallery==
<center>
<gallery>
Image:99800101051_LemartesNEW_01.jpg| His modern mini in all his rage-fueled glory.
Image:Lemartes_Battle_updated.png| A rare scene of Lemartes without his jump pack on.
Image:Lemartes-book-4.jpg|The cover art of his book.
Image:Chaplain Lemartes.jpg|His old look...
Image:Original_Lemartes_Mini.jpg|...and his old mini to match.
</gallery>
</center>

==See Also==
*[[Black Rage]]
*[[Blood Angels]]
*[[Chaplain]]
*[[Death Company]]
*[[Red Thirst]]
*[[Sanguinius]]
*[[Space Marines]]

{{Marines-Characters}}

[[Category:Blood Angels]]

Lamenters

2023-05-29T23:30:56Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Lamenters
|Heraldry = [[Image:Lamenters Livery.jpg|center|140px]]
|Battle Cry = For those we cherish, we die in glory! Alternatively, Disposable Heroes, Metallica
|Number = Unknown, always seen falling
|Founding = [[21st Founding]]
|Successors of = [[Blood Angels]]
|Successor Chapters = None, they die too much
|Chapter Master = Malakim Phoros
|Primarch = [[Sanguinius]]
|Homeworld = None, Fleet-based
|Specialty = Surviving and fighting for the helpless, and having the worst luck in the galaxy
|Strength = Less than 400, rebuilding with [[Primaris Marines]]
|Allegiance = The [[Imperium]] doesn't deserve these heroes
|Colours = Mustard yellow with black & white checkerboard detailing, thinned with manly tears
}}
{{Topquote|How unlucky I am that this should happen to me. But not at all. Perhaps, say how lucky I am that I am not broken by what has happened, and I am not afraid of what is about to happen. For the same blow might have stricken anyone, but not many would have absorbed it without capitulation and complaint.|Marcus Aurelius}}
{{Topquote|It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life.|[[Star Trek|Jean-Luc Picard]]}}
{{Topquote|Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.| John 15:13}}
{{Topquote|Emperor... Sanguinius... We try our best. We protect your people! We stand by you! We love you! So please... answer! WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO DESERVE THIS FATE?!|[[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device|A Lamenter giving his final lamentation.]]}}

[[File:Red Talons colour scheme.jpg|200px|thumb|left|The unlucky bastards, in all of their [[Noblebright]] glory]]The Lamenters are one of the most [[Crimson Consuls|fucked-over]] [[Space Marines|Space Marine]] [[Space Marine Chapter|Chapters]] in [[Warhammer 40K]] history. Cursed to die horribly, turn to [[Chaos]], or [[Troll|both]] in every single bit of fluff they appear in. You think the [[White Scars]] got fucked by [[Games Workshop]]? Nothing compared to the Lamenters. Think the [[Chaos Pretty Marines]] got owned hard by [[Angron]]? Nothing compared to the Lamenters. Think the [[Afriel Strain]] soldiers are cursed? Nothing compared to the Lamenters. Think that the [[Raven Guard]], [[Salamanders]], and [[Iron Hands]] got beaten horribly on [[Drop Site Massacre|Isstvan V]]? ''Nothing'' compared to the Lamenters.

They are truly the Unlucky Marines. But you know what? If there are good guys in W40k, then they are undoubtedly it. They have been endlessly persecuted by the very people they fight for, and they even fight their own nightmarish cynicism and despair; yet they still fight on because they refuse to abandon the innocent and the helpless, and it is their burning star that keeps hope alive for one more day in that dark world. Along with that [[Imperium|Imperial]] planet that found a cure for <b>all diseases ever</b> but got [[Rape|mercilessly fucked]] by [[Nurgle]] and the Panacea STC that was stolen by the Dark Eldar who were curious as to what an Ark Mechanicus was doing in the middle of nowhere, the Lamenters are one of the greatest examples that nothing [[Noblebright|good]] can exist [[Slaanesh|unmolested]] in the [[Grimdark|grim darkness of the far future where there is only war.]]

== How Unlucky Can They get? ==
[[File:Lamenter_Space_Marine.jpg|300px|thumb|right|They may be unlucky, but they'll fight on no matter the odds.]]
The Lamenters were formed during the "cursed" [[21st Founding]]; where the AdMech believed they could improve on [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Big.E]]'s template. The end result was... [[not as planned|weird]]. (Guess they should have waited for [[Belisarius Cawl|Grampa Cawl]] before trying to mess with gene-seed.) Most Chapters founded at that time suffered from some kind of mutation. At least one ended up terminated by the [[Inquisition]] with the remaining ones staying under '''very''' close scrutiny for deviancy.

At first the Lamenters seemed to be the ones getting the best deal out of the whole sorry lot, since they did not suffer from the Red Thirst and [[Black Rage]]; unique case among the [[Blood Angels]] and their descendants. Unfortunately, they seem to have been the specific target of [[Tzeentch]]'s eternal dicking ever since; they have been cursed with more misfortunes than any other Chapter out there. It's even gotten to the point where Imperial "[[derp|scientists]]" are wondering what the hell is going on because, sure, shit happens, some people are never lucky, some statistical impossibilities become true on a fluke... and then there's the Lamenters.

As if it couldn't get any worse, eventually the Black Rage came back. Sometimes you just can't win.

TL;DR: *weeps a single tear of manliness.*
[[File:Lamenters_2.png|right|thumb|500px|This image is often used as filler for [[Imperial Fists]] articles and other chapters with similar color schemes. Because even in wikis, the Lamenters get fucked over.]]
===List of How Hard the Lamenters Have Been Screwed Over:===
''"I am of the scions of Sanguinius. Mine is the glory of sacrifice eternal, mine is the duty that never ends."''

- Captain Anaes Rychter of the Lamenters
*Founded during the Cursed Founding, earning them distrust among fellow Space Marines. Being a fleet-based chapter, they decide wisely to depart to the fringes of the Imperium to crusade against the xenos and the enemy without, rather than be mired in conflicts within.
*Were eventually recalled to the interior of the Imperium by <s>[[Tzeentch]]</s> the [[High Lords of Terra]].
*Tasked by the High Lords of Terra to partake in the defense against [[Abaddon|Failbaddon]]'s 9th [[Black Crusade]]. They were abandoned by the [[Mortifactors]] chapter in the defense of Corillia due to their origins. Being the heroic fuckers that they are, they decided to stay and fight anyways, and try to save the innocent people. Outnumbered as they were facing numerous combined Traitor forces, only 200 Lamenters were left 'standing' after the [[Ultramarines]] and [[White Scars]] finally gave enough of a shit to come in to reinforce them.
**The 200 survivors were subsequently lost in the warp after a freakish warp storm appeared. In a rare show of ''good'' luck for them, they ''did'' return afterwards, ''after fighting the whole way out''. Which, of course, just made other Space Marines trust them even less. <s>It is speculated Tzeentch only changed his plans at the last minute (!??!!)</s> {{BLAM}} {{BLAM|Heresy!}} so he could screw them over more. [[Eldrad|''What a dick.'']]

*Joined the Corinth Crusade with 300 Marines (all they had on hand at the time) in order to repay the Ultramarines for when they saved them on Corillia. (Because a debt of honour is a debt of honour, even the Chapter dying out doesn't get in the way of being bros!) In a decisive battle against an Ork slave mining world nicknamed "Slaughterhouse III", they liberated the 3 million human prisoners on the planet, who they decided to rescue (they did this alone, mind you - Calgar could not risk jeopardizing the entire crusade by attacking a planet that would most likely tie up their entire battleforce). Just a few moments after the victory, however, an Ork reinforcement fleet came over Slaughterhouse III. While everyone on the ground tried to evacuate as many people as they could, using their own ships and any planetside slaver ships that were still operational, the Lamenters realized they didn't have the time or resources to get everyone off-planet before being overrun, but decided to fight on to the last regardless. The remaining prisoners, though, wanting to spare their saviors from death and volunteered to be left to die so that the Lamenters could escape and deny the orks the planet. Reluctantly agreeing, the Lamenters detonated the seismic charges they had planted deep in the planet's mines and performed [[Exterminatus]] on the rest of the planet, utterly making sure the orks couldn't get anything valuable off it quickly and/or use it as a staging ground. (give Orks enough time and they'll loot/strip-mine/... a dead planet just fine; but Calgar & co didn't grant them the time.)
** After the Crusade, [[Marneus Calgar]] wanted to award them with [[Awesome|denying the Orks a vital mining planet and rescuing the few slaves they could get off-planet (mostly women and children)]] by giving them an [[Iron Halo]], but due to the losses (both theirs and civilians) [[Derp|they didn't feel like winners and turned it down]]. Despite how this was a case of manly tears, <s>most</s> some Space Marines instead took it as an insult to [[Matthew Ward|their spiritual liege]], so everyone hated the Lamenters even MORE. Although, turning down an item that would help them better save more people was pretty foolish. Calgar himself told the naysayers to shut the fuck up and was a good bro.
*Asked to partake in and to defend the area around the [[Maelstrom]] along with the [[Astral Claws]] and the [[Mantis Warriors]] after they got back to strength. For once, their fellow warriors the Astral Claws and the Mantis Warriors actually cared about them and the Lamenters had finally found true, believing friends. Then [[Lugft Huron]] decided to instigate what would become the [[Badab War]] with the Imperium because the Imperium ignored his pleas for launching a crusade into the Maelstrom. Understanding a trend here yet? When he does, the Lamenters and Mantis Warriors are drawn into the conflict as well out of bro ties to the Astral Claws — there is no way they are going to abandon their first genuine friends and only people in the Imperium who didn't treat them like shit. (And on top of that, from an outsider's point of view, it really seemed like the Imperium was bullying the Astral Claws pointlessly.)
**Reluctant to attack fellow Space Marines the Lamenters managed, for a time, to win conflicts with loyalists indirectly via their numbers, cunning maneuvers and effective shows of force causing ultimately little damage on both sides. This is known as excellence according to the Art of War and is basically the ultimate form of a mastery of warfare. But this strategy abruptly fell apart when the [[High Lords of Terra]] sent the [[Minotaurs]] into the fray, who were much less inclined to pull their punches. The Minotaurs discovered and ambushed the Lamenter's [[Fortress-Monastery]] and so began a brutal 17 hour siege with heavy losses on both sides where the Lamenters ultimately came out the worse. Outnumbered and outgunned by the infamously ruthless and well equipped Minotaurs (who are known for fighting ''en masse'' at nothing less than full Chapter strength and specializing in taking on other Astartes) the Lamenters were forced to surrender having been (once again) reduced to only 300, mostly wounded, Marines. Adding insult to injury, as recompense for their losses and just generally being poor winners, the kleptomaniac Minotaurs saw fit to pillage much of the Lamenters best equipment and even stole/were GIFTED a bunch of their ships, like a [[Blood Ravens|certain other chapter]], which they would eventually crash. Cherry on top, it was then the Lamenters learned that Huron and the Astral Claws had fallen to [[Chaos]] and that they'd ultimately been fighting for the wrong side.
*In another rare show of things, they were actually granted a pardon along with the Mantis Warriors. But again continuing this theme of getting fucked over, they had to do a penitent crusade for a hundred years ''without'' being able to replace losses or recruit new Marines (i.e. their fate would be in the Emperor's Hands now, and theirs alone). Their tattered banner was given to the [[Sisters of Battle|Adepta Sororitas]] for them to repair and re-sanctify. The Sororitas wept as they wove the ''Banner Of Tears'', as they contemplated the life of the Chapter, and how these glorious bastards refused to stop believing in their fellow Man, despite everything they had went through.
**This bears special mention: Sororitas (at least the ones in James Swallow's books) normally ''hate'' Space Marines. They treat the Astartes as [[abhuman|glorified mutants]], and their relationship soured even further when the Flesh Tearers accidentally gave the Sisters a [[Rip and tear|first-hand demonstration]] of the [[Black Rage]]; being blessed by the Emperor is pretty much the only reason the Sisters and the Marines don't get into more firefights than they already do. For the Sororitas to recognize the Lamenters as ''heroes'' worthy of having tears shed in their name? Heavy stuff, and the Lamenters earned it.
**Of course, the "official" story is that the Sororitas' tears were due to them 'contemplating the terrible sins of the Lamenters against [the God-Emperor]', [[FAIL|because fuck actually giving the Lamenters the respect they well and truly deserve in canon]], [[GW|we]] gotta keep them in constant misery because of GRIMDARK! (Of course as standard protocol disregard what GW wrote in the case why the sisters cried as non-canon, especially since there aren't any sins for them to cry about so...yeah.)
*They again wisely decided to crusade on the borders of the Imperium and against [[xenos]], lest they wind up getting fucked over in another internal squabble. But continuing this getting fucked over theme, in their first crusade action, they happened to encounter the [[Tyranid]] [[Hive Fleet Kraken]]. With only less than 400 marines on hand, they hold out to try to allow as many people as possible to escape whenever the Hive Fleet gets its OM NOM NOM'ing on.
*Just to make their shitty situation of repetitive forlorn hope rearguards even shittier, the [[Black Rage]] returned, meaning that the cure was a bust. So now the Lamenters have to form a [[Death Company]] and lose valuable battle-brothers that way... while still being unable to recruit (of course).
*A mere 13 years before their crusade was to end <s>[[Advancing the Storyline|the entire universe stopped]]</s>. Nevermind that, they have apparently survived through Kraken and have gotten Primaris reinforcements from [[Roboute Guilliman|Bobby G]], so at least they have a chance to survive their crusade.
**Well actually no. For some reason, Guilliman, the massive cunt he is decided to only give them the primaris tech and no Greyshields. Why? Because the Universe needs to shit on the Lamenters. (Like with the sisters crying segment disregard what GW wrote as non-canon)
*Perhaps even worse than all of the above, their colour scheme is masochistically hard to paint correctly. The [[Imperial Fists|yellow is alright]], nothing wrong there. [[RAGE|But the thing that basically makes the army Lamenters instead of any random yellow marines is their chapter's symbol, which is comprised of a black-and-white checkered pattern with a circle and a heart in the middle. Trying to paint that on a few dozen miniatures is more-or-less painstakingly time-consuming, if not impossible, in the face of other Chapters having easier symbols to paint.]] Anyway, as a result the Lamenters are cursed to be the least represented official chapter in the game, and almost certainly even less than a lot of fan made and random bullshit chapters. To play Lamenters, you need to be an uncommonly good painter and have a taste for being fucked over in the fluff, on the tabletop AND for hundreds of hours of painting. Certainly an acquired taste!
*Meta: Literally the day after StringStorm and Corgi release their masterpiece 1d4chan goes down and when it gets back up Captcha is broken so it can't be linked here until fixed. Even software hates them.
** It is fixed! Here it is! The Lamenters never give up! [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybvtDr48sqo]]
Basically an ideal Chapter for BDSM lovers.

==Where Are They Now?==
[[File:Lamenters Dreadnought kicking ass.png|400px|thumbnail|left|[[Awesome|EVEN IN DEATH, I STILL FIGHT FOR THOSE I CHERISH!!!]]]]
The Lamenters have survived against the hive fleet Kraken and have even gotten Primaris reinforcements, bolstering the numbers of the chapter, proving while they may still constantly get fucked over, they still succeed in fighting in the Emperor's name. However, while they continue to exist, and no matter what horrible fate befalls them, [[Fist of the North Star|it can be assured these heroic fuckers will selflessly continue to fight for Mankind]], and quadrillions of ungrateful souls the galaxy over.

Never mind that they are essentially The Book of Job: The Chapter, the Lamenters are some of the baddest loyalist asses to ever don [[pauldrons|power armor]]. Every ''single'' thing that tried to screw them over, they proceeded to open up cans of [[Rage|FUCK YOU!]] in its general direction and despite losing Marines every time, [[Awesome|THEY ARE STILL STRONG, SURVIVING]] AND [[Imperial Guard|HOLDING THE FUCKING LINE.]]

There are only two Lamenters characters confirmed to remain today: First is Brother Chyron from the Deathwatch novels by [[Steve Parker]], a very sad [[Dreadnought]] that serves with the [[Deathwatch]] and who [[grimdark|considers himself to be the last of his chapter and thus is permanently attached to the Deathwatch]]. With everything lost to him, Chyron is only fuelled by one, tragic objective: revenge for his fallen Chapter, claimed in xenos' blood. This desire for revenge has often caused him to be irritable, stubborn, and downright insubordinate to his fellows and even superiors (It is not often a Deathwatch member flips off the [[Inquisitor]] giving them missions. Chyron does it. Twice. During the same mission.) Although despite this, his fellow Kill-team squad members refuse to abandon him.

The second is Malakim Phoros, the Chapter Master of the Lamenters, aka 'The Lord of Ruin,' and 'The Watcher of the Deeps', who is essentially the embodiment of Walking Weaponized Depression and who has faithfully served the Imperium for over two centuries. He is a highly aggressive close combatant, carrying the [[Black Rage]] in his heart, and likely one of the few Lamenters to have a Glaive Encarmine, let alone Artificer Armor.

Lamenters may be played as [[Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Blood_Angels(8E)|Blood Angels]]. Malakim Phoros has survived to 8th ed as a 'Blood Angels' HQ who excels in close combat.

Also in 6th ed was a bit of fluff about the Emperor's Tarot, a set of cards used by high-ranking psykers to try and make predictions (like Eldar seers, but less Heretical). The prediction stated that things were about to get even worse for the Lamenters. On one hand, fuck. On the other hand, this prediction came immediately after the Chapter was presumed destroyed for the fourteenth time, so do the math.

As of 7th Edition, when Dante made a call for all Blood Angels successor chapters to defend [[Baal]] against a simultaneous [[Daemon]] and Tyranid incursion, the Lamenters were the only chapter who did NOT respond. At least yet. Even the renegade [[Knights of Blood]] returned to defend their home (although it still hasn't been satisfactorily explained how the KoB found out there was a call, they just kinda showed up). It's unknown whether the Lamenters are all dead, were too busy or too far away to get the message, or if their penitent crusade out-ranks a call from the home world.

In the novel ''Dante'' by Guy Haley, it appears that the Blood Angels Chapter Master actually DID contact the Lamenters for aid, but they responded unfavorably. Dante notes that even if they had been of mind to obey the call, the Lamenters were too depleted to help their parent chapter. It probably also says something that his captains were unsurprised at the Lamenters being their only successor chapter to decline. They probably thought their presence would get everyone killed by bad luck.

As of the beginning of 8th ed, [[Primaris_Marines|NuMarines]] have been sent to reinforce several chapters that are low on marines. This means that the Lamenters are back in action, theoretically at least. But considering they didn't or weren't able to come back to protect Baal, whether they'll be reinforced and actually join the fight is anyone's guess. On the bright side, Chapter Master Malakim Phoros got updated rules for 8th Edition in the Imperial Armor Index - and he's the only Space Marine there is, aside from Guilliman, who can provide re-rolling of all failed wounds to nearby Chapter mates.

A Primaris Lamenter appears in the colour scheme section of the 8th Edition Blood Angels Codex, as part of a rebuilt 5th company, and they're specifically mentioned as surviving their run-in with [[Hive Fleet Kraken]].

We then had a minor retcon. The Torchbearer fleets under orders from Guilliman did not turn over Primaris Marines to the the Lamenters. Guilliman did this massive dick move for reasons not explained... thought suspicion points to the Mortifactors and Ultramarines being tie into it. As such they had to poach the technology from the legion along with the Celestial Lions.

In [[Psychic Awakening#Ritual_of_the_Damned|Ritual of the Damned]] the Lamenters get an apparent offhand mention in the "Echoes of Awakening" (lore preview) section. Some prison has secluded prisoners who are "going strange" into solitary confinement; these strange prisoners repel others, "even the strongest guards couldn't bear to go near them." A force of Space Marines "in yellow armour, bleeding hearts on their shoulders" came and took all of the prisoners, including the strange ones. Why the Lamenters would be collecting (if not recruiting) <s>criminal psychics (if not blanks)</s> what are stupidly obviously blanks is unknown but probably a belief in countering their "bad luck" by using blanks to protect them from Warp fuckery. Hopefully won't try to turn any into Astartes. Since Marine strength butt-naked far exceeds what is physically possible (like crushing granite into literal powder with one hand so easily he doesn't even notice any resistance) it's pretty obvious there's a lot of Warp fuckery involved.

In classic Lamenters fashion, they've been fucked over going into 9th edition; Malakim Phoros has had his rules relegated to a Legends PDF, and got hit hard enough with the nerf bat that he is almost unrecognizable. 2+ save? Now 3+, <s>with what is effectively a camo cloak</s> not even that anymore, his stealth armor is now removed as of the Dec 2020 FAQ. His wound re-rolls? Only himself, and only of 1s. He does have the Chapter Master rule though.

Lorewise, the Lamenters are back in the fight at Warzone Aberrus, being the only Chapter to respond to the [[Iron Lords]] call for aid against <i>another</i> tendril of [[Hive Fleet Kraken]]. Turns out, the [[Knights of the Raven]] and the [[Scythes of the Emperor]] were already in-system, and so all four Chapters began pushing back against the Tyranids. Together, the Imperials form a thin line preventing access to the Grendl Stars, where the hyper-violent [[Barghesi]] xenos reside. Officially, it's because the Imperium cannot afford to allow the 'Nids to assimilate even more dangerous genetic material, giving them yet another weapon to devour worlds with. Unofficially, these four Chapters in particular have unresolved beef with the Kraken and are all too eager for a little payback. You'd think that this would make for a great bonding experience between the Space Marines, but the Lamenters are sadly keeping their distance and communicating only when necessary. Seems like Badab hurt them in more ways than one.

== Daily Rituals ==
'''04:00 - Wakeup''': The Lamenters awake and assemble their wargear. Sometimes they fall out of their beds, hit their heads and end up arriving late to morning prayers.

'''05:00 - Morning Prayers''': The Lamenters show their gratitude for having survived the penitent crusade and having received their Primaris reinforcements. They ask the Emperor for strength to quietly bear their curse so that others don't have to.

'''06:00 - Morning Firing Rites''': The Lamenters hone in their firing skills. Occasionally the target Servitors incidently turn out to be [[Iron Hands|Loyal Marines from another Chapter]].

'''07:00 - Battle Practice''': The Lamenters engage in practice battles. By the end, the Medicae is filled to the brim with injured marines.

'''08:00 - Damage Control''': Attempts are made to repair and fix cases of mistaken identity. Often mistaken for those dicks the [[Marines Malevolent]], owing to their similar color scheme, its not uncommon for either angry Mechanicus, Salamanders or their successors to open fire on Marines Malevolent before a terrible case of mistaken identity ensues, often Lamenters are lost or injured before Malakim Phoros can get on the vox to Chapter Master Tu’shan to iron this out, after which they spend the next hour fixing power armor and bolter sized boo-boos but are total bros about it.

'''09:00 - Bro, Where's My Land Raider?''': Thanks to some bureaucratic fuck ups in the Administratum and some tech adepts who need to get their photoreceptors tested, very often, much of their Chapter's Tactical Dreadnought armor and Land Raider tanks end up going to the Marines Malevolent by mistake. Even so the Lamenters soldier on and will assault the Iron Warriors' Grand Companies/Dark Mechanicum titans/bio titans with what they have and not complain about it.

'''10:00 - Scout Maneuvres''': at this point in time, Lamenter Scout Marines will take to the field for early morning maneuvres...only to nearly get killed by friendly fire
from the Chapter's Devastator Company. Survivors and those currently on fire will be told to stop drop and roll, those not on fire will be asked to put out those who are.

'''11:00 - Physical Checkup''': All the injured Marines are tended to and prayers of thanks are given that no one was seriously hurt.

'''12:00 - Midday Prayers''': The Sanguinary Priests lead the Marines in prayers of restraint as they all struggle with the resurgent Red Thirst and Black Rage. Some Marines sadly gaze upon the stasis field containing the delusional and bloodthirsty forms of those who have fallen to the Black Rage and who were unfortunate enough to not die in a suicidal charge.

'''13:00 - Midday Meal''': Chapter Serfs prepare the meal, though sometimes it gets lost in transit and the Lamenters have to go without. The distraught Serfs offer the Lamenters their own rations instead but are graciously turned down.

'''13:15 - Tactical Indoctrination''': The Lamenters go over the latest tactics for fighting in the general galactic stalemate following the Indomitus Crusade's first phase and the Plague Wars. Meticulous preparations are made to minimize casualties on all allied forces and civilians and extreme search and rescue training is also conducted so that the enemy never gets another Slaughterhouse III.

'''14:00 - Angry Letters From an Angry Imperium''': The Lamenters are unfortunately mistaken for the Marines Malevolent again and receive 1000s more angry letters from everyone from the Imperial Guard to the local Hive Block Watch Association complaining about everything from leaving their men to die to local noise pollution. The Lamenters have to constantly explain they are NOT the Marines Malevolent nor have they ever heard of this Chapter and to any Adeptus Mechanicus tech priests we have NOT stolen your Ark Mechanicus! We never even saw it, we were knee deep in Tyranids that day! More angry letters continue to flow in and the Lamenters endeavour to answer every single one.

'''15:00 - Battle Practice''': The Lamenters again engage in practice battles. Knowing that their prowess is quite possibly the only thing standing between the citizens of the Imperium and the horrors of the Galaxy; they bear the pains and go through the drills meticulously for if they make a single mistake, they know it may cost the life of a person.

'''16:00 - Inspiring Speeches and Field Promotions''': Around this time the officers and indispensable heroes of the Lamenters will look to rally the chapter, deliver an inspiring speech, lead from the front or remind their battle brothers why the deeds they do matter. Much cheering will be heard before said Chapter-veteran gets his brains blown out by a Vindicator Assassin who quickly yells "SORRY!" in yet another case of mistaken identity, this time with the Lamenters being confused for the [[Celestial Lions]] Chapter, despite the vastly different color-schemes. Field promotions will have to be given and mops and buckets issued to sobbing Serfs to clean up the mess while funerary laments are chanted by the Lamenters over their ships' mass vox-relays.

'''17:00 - Priming the Primaris''': Additional time is set aside by considerate Firstborn veterans to prepare their new Primaris brethren for all the shitty luck and ill-fortune bound to come their way, although some less cynical veterans secretly hope that fate may be kinder to them. Regardless, nothing is sugar-coated and the Primaris Marines are overwhelmed by feelings of awe that their new Chapter is still loyal to the Imperium despite everything and vow they will be just as selfless and unyielding as all the Lamenters who've gone before, no matter what cruel end may befall them.

'''18:00: - Search and Rescue Operations''': The lamenters sweep over known Tyranid and chaos occupied hive cities and settlements looking for civilians or lost children to rescue.Which they will find, only to lose more battle brothers saving orphans getting them onto one of the chapters 3 remaining Thunderhawks, typically surrounded by hordes of alien horrors dying to a man while the Thunderhawk lifts off.

'''19:00: - Teleportation Maneuvers''': The Lamenters will practice their teleporation maneuvers at this hour. Hilarity ensues as every teleporter misfortune imaginable occurs. These include: losing the co-ordinates, power outages, heretical sorcery, beaming into a Chaos Warship, scouts losing the teleport homer, being beamed in without bolters, being vaporised, having a land raider beamed in on top of the first company, beaming onto a ship of the Marines Malevolent, teleporting right into the chambers of a Tyranid Norn Queen 20 sectors away, teleporting directly onto a Dark Eldar slave barge and accidentally beaming in a Tyranid Malanthrope instead of the [[Cato Sicarius|second company captain.]]

'''20:00 - Evening Prayers''': The Lamenters give thanks to the Emperor and the Primarch for granting them the will to make it through one more day and keeping them able to help others at any cost. Any Marine who broke down in tears during prayer are hugged by the Chaplain. If the Chaplain starts crying, the highest-ranking Lamenter present will hug him in return.

'''21:00 - Evening Meal''': A feast is provided by the Chapter Serfs. This time, an escort of Serfs armed to the teeth guarantees that the food makes it to the table. The Menu varies from day to day to try to cheer the Marines up, but often a brother would stare at their filled plate as it reminds them of events that happened before or after a previous time said dish was served.

'''21:20 - Night Firing Exercise'''s: The Lamenters hone their skills further in their ship's firing ranges. Sometimes a bolt will miss and hit a random Serf walking by. Said Serf(or what left of him) is immediately given a proper void-burial (after he's mopped up from exploding) with all the battle-brothers from the offender's squad in attendance.

'''22:20 - Maintenance Rituals''': The Lamenters work on their weapons and armor, as befits the Sons of Sanguinius. Occasionally, their equipment will spontaneously combust.

'''23:00 - Free Time''': Some Marines gather around the view ports of their ships, gazing into the void of space, contemplating why their chapter has such a terrible fortune. Others visit Chapter Serfs and express their gratitude for their service. Others take the time to indulge in the arts and literature as their Primarch would have done, for they know each day protecting Mankind is an honor beyond their worth and this helps them stay grounded in reality.

'''00:00 - Rest Period''': The Lamenters go back to sleep, silently expressing gratitude as they made it through another day.

'''01:45 - Nightmares Start''': Most people are harmed or terrified in their nightmares. The Lamenters dream of helpless civilians getting tortured or slaughtered while being unable to do anything to save them. Sometimes an unlucky soul lives out a nightmare where he is a Marines Malevolent or a Minotaur Marine in mêlée action; this drives them instantly to the Black Rage.

'''02:30 - Wake Up From Nightmares''': The Lamenters say a prayer of gratitude that no one was actually harmed, and go back to sleep. Nightmares immediately continue. New victims of the Black Rage are hugged before they are put into stasis.

==What It Means To Be A Lamenter ==

''The Siege of Corillia, week V [9th Black Crusade - 537.M38]''

“What a fool you are, loyalist lapdog – what a weak, deluded, nauseating ''fool''. Do you honestly think you’ve somehow managed to ''change'' anything? Are you truly arrogant enough to believe that you’ve actually made a ''difference''?”

Khralk’s crackling power-maul smashes into Brenevier’s side, buckling already-damaged ceramite plating and cracking the fused ribs of his carapace before he is hurled through the smoke-choked air to crash heavily against the bolter-riddled base of a devotional marble statue of the (now headless) primarch Rogal Dorn. The sickening sound of his spine snapping rings in the Lamenter’s ears like the fateful toll of a clarion bell. Each breath he draws sets his lungs aflame; blood floods into his mouth and behind his fizzling alarm-swamped visor his sharp regal face contorts in a bestial expression of rage and pain. Somehow he has kept ahold of his gore-clogged chainsword, now missing most of its teeth and running perilously low on promethium. The growing mob of cultists watching the duel scream-howl in triumph and prepare to swarm the battle-ravaged plaza and hack Brenevier apart with their assorted weaponry and their sheer hatred.

“Stay back, curs – he is mine and ''mine'' alone. Do not interfere!” Khralk’s amplified command booms through his vox-speakers causing the corrupted mortals to cower back, collectively grimacing as the words hit them with near-physical force. Adjusting his grip on his spiked maul the Iron Warrior Chaos Space Marine Terminator lumbers over to where Brenevier struggles to rise, half-stunned by the devastating blow, his battered yellow power-armor smeared in blood and ichor and soiled with soot and ash. The Lamenter rips off his ruined helm and bares his teeth in grim defiance as Khralk looms over him like an unstoppable juggernaut foraged out of iron and spite. ''There is nothing you can do that will make me regret my decisions or mourn my actions, traitor. Molli is safe, now; Molli is –''

''Molli is clinging to him, refusing to let go, her filthy face streaked with tears. “No! No!” she cries as Brenevier carefully pries her from his leg and lifts her towards the outstretched hands ready to pull her into the relative safety of the repurposed PDF supply truck. “You must, Molli,” the Lamenter replies calmly. “This vehicle will take you all to safety – it’s what I promised you, remember?” The five-year old girl thrashes violently in his grip, her blue eyes wild with panicked grief. “No! Not without you! Don’t go, Bren; please don’t go! I want you to stay with me!” A sturdy thickset woman in the garb of a foundry worker takes Molli from him, tears of gratitude and awe streaming down her own cheeks as she clasps the wailing child to her breast. “Bren! No!” Eight more distraught children are clustered around his ceramite boots, the older ones tightly clutching the hands of their younger charges. All of them are crying and it is not due to the turmoil of evacuation raging around them or the cultists’ vile chanting rising in the distance. One-by-one Brenevier picks them up and hands them over to the care of willing passengers and each child cries the same plea as their protector-savior fulfills his oaths: “Don’t go! Don’t go..!”''

“You claim to ‘cherish’ them, Lamenter,” Khralk’s metallic vox-distorted voice is laden with both amusement and incredulity, as if he is offering Brenevier an opportunity to deny this is genuinely the case. “I find such sentiment quite ludicrous. Were the lives of a handful of ragged slum-children worth this needless pain, this pointless ''sacrifice?''”

“Yes!” Brenevier gasps, dark clots of blood spilling from his lips as he forces his arm to raise his dying chainsword to counter the Traitor Marine's maul. One sweep of Khralk’s weapon smashes the blade aside, tearing it free of the Lamenter’s weakened grip. Brenevier cannot keep himself from screaming aloud as the Iron Warrior next brings the maul down upon his right leg, shattering armor and splintering reinforced bone alike in one devastating strike.

“I didn’t quite hear you,” Khralk growls low and deadly as he repositions the maul over Brenevier’s left leg, the threat blatant and unmistakable. “I ''asked'' you if the mewling whelps were ''worth'' it. Well, were they?”

“Yes!” the Lamenter cries again, his melodic voice clear and filled with conviction. Immediately the maul pulverizes his knee, brutally destroying the limb beyond its ability to heal. “What?” Khralk snarls mockingly, shaking his helmed head in feigned confusion as Brenevier shudders in agony. “I still can’t hear you – ''what'' did you say?”

“Yes!”

''“Bren!” Brenevier is about to turn from the idling truck to rejoin brothers Athrulf and Ralland at their newly-established defensive perimeter when Molli’s plaintive voice halts him. The little girl strains to reach him, clasped tight as she is in the strong arms of the foundry-woman, her tiny dirty hands stretching out to him imploringly. “Don’t go,” she sobs. “Don’t leave, Bren. Please come with us.” Brenevier extends a gauntleted hand and Molli desperately grabs his armored forefinger, her knuckles whitening as she squeezes it with all her might. “Molli,” the Lamenter speaks as softly as his vox-grille permits. “Molli, I must go; there are other people – other children – who need my help. I have to go rescue them too. You must be a brave girl while I’m gone. This kind lady will look after you and the others. Do you promise to be good while I’m away?” Molli sniffs and blinks back her tears. “I promise…but will you promise to come back and find me? I’ll miss you.” Behind his visor Brenevier smiles sadly. “I cannot make that promise, Molli. But do not be afraid – the Emperor protects, as always, and I will never forget you.” Gently he extracts his finger from her grip and before she can start crying again he turns and strides away, grateful that his helm hides his own tears…''

* * *

“Yes…”

“Yes…”

''“Yes…”''

It is fortunate Molli cannot see her steadfast savior now; neither she nor any of the other children would be able to recognize him. Khralk grips the rim of Brenevier’s gorget, holding him aloft as he spits a tirade of abuse and castigation into the Space Marine’s tortured face. The Lamenter dangles like a child’s poorly-sewn rag doll in the Iron Warrior’s implacable grip, blood flowing freely beneath his rent war-plate, his limbs all crushed and twisted, his head lolling as Khralk shakes him like a disobedient menial in his fury. Broken bones grind together and blood fills his punctured lungs; Brenevier can barely draw breath, can barely form a coherent thought, yet he refuses to recant his actions or denounce those he has saved for the sake of a swift death.

“You have accomplished ''nothing'', foolish little ''hero'',” Khralk sneers as Brenevier vomits more crimson vitae onto his cracked breastplate. “Your own erstwhile ‘allies’ have deserted you; Corillia will belong to the Despoiler before the week is out. All your valor is in vain; for every terrified child you protected a ''hundred'' more are hunted down and slain like vermin amongst the ruins; for each shell-shocked civilian you led to safety a ''thousand'' more are rounded up and butchered like grox in the squares. The thirsting gods ''laugh'' at you, Lamenter – unlike your False Emperor, who can only sit and scream into the void. Every mortal you’ve saved thus far will be either slaughtered or enslaved and their cries of despair will echo throughout the immaterium to delight the Primordial Powers – as will yours!”

Fresh agony flares anew through Brenevier’s shattered body as Khralk releases him and he falls to the scorched flagstones, barely conscious and all but paralyzed from the relentless beating. This time he keeps the screams locked behind his teeth. The restless mob of cultists edge cautiously closer in the hope they might be allowed to partake in the death of one of the Emperor’s loyal sons. Brenevier gazes wearily up at the hulking ironclad nightmare towering over him like doom incarnate; then he coughs up another mouthful of blood and takes a deep burning breath, recalling the great Sacrifice his own suffering primarch made so long ago.

“What are the delights of the Ruinous Powers to ''me'', traitor?" he snarls contemptuously through reddened froth. "I exist to defy…and ''deny'' them, both in the thrill of victory and in the pangs of defeat. I am the shield which protects the weak and the forsaken…I am the sword that defends the powerless and the forgotten. I am the spear that wards the innocent and the –”

''“You are nothing!”'' the Iron Warrior roars as he grinds a heavy ceramite-shod boot down upon Brenevier’s laboring chest. “I slew Astartes a hundred times your worth on the black sands of Isstvan V and I declare truthfully that you are ''nothing!'' Your forsaken Chapter, this besieged world, your rotting Imperium, your impotent Corpse God – everything you are loyal to will be broken in the end. ''This'' is just a foretaste, a personalized lesson concerning the inevitability of futility. Now, I ask you one last time: ''were those useless snot-nosed brats worth it?”''

“Yes! Both now and always!” Brenevier gasps, smiling faintly despite the all-encompassing pain, vividly recalling Molli’s look of astonished wonder when he had entered the little run-down back-alley chapel to find the nine undernourished street-children gathered together like frightened birds before the yet-undesecrated alter, invoking the Emperor and Sanguinius for protection with simple beseeching prayers as their hive-city slowly fell apart around them. Seeing such uncontained joy on such an innocent hopeful face had made the entire search-and-rescue mission worth every grueling hour. “I have no regrets, abomination! None! For those I cherish I die in glory!”

Khralk laughs, a harsh, gratingly hideous sound. “Oh yes, you shall indeed die, Lamenter; though there will be no glory in your death – these jackals that clamor at my heels will ensure it.” Stepping away from the incapacitated Space Marine the Iron Warrior utters a series of sharp commands in a vile unintelligible language whose syllables pierce Brenevier’s mind like poisoned spikes. An ecstatic cheer arises from the watching cultists. With a parting blow to the side Khralk turns and stomps off, crunching over the corpses of dead cultists and PDF troopers alike, pausing briefly to scornfully kick in the head of the lifeless brother Ralland. Chanting a litany to the Dark Gods the corrupted humans surge forwards, surrounding Brenevier and swarming over him like agitated oversized ants. ''I am sorry, Molli...I hope my memory alone is enough to sustain you now…
''

Serrated knives and other ritualistic flesh-tearing implements are driven through the rents in his armor and into his still-bleeding wounds. Khralk has done his work well; Brenevier cannot even raise a gauntlet to fend off his assailants. A cult-leader of indeterminate gender sporting a brass facemask fashioned in the form of a tusked porcine leaps atop his befouled breastplate clutching a glowing firebrand. Another grabs a fistful of the Lamenter’s flaxen hair and begins to crudely scalp him. Fights break out as the cultists vie for the honor of mutilating his flesh. The pig-masked leader crouches down and hisses some unholy declaration into the Space Marine’s face before thrusting the heated brand into his right eye. Segments of ceramite are slowly ripped free as warp-maddened men and women who would have otherwise fallen in droves before Brenevier’s chainsword and boltgun defile his broken body in a howling animalistic frenzy.

''“For those we cherish we die in glory!”'' the Lamenter screams out a final time before his tongue is severed in a welter of blood. Darkness engulfs him as his left eye is likewise pierced. The degenerate mortals stab, kick, claw and spit on him as the last pieces of his war-plate are pried loose and cast aside. “This hive is ''ours'' now!” a phlegmy male voice gargles into his ear in garbled Low Gothic as several chainblades are activated in unison nearby. “You have failed, Astartes – curse your Corpse God and die in vain!”

''Better your target is me then the helpless people of Holdenmire...'' Brenevier steels his hearts and fortifies his mind against the torment and butchery to come. ''O father Sanguinius, faithful and true even unto death, accept the sacrifice of your loyal son in the knowledge that I have but one life to give to the Imperium...''

Abruptly the chanting morphs into shouts of pain and rage as the crack-crack of lasfire fills the plaza. Furious at being interrupted the cultists hurl themselves en masse at the approaching foe in a storm of pounding footsteps and blasphemous oaths. Some of the newcomers are singing Imperial hymns and above the lasfire and the shrieking of revved chainswords the familiar brutal bark of an Astartes-pattern boltgun rises like a sacred song of defiance above the chaotic mêlée of joined combat.

“Brother Brenevier!” Sergeant Athrulf’s majestic booming voice is at once fury-filled and grief-stricken as he cuts and shoots his way through the throng of deranged mortals blocking his path; Brenevier cannot acknowledge him in any way or come to his aid. ''Do not put your life in peril on my account…'' he silently implores his squad commander as the inexorable tread of Athrulf’s boots draw steadily nearer. ''The children are safe and I have fulfilled my duty…
''

A retreating cultist slams against the Lamenter’s shoulder and then the cold greasy edge of a knife is laid across his throat. “Come no closer!” the phlegmy-voiced man cries to Athrulf threateningly, “or your brother’s life will be ended by my –”

The heretic suddenly collapses against his intended hostage, his threat unfinished, his heartbeat silenced. Scores of people are swarming about Brenevier once more but with the cries of ''“The Emperor protects!”'' and ''“Hive Holdenmire stands!”'' on their lips; one women empties a canteen of water over his ravaged face, promising fervently to “make those heathen offworld bastards pay!” These humans do not sound or behave like Holdenmire’s professional PDF troopers. Having broken the cultists’ charge they protectively surround the fallen Lamenter, awaiting further orders from the Space Marine who had rallied them. The last cultist dies with a wail of despair and then a helmless Athrulf is kneeling by Brenevier’s side, holding one of his crushed hands, his hot tears of grief pattering down upon Brenevier’s forehead and cheeks. “Brother, brother I am here – can you hold on until Thoror comes?” With great effort Brenevier shakes his head; he can barely breathe now and there is a cold blackness creeping over him that has nothing to do with his blindness. Sanguinary Priest Thoror cannot save him; Khralk has done his work well. ''Forgive me, Brother-Sergeant; forgive me, brave fighters of Holdenmire; I cannot stay – I must go…again…''

Instead of shrinking back from the demoralizing sight of one of the Emperor’s Angels of Death brought so low, the embattled citizens the Lamenters had sworn not to abandon to the depredations of the Black Legion press forward and place their hands gently upon Brenevier’s exposed body, their touches reverent and respectful in contrast to the ministrations of the cultists. “Thank you, lord,” an elderly man says in a trembling unsteady voice. “I will remember you to the God-Emperor for as long as I live,” promises a younger women sounding as if she is on the brink of tears. “You ''stayed'',” another man whispers in awe. “Your Chapter stayed, even after the other left…” Molli’s anguished tear-streaked face flashes in Brenevier’s minds-eye for a final time: ''“Don’t go! Don’t go…!”''

''I must; I am sorry – for those we cherish we die in glory…''

* * *

Brother-Sergeant Athrulf of the Lamenters Third Company bows his head as death claims the last member of his squad, feeling as if another piece of his hearts has been torn away and trampled upon. “For those you cherished you died in glory, brother,” he whispers quietly before kissing his subordinate’s pallid brow. He cradles the Space Marine's brutalized body against his chest, weeping silently. “May Sanguinius accept your sacrifice and may your soul take its rightful place in the Emperor’s eternal Legion alongside all our fallen brethren. Rest in peace: we who still draw breath shall hold the line without capitulation or complaint until the bitter end.”

Rising, the Lamenter sweeps his piercing blue-gray eyes over the stricken faces of the mortal militia he now commands. Virtually all of the assembled men and women have tears running down their cheeks; some are crying outright. Still, they straighten and try to collect themselves as Athrulf gazes at each of them in turn, assessing them for signs of flagging resolve or stress-induced madness.

“Do not morn brother Brenevier,” he says as he dons his helm, obscuring his fair statuesque features behind his blood-splattered beaked visor. “His fate is the fate that awaits all Astartes of the Lamenters Chapter; pray rather that your own deaths are as valiant as his, regardless of the circumstances. Our Chapter Master and Company Captains all swore before making planetfall to never forsake the people of Corillia while the Archenemy yet assails you and those are oaths we will never renege, even though our allies abandon us and the traitors heap contempt and death upon us. Stand fast! This is your city and by our sacrifices we have consecrated it in the holy blood of the Martyred Primarch! For the Emperor! For Sanguinius! For those we cherish!”

''“For those we cherish!”'' the loyal hivers cry aloud in one voice as they collectively raise their scavenged weapons in defiance, their grieving faces hardening in determination. Athrulf salutes Brenevier’s body with his sizzling power-sword, his eyes lingering unwillingly on the dead Lamenter’s profane wounds, knowing in the depths of his own hearts a similar fate awaits him and those he leads. Behind his visor Athrulf smiles sadly. It does not matter: he is a scion of Sanguinius and like his revered gene-sire he exists to serve as an example of righteous purpose and as an exemplar of the nobility that still exists within the human species. ''If our primarch suffered such an end then we his faithful sons must expect no less from this hostile hope-forsaken galaxy; the distant stars burn all the more brightly in the void because they are forever surrounded by such a great darkness; thus we must strive to be as stars to the Imperium’s people, so that they may know they are not alone in that vast darkness…''

Baring his teeth in grim acceptance Athrulf maglocks his sword to his hip and slams his next-to-last clip of ammunition into his spent boltgun. A nearby explosion showers more rubble across the corpse-strewn plaza, causing the unarmored civilian-soldiers to scatter for cover. Another band of cultists clad in gaudy silk robes and wielding elegantly curved scimitars and bejeweled needle-pistols charge through the swirling smoke, singing perverse praises to an even more perverse deity. “Come to me, then!” Athrulf roars deafeningly as he swiftly redraws his sword and strides forward without hope or fear to meet the onrushing enemy frontrunners. ''“For those we cherish we die in glory!”
''

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Lamenters_Sanguinary_Guards.jpg| A rare sighting of Sanguinary Guards for the Lamenters. The fact that they might not have official ones can be chalked up to the obvious reasoning.
File:Ultramarines_vs_Lamenters.png | Many Chapters may get fucked over but they can never compare to the amount of time fate fucks over the Lamenters.
</gallery>

==External Links==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr1Ip9aaHIA The Lamenters summed up] by [[If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device]]... aside from the bit about a weird Spiderman cosplay at the end. Warning: It is insanely depressing.
* SCREW THAT DEPRESSING VIDEO AND LISTEN TO THIS EPIC SONG INSTEAD! [https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ybvtDr48sqo Here they are], in all their glorious awesomeness, because the Lamenters will always stand and fight for those who can't, dying in glory!
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wESGz7j14w "Do you know what it means? That word - lament."]

* Writefaggotry Roundup! (All the good Lamenters fanfic I've been able to find - excluding all the RWBY crossovers):
** [https://archiveofourown.org/works/25862194 The Salamanders Chapter reinforce the Lamenters and give them Hugs]
** [https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13767355/1/Son-of-Sorrows-Warhammer-40k A Lamenter gang-pressed into Deathwatch service after the Badab War gets attacked by a Minotaur and his Cronies]
** [https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13704980/1/Don-t-Go-Warhammer-40K A Lamenter rescues Children and gets beaten/tortured by an Iron Warrior during the 9th Black Crusade (see the wikipage story added by the author)]
** [https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12862798/1/Lamenters-and-Redeemers The Sisters of Battle weave and sanctify the Lamenters' Battle-banner before they depart on their Penitent Crusade]
** [https://archiveofourown.org/works/28097253 A Lamenter and a World Eater fight in a ruined Imperial cathedral]
** [https://archiveofourown.org/works/23344960/chapters/55925782 A lone Primaris Lamenter hunts Drukhari on an outlying Imperial world]
* More to be added as I find them

{{Marines-Official}}

[[Category:Blood Angels]]

Lamenters

2023-05-29T23:28:08Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

Lamenters

2023-05-29T23:27:05Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

Knights of the Chalice

2023-05-29T23:25:44Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:KoC_Primaris.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Color Scheme of the Knights of the Chalice]]
{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Knights of the Chalice
|Heraldry = [[File:KoC_SP.jpg|200px]]
|Battle Cry = Unknown
|Founding = [[Ultima Founding]]
|Successors of = [[Blood Angels]]
|Successor Chapters = None
|Chapter Master = Unknown
|Primarch = [[Sanguinius]]
|Homeworld = Unknown
|Allegiance = [[Imperium]]
|Colours = Red with Black helmet, aquila, right poleyn, and trim
}}
The '''Knights of the Chalice''' are a Loyalist Space Marine chapter created from [[Blood Angels]] Geneseed. Created during the [[Ultima Founding]], the Knights of the Chalice are comprised entirely of [[Primaris Marines]]. Owing to the alleged 0% mutation rate of the Primaris Marines, they presumably do not have any Death Company, though since 9th edition we have seen Death Company Primaris marines. Since Primaris Marines have, thus far, been entirely incompatible with both terminator armor and standard-issue jump packs, their chapter organization remains largely unknown, but is said to focus on aggressive orbital assaults with Inceptor Squads, followed up by destabilizing strikes from Reiver Squads.

==On the Tabletop==
The Knights of the Chalice are the "official" Blood Angels Primaris Marines chapter, and as such combine the shiny new True-Scale marines with the newer aesthetic with the themes of the Blood Angels chapter.

===Colors and Heraldry===
The Knights of the Chalice wear a distinct and striking red into combat, said crimson hue only broken up by black, which they use to color their helmet and the Imperial symbol on their chestplates. The right shoulder has the same unique blood drop iconography used to show off company number as all Blood Angel successor chapters, while the left shoulder has the chapter insignia. The squad designation is shown on the right kneeguard.

===Chapter Badge===
Following the medieval crusader theme semi-common with the Ultima Founding chapters, the Knights of the Chalice chapter badge is a stylized black chalice on red.
{{Clear}}

{{Template:Marines-Official}}

[[Category:Primaris Marines]]
[[Category:Blood Angels]]

Knights of Blood

2023-05-29T23:25:29Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Knights of Blood
|Heraldry = [[File:Blood_Knights_Loyal_icon.JPG|200px]]
|Battle Cry = Unknown
|Number = Extinct
|Founding = Unknown
|Successors of = [[Blood Angels]]
|Successor Chapters = None
|Chapter Master = Sentor Jool (during the [[Devastation of Baal]])
|Primarch = [[Sanguinius]]
|Homeworld = Unknown
|Specialty = Heavy assault, overkill
|Strength = None, all of 'em are dead.
|Allegiance = Declared renegade by Ordo Astartes, nominally loyalist and considered as such by [[Dante]]
|Colours = Silver, dark red pauldrons, helmet, aquila, and main backpack
}}
{{topquote|Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.|Matthew 6:1}}

A Successor Chapter to the [[Blood Angels]], the Knights of Blood were a Renegade [[Space Marine]] [[Space Marine Chapter|Chapter]]. Although their frenzied warriors were dangerous to both friend and foe alike [[skub|at least according to the Ordo Astartes]], they still purged the galaxy of the [[Imperium of Man|Imperium]]'s enemies and were quick to remind Loyalist Chapters that there is a large difference between "Traitor" and "Renegade".

The Knights of Blood Chapter suffered the same deficiencies common to many of the later founding successor chapters of the Blood Angels - to wit, the [[Black Rage]] and the [[Blood Angels#Red Thirst|Red Thirst]]. The Knights started a galactic crusade to purge the foes of the Imperium, but committed so many excesses in the course of it that they were declared renegades by the [[High Lords of Terra]] in the beginning of M41.

As such they kept their distance from any allies, to protect those allies from both the [[Inquisition]] and their own deficiencies. Some chapters ignore this decree, refusing to accept any declaration of renegade status from any other than a Space Marine, but other chapters are extremely zealous in prosecuting outcasts. Though, even those zealous Chapters (probably; the [[Red Talons]], [[Red Hunters]], and [[Red Scorpions]] all say hello) wouldn’t just take someone’s word at face-value that a Chapter was heretical/renegade and would investigate. Considering the Flesh Tearers/Eaters and the Blood Drinkers are still kicking around, it's plausible that the exile of the KoB was a consolation prize of sorts for the Inquisition; they couldn't take out the aforementioned Chapters, so they went after a similarly-extreme but far easier to condemn one.

There were rumours of the presence of the Knights of Blood operating in the [[Jericho Reach]] for several years, but they never appeared on any officially sanctioned order of battle, and as far as can be ascertained, no communications were ever exchanged between them and the [[Achilus Crusade]]'s high command.

==Story time!==
In the short story, 'Reflection in Blood' by [[James Swallow]], Sergeant [[Rafen]] and squad parley with a group of Knights of Blood who outwardly don't display signs of either of the twin curses (i.e. the [[Flesh Tearers]] [[Angry Marines|sheer ballscrunchingly volatile anger barely restrained]] behind a mask). In fact they seemed quite civil despite one member of the squad being a dumbass and accusing them of being thieves along with renegades, as they had shown up in good faith to return a fallen brother's wargear and progenoids.

That, surprisingly barely got a rise out of them, and the leader, Ser Kord brushed it off. After things had wrapped up, Rafen asked the million dollar question, if they were willing to do this, could they not return to Baal with them? Ser Kord merely replied sadly "Baal has been lost to us." Then the dumbass asked them [[derp|what was stopping them from slaying them for being renegades.]] To which Ser Kord merely smiled gently and the '''Epistolary''' that had been attached to the squad suddenly [[Not as Planned|became aware of a COMPANY of the Knights of Blood that had been ]][[Creed|hidden by Ser Kord.]]

Without a [[Psychic Hood]].

Without even giving a whiff of corrupted sorcerer [[Chaos|stench]].

Without sending off any red flags to the Epistolary that he was even channelling the warp, let along concealing that many men.

[[Awesome|Let that sink in for a minute.]]

Needless to say Rafen and Co. beat a hasty retreat after - for such a [[Flesh Tearers|bloodthirsty]] chapter the Knights of Blood demonstrated a surprising amount of [[Reasonable Marines|patience.]]

That being said, this depiction of them is now questionably canonical. In [[Devastation of Baal]] the Knights of Blood were almost completely fallen to the Red Thirst, such that their physical appearance had begun to mutate into monsters like those locked in the Tower of Amareo. Then again, it’s possible the KoB began degenerating some time after these events.

==Conjecture==
These scant few pieces of evidence lead many to speculate that their particular blood lust might just be an increased passion in the midst of battle which would concur with what a Novamarine captain encountered in the Novel 'Death of Integrity' by Guy Haley.

It also raises questions by their command structure. As Ser Kord had not been fitted with standard psyker gear they might need him to pull multiple roles, as their status as renegades would make it hard to recruit.
They seemed fit, with no mutations to speak of, so there's only a small possibility that he gained them after. He could also be the Chief Librarian but not need to wear their standard gear. They could also have Chapter command set up like those [[Blood Ravens|bloody magpies]]. It might also have been technology. It might also have been that they received some sort of power boost due to [[Red Thirst|the flaws]] being suppressed through copious amounts of [[Angels Vermillion|blood-drinking/flesh eating]] or [[Blood Drinkers|some other possibly heretical means]] of sating the twin curses, with the amount of civilians being slaughtered for this being the impetus for the Knights of Blood being declared Renegades.

==Where are they now?==
In 999.M41, the Knights of Blood were gathering near Baal to assist their founding Chapter in their defence of [[Baal]] against both the Daemonic hordes of [[Ka'bandha]] and the [[Tyranid]]s of [[Hive Fleet Leviathan]]. Being branded as renegades, they kept their distance from the other Chapters during the battles as to not imperil any of their cousin chapters still in good standing.

The Tyranids 8e codex reveals that while under the command of [[Gabriel Seth]], the chapter was wiped out to a man in a suicidal charge that prevented Seth and other successor chapters from being overwhelmed by the Tyranids and Ka'bandha's forces. This is corroborated by Devastation of Baal, which shows the same events from Gabriel Seth's point of view and shows a rather touching goodbye.

Until that point, Seth and his Flesh Tearers had been actively avoiding the Knights of Blood, viewing it as a sign of mistrust from Dante that they be forced to fight alongside renegades and not alongside the primary force on Baal. However as the battle progressed, desperation forced Seth to team up with the Knights' Chapter Master Sentor Jool as Tyranids and Daemon overran their respective positions. It was then as all seemed lost that Jool revealed the truth of his chapter. As it turns out, the Flaw had begun to mutate them into monsters like those caged in the Tower of Amareo, and when Ka'Bandha arrived they had decided to use what was left of their self-control to die as Loyalists rather than being branded as renegades or being corrupted into the service of Khorne.

Jool then explained that it was he who had requested to fight alongside Seth, knowing that out of all the sons of Sanguinius, the Flesh Tearers would understand their plight the most. Lamenting the fate of his Chapter and warning Seth that he too was at risk of following them into damnation, Jool led his remaining men in a mad charge against the combined might of the Tyranids and Ka'bandha. After shedding a single manly tear, Gabriel and his remaining Flesh Tearers evacuated the planet, narrowly saving them from the Black Rage. Sentor Jool perished at Ka'Bandha's hand, but not before [[Awesome|personally refusing the Bloodthirster's offer of servitude in exchange for an eternity of bloodshed in Khorne's name]].

Dante and Seth are later seen discussing the fate of the rebuilt Chapters following the arrival of Primaris reinforcements. Both confess that the Knights of Blood are too cursed to be rebuilt, their legacy still too tainted. Yet nevertheless, both acknowledge the Knights died as heroes and loyal sons of Sanguinius.

{{Template:Marines-Official}}

[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]]
[[Category:Imperial]]
[[Category:Space Marines]]
[[Category:Blood Angels]]

Honour Guard

2023-05-29T19:42:20Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Ultramarine_Honour_Guard.jpg|200px|thumb|right|A Ultramarines Honour Guard, showing the world how awesome the Ultramarines would be if they remembered how Roman they are supposed to be...]]
{{Topquote|That was for appearances. Do I look like I need a bodyguard?|[[Corvus Corax]], [[Primarch]] of the [[Raven Guard]] Legion}}
An '''Honour Guard''' is a [[Space Marines|Space Marine]] squad charged with guarding the [[Chapter Master]] or other [[Space Marine Chapter]] luminaries.

Generally speaking, someone who has risen to the rank of Chapter Master, [[Chaplain|Master of Sanctity]], or [[Librarian|Chief Librarian]] is an all around badass who can take most of what the galaxy can throw at him. And in [[Warhammer 40,000]], that's a lot. Honour Guards are less about protecting said badass (though should he run into trouble, they will naturally help him) and more about acknowledging a Space Marine's battle prowess and rewarding him by making him part of the Chapter Master's retinue. That said, Honour Guards will be called to serve in active combat, so it's a good thing that they can fight. Honour Guard are inducted from space marines with centuries of experience. Their wisdom is said to be greater than the Chapter's Captains, however they refrain from giving advice mostly, as otherwise it would usurp the recipient's authority. However, they do occasionally give out advice, and are respected to the point where it is considered folly for even a Chapter Master to ignore their words. Each Honour Guard has a Chapter Champion who trains in single combat to duel any challenger to his Chapter Master. Rather hilariously, the [[Ultramarines]] don't follow this particular edict of the codex astartes. Their Chapter Champion is not an Honor Guard, but a Captain (which is foolish when you think about it). Currently this position is held by [[Cato Sicarius]].

Membership wise, the Honour Guard is overseen by the Captain of the Guard. Occasionally, the Captain will have a Guard Sergeant serve as his second in command, but often this post will be left vacant. The most senior members of the Honour Guard are the Chapter Ancient, who carries the Chapter Banner into battle, and the Chapter Champion, who is charged with protecting the Chapter Master.

Not to be confused with Honor Companies, which are more like seconded or pseudo-autonomous companies not restricted in number (number of honor companies, 100 Marines each) by the Codex Astartes. Chapters are said to heavily abuse this loophole. Given how Honor Guard promotion works, they probably aren’t limited in number by the Codex either...

==On the Tabletop==
[[File:UltramarinesHonourGuard.png|200px|right]]
Honour Guard have a respectable statline, being a space marine statline with an extra attack and ld10. The Chapter Champion is WS5 and A3, but must always issue or accept challenges if possible. They each come stock with [[Artificer Armour|Artificer Armour,]] a [[Bolt Pistol]], a [[Astartes Boltgun|Boltgun,]] frag and krak grenades, and a [[power weapon]]. Considering that the Artificer armour and power weapon alone cost more than each honour guard, they are a bargain when it comes to point cost. Any member can also be armed with a [[Power weapon#Relic Blade|relic blade,]] which is worth considering if your Chapter Master has the AP2 handled or if you have some extra points lying about. The Chapter Champion can also get a [[Thunder Hammer]] if he wishes (Remember, if you field him with a relic blade or TH, don't give him the free CCW! He won't benefit from it, so the boltgun is better. Only give him the CCW if you're fielding him stock with a power weapon). They are pretty much "light terminators" as they have a 2+ save and have a power weapon (compared to a 2+/5++ and a power fist). However, for some stupid reason they don't have relentless which means you can't fire your boltguns before charging (REMEMBER THEIR BOLT PISTOLS FOR THE LOVE OF THE EMPEROR). They are notably better than previous iterations as they are comparitively cheap and <s>actually worth taking now</s> definitely worth taking now, if you have a chapter master and 110 points lying around, buy 4 to run around with him. Your enemy must now divert valuable AP2 firepower to deal with them, meaning they are extremely good when taken alongside terminators. Consider a drop pod for them as a cheap distraction unit with staying power. For some stupid fucking reason they can't take bikes so they can't be taken alongside smashfucker <s>WHICH IS FUCKING BULLSHIT</s> as if [[Chapter Master Smashfucker]] needed to be more broken as it is.

In 8th Edition they've been shifted to Warhammer Legends alongside the [[Legion of the Damned]]. It took a while for GW to give them a proper Primaris replacement, but better late than never: the [[Bladeguard Veteran]]s fill their "awesomely detailed, greco-roman in space flavored bodyguards" niche.

==Legion Honour Guard==
Prior to the [[Horus Heresy]], most of the Primarchs possessed an Honour Guard of some sort. Since Primarchs had the sort of physical prowess that even Custodes could only gawk at, the position was really more about rewarding a Marine's prowess than anything else. Most of the Guard ended up being either largely ceremonial or would be used for high priority missions when the Primarchs really needed something done right. For instance, Lion El'Jonson tended to have them go fuck shit up rather than stand at his side (though considering that he had a small army of them, that's not terribly surprising). Additionally, most of the Primarchs only accepted a Guard to make their Marines feel better. The Legions were not keen on their Primarchs getting into genuine trouble, and certainly not without backup. So accepting these Guards essentially just got the Legionaries to stop pestering their respective Primarchs, even if they were rather superfluous. Corax for instance openly stated that his guards were only for show. Angron despised his so-called 'bodyguards', as did Konrad, but they hated everyone in their Legions anyway.

*'''[[Deathwing]]:''' The Deathwing started out as a specialized formation of Cataphractii Terminator-armoured elite, who carried out harrowing actions, shock assaults and strategic decapitation strikes. The unit charged to act as Honour Guards of [[Lion El'Jonson|the Lion]], officers, and voted lieutenants was known as the Secta Mortis. They also served as bodyguards for Sanguinius during his time as regent of Imperium Secundus after Konrad Curze murdered the Invictus and Sanguinary Guard. The DA also had the Deathwing Companions, who ramped the knight aesthetic up to 11, wore either artificer or terminator armour and were permitted to paint their armour bone-white if they took a deathblow protecting their assigned officer. The Lion himself had his 500 Companions, the first 500 Marines to meet him on Caliban, who wrote a book containing the sum of their knowledge on the Lion and never inducted any new marines into their ranks. After the Horus Heresy, the Deathwing became the Dark Angels' (and their successor chapters) 1st Company and hunt down the <s> Fallen</s> HERETICS WHO ARE NOT RELATED TO THE EXTREMELY LOYAL DARK ANGELS.
*'''[[Phoenix Guard (Emperor's Children)|Phoenix Guard]]:''' The Honour Guard of [[Fulgrim]]. They wore Terminator Armour and carried ceremonial power spears. Even after the [[Emperor's Children]] fell to [[Slaanesh]], they still serve as Fulgrim's bodyguard.
*'''Dominators:''' Originally the Honour Guard of [[Perturabo]]. Prior to the Horus Heresy they were held in high regard, but this changed when a squad of [[Imperial Fists]] made it to his personal chambers during the Battle of Phall. Perty then decided to utterly disassemble them and throw them into various battlefields. Whatever pride they had would slowly turn into an all-consuming bitterness mirroring their primarch's when they were replaced with...
**'''Iron Circle:''' Instead of just getting new legionaries to replace the new vacancies, Perturabo instead used Colossus-class robots from the [[Legio Cybernetica]] as his council/bodyguards. They are armed with XBOXHUEG fuckoff hammers and shields.
*'''Keshig:''' The Honour Guard of [[Jaghatai Khan]] and other [[White Scars]] commanders. The Keshig was quite a diverse honour guard organisation as multiple sub-organisations existed within the Keshig, but the most common kind (including Qin Xa, their commander) was clad in [[Terminator]] armour. The Ebon Keshig were another division whose members were sentenced to atone for dishonourable acts by protecting their charge and wore black Terminator armour, and the Golden Keshig were a group of [[Jetbike]] riding members of the organisation, who were presumably created when the Scars realised that Terminators have trouble keeping up with bikes. Ultimately, their role was to keep anyone - other opponents and other White Scars - from getting involved and interfering when Jaghatai Khan was [[Rip and Tear|having some fun]].
*'''[[Wolf Guard]]:''' The Honour Guard of [[Leman Russ]]. Within their legion Leman's guards were called the Companions and sometimes Thanes (because for once Black Library delivered the viking part of werewolf space vikings). When Russ left the [[Space Wolves]], the only member of his Wolf Guard to be left behind was [[Bjorn]]. Even into the 41st Millennium, Wolf Lords still use Wolf Guards to serve as their Honour Guards and senior sergeants.
*'''Huscarls:''' The Honour Guard of [[Rogal Dorn]], they were Terminators that carried the first storm shields into battle. Their foremost member was Archamus until he fell in battle against the XX Legion Primarch during the Horus Heresy. They have been reinstated by Guilliman to help the defense of Imperial worlds in the wake of the [[Indomitus Crusade]]. Also of note were the '''[[Black Templars|Templar Brethren]]''', who were the best swordsmen in the Imperial Fists Legion and constituted the First Company of roughly a thousand warriors. [[Sigismund]] was their commander, and therefore First Captain.
*'''Atramentar:''' The First Company of the [[Night Lords]] and (theoretically) the Honour Guard of [[Konrad Curze]]. As with the rest of the legion, they were very unruly and were not the sort to easily follow any leader that they did not approve of. After the death of First Captain Jago "Sevatar" Sevatarion, the Atramentar scattered and protected errant Night Lord warband leaders of their choosing.
*'''[[Sanguinary Guard]]:''' The Honour Guard of the Primarch [[Sanguinius]], a job they all took ''very'' seriously. Sadly, they were all killed with Sanguinius during the trip to the ''Vengeful Spirit'', save for their founder Azkaellon. Following the [[Second Founding]] all [[Blood Angels]] successor chapters would maintain a number of Sanguinary Guard. During the [[Devastation of Baal]], all but one Sanguinary Guard from all twenty of the IX Legion successors that showed up were killed.
**'''[[Crimson Paladin]]s''': Part of Sanguinius' household, and although they didn't guard Sanguinius in battle (Terminators often find it hard to keep up with people that can fucking fly) they guarded places that he considered important, like specific chambers in the Blood Angels fleet.
*'''Morlocks:''' The Honour Guard of [[Ferrus Manus]]. They were all members of the Avernii Clan-Company, the First Company of the [[Iron Hands]] Legion. Most of them were killed at the [[Drop Site Massacre]] when Ferrus had his head lopped off by his erstwhile brother Fulgrim. By M41 Clan Avernii still exists as part of the Iron Hands Chapter, and they're still bitter fucks about what happened.
*'''[[Devourer (World Eaters)|Devourers]]:''' The Honour Guard of [[Angron]]. However, Angron had nothing but contempt for the Devourers, feeling bodyguards were pointless. By the time the Horus Heresy rolled around, they weren't even the best warriors in the [[World Eaters]] legion anymore.
*'''Invictus Guard:''' The Honour Guard of [[Roboute Guilliman]]. The name, literally "unconquerable", either [[Awesome|harkens back to the Ultramarines' roots as SPESS Romans,]] or [[Matt Ward|reflects vile fanboy influences.]]
**'''[[Victrix Guard]]:''' Guilliman's current Honour Guard in the 42nd Millennium, alongside the regular Ultramarines Chapter Honour Guard who are still serving Chapter Master [[Marneus Calgar]].
*'''[[Deathshroud|Deathshroud:]]''' The Honour Guard of [[Mortarion]]. They were listed as killed in action and given Terminator Armour and Power Scythes to mimic Mortarion. They never strayed more than 49 (49 is seven squared and seven is Nurgle's favored number) paces from Mortarion. They still serve as Mortarion's Honour Guard even with Mortarion as a [[Daemon Prince]] of [[Nurgle]] in the 42nd Millennium. Sometimes he'll order a few of his Deathshroud to accompany a Death Guard commander to protect him/kill him if he fucks up his job.
*'''[[Scarab Occult|Sekhmet]]:''' The Honour Guard of [[Magnus the Red]]. Even when they wore Terminator Armour, Magnus was still twice their size. They were so emotionless, calm and disciplined, that hardly any of them noticed any changes when they all turned into [[Rubric Terminators|dust-robots]] and have continued stoic service since then.
*'''[[Justaerin]]:''' The ''de facto'' Honour Guard of [[Horus|Horus Lupercal]]. While the [[Black Legion|Luna Wolves/Sons of Horus]] never had a formal Honour Guard, the Justaerin Terminator Squad was the premier squad of the already elite First Company, and often served in this role. They were commanded by Falkus Kibre, under the captaincy of [[Abaddon|Ezekyle Abaddon]]. They were nearly wiped out during the Horus Heresy.
**'''[[Bringers of Despair]]:''' The Black Legion's Honour Guard, formed from 30 Justaerin survivors of the Horus Heresy and since expanded. The rebuilt Justaerin now act as the premier elite Terminator formation but are no longer Honour Guard.
*'''Luperci:''' Another of Horus' bodyguard squads (who said you can't have multiples?). They were the Sons of Horus's first Possessed Marines, and unlike the Justaerin they get to actually guard him in battle at least once. Against an entire Knight household, no less. Oh and they WON.
*'''Gal Vorbak:''' The Honour Guard of [[Lorgar|Lorgar Aurelian]]. They were the first [[Possessed Marine]]s of the [[Word Bearers]] and were led by [[Argel Tal]]. Also all wiped out during the Heresy.
*'''Pyre Guard:''' The seven-man Honour Guard of [[Vulkan]]. They were drawn from the already elite Firedrakes and also served as his senior advisers. Loved fire even more than their Battle-Brothers.... Which is quite the feat. Also served as Chapter Masters within the Legion in addition to their Honour Guard role.
*'''Shadow Wardens:''' The Honour Guard of [[Corvus Corax]]. Corax never felt the need for bodyguards but took them as everyone insisted. Following the Drop Site Massacre Corax dispersed his Honour Guard back into the companies, who desperately needed the manpower.
*'''Effrit Squad:''' The Honour Guard of [[Alpharius]] and [[Omegon]]. Essentially the Black Ops of the Black Ops Legion. Since the [[Alpha Legion]] kept Omegon's status as twin brother of Alpharius a secret, Omegon was passed off as head of Effrit Squad.
*'''Lernaeans:''' Another form of Honour Guard of the [[Alpha Legion]]. This time they were an elite formation of Terminators. Few knew of the Lernaean Terminator Squads. This was not because they sought to obscure their existence, but rather because [[Eversor|they rarely left behind any witnesses of their deeds]].

== Gallery ==

Here are all the legion Honour Guards in all their colors and flavors.

<gallery>
Image:Deathwing2.jpg|Deathwing
Image:Phoenix_guard2.jpg|Phoenix Guard
Image:Ironcircle.jpg|Iron Circle
Image:Keshig.jpg|Keshig
Image:Wolf_Guard2.jpg|Wolf Guard
Image:Templar_Brethren.jpg|Templar Brethren
Image:Atramentar.jpg|Atramentar
Image:Sanguinary-guard-5.jpg|Sanguinary Guard
Image:Morlocks.jpg|Morlock
Image:DevourersWorldEaters.jpg|Devourer
Image:Invictus_Guard.jpg|Invictus Guard
Image:Deathshroud.jpg|Deathshroud
Image:SekhmetTerminatorCabal02.jpg|Sekhmet
Image:Justaerin.jpg|Justaerin
Image:Lupercs.jpg|Lupercs
Image:Gal_Vorbak24.jpg|Gal Vorbak
Image:Pyre_Guard.jpg|Pyre Guard
Image:Shadow_Wardens.jpg|Shadow Warden
Image:Effrit_Squad.jpg|Effrit Squad
Image:Lernaean.jpg|Lernaean
</gallery>

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Imperial]]

[[Category: Space Marines]]

[[Category: Official Space Marine Chapters]]

[[Category: Blood Angels]]

[[Category: Dark Angels]]

[[Category: Space Wolves]]

[[Category: Chaos]]

[[Category: Chaos Space Marines]]

[[Category: Official Chaos Space Marine Warbands]]

[[Category: Thousand Sons]]

[[Category: Death Guard]]

{{Marines-Forces}}

{{Chaos Space Marines}}

Gabriel Seth

2023-05-29T19:35:22Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Gabriel_Seth.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Gabriel Seth of the Flesh Tearers. Testicle-kicking extraordinaire.]]
{{Topquote|1=[[James Swallow|Swallow's]] take on Seth is a guy who understands exactly what he is and will play his given role to the hilt, and damn the pitfalls. He consistently strikes a balance between acting like a complete dick and yet somehow hitting the precise level of dick that he gets you steamed while also garnering exactly the attention he needs to get his point across. It's like he's attained a zen level of dick [[Eldrad|other dicks]] could only hope to emulate.|2=[http://castellankurze.tumblr.com/post/79885067338/ivorytowerblr-misterruse-we-are-disorder Someone exactly getting what Gabriel Seth is all about].}}

{{Topquote|1=[[Awesome|I have fought the reaper himself. I have slain Warp-spawned beasts and xenos demigods. I will not fall to a drug-fuelled '''puppet'''.]]|2=Gabriel Seth, upon being trapped in a cell with an [[Eversor]]}}

'''Gabriel Seth''' is the [[Chapter Master]] of the [[Flesh Tearers]] Chapter of the [[Space Marines]] and a ruthless though pragmatic man.

==Father of the Flesh Tearers==
When Seth became the Chapter Master of the Flesh Tearers in 815.M41 he immediately was told bad news by his Chapter's Sanguinary High Priest. The regular attrition on the forces of the Flesh Tearers combined with the degree the Chapter lost its members to the [[Black Rage]] meant the Chapter could no longer recruit enough new Marines to keep replacing losses: the Flesh Tearers were going extinct. Seth [[Rage|did not take well to this]], but he vowed that if the Flesh Tearers were to burn up they were not going to smolder out, oh no. If the galaxy was to lose the Flesh Tearers it would do so in a massive conflagration fueled by the bodies of heretics and aliens, mutants and daemons with the massive roll of honor of the Flesh Tearers as the capstone to the grave. And so started the epoch of Gabriel Seth and the Flesh Tearers (which is an excellent band name by the way).

Seth knew that his men were all but frothing [[berserker]]s who slaughter anything and everything they run into on the battlefield, be they friend or foe. As such many [[Imperial Guard]], [[Adepta Sororitas]] and even [[Space Wolves]] commanders dislike fighting alongside the Flesh Tearers: they were rather likely to turn on their allies and civilians alike (perhaps as some kind of proto-[[Khornate Knights]]?) and [[RIP AND TEAR]] through them. The Chapter Master decided to aim the [[Rage|zeal]] towards enemies with less non-targets around: diving head-first into dangerous situations in enemy territories and passing distress calls along to other Chapters who do not butcher entire planets.

Thus far Seth's plan is working: those who were out for the Flesh Tearers' blood at first are now praising them, though (of course) some skeptics remain. It is human nature to like and respect people who recognize their flaws and tackle those flaws head-on. Sure, people may still be sore about the team-killing, but they also respect that the Flesh Tearers are trying to prevent it from being a problem even though it puts them in positions where they often take heavy casualties. That they (it seems to outsiders) are choosing to risk death than endanger fellow Imperials garners true respect. To be fair, if their issue had persisted for ten thousand years, they’d have been purged. It’s either a largely recent thing (the extremes) or an on-and-off occurrence that periodically comes along.

==Son of [[Sanguinius]]==
[[File:Oh my Emperor....jpeg|300px|thumb|left|The master of the Flesh Tearers looks like Jason Statham/Hitman: Agent 47]]
The Flesh Tearers are a [[Second Founding]] of the [[Blood Angels]] and as such hold the Chapter as first amongst peers. When the Blood Angels called for a conclave of the successor chapters. Seth was at first reluctant to answer, but he quickly figured out he could gain from the situation. When he met with the others as the conclave (and a nearly lethal duel between two [[Brother-Sergeant]]s of the Blood Angels and Flesh Tearers) [[Dante]] revealed that after a big internal conflict (not as big as the [[Blood Ravens]] civil war, but damn close) the Blood Angels had lost many of their men. So Dante had decided on two things: to accelerate the Blood Angel recruitment process and that all of the successors were to pay a tithe of Space Marines to their progenitor. Seth told Dante where he could stick it, then went even beyond that by suggesting Dante did the reverse: disband the Blood Angels and distribute their Marines and wargear between the Second Founding Chapters.

Before Dante could relieve Seth [[Angry Marines|of most of his primary and redundant organs]] a subordinate of the Blood Angels High Sanguinary Priest, Caecus, claimed to have found a solution: he had managed to artificially age a recruit into a fully-able Marine in a matter of weeks. Dante was not amused, but Seth was eager to see if the Priest's claim was true, with the future of his own Chapter in mind. Unfortunately the recruit (called a Bloodchild) was as flawed as the last time the aging techniques were used by [[Corax]], and the Bloodchild succumbed to the [[Black Rage]] in the middle of a combat trial and had to be put down. This infuriated Dante and ordered the research on the Bloodchild destroyed.

Seth took the chance to approach Dante and made a bold offer: to disband the Blood Angels entirely and make them all Flesh Tearers (an offer that's [[troll|retroactively hilarious]] when it's revealed in a novel that decades ago Dante passed down a verdict for the Flesh Tearers to be disbanded and absorbed into the various Blood Angels chapters). Dante told Seth to go fuck himself, but then the alarms went off.

Caecus had, following a bout of desperation and an offer by one Magos Serpens, made a terrible mistake: added blood from the Red Grail to the mix of the Bloodchild's prototypes, which spawned a horde of monstrosities called the Bloodfiends. With a nice [[troll]]face Serpens then revealed himself as [[Fabius Bile]] and the Bloodfiends broke loose. They tried to defile the tomb of Sanguinius, but with the help of Gabriel Seth and the other Second Founding Chapters the Bloodfiends were destroyed.

Seth himself held the Priest Gate with Dante (postmortem analysis by Sanguinary High Priest Corbulo revealed that one in five of the Bloodfiends killed at the Priest Gate died of injuries resulting from a shattered pelvic bone), and Dante finally let out his frustrations, saying that Seth thrived on disorder. Seth put on a huge trollface and admitted as much, saying that he was essentially Dante's watchman: while the Flesh Tearers were the Great Angel's battle savagery, the Blood Angels represented all of Sanguinius and had to be held to a higher standard. Dante also proved that there was no bad blood (no pun intended) between two Chapter Masters when he rescued Seth from a Bloodfiend, calling him "brother" instead of the normal "cousin". Bile escaped with some of the blood of Sanguinius and became a target of the Blood Angels from that day on.

With the Blood Angels more, well, bloodied than ever, Dante repeated his request but added that it was nothing more than that: a request. Seth was the first to step up and repeated the final line of the Flesh Tearers Invocation Initiate to prove his point: if you messed with any of the Sons of Sanguinius, you messed with all of them, and pledged some of his men to the Blood Angels.

As of the current state of the Imperium, someone high up somewhere apparently wants Seth dead. The Chapter Master was lured to an old battlefield to make a vigil for his fallen brothers, but was trapped in an armourglass remembrance chamber with an [[Eversor Assassin]] courtesy of a traitor ''(not [[Chaos|that kind]])'' Sergeant from his own chapter, who presented an Inquisitorial rosette and the alleged fact that Seth was leading the chapter to ruin as his justification. In other words, someone doesn’t like that Gabriel has basically solved the Flesh Tearer’s problem by simply making sure friendlies aren’t nearby.

After being stabbed through the chest and in the forehead, Seth narrowly managed to defeat the Assassin, pointedly [[Rip and Tear|NOT killing it]] (and a good thing too, as the resulting explosion likely would've killed him too) by smashing the Eversor to a bloody pulp and severing one of its arms with its own weapon. Seth then dragged its still living heap of a body back to his ship, where he locked the dying Eversor in a room with his former sergeant as a just punishment for the betrayal, letting the explosion cripple the traitor before finishing him off with his own hands.

==The Devastation of Baal==

Gabriel was one of those who heeded Dante's call to all Chapters of the Blood to defend the Blood Angels home world from the incoming tendril of [[Hive Fleet Leviathan]]. In a move that surprised Seth himself, Dante called him friend, and privately loaned the Flesh Tearers a priceless treasure -- the Reliquary of Amit, the only work of craftsmanship done by the Chapter's first Chapter Master. In it was held the last remaining feather of the Primarch, preserved for all time.

The Flesh Tearers were assigned the defence of Baal Primus. When Seth found out that the renegade [[Knights of Blood]] had ''also'' decided to defend the area, he had to try long and hard not to pick a fight with his erstwhile "cousins", specifically the Knights of Blood Chapter Master Sentor Jool. After a slight detour and a history lesson, Seth decided to leave the Knights of Blood alone, but left an implied threat that it would ''not'' be a good idea for the two Chapters to meet on the field of battle.

The arrival of the [[Tyranids]] made any confrontation between chapters moot, and Seth threw himself into the defense with gusto, tempering the strong urge to [[Rip and Tear]] with actual tactical thought. The defence wore on, and the Chapter casualties mounted, and Seth would not expend his forces needlessly. This surprisingly strategic turn of thought enraged the Chapter's last remaining Reclusiarch, Appollus, who thought it would be better to lead the remaining Flesh Tearers into the horde and die in a blaze of glory, rather lose marine after marine in an inglorious defence far from Baal.

Faced between a quick if glorious end for his Chapter, and a slow one, Seth proverbially said to himself, "Screw this!" -- if the Flesh Tearers were to die out anyway, it would be doing something important. He decided to withdraw his forces to Baal, but not before dragging the Knights of Blood with him. He fought his way to where the renegades were holding out, deep in the Tyranid horde, and "convinced" Sentor Jool and his men to follow him back.

Then the Fall of Cadia happened.

The Great Rift opened, and (coupled with the failure of a ritual on Baal by [[Mephiston]] and his coven of librarians from many Chapters of the Blood [[Irony|aimed at preventing the following outcome]]) the skein of reality grew thin. Seeing its chance, [[Ka'bandha]], the Angel's Bane, manifested in orbit around Baal Primus, and fell like a Warp-spawned meteor upon the moon.

==The aftermath of the Battle of Baal==
With the arrival of the Khornate forces, Sentor Jool and the remaining Knights of Blood stayed to keep the daemons on the soon to be dead moon while Gabriel tried to find refuge outside of the satellite, both to preserve whatever was left of his chapter and to preserve Amit's relic. While he was doing this, the influence of Khorne's on his red thirst was almost unbearable, and only due to the influence of Sanguinius' feather did he manage to stay lucid and sober. He was one of the first Marines to receive the news of the forces of the [[Indomitus Crusade]] coming to [[Baal]] to help at the last possible minute (which it wasn't, time had been deformed around Baal due to the [[Great Rift]]'s birth, and while it had been only a couple of days on Baal, decades had passed outside of it).

Seth appears as one of the few Chapter Master survivors. While Dante and him, discuss the future of the sons of Sanguinius, Seth confesses that he thinks Guilliman's Primaris Marines are going to be the end of the original astartes, saying that [[Roboute Guilliman|Guilliman]] is acting against the Emperor's design:

:''"You'' ([[Dante]]) ''are too noble to understand. [[Grimdark|That is not salvation, that is replacement]]. [[Primaris Marines|These new warriors]] will bear the colours of [[Flesh Tearers]], but without Sanguinius’ fury they will be Flesh Tearers in name only. All my time as Chapter Master I have waged war on our rage, to wrestle it into submission and use its strength to slay our foes. We are fury! From the time of [[Nassir Amit|Amit]], the savage lord, to this day, we have carried the white heat of Sanguinius’ anger in us. That was our gift and our burden. [[Red Thirst|The flaw]] is what makes us what we are. We are nothing without the struggle against it. He would make us all [[Ultramarines]] in red armour.''"''

With that, he leaves, lamenting the future of his chapter. Suffice to say, he is one of the more public characters that despise the idea of the Primaris Marines, and if something ever goes wrong with them, he may be one of the first to start a public campaign against them, despite the Primarch's wishes. [[Nassir Amit|Sounds weirdly familiar...]]. In the above quote, he forgets the Chapters are expected to teach the Primaris to be one of them and regardless they receive the means to make their own Primaris so those at least will be raised completely within the Chapter. He also places far too much emphasis on the flaws’ influence and forgets that any Son of Sanguinius is defined by far more than his flaws.

However, recent lore has confirmed that Sanguinius-born Primaris marines are also susceptible to the Red Thirst and Black Rage but the Todd news they can actually overcome it on there own which makes Seth happy. So Seth either has to come to terms that the Primaris marines are just as flawed as the original Sons of Sanguinius and consider them true battle brothers, or he's going to keep railing on them like that [[Thorek Ironbrow|old coot down the street who hates these young whipper-snappers and their confangled techi-nology]].

On a different note, Guilliman has stated that he utterly trusts Seth to do the best thing for the imperium, even citing Seth's similarity to Amit.

==Brawler on the Battlefield==
[[File:99800101050 GabrielSethNEW 01.jpg|300px|right|thumb|LET ME SEE YOUR WAR FACE!]]
{{Topquote|...indeed he himself is prone to rage-soaked savagery as any of his brethren.|Blood Angels Codex}}

Gabriel Seth foregoes the traditional [[Power weapon|Power Weapon]] of his fellow Chapter Masters in favor of the Blood Reaver: an [[Chain_Weapon#Eviscerator|Eviscerator]] that in [[crunch]] terms doubles his strength to a total of 8 and gives a somewhat lacking AP-2, which funnily enough means that in 8th Edition he deals more damage than ever. It always deals 3 damage, and all rolls to hit of 6+ automatically inflict another hit (that as previously noted is always a kick to the balls). And while Seth has WS 2+ (with rerolls) and 4 attacks, well-armored foes might prove a problem. But if he manages to wound them all but the toughest targets die immediately. This also means that he's surprisingly effective against light vehicles, especially when backed by a properly-geared squad. Do not forget that he also has a Bolt Pistol and Frag/Krag grenades, which can really help out in a bind. He also has the Lord of Slaughter ability; if a squad finishes its consolidation within 6" of him it can immediately fight a second (but not a third) time, meaning that if Seth's unit does not immediately wipe out its opponent it has a second shot at doing so. And at 135 points (7 Power) he is a rather good purchase as long as you also have a dedicated assault unit for him to join ([[Veteran Squad|Company Veterans and Vanguard Veterans without Jump Packs]] come to mind) and a matching transport.

{{Marines-Characters}}

[[Category:Space Marines Chapter Masters]]
[[Category:Blood Angels]]

Flesh Tearers

2023-05-29T19:34:21Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Temperusmaximus.jpg|300px|thumb|left|Nassir Amit, [[Brother-Captain]] of the Fifth Company of the [[Blood Angels]] Legion and the first [[Chapter Master]] of the Flesh Tearers. A gritty motherfucker who is said to be the [[spiritual liege]] of [[Temperus Maximus]].]]
{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Flesh Tearers
|Heraldry = [[File:Flesh Tearers Livery2.jpg|200px]]
|Battle Cry = [[Sly Marbo|Shouting]] so hard you [[Nurgle|crap your pants]]. Also "For The Slaughtered Angel" Since that's all his sons focus on.
|Founding = [[Second Founding]]
|Successors of = [[Blood Angels]]
|Chapter Master = [[Gabriel Seth]]
|Primarch = [[Sanguinius]]
|Homeworld = Cretacia
|Specialty = [[RIP AND TEAR|RIPPING SHIT APART]]
|Strength = ~400 Marines, not including Primaris 1000 now
|Allegiance = [[Imperium]]
|Colours = Deep red with black shoulderpads, helmet and backpack (and aquila).
}}
{{Topquote|Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.|Paul Boese}}

Note: Imperial law requires playing one song from [https://youtu.be/aam9VvzFuI0 this playlist] at all times while reading this page. You have been warned.

[[Angry Marines|Angry Fuckin]] [[Blood Angels|Vampires]]. They were originally a crusading chapter like the [[Black Templars]], but decided to set up their fortress on Catachan 2: Electric Boogaloo, otherwise known as [http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Cretacia Cretacia]. They came to this decision after their scout company was eaten by bugs. Interesting note about Cretacia, the people there are born with two hearts. How this changes the transformation of kids into Space Marines is unknown, but presumably the second heart is grown to space marine size instead of being replaced, thus saving a step of having to add in the second heart. Also, Cretacia comes from the word "Cretaceous", so yeah, fucking dinosaurs. More [[Grimdark|hardcore]] in general than the [[Blood Angels]], since they've all got a bad case of Geneseed [[AIDS]], probably from drinking a thousand gallons of blood from [[Slaanesh]] followers every week or trying too hard to be [[Grimdark|cool]], that results in a higher number of marines getting the [[Rage|Black Rage]] than other chapters. Due to insanity and since rushing at everyone without [[METAL BOXES|rhinos]] (Or deepstriking an entire company of rhinos, predators, and assault marines onto a planet to run straight over/through a living wall of tyranids) is decidedly pants on head [[awesome|insane]], they've only got around 400 [[Space Marines|Spess Mehreens]] to call on (thus they have only about four mixed companies they deploy mainly as demi-companies known as Vanguard Strike Forces) and <s>most</s> all of them are bugshit nuts. You might suppose that this situation would make them wax emo like the [[Blood Angels]] sometimes do, but they cope by rushing at heretics and drinking their blood after they're done chainfist fucking them.

Let's put it this way: in the Third War for [[Armageddon]], the [[Orks]] of the Fire Wastes [[RIP AND TEAR|were so horrified by the savage brutality of the Flesh Tearers]] that they would retreat rather than fight these psycho-motherfuckers.

The only wangsty member is the Chapter Master Seth, who wants his chapter to be the good guys which is unfortunately difficult when the [[Black Rage]] drives them insane all the time and leaves them (Seth included) perpetually [[Angry Marines|angry]], but even he usually just shrugs and [[Grimdark|slaughters a few thousand civilians to make himself feel better]], for the [[Emperor|Emprah]] of course. This pissed off the [[Space Wolves]] and [[Salamanders]] quite a bit due to their fanatical devotion to defending the helpless of the Imperium. However Seth told [[Logan Grimnar]] and [[Tu'Shan]] to piss off when they confronted him about it. Their battle cry is described as an inarticulate scream that freezes the pansy enemies of the Emprah with fear, it probably sounds something like [[Rage|FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-]]. They may be more than a little gay for their Serrated blades.
[[Image:Flesh Tearer Mk IV.jpg|150px|thumb|left|[[Rip and tear|Rip and Tear]]!]]
In summary, [[Twilight|NO FUCKING SPARKLES]] *[[Chainsword|BRBRBZZZZZZZZZZZZ]]*

Again, in summary; they're a fucking Khornate Cult except they call him "The Emperor" instead of Khorne. The fact they are still considered loyalists at all is mind-boggling. They've been outright called heretics on numerous occasions, but presumably every time people start asking questions they get an unexpected case of [[Abaddon|"missing limbs"]]. Thanks to Seth's latest strategy of pointing them where the chances of collateral damage are minimal, they're slowly becoming more accepted by the Imperium at large, so at least they're trying? Perhaps [[Knights of Blood|a certain other Blood Angel successor chapter]] wasn't.

The Blood Angels and their successors took them to trial (before the Shield of Baal campaign but after most other events in the fluff where they ended up killing Imperial members) depicted in the novella, "Trial by Blood", where after going through almost every established fluff case where the Flesh Tearers ripped and teared beyond what's normally healthy or sane, actually voted to disband the Flesh Tearers and absorb them piecemeal into other Blood Angel chapters. [[Astorath]], however, stepped in and convinced [[Dante]] to overturn the verdict because as bad as the Flesh Tearers were, they were still merely at the further end of the scale than all Blood Angel chapters, who all had the Black Rage, were. They were still no where near as bad as the [[Chaos|sick fucks]] and [[Tyranid|abominations]] the sons of Sanguinius were at war with, and winnings wars required [[Get_shit_done|getting shit done]], which the Flesh Tearers excelled at. This trial and the overturn are interesting details as they, along with several other examples, indicate the Legion is still internally organized. Though, seemingly more as a brotherhood organization (or a fraternity) than a Legion, there is the detail Dante could overturn the vote which in turn implies a lot more to their inter-Chapter relations than the Inquisition might be comfortable with. Or it could just be that Dante is ''that'' well respected, especially amongst the various sons of Sanguinius. The functional result is the same either way and there are several Blood Angels also immensely revered who could do the same, as could members of any Chapter’s Sanguinary Guard seeing as each is an utterly amazing hero. The Inquisition probably wouldn’t care about the distinction but probably is also too busy hero-worshipping Dante to call them out. And throwing accusations at Sanguinius’s legion probably is a good way to get one’s self torn apart by an angry mob what with his importance to the Imperial Cult.

Seth became total bros with Dante later on during the Blood Angels civil war when they came to an understanding about each other, and the Flesh Tearers fight at the front alongside the Blood Angels in the Baal campaign, even saving some [[Sisters of Battle]] (which might contrast with how some Sisters of Battle called for their excommunication when Flesh Tearers caught in the throes of the Black Rage slaughtered Imperial forces on Armageddon). Also, they have a book by Andy Stiller that's simply called "Flesh Tearers".

==Chapter Tactics==
[[Image:Fleshtearerchainweapons.jpg|thumb|right|Too many serrated weapons? [[Khorne|Fuck you, there is no such thing!]] Look at his face. No fucks to give and no mercy in sight.]]
The Flesh Tearers have a very different relationship to the Red Thirst than many other Blood Angels chapters. Compared to the regular [[Blood Angels|Blood Angels]] who strive for [[Dante|honorable perfection]] and the ability to overcome [[Mephiston|the Black Rage]] and [[Blood Drinkers|the Red Thirst]], the Flesh Tearers decide to just go with it and be angry vampiric murdererhobos. This leads many of them (including their vehicles, from their Rhinos to their Battle Barge: <i>Victus,</i>) to want to charge straight into the enemy and chainsaw them into bits. This strategy seems to generally work, but is also probably why many of them [[FATAL|end up dead.]] Attrition rates from combat and Black Rage are so high that as of M41 they are barely able to keep about 400 marines battle ready at a time. When Gabriel Seth came along he spent a lot of his time re-working how the chapter deployed and strategies for combat.

The Flesh Tearers mainly deploy as a very aggressive fast attack force, forgoing defense for all out offense or counter-attack strategies and close combat offensives. Although the Chapter does not have many vehicles compared to other chapters (mainly due to the same reasons they don't have many marines) they do make plenty of use of Rhinos, Stormravens, and Predators in their offensives for fast transport and heavy fire support, along with having a decent amount of dreadnoughts as well (they probably don't have trouble keeping a decent number of those things ready due to that whole "high casualty rate" thing). Vehicles being mostly crewed by the coldly logical Tech-Marines no doubt helps immensely to provide covering fire and destroy anything actually capable of threatening a Space Marine. The chapter does also manage to keep a small group of Chaplains, Librarians, and Sanguinary Priests as well who fill generally the same role as those in other Blood Angels successor chapters. They also have a very heavy preference towards chain weapons (notably chainaxes), power swords, and lightning claws, which should surprise absolutely no one.

With so few marines and so many xenos and traitors to kill, Seth was forced to forgo Astartes companies and instead created demi-companies known as 'Vanguard Strike Forces' which have a Vanguard Veteran squad lead three squads of tacticals, a squad of assault marines, and a Furioso into combat. This set up allows for the Flesh Tearers to deploy smaller groups of marines into more places while still having a command structure, as there are so few Flesh Tearer Captains to lead the chapter. With these strike forces as teeth combined with their rapid mobility, the entire Chapter resembles a chain blade.

On the tabletop, the 'Shield of Baal: Exterminatus' Rules give a Flesh Tearer supplement. The two main additions are the ability to deploy six units of fast attack (for assault spam) and that rolls of 10+ to charge makes your marines RAGE!

Following the [[Devastation of Baal]] the majority of the Chapter consists of [[Primaris Marines]], as Guilliman would prefer the chapter still exist. These forces presumably fight in normal Primaris squads and formations.

==Notable members==
*[[Nassir Amit]]: Nicknamed 'The Flesh Tearer' by his peers. Originally Captain of the 5th company of the Blood Angels' Legion; when he got [[promotions|promoted]] to Chapter Master he just gave them his nickname. Amit originally got the nickname 'Flesh Tearer' from [[Khârn]] (of all people) when he saw how scary the dude was in the World Eaters' recreational gladiator pits, and just how generally bloodthirsty and angry he was even before the death of Sanguinius really made that a [[Black Rage|thing.]] A lot of his actions could be argued why the Flesh Tearers went down the spiral path to angst town. On the flip side, the guy REALLY hates [[Roboute Guilliman|a certain spiritual liege]]. To the point that he told Bobby that his Codex and breaking apart the remaining Legions was a stupid idea. Straight up to his face. While not being a Primarch himself. [[Awesome|And that was after Guilliman already punched him in the gut for saying it a first time ten seconds before]]. In battle he wears [[Terminator armour]] with dual Chainfists with storm bolters mounted to the wrists. As a final note he is known to kill [[Chapter Serf|Serfs]] near him just because he had not killed something in the last five minutes... though on the other hand he is known to be brutally honest and hating to lie about things (like he was disgusted when he was forced to cover up the first time the genetic curses manifested in one of the Blood Angels Legion companies that resulted in butchered [[Space Wolves]]). The guy makes The Hulk look like a zen master. He's basically the canonical inspiration for [[Temperus Maximus]], down to armaments.
*[[Gabriel Seth]]: "The Guardian of Rage" is the current Chapter Master with a XBOXHUGE S8 AP4 chainsword, with rending. Also, in 5th edition, if you rolled a 1 in close combat against him, he kicks you in the fucking balls. He is a lot more diplomatic than his previous Chapter Masters (especially compared to Amit) but in combat he is still just as much of a maniac as his brothers. His 7th edition rules give him Furious Charge, Rage, and Rampage as a Warlord Trait, along with getting an extra hit for every 6 he gets in close combat, showing that leading the Flesh Tearers does require you to be so angry that even Khorne tells you to chill.

==Daily Rituals==

*06:00 - Morning Rising: The Flesh Tearers awaken from their hammocks to the sound of their Astartes pattern alarm clocks going off before being promptly smashed by their fists or thrown at a wall, at a nearby chapter serf, or ''through'' a nearby chapter serf.
*06:15 - Revelry: In order to rouse the brothers, ancient classical Terran music is played to motivate and rally the Flesh Tearers for the day. Popular listening tunes include the M3 songs "Raining Blood" by Slayer, "Hammer Smashed Face" by Cannibal Corpse, and anything on this [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeh7StfpJN7QY9CLkgPWH9so02Fdg6otU playlist] by Mick Gordon.
*07:00 - Grooming: The Flesh Tearers try to groom themselves for the morning ahead... using their chainswords as toothbrushes and power axes as razors to groom themselves in the most metal way imaginable.
*8:00 - Morning Firing Rites: The Flesh Tearers will go out and gun down whatever flora and fauna that happens to think it's big and bad eneough to take on the toughest most rage-filled sons of Sanguinius this morning.
*9:00 - Morning Combat Manoeuvres on Cretacia: Apparently the jungles didn't learn its lesson earlier. For the next hour, marines will dispense with ranged weaponry and use chainswords, chainaxes, chainglaives, bare-fisted badassery and the occasional club, to fight whatever plant, titan-sized dinosaur or giant bug that Cretacia has thrown at them today. The carcasses (or sticky red paste) will be gathered up by chapter serfs to be prepared.
*10:00 - Morning Meal: Assuming they haven't been scooped up by giant alien pterodactyls or eaten by velociraptors, a meal will be prepared by the chapter serfs consisting of meats, grains, plants or eggs.
*11:00 - Morning Prayer: The Flesh Tearers will gather to give thanks to the Emperor and the Primarch Sanguinius lead by the chaplains. Emphasis will be put on why the Primarch was such a badass and why they should emulate his example. To the uninitiated this will sound like a bunch of Tusken raiders passing a kidney stone.
*12:00 - Midday Meal: A second meal will be prepared for the chapter. This time it is less formal: an entire grox is lowered down by a crane from above before being torn to pieces by hungry battle-brothers.
*13:00 - Tactical Indoctrination: The Flesh Tearers will gather to learn where, when and how they will fuck shit up today and if they'll be serving with any Imperial meatbags. Emphasis will be put on maximum damage; any death companies that manage to land on orphanages or hospitals are referred to as "oopsie doodles". The use of the Codex Astartes is encouraged-- as a makeshift club to beat the enemies' brains in with!
*14:00 - Company and Command Level Chewing Out: Due to the number of innocent casualties caused by the Flesh Tearers, company commanders often have to call in loose cannon battle-brothers, telling them how "They're damn good marines but the planetary governors have been riding my ass because you drove a spartan assault tank through his front window." Relegating them to desk duty or pairing them up with more level-headed marines usually goes about as well as you'd think for an army of rage-fueled space marines.
*15:00 - Battle Practice: The battle-brothers gather to let off steam in the practice cages. Due to a shortage of combat servitors the Flesh Tearers make due with whatever local predators they captured earlier; typically this resembles an electrified steel cage match with meat-eating therapods. Many battle-brothers remember the day fondly when Chapter Master Seth piledrove a T-rex off the top of the practice cage and onto the desk of some chapter serfs.
*16:00 - Mandatory Bond with a Primaris Hour: The Flesh Tearers, having reluctantly accepted new Primaris Marines into the Chapter, take this time in an attempt to bond with (much to Chapter Master Seth's continuing irritation) and be civil (by Flesh Tearer standards) to the new marines. Trying not to punch their new brothers' heads in or throw them out of a Thunderhawk for being arrogant dicks has proven... difficult, especially for Chapter Master Gabriel Seth. Typical bonding sessions usually start with tea and end with something that looks like a cross between the Battle of Thermopylae and a soccer riot. This usually lasts about an hour.
*17:00 - Evening Prayer: The Flesh Tearers give thanks to the Emperor for having more dinosaurs to piledrive, beat, and stomp and also pray for more flesh to tear and that their power armored boot might find its way up some Khornate daemon ass. They also give thanks to how awesome they are and how good they looked using high explosive ammunition in that elementary Schola Progenium last week.
*18:00 - Night-Time Hand-to-Hand Manoeuvres: The Flesh Tearers will ritually bathe in barbecue sauce or tangy sweet and sour sauce, before marching out into the long grass wearing nothing but chainfists to engage Cretacia's nighttime predators (they're usually about 6 feet tall, hunt in packs, can open doors and have blades on their feet for slicing), with the winner getting to eat the loser!
*19:00 - Evening Meal: The chapter serfs will prepare a meal made of the loser (usually the dinosaurs) and extra emphasis is put on extra dipping sauces; failure to provide sufficient dipping sauces will see the chapter serfs used as the next meal. Occasionally dinosaurs will wander into the kitchen looking to eat chapter serfs; the standard protocol is to lock them in the freezer or tell a member of the chapter he can have seconds.
*20:00 - Screaming/Shouting Contests: Anyone who wants to challenge Chapter Master Seth to a shouting/screaming contest can now attempt to do this. This usually sounds like a bunch of Klingons going into labor.
*21:00 - Maintenance Rituals: The Flesh Tearers gather to fix their wargear and equipment. Special emphasis on chainfists and chainswords.
*22:00 - Daily Apothecary Checkups: The Flesh Tearers will be checked up by the Apothecary for signs of the Black Rage or Red Thirst or other mutations. Anyone found with this will be sent to the death company; any battle brother who says "I've got dino DNA!" will find himself given a class 4 prostate exam by the chapter's one working combat servitor!
*23:00 : Roundup: Any loose dinosaurs are rounded up and killed by the Flesh Tearers-- with their bare hands.
*24:00 : Bedtime: The Flesh Tearers will retire to their hammocks for rest before starting the day anew. Replacement alarm clocks will have been issued.

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="250" position="center" spacing="small">
File:Flesh Tearers RT.jpg|Their color scheme back in [[Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader|Rogue Trader]].
File:FT Baal Predator.jpg|[[Predator Tank#Baal Pattern Predator|Baal Predator]] of the Chapter.
</gallery>
{{Marines-Official}}

[[Category:Blood Angels]]

Flesh Eaters

2023-05-29T19:33:37Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

{{Disambiguation|the [[Space Marine]] [[Chapter]]|the [[Age of Sigmar]] faction|Flesh-Eater Courts}}
{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Flesh Eaters
|Heraldry = [[File:FleshEaterLogo.jpg|center|140px]]
|Battle Cry = Unknown, possibly "Pray for Death!"
|Successors of = [[Blood Angels]]
|Founding = [[Third Founding]]
|Successor Chapters = None
|Chapter Master = Unknown
|Primarch = [[Sanguinius]]
|Homeworld = Unknown
|Specialty = [[Rip and Tear]]
|Strength = Presumably 600 post-[[Devastation of Baal]]
|Allegiance = [[Imperium]]
|Colours = Dark Red and White
}}
{{Topquote|But if you're gonna dine with them cannibals sooner or later, darling, you're gonna get eaten...|Nick Cave}}
{{Topquote|For what's the sound of the world out there? Those crunching noises pervading the air! It's man devouring man, my dear. '''Then who are we to deny it in here!?'''|Sweeney Todd}}
{{Topquote|HUNGER FOR BURGER, HERETIC BURGER|Words of a [[Ork|Shroom]]-induced Sanguinius hallucination that helped give birth to this chapter}}

The '''Flesh Eaters''' are a successor chapter of the [[Blood Angels]] from the Third Founding. [[Flesh Tearers|Even]] [[Blood Drinkers|when]] other successors proved to be unstable, [[High Lords of Terra|they]] decided that [[Sanguinius]]'s gene seed was good enough. As you can guess, their name stems from their consumption of flesh. This practice is attributed to a "hyper-reactive" Omophagea. Basically, since [[Space Marines]] can learn by eating things, these guys [[Tzeentch|learn a lot]]. Sadly they are still unable to learn why [[Games Workshop|GW]] keeps leaving them in the dark. Hell, they were even in [[Rogue Trader]]!

==Current Status==
They are still considered to be around. Despite what the 5th Ed BA codex says about being "Fatally undone by their gene-seed", which is code for "We don't even kn-{{BLAM|//Historitor 109.163.233.200 decommissioned by Inquisitorial decree.//}}

The previous statement still rings true as every Blood Angel Successor Chapter (bar the Lamenters, who were too busy suffering) showed up to help [[Baal]] out before [[Roboute Guilliman|Mac-daddy Robbie G]] showed up. It can also be assumed that they got [[Primaris Marines]]. But [[Cypher|who]] really [[Matt Ward|knows]]? [[Alpha Legion|Maybe]] they ate them? We can only [[Homebrew|hope and stipulate]] like so many other forgotten successor chapters. Confirmed as of the 9th Edition Blood Angels Supplement to still be around.

Their current Chief Librarian, Scaraban, is a bit of an odd duck. He has colluded with Eldar in regards to the current Tyranid situation in the galaxy. His conclusion: the Hive Mind is just an intermediate form of a developing consciousness that will acend to godhood. So that's neat.

==Daily rituals of the Flesh Eaters==
*04:00 - Reveille: The Flesh Eaters are roused from their meat hooks to start the day, it should also be noted the flesh eaters quarters are notably cold for some reason.
*04:10 - Grooming: The Flesh Eaters take the time to comb their hair and brush their teeth. Special attention is given to flossing, getting any bits of bone or meat which may be still stuck in their teeth from yesterday's combat manoeuvres.
*04:30 - Morning Meal: A light meal is prepared by the chapter serfs for the flesh eaters, this could include, sausages, pork, steak, ham, chicken, squigs, gretchins, and the chapter serfs.
*05:00 - Morning Prayer: The Flesh Eaters pray to the Emperor for enemies to eat, and for their Primarch to give them guidance. These prayers usually involve requests for dipping sauces.
*06:00 - Morning Firing Rituals: The Flesh Eaters prepare their next set of meals.
*06:30 - Battle Practice: The Flesh Eaters practice with their ritual weapons against captured heretics, orks, drukhari and tyranids. The ritual weapons bear a suspicious resemblance to meat cleaves, knifes, forks, and lobster crackers.
*08:00 - Meal Break: The Chapter serfs prepare a delicious meal from whatever the Flesh Eaters have killed this morning.
*10:00 - Tactical Indoctrination: The Flesh Eaters prepare their skills in locating the prime rib, sirloin, and tenderloin of whatever they happen to be killing this week.
*12:00 - Midday meal: The Flesh Eaters enjoy a delicious midday meal.
*13:00 - Grocery Run: The Flesh Eaters dip out for snacks.
*14:00 - Ritual Communion: The Chapter convenes in the reclusiarum to ritually "commune" with their primarch. This practice usually involves eating Ork parts, and attempting to not trip balls in the process.
*15:00 - Deep Strike Training - The Flesh Eaters will practice their maneovers using jump packs and close combat.
*16:00 - Evening Firing Rituals. the Flesh Eaters will gather to practice their night firing manoeuvres.
*17:20 - Meat Break: The Flesh Eaters enjoy a light snack of roughly half a cow.
*18:00 - Evening Meal: A Feast is prepared from whatever remains of their earlier firing rituals.
*19:30 - Evening prayer: The Chapter gives thanks to the Emperor for their bountiful meals and the abundance of dipping sauce recieved today
*21:30 - Free Time: The Flesh Eaters attempt to think of new jokes about eating meat or cannibalism, before deciding to watch reruns of the ancient Terran cooking show, "Kitchen Nightmares".
*23:00 - The Flesh Eaters impale themselves on their meat hooks for a good night's sleep.

==Campaigns==
*'''[[The War of the False Primarch]]''' - The [[Flesh Eaters]], [[Space Sharks]], [[Death Eagles]], [[Red Talons]], & the [[Charnel Guard]] destroyed eleven other Space Marine chapters deemed traitors.
*'''Golance War''' - The Flesh Eaters get duped by [[Eldar]] and have to be bailed out by the [[Mentor Legion|Mentors]].
*'''Alvatine Suppression''' - The Flesh Eaters did ''[[Wat|something]]'' or were involved with whatever it was. Too bad this event is [[FAIL|not referenced anywhere else]].
*'''[[Devastation of Baal]]''' - The Flesh Eaters get almost destroyed in the fight against [[Hive Fleet Leviathan]].

==Quotes==
{{Topquote|They vilify us for our methods, yet nobody questions the results. We are the chosen Scions of Sanguinius, tempered weapon of the Emperor Himself. Our enemies quake with fear even before we strike first blood. They will soon know it is a fear well founded! Let them fear the Angels of Death, let them fear what is left of their short future; let them pray for death. Brothers, we will answer those prayers|Force Commander Isiah of the Flesh Eaters during the Golance War, 987.M41}}

{{Topquote|This symbol I wear upon my shoulder and I bear upon my banner. He who defiles it defiles me, and shall be damned for all eternity.|Brother Ukadi, Adeptus Astartes Flesh Eaters, prior to the conclusion of the Alvatine Suppression}}

{{Topquote|Yes! Our true purpose is clear! Eat! Eat!! '''B U R G E R !!!'''|2=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5tnVODuI-g Commander Creepio, the first Flesh Eater.]}}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:FleshEaterRT.jpg|"Pray For Death" You'll get eaten [[Rape|anyways]].
File:JawsOfDoom.jpg|Charging an [[Ork]] compound with an Auto-pistol. No wonder he's pissed.
File:Beakie_FleshEater_by_Eliphusz.jpg| If you're wondering how they eat flesh, they just simply peck at it.
</gallery>

{{Template:Marines-Official}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]][[Category:Space Marines]][[Category:Blood Angels]]

Erasmus Tycho

2023-05-29T19:32:48Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:ErasmusTycho.jpg|thumb|200px|The man himself before the [[Matt Ward|age of golden nipples]].]]
'''Erasmus Tycho''' was the [[Brother-Captain|Captain]] of the [[Blood Angels]] 3rd Company who participated in both the Second and Third Wars for [[Armageddon]]. He is a shining example of [[Your dudes]], as his background came from the very first [[White Dwarf]] battle report for WH40K Second Edition where he was killed by an [[Ork]] player's [[Weirdboy]]. His official name and wargear are the same as they were in that first battle.

By the time of the Second War for Armaggedon, Tycho was the [[Brother-Sergeant|Veteran Sergeant]] of the 3rd Company's [[Command Squad]], and quickly took charge when his predecessor was killed early in the fighting, and [[Chapter Master]] [[Dante]] soon confirmed his appointment as Captain. However, the battle saw Tycho's face suffer nerve damage, leaving him with a rictus grin. Like any self-respecting son of [[Sanguinius]], Tycho had an appreciation of beauty, and was unable to keep looking at his injured face. Now that he was a Captain, he had a golden face cover placed over the right side of his face. Tycho's hatred for the Orks was great, and after brooding and sulking on [[Baal]] for a while, he began volunteering for dangerous missions against the Orks. His victories earned the admiration of the Blood Angels rank and file, and there was talk that he would succeed Dante as Chapter Master. However, the [[Chaplain]]s were growing concerned over the anger that was festering in him. When the Third War for Armageddon came, Tycho volunteered the Third Company for deployment. During the War, Tycho began to have visions of [[Horus]], and Chaplain Vermento inducted Tycho into the [[Death Company]]. He spent his last battle taking an Ork-held [[hive city]], during which he was a instrumental participant.

==On the Tabletop==
Tycho actually has two profiles, meant to represent him [[Corvus Corax|before and after his fall from grace]].

{| class=wikitable
! || Pts || M || WS || BS || S || T || W || A || Ld || Sv
|-
| '''Captain Tycho:''' || 85 || 6" || 2+ || 2+ || 4 || 4 || 5 || 4 || 10 || 2+/4++
|}

{| class=wikitable
! || Pts || M || WS || BS || S || T || W || A || Ld || Sv
|-
| '''Tycho the Lost:''' || 70 || 6" || 2+ || 2+ || 4 || 4 || 5 || 4 || 10 || 2+/4++
|}

Captain Tycho is a ranged-geared captain with ATSKNF, Rites of Battle (OR the Black Rage if you take his edgy version), Abhor the Beast([[Orks]]), and his warlord trait "Selfless Valour" increaes his Heroic Interventions to 6". He takes to the battlefield with artificer armor, an iron halo, a bolt pistol, frag and krak grenades, Dead Man's Hand, and a relic combi-weapon: the Blood Song - basically master-crafted boltgun strapped to a meltagun. Tycho is a bit of an oddity. In an army as devoted to [[RIP AND TEAR|SMITE AND CLEAVE]] as the Blood Angels, he's a captain with a S:User, -2 AP, D1 melee weapon. Obviously you should stick him in a squad of sternguard, where he'll do a fine job. He's fairly cheap for a captain, but you're spending 70-85 points for a [[wat|melee-oriented sternguard equivalent with sub-par melee performance]]. Read as: Shit.

==Trivia==
Tycho's name is probably inspired from the danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, who had his nose cut off in a duel and replaced with one of silver (like Tycho and his mask). His first name: Erasmus is basically just an archaic given name that rarely gets used in western English but has been used by several historical figures (most notably Erasmus of Rotterdam, the Dutch Renaissance humanist scholar whose biblical translations strongly influenced the Protestant Reformation).

Come on, he was a filler character for an early white dwarf battle report who became a permanent character, it's not really going to be deep and meaningful, though Erasmus does derive from the ancient greek ''Erasmios'' for "pleasant" so can refer to Tycho's pretty face.

===VERY unlikely theory===
As Erasmus Tycho is partially named after a Dane, it is possible that the name "Erasmus" comes from a famous Danish stage-play, called "Erasmus Montanus". It centers around the homecoming of peasent Rasmus Berg, who was sent to the university of Copenhagen in the early 1900s to educate himself into Latin and the world in general. When he arrives at his birthhome, he had his name changed to Erasmus Montanus, believing it to be the Latin version of his name ("berg" being a mispelling of "bjerg", the danish word for "mountain", and "montanus" being Latin for the same.), and generally being a ponce about his newfound knowledge. As it turns out, he has learned a lot of stuff, but doesn't have a clue as to how to apply it, and uses faulty logic to argue his cases (A famous example being him turning his mother into a stone, by ascerning, that "A stone can't fly, mom can't fly, so mom must be a stone", alienating anyone and making his mother cry. This way of arguing is, to this day, called "Montanish Arguement" in Denmark), and ending up being forced to give up his knowledge by agreeing that the world indeed is flat, and not round, as he stated.

What this says about Erasmus Tycho, being named after a great and a lousy scholar respectively, while himself having two different sides (the noble one and the mad one), is up to you.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Captain Erasmus Tycho.jpeg|Golden nipples. Sanguinius wept...
File:Death Company Tycho.jpeg|Black and yellow, black and yellow... Huh. Why does his hair go from grey to blonde?
</gallery>

{{Marines-Characters}}

[[Category:Blood Angels]]

Donatos Aphael

2023-05-29T19:32:23Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Cpt Aphael.png|350px|thumb|Gaze upon space [[Abhorash]] and rejoice bretheren!|right]]
Also known as Doritos Aphael.

'''Donatos Aphael''' is basically space [[Abhorash]]. In a company of Space [[Vampire Counts|Blood Dragons]]. No jokes--and it is glorious. It says something about the [[Blood Angels]] that he's their version of [[Cato Sicarius]], and is still a fucking badass.

A proud keeper of 2nd company traditions of the Blood Angels, he is a member of a group known as The Blooded, [[Meme|a brotherhood within a brotherhood]] whose traditions go back all the way back to just after the [[Great Scouring]]. Now the Blood Dragon bit. Each brother is encouraged to lose himself completely to the Red Thirst and defeat a worthy foes, preferably a Traitor. Sound familiar yet?

After doing so the Bretheren who successfully complete this task must claw their way back from the blood frenzy. Doing so grants them near complete control over the blood rage inside them. Whereas when others give themselves to the rage they are [[Flesh Tearers|merely a frenzied berzerker]]; a member of the Blooded, however, gains the wherewithal to focus his rage, and while his body gains all the benefits of the Red Thirst, his mind remains his own. With this new control it is natural that the 2nd company has the least instances of the Black Rage within the chapter. Which definitely has [[Corbulo]]'s attention.

So that's it about the company, now how about their commander?

An exceptional battlefield commander and exemplar to his Battle-Brothers, Aphael's perfect features hide a tormented soul. All Blood Angels wrestle with the [[Red Thirst]], their skill in battle and tempered aggression rightly interwoven with the genetic flaw that slumbers in their flesh. Before his Blooding, Aphael was on a path often dictated by the Red Thirst. In almost every battle the blood rage robbed him of his senses, sending him howling into his foes. Each time the Captain had been able to claw himself back from the edge of madness, but each time the recovery grew harder. Perhaps this was why Aphael was placed in command of the 2nd Company, as Lord Commander Dante recognized a great leader in Donatos and was loath to lose him to the ravages of the Red Thirst. Fortunately, the Chapter Master's faith was well founded, and in time Donatos would rise to the Captaincy of the 2nd Company, with the responsibility of leadership and the sacrosanct traditions of the Blooded to guide him. However, it remains a fine line between control and madness, one Aphael must face whenever he leads his brothers to battle.

Under his leadership the Blooded have known many great victories over the enemies of the Emperor, and in recent years Dante has come to favour the 2nd Company for those war zones of greatest importance to the Chapter.

It was Aphael and the Blooded that were dispatched when the mineral-rich Grimmok Sector was invaded by the [[Tau| Space Commies]]. On worlds of ash and sand, the Blood Angels 2nd Company fought a war of attack and counter-attack, striking the xenos in swift and bloody ambushes and withdrawing before the Tau could muster their full might. The Blue idiots came to believe Aphael's force was much larger than the hundred Space Marines present in actuality, the smoking fields of dead [[Fire Warrior]]s (who probably tried to cqc the Blood Angels) and gutted Devilfish (who...hmm...damn that's just impressive) left in their wake seemingly the work of a massive army of the Imperium. For five long months the Blooded blunted the advance of the Tau armies into the Grimmok Sector, ripping apart the xenos piece by piece until their leaders acknowledged that their losses were unsustainable and their counter-measures ineffective, and ultimately retreated before the might of the Blood Angels. So lets get this straight. 100 dudes in [[Derp|BRIGHT RED ARMOUR]] managed to out-think, out-maneuver, and altogether out-fight an armed force easily 100 times their fighting strength or more. And not only managed to survive, [[Rip and Tear]] but beat them so hard at their own game that the enemy retreated.

Despite his strong, youthful appearance, Captain Aphael is a veteran of countless bloody campaigns and bitter wars. When Aphael and the Blooded fought alongside the Astral Knights against the Necron World Engine, the Captain gained a new hatred for the ancient aliens. Victory came only when the [[Astral Knights]] sacrificed themselves to destroy the xenos space station, and Aphael was among those that would call for the creation of a monument to the fallen Chapter and their sacrifice, cementing his status as a complete and total bro, even amongst a chapter of bro's. The battle-brothers present that day recall the [[Fist of the North Star|cold rage in their Captain's eyes]] as the shattered remains of the Astral Knights' Battle Barge were driven into the ash wastes of Safehold as a towering tombstone to the vanquished Chapter.

==On the Tabletop==
As Captain Aphael doesn't have any true rules yet you can try to make some fluffy assertions when making a Company Captain HQ:

*He has Artificer Armour as any captain worth his salt should (nipple armour no less)
*His sword, the Blade of the Blooded is supposedly master crafted relic--so stick him with a +2 str -3 ap D3 Damage relic sword and a plasma pistol that can overcharge and re-roll due to his aura and rock and roll with that.
*For his standard Warlord trait you can infer two things from his backstory: A.) he used to have rage issues before his Blooding, so that could justify spending a CP on giving him the Death Visions of Sanguinius just for a fluffy way to make him more killy along with the Red Thirst '''OR''' B.) supported by his fluff from fighting the Tau he probably has Speed of the Primarch, judging by how quickly he devastated their forces before forcing the xenos to withdraw.

A proper fluffy choice for a relic would be the Veritas Vitae, since he's a Captain and one of the most active of the bunch.

{{Marines-Characters}}

[[Category:Blood Angels]]

Devastator Squad

2023-05-29T19:31:47Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Death_watch_devastator.png|400px|thumb|right|When you really need to kill something hard... Accept no substitutes.]]
{{Topquote|Now you are a devastator, brother.|[[Avitus]]}}
{{Topquote|Some people think they can outsmart me. Maybe. Maybe. I have yet to meet one that can outsmart bullet.|Meet the Heavy, Team Fortress 2}}

'''Devastator Squad''' is the [[Codex Astartes]] designation for a [[Space Marine]] squad of heavy weapon specialists. The Devastators' purpose can be put in simple terms: blow shit up. If something needs more than a [[bolter]] to crack, the commanding battle-brother will call in his Devastators to crack it. Devastators can kill fortifications and armored vehicles with [[Lascannon]]s, [[Plasma Cannon]]s, and [[Multi-Melta]]s and lay waste to infantry with [[Heavy bolter]]s, [[Heavy Flamer]]s and [[Grav-Cannon]]s. [[Missile launcher#Missile Launcher|Missile launcher]]s can fill both roles depending on which type of missile they're outfitted with. They are all equipped with the [[Mark VII: Aquila Armour]] for protection.

Like many things [[Space Marine]], the origin of Devastators dates all the way back to the [[Great Crusade]] (maybe even as far back as The Culling of the [[Thunder Warriors]]), when they were called Legion Heavy Support Squads. You can see why they were shortened to just Devastator Squads/Devastators after the [[Horus Heresy]]. Unlike Devastators, instead of only four Astartes the whole squad were able to use heavy weapons, though sometimes the fluff writers will forget this.

A Codex-compliant chapter maintains two Devastator squads in each battle company and a reserve company of Devastators. According to the Codex's writings, a scout will be assigned to a Devastator squad after receiving the Black Carapace implant. In the process of becoming a full battle-brother, he will learn how to control his [[Mark VII: Aquila/Imperator Armour|power armor]] while he serves as an assistant gunner. In time, he will be permitted to handle the heavy weapons himself, learning their strengths and weaknesses as he gains combat experience.

Chapters that pay less homage to the Codex organize their heavy weapon brothers differently. Among the [[Space Wolves]], the heavy weapons are the responsibility of units called "[[Long Fang]]s." They are veterans of centuries of warfare, with ash-grey hair and enormous canine teeth, who have enough skill and experience to know when and where the firepower of their Chapter's irreplaceable relics will be needed. The [[Blood Angels]] promote their scouts into [[Assault Squad]]s first and then into the Devastators once the battle-brothers have worked out their aggression. Blood Angels Devastators must have control over their Red Thirst, lest they throw down their weapons and charge their foes. The [[Black Templars]] specialize in mobility and armored assaults and therefore have no formal Devastators in their ranks, instead handing the duties to the initiates and neophytes, which means they possibly have incredibly high numbers of Devastators up to the number of battle-brothers in the Chapter/Legion (assuming one Neophyte per Initiate trainer). The otherwise Codex-compliant [[Star Phantoms]] maintain an extra Devastator squad in each company over a sixth tactical squad. This is partially because they suffer such high losses in campaigns and therefore keep extra newbs, and partially because they're team-killing fucktards that like to blow shit up. As another note, the Devastator kit has a lot of sergeant Wargear for making your dudes looking cool, more so than the Tactical marine kit.

[[Havoc]]s are their Chaos counterpart, just as [[Retributor Squad]] are the Sisters', [[Heavy Weapons Squad]] the IG's, and [[Seeker Cadre]] the Sisters of Silence's. Grey Knights' [[Purgation Squad]] also bear resemblance.

==On the Tabletop==
[[File:Dark Angel DW Devastator Brother.png|300px|thumb|left|There won't even be a corpse left to purge.]]
A Devastator squad is a unit of five to ten tactical marines with heavy weapons (much like the options available to tactical squads) with one Sergeant, who likes to pose in the light from all the explosions his squad are bound to make in his wake.

Like all firstborn Space Marines, Devastators have picked up an extra wound. Though this comes at a 5-point increase, bringing them up to 18pts per model, everything but the Heavy Bolter has gotten a points decrease and so the unit is not only much tougher but actually cheaper with most loadouts! 9th edition has been very kind to your chapter's newbies so far - and with up to 10 ablative wounds, you can feel confident loading them up with the good dakka knowing that they're far less likely to be shot off the board before they get a chance to make their points back.

* The [[Grav-Cannon]] is '''10 points, down from 28'''. Four shots of S5 AP-3 and D2 against targets with a 3+ save or better mean it's tailor-made for shredding MEQs, while an increase in range to 30" gives you a much better chance of making the most of your doctrines and shooting something expensive off the board outright on turn one. Best of all, a whopping 13-point effective drop in price means it's gone from overcosted to incredibly points-efficient in its role. If you're facing enemy Space Marines of either flavour and want something to shred troops and elite infantry, Grav-Cannons are practically an automatic pick.
* The [[Heavy Bolter]] is '''10 points, unchanged from 10'''. Unfortunately, despite the bump to D2 the venerable Heavy Bolter has been rendered essentially obsolete by the buffed Grav-Cannon against MEQs. For the same points cost, you gain an extra 6" of range but lose 2 points of AP and have one fewer shot. Permanent D2 instead of only against models with a 3+ save or better means it's better against things like daemons, monsters or exposed lightly-armoured characters.
* The [[Lascannon]] is '''15 points, down from 25'''. A squad of Lascannons are cheaper than ever and bring a beefy statline of 48" Heavy 1, S9 AP-3 D6 damage. The big attraction here is S9, reliably wounding T8 heavies like the [[Land Raider]] and [[Monolith]] on a 3+, while Titans and things with Quantum Shielding, Transhuman Physiology, or other abilities that make wound rolls of 1, 2, or 3 always fail. Though the arrival of [[Eradicator]] squads is a serious nerf by proxy due to their terrifying power and point-efficiency, the Lascannon is still an effective tool, and having your heavy hitters behind 10 wounds' worth of bubble-wrap means they'll reliably be doing their jobs well after the Primaris have been shot off the board.
* The [[Missile Launcher#Missile Launcher|Missile Launcher]] is '''15 points, down from 25'''. A classic choice, giving you a choice of either Heavy D6 S4 infantry killing or S8 AP-2 Dd6 vehicle hunting. Blast rule changes mean you'll always get the full 6 shots against infantry but even then it's far weaker than the Grav-Cannon against them, and can't keep up with the Lascannon against vehicles. Nonetheless, it's a versatile pick and means you'll always have something to fall back on, letting you adapt to the game as it progresses.
* The [[Multi-Melta]] is '''20 points, down from 27'''. Space Marines love Melta this edition and this is no exception, gaining an extra shot for a 24" Heavy 2 statline of S8 AP-4 Dd6, with an extra D2 if fired within half range. Sucky against large groups, but if they can roll up next to a juicy target (vehicle, monstrous creature) it'll die. Note that this works against EVERYTHING, not just vehicles. A reliable but expensive pick, Multi-Melta Devastators (especially with the Cherub) make ideal "suicide melta" unit for drop pods: they'll take a slight ding to their BS since they count as having moved after Deep Striking, but the Signum can compensate for that easily. Just don't expect them to survive.
* The [[Plasma Cannon]] is '''15 points, down from 21'''. Plasma has been hit hard by a series of indirect nerfs this edition, the extra wound on MEQs meaning they MUST overcharge to have a chance of killing, and the changes to modifiers make doing so much riskier as you'll always overheat on a roll of 1. If you're not going to support them with a reroll aura, just pick something else, you'll get better results without the high risk of becoming a 33-point crater whenever you fire.
** Note that with re-rolls, Plasma Cannons become MUCH safer and more effective. A rerollable 2+ to wound means you'll be wounding MEQs ~97% of the time, whereas the Grav Cannon's 3+ is only capable of 77%. S8 also allows you to threaten light and medium vehicles like Predators and Rhinos. And while there's no way to guarantee safe overcharging anymore, it's still a ~3% chance of blowing up under a reroll aura (~8% if you fire three shots): you ''will'' lose a model every turn or two but it's not completely suicidal. Plasma Cannon Devastators get a huge benefit from captain and lieutenant auras, and do enough damage that it isn't a waste of points to give them a couple of babysitters (especially if you take multiple squads). But if you want to use those auras elsewhere, just choose another weapon.

The [[Blood Angels]] have access to one more Heavy Weapon: the [[Heavy Flamer]]. Clocking in at 17 points each they deal D6 hits each at S5 AP-1 D1. This makes them very effective against most horde units but have a VERY short range and deal an average of 14 hits, which has a decent shot of really thinning out enemy units using Morale. But against regular Flamers, which are a lot cheaper and deal a similar amount of damage, they are not all that better. Plus, the Heavy Bolter does the same thing albeit at a lower damage output at more than four times the range, and with the difference in points you can buy two additional meat shields.

On top of that there are two other additions. The Signum of the Sergeant now lets you add 1 to all to hit rolls of a model within the unit (this can include the sergeant himself) and does not prevent the sergeant from shooting. ALWAYS USE THIS, for it is a free +1 to hit. [[RAW]] you can give him THREE pistols: one is the standard [[Bolt Pistol]] and the other two can be a mix of Bolt, Plasma and Grav pistols. The latter two are not in any way cheap, clocking in at 14 and 16 for a pair, but your opponent's face when you tell him that your Sergeant is going to shoot THRICE at 12" range with some rather nasty damage. In addition, for a small 5 points you can get yourself an [[Cherubim|Armorium Cherub]] who can reload the weapon of a model within the unit to let him shoot a second time and doubles as an ablative wound. This can really save your ass in certain situations, especially when using the unit as a suicide squad. Because of the way shooting works in 8th Edition you can now let any model from your unit shoot at any target within range. This means that yes, you can finally field your Devastators with a variety of guns as they're always depicted on the boxes. It's best to pick guns with similar ranges so that some guns won't have to sit the round out because there are no targets within range. Taking ablative wounds in the form of extra Devastators is advised, but not required. Similarly, Devastators get more out of fortifications in 8th, with a nice 2+ and +1Ld for a Defense Line or a Bunker for close to the cost of making the squad 10-man.

===Power Ratings===
When using Power Ratings instead of points Devastators become radically more effective. Now you can pick whatever heavy weapon you want without looking at the cost, making Devastators very lethal while being only 2 points more expensive than a [[Tactical Squad]]. And not only can you take the Cherub for free, you can also gear up your sergeant at no cost. In addition to opting to give your Sergeant three pistols you can also go for a [[Combi-weapon]] instead. The Combi-Plasma has the longest range at 24" with both the Bolter and Plasma, but if you want to drop a Multi-Melta squad within 12" taking the Combi-Melta for that extra ''oomph'' might be interesting. You can fire both guns at the same time at the cost of a -1 to hit penalty. While this might seem hilarious to do it's not that good, since most targets that you need a Multi-Melta for can easily shrug off a Bolter. And having that free hidden [[Thunder Hammer]] to drop might be worth it for your opponent's look alone. You can still take the 5 extra Marines at 4 Power Rating, which will help greatly when your opponent brings their ordnance to bear against you.

== Gallery ==

<gallery>
image:UltramarinesDevastatorSquad.png|<center>Ultramarines</center>
image:DarkAngelsDevastatorSquad.png|<center>Dark Angels</center>
image:BloodAngelsDevastatorSquad.png|<center>Blood Angels</center>
image:EmperorsChildrenHeavySupportSquad.png|<center>Emperor's Children</center><center>(Heresy-era)</center> Actually a Heavy Support squad, but close enough.
image:DeathGuardHeavySupportSquad.png|<center>Death Guard</center><center>(Heresy-era)</center>
image:3wicmqo7s2fa1.jpg|<center>''Those damn [[Primaris Space Marines|youngsters]] and their dumb dexterity and agility, next thing you'll know we'll have [[Dawn of War III|back-flipping terminators]].''</center>
</gallery>

==See Also==
* [[Havoc]], their Traitor Astartes counterparts.
* [[Desolation Squad]], The Primaris' answer to the Devastator Squad, only they're stupider, lamer and also only use missile/rocket launchers.
* [[Suppressor]], if a Devastator and [[Inceptor]] decided to have a baby.
* [[Retributor Squad]], the Sisters of Battle heavy weapon specialists.
* [[Seeker Cadre]], Sisters of Silence heavy weapon specialists.
* [[Heavy Weapons Squad]], Imperial Guardsmen heavy weapon specialists.
* [[Field Ordnance Battery]] A "step-up" from Heavy Weapons Squads.
* [[Renegade Support Squad]], Traitorous Guardsmen heavy weapon specialists.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Imperial]]

[[Category: Space Marines]]

[[Category: Official Space Marine Chapters]]

[[Category: Blood Angels]]

[[Category: Dark Angels]]

[[Category: Deathwatch]]

{{Marines-Forces}}

{{Blood Angels}}

{{Dark Angels}}

Death Company Terminator

2023-05-29T19:31:21Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Death_Company_Terminator.jpg|550px|thumb|right|A rare sight of a Death Company Member in full Terminator Armour. Chapter Master [[Blood Drinkers|Caedis]], in case you were wondering. All of the Rapetrains!]]

Welp, this is what happens when a [[Blood Angels|Blood Angel]] under a [[Terminator Squad]] goes completely bonkers with the [[Black Rage]]. They get grouped with a team of Death Company Terminators to provide added support and spilling [[Doom|HUGE GUTS]] for the [[Emprah]]. Seriously, when you thought regular [[Death Company|Death Companies]] was too much of a pain train in CQC, watch these guys maim and burn everything.

One of the most famous of these chumps is Chapter Master Caedis from the [[Blood Drinkers]].

==Overview==

Death Company Terminators are pretty damned rare. Mostly because the Blood Angels aren't too fond in wasting valuable Terminator armour to what counts as raging and suicidal lunatics ([[Death Company Dreadnought|Still doesn't explain wasting an equally valuable chassis of]] [[Dreadnought|Dreadnought walkers.]]). However those that are part of the Death Company Terminators are a force to be reckoned with. It is unknown how [[Astorath]] deals with these rampaging tanks since trying to cut their head off is going to be a tough and tricky challenge when considering their Terminator armour's resilience.

As usual, Death Company Terminators excel at CQC fighting so it is best to equipped all of them with Lightning Claws, Chain weapons and any form of Force weapons so they can cause a unholy amount of carnage within enemy ranks. Unleash them and watch you opponent flip the table in [[Rage]].

Unfortunately they don't have any official rules so you have to [[Homebrew|improvise]].

{{Blood Angels}}

Death Company Chaplain

2023-05-29T19:31:00Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:DCChaplain.jpg|160px|right|thumb|Shitting ones pants is a normal reaction to whoever is unfortunate enough to be in the opposing end of this fucker.]]

'''Death Company Chaplains''' are a highly-specialized and manlier version of the regular old [[Space Marine]] [[Chaplain|Chaplains]] of the Blood Angels, who lead an entire group of [[Death Company|Death Company Marines.]] All you [[Heretic|heretics]], prepare to be '''''PURGED'''''.

Death Company Chaplains differ from regular old Chaps over the fact that they soar into battle on a [[Awesome|crimson-winged Jump Pack!]] The Death Company Chaplain leads his fallen brothers in their final battle. As he smashes the enemy from their feet with devastating swings of his <s>Wand of Justice!</s> crozius arcanum, the Death Company Chaplain booms a constant litany of [[Rage|RAEG, vengeance]] [[Fist of the North Star|and manly tears,]] whilst exhorting his brothers to give meaning to their sacrifice before their tragic and inevitable end.

Simple zealotry is not enough to recommend a Blood Angels Chaplain for elevation to the rank of Death Company Chaplain. Rage and hatred are useful tools, but they are nothing without control (just take a look at the [[World Eaters]]). The role of the Death Company Chaplain is much more complex, and more sacred than simply inciting his brothers to new heights of [[RIP AND TEAR]] in battle. This deeply spiritual warrior acts as the light of the [[Sanguinius|Angel]] himself, a guiding illumination that those brothers lost to the [[Black Rage]] can follow into glory and death. In battle, he maintains himself as the beacon of sanity.

==Tabletop==
Although these guys are slightly more expensive than a basic Chaplain with all the same rules, they come equipped with a Jump Pack and [[Inferno Pistol]] instead of a [[Bolt Pistol]], with the option to take Special Issue Wargear and Relics. They would have been overpriced if it were not for the fact that he allows friendly Death Company units he is in the old re-roll to wound rule that Astorath has unless they make a disordered charge.

Seriously, if you want to butcher your enemies up close, accept no substitutes.

Ok, shit, ignore all of that. Going onto 8th these lads just have nice models with the same rules as the standard Chaplain with a jump pack.

{{Blood Angels}}

Death Company

2023-05-29T19:30:43Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Death company by fonteart-d6ay2k7.jpg|250px|thumb|right|[[Rage|You can see the RAAAAAAAAAAAAGE On his face even when he's wearing his helmet.]]]]

[[File:Death_Company.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Even Tyranids are only able to slow these [[Rape|murder machines]].]]

The '''Death Company''' is a unit used by [[Blood Angels]] and their successor [[Space Marine Chapter|Chapter]]s, composed of those [[Space Marines|Marines]] who have succumbed to the Black Rage, and are now batshit insane motherfuckers with a short lifespan, one way or the other.

During the [[Great Crusade]], the Blood Angels discovered that their [[gene-seed]] had a flaw that caused some Marines to develop a literal thirst for blood and devolve into raving maniacs, to the point that the Emperor's Peace (i.e. euthanasia) had to be administered. The so-called "[[Red Thirst]]" became a dark secret of the Legion, covered up from all outsiders, including the [[God-Emperor of Mankind|Emperor]] himself, as [[Sanguinius]] feared that his Legion would be exterminated if the news leaked. The numbers of those afflicted remained low, but then the [[Horus Heresy]] hit. The psychic backlash from Sanguinius's death caused (and still causes) the "[[Black Rage]]", in which Marines relive the events of his death at the hands of [[Horus]] so vividly that they believe they are Sanguinius. Knowing that the Black Rage and Red Thirst were occurring too frequently to be ignored, but wanting to give their battle-brothers an honourable death, the Blood Angels and their successors formed what they called "Death Companies", Marines overseen by the Company [[Chaplain]]s to serve as front line shock assault troops. The Death Company will proceed to [[rip and tear]] anything in their path until death claims them. Those few who survive are taken back to the fortress-monastery and filled with enough drugs to keep them from attacking everything else until the next time they are called into battle.

On a side-note, not all Death Company are completely off the reservation when they take up the red and black. Just mostly crazy. Usually the Chaplains of the chapter will find those who can't contain the [[Rage|bloodlust]] anymore and give them two options: The Red and Black, where they use the last of their sanity following the Chaplain into a glorious suicide charge, or the [[blam|Emperor's Peace]] where they... don't. Obviously most choose the former as no Son of Sanguinius would ever give up the opportunity for one last chance to [[Rip and tear|tear a foe limb from limb]].

The [[Primaris Space Marines]] were initially assumed to be immune to the Black Rage, but as time went by it turned out that they just took longer to succumb to it than baseline Astartes. Since then a fair deal of Primaris Blood Angels have joined their shorter brethren in the Death Company, and their enhanced physiology makes their fury all the more dangerous. This is unsurprising, as the Black Rage has nothing to do with gene-seed and is entirely the result of Sanguinius's psychic power.

On the tabletop, Death Company are death. They have Furious Charge and Feel No Pain, and the Rage rule that held people back from using them in the 5th edition is now turned into a strength giving them an extra attack while charging. Combined with their wargear options, along with attaching as [[Astorath|Astorath the Grim]] lets them re-roll failed to hit and to wound rolls, they are among the deadliest assault troops in the game.

==Something to be said about the Red Thirst==

Although sometimes misconstrued as the "lesser" of the two curses in the manner of [[Lamenters|"out of the two times I took chainsword to the rectum, this one didn't hurt as bad"]] many make the erroneous assumption that the Red Thirst is anything but permanent. As a matter of fact it was the thirst that pulled [[Blood Drinkers|Chapter Master Caedis]] ([[Death Company Terminator|pictured in this page]]) over the edge. And most Blood Angels who go over the edge due to the Red Thirst are viewed as significantly more pitiful than those who did because of the Rage. The reason for this being because the Rage is inevitable--[[Chaplain]]s and the [[Sanguinary Priest]]s can coax a Battle Brother from back over the "point of no return" quite a few times, but the Rage will eventually fully take them. But when a Brother-Marine is lost to the Thirst it is a reflection of his own self-control (And those that know [[Mephiston]]'s story know that somehow he was able to rein back control from the Thirst just by being buried under rubble for a week, forced to fight his demons alone. Thus, he is viewed as the most badass Librarian ever, capable of being so mad that he's practically serene). This has the unhealthy side-effect of producing Heroic Martyrs in the Chapter who would prefer to take out as many enemies of Man with them before they turn into a slavering, rabid shell of their former self. Those who do not die and do not meet death at the end of the High Chaplain's Axe, are locked within the dark Tower of Amareo to howl in [[Rage|anger]] and torment until their mortal bodies expire. Which probably takes awhile as no Space Marines has died of old age and they might be functionally immortal. Unless, of course, the psychic stress of the Black Rage slowly breaks down their bodies until they die. Given that a brother's body can outright mutate as a result of the Red Thirst, this might actually be the case.

'''BUT'''

And it's a big one. If the new Index Astartes regarding the Death Company is to be believed (which it is), the brothers trapped in the tower tend to accumulate over the years along with the brothers who are in stasis from the Death Company. And in the Chapter's most dire moments of need, they will suit up '''EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.''' of these rabid, rage-fueled motherfuckers and bring true meaning to the the term '''DEATH COMPANY'''. Where the Blood Angels themselves (whose gene-seed is still relatively stable, compared to the other First Founding Legions) can field more than an entire battle company after saving up over the years, Successor Chapters like the [[Angels Sanguine]] or [[Angels Encarmine]] can field up to [[FATAL|three hundred of these blood crazed maniacs]], and the [[Flesh Tearers]] are nearly a whole chapter of blood thirsty, Batshit crazy badasses at this point.

They actually did release all the mad fuckers in the tower to defend Baal from Hive Fleet Leviathan. From all 60 chapters present, including the ones who succumbed before the battle. And when the void shields went down they died giving the rest of the Blood Angels a chance to regroup in the Arx Angelicum for their last stand. Speaking of which, if Tyranids are gonna nom a Primarch, destroy his corpse before that can happen or the universe is '''''fucked'''''.

==See Also==
* [[Death Company Dreadnought]]

{{Blood Angels}}

Dante

2023-05-29T19:29:58Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Dante book cover.jpg|thumb|400px|The man in action]]
[[File:wrongdante.png|thumb|200px|I think you might have the wrong Dante here...]]
{{Topquote|The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.|Robert Frost}}
{{Topquote|Are you only the legend, or are you the truth behind the legend?|Amphiaraus to Hercules}}
{{Topquote|My son... My greatest son. You have suffered greatly for Mankind's sake. You have won your rest a thousand times. Rarely has one man given so much, Luis of Baal Secundus. You have been a light in these dark times.|[[Sanguinius]] to Dante}}

'''Luis Dante''' (sometimes called Dante Tiberius by his ultramarine coworkers) is the [[Chapter Master|Lord Commander ]] of the [[Blood Angels]], and Warden of the [[Warhammer 40,000 8th edition|Imperium Nihilus]], basically second in command to only the [[Roboute Guilliman|Imperial Regent]] himself.

A legendary figure in the 42nd Millennium, Dante has been a Space Marine for over 1600 years, including the last 1200 as Chapter Master. He embodies the [[Noblebright#8chan Anon Explains the Grim/Noble and Dark/Bright Spectrum|Nobledark]] in the [[Grimdark]] of 40k, and has [[Chapter Master Slamguinius|kicked the asses of countless xenos, mutants, heretics and daemons in countless wars upon countless worlds]]. If it exists, he killed at least one. He is also the Chapter Master equivalent of a very, very tired old dad.

Sometime between the return of the Lion at the ending of 9th and the start of 10th, he crossed the Rubicon Primaris. Given his age, this seems like an ill-advised idea given the fatality rates for first born, but it surprisingly worked.

Between this happening offscreen, spending half it's run time on marketing Primaris Mephiston and the fumbling of Primaris Death Company, ''Dante: Darkness in the Blood'' is a real still-birth of a novel. Possibly even an editor's deliberate abortion.

==Background==

===Early life===
[[File:Baal.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Where it all begins.]]
Dante's childhood is detailed in the novel ''Dante'' by Guy Haley. According to the book, Dante was born in the Great Salt Waste of Baal Secundus (Baalfora) in approximately 445.M40. His father, Arreas, was a kind but undistinguished member of the Salt clans (Irkuk clan to be specific) that made a living harvesting salt from the chemically contaminated land (they travel in sand roamers, very much like the sandcrawlers of Tatooine). His mother died giving birth to a younger brother when he was seven (452.M40), the baby [[grimdark|naturally]] dying as well.

Dante was the boy's 'Angel' name, equivalent to the traditional Christian baptismal name, whereas Luis was his personal name. Most Baalite clans used their Angel name in day-to-day life, but Dante's people preferred their personal names. So, Luis is generally used in the book for the scenes where Dante is a child.

As Baalfora was a post-apocalyptic hell-hole (think [[Fallout]] with a strong flavour of Mad Max), the Salt clans were malnourished, physically stunted, and suffering from radiation. The Blood Angels did not think highly of them as a source of potential recruits. An in-universe observation is made that the Salt Clans were small and scattered, and so the inference to be drawn is that there was not much fighting to be had to breed a martial culture among them. You can imagine Dante's relative chances of becoming a Space Marine in such conditions. That said, life in the Great Salt Waste was no easy-living. Dante killed his first man when he was ten, helping his people fight off nomads who had attacked their caravan.

===Journey to Angel's Fall===
Dante had grown up hearing the stories of the Blood Angels from his father. When news came that there was to be a trial (456.M40), Dante decided to attempt it. However, his father Arreas tried to discourage him from attempting to join by guilt tripping about abandoning family. Arreas also pointed out that Dante's chances were not good: Dante would be much smaller and weaker physically than other potential recruits, being only eleven. The ''Warlords of the Dark Millennium'' (WotDM) info book is more explicit in stating that Dante’s growth had been stunted by malnutrition, and his body damaged by exposure to the rad-deserts of Baalfora (but so too the case for everyone else).

Regardless, Dante knew the next trials would be a generation away (he would probably be dead then, and certainly too old for the gene-seed implantation procedure if he did live that long), and so this was now or never. One night, Dante left home without a farewell to his father, making off for Angel's Fall where the trials were held.

Dante seems to carry the guilt of this abandonment in his subconscious for his entire life - early on he hallucinates a disapproving image of his father, and at the end of ''The Devastation of Baal'' a half-dead Dante hallucinates his father's image onto one of his brothers, and with child like excitement, presents himself to the illusion saying that he is an angel now and asking if he's proud of him. It's even noted in the book that him retaining such clear memories of his father is unusual, as most Blood Angels partly or completely forget their pre-recruitment lives over time.

Dante made it, showing bravery and character, but also benefiting from a combination of luck and fate. Dante fucked up at the very beginning, losing his roamer to a type of quicksand due to his own fault. He would have died of thirst while traveling across the sand dunes on foot, if not for the [[Sanguinor]], who appeared and pointed the way to life saving water. Dante subsequently befriended a pair of older aspirants (Florian and Daneill) who did not kill him opportunistically (what are the chances?), as you suspect might or should happen to small boys traveling alone in WH40K. Well, Florian and Daneill did contemplate snuffing Dante there and then, but you can only take [[Grimdark]] so far (plus with Dante's literal guardian angel keeping an eye on him, its not like this would get anywhere if they tried).

Thereafter there is a heroic episode in which Dante shows great bravery and resolve, but continues to benefit from luck. It was this and numbers that saw the boys through when attacked by a Fire Scorpion (and it was only a juvenile), though a thirst-crazed Daneill later died when he drank 'thirstwater', which [[grimdark|sucks the moisture out of anything it touches and looks exactly like normal water]]. This stroke of relative luck was pretty much the only thing that let Dante survive to take the trials, as he was running out of supplies and lacked a glider kit (critical to the next step) - both issues which were solved when he inherited Daneill's gear.

The final hurdle is using a winged para-glider to traverse the canyon from the Heavenwall mountains (the 'Angel's Leap', here being where Sanguinius first flew). The potential aspirants were attacked by Blood Eagles, fuckhuge airborne predators with a taste for human flesh that downed numerous aspirants - including Dante, who was forced down and had to walk the rest of the way, narrowly reaching Angel's Fall alongside Florian (by now his best friend, and vice-versa).

===The trials===
[[File:Blood angel aspirants.jpg|300px|thumb|right|The Blood Angels and their aspirants. Don't worry, you'll be as pretty as us in no time.]]
After receiving a pass for genetic compatibility and potential (''First Winnowing''), Dante begins the first set of athletic trials, where he fails to distinguish himself. He expects to be failed at this stage (''Second Winnowing''), but makes it through into the second stages, which he also survives without distinction in feats of combat and physical valour. However, it is here that Dante begins to show a flair for leadership, which he uses to help guide his team to victory in the ''Trial of War''. Besides leadership, Dante's biggest strength and ultimate point of character, is his heart and morality.

When it came to his final physical test (''Final Choosing''), the High Chaplain of the time pitted him against his best friend Florian, whom he was urged to kill. Although Florian had reluctantly committed himself to the task, Dante pulled a [[Star Wars|Luke Skywalker]] after getting the best of his friend and threw down his staff, telling the Chaplain to shove it up his arse. To which the Chaplain gave him a pass (Florian obviously failed) -- clearing the most treacherous test of all, the [[Horus|Test of Horus]].

Essentially, the Blood Angels egg on aspirants to shed their inhibitions about personal loyalty by [[Angron|matching them against those who were observed to be have become their friends or close comrades during earlier in the trials]]. First, the chaplains would urge them to kill comrades for the 'greater good' of serving the Emperor as remorseless killers. If that fails, aspirants are threatened with rejection from the selection process, or tempted furthermore by promises of power and glory. Everything is a trick, patterned after Horus (40K's Satanic Archetype) tempting Sanguinius (40K's version of Jesus Christ) on the [[Vengeful Spirit]] during the [[Siege of Terra]]; all true Blood Angels will do as Sanguinius did. [[Awesome|Fucking Brilliant]].

In the ultimate trial, the ''Winnowing of Weariness'', aspirants are made to stay awake for three days without falling asleep. However, Dante fell asleep, dreaming of his parents and failing the task by doing so. [[Plot Armor|It was the Sanguinor that roused him before the Blood Angels could catch on. Damn, he is a man of destiny or what?]]

During the gene-seed implantation (''Blood Change''), Dante drank from the chalice containing the blood of Sanguinius, and then [[Vampire|slumbered in a sarcophagus for a year]]. As was normal, Dante had visions of Sanguinius' life and times. What was unusual was that Dante survived drifting in and out of consciousness, while screaming the names of figures and events from Blood Angels history in great torment. Normally those who suffered like this [[grimdark|died while trying to claw their way out, or emerged as monsters in the thralls of the]] [[Black Rage]].

However, Dante emerged in normal condition, every inch the angel that the gene-seed implantation was supposed to produce. Some Blood Angels believed that it was a sign of greatness. The Black Rage could not be held off forever, but only forestalled. Dante's mastery of his anger inside the sarcophagus basically foreshadowed his future potential to hold off the Black Rage for an absurd length of time ([[Awesome|1600 years and counting]], even if he has [[Devastation of Baal|nearly slipped once or twice]]).

Generally, the novelisation (if you can't tell by now, it is fucking awesome) tries to avoid making Dante a Mary Sue (Haley neatly undercuts the trope in chapter one), but it is clear that he is a man of destiny. So, there is a bit of a revisionism to the earlier fluff about his non-Mary sueishness that readers drew from the WotDM info book. Dante (at this stage) is clearly not the strongest, but he is good enough, and certainly good-hearted enough to be the chosen of whatever force that guides the Sanguinor.

==The Blood Angel==

===Scout to Chapter Master===
[[File:The_Red_Angel.jpg|thumb|400px|right|What he looked like before getting kitted in gold.]]
In the novels and the rest of the fluff, Lord Commander Dante is generally portrayed as a stern but kind fatherly figure to the Blood Angels, who's a good guy and [[Meme|doesn't afraid of anything]]. But before becoming a legend, he was simply Captain Dante, and before that Sergeant Dante, and of course, a battle-brother and a scout at the beginning.

;Scout
As a young Space Marine scout, Dante fought against the Orks in the Ash Wastes of the planet Rora, Eudyminous System (467.M40). It was Dante's 23rd engagement. Turns out that his sergeant, Gallileon, is assessing him for potential as a line officer, and so he gets put on the spot. Dante's tactical plan works, but then he was also at fault for leading the Orks onto his squad in the first place. So, good brain, but not an infallible warrior. The larger campaign is more difficult for the Blood Angels Company, and the Sanguinor himself has to bail them out.

A few years later in 470.M40, Dante fought under Sergeant Basileus on Ereus V, participating in the extermination of the Orreti. However, Dante [[heresy|sympathised with the fate of the pitiful Xenos race]]. Blood Angels indoctrination techniques are quite obviously a [[fail]], or perhaps Dante was too much for them, the [[noblebright|Mr. noblebright]] that he is.

On the other hand, Dante and the Blood Angels do end up going all vampire on the Orreti, mercy be damned. Yeah, who would miss these sorry-ass aliens? (<s>Ugluk</s> Basileus: looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!)

Of course, this obviously has to be the first step on Dante's route to non-blood sucking enlightenment.

;Battle Brother
Dante has his first encounter (besides an aspirant who came back mad from inside the sarcophagus) with the Black Rage in the hive world of Tobias Halt (518.M40). Battling the Chaos marines of [[The Purge]], Dante's battle-brother Laziel falls to the Black Rage and thinks they are the old legion, relieving the siege of Terra. As for Dante, his fury at his inability to protect the factory workers of Holywell Hive leads to him temporarily going berserk due to the Red Thirst, killing six [[Chaos Space Marines]] single-handedly.

Unfortunately, this did nothing to actually sate the thirst, driving him to drain the civilians dry in a maddened frenzy before the [[Sanguinor]] appears to knock him out of it (quite literally - Sangy beats Dante unconscious with two punches, with the thirst having receded by the time he wakes). The last surviving civilian (who had initially greeted Dante) was [[Blam|executed]] [[grimdark|by the Blood Angels that found the two of them, to hide the secret of the Red Thirst from the Imperium]].

After that he swore off the partaking of blood save for sacramental rituals, disgusted and deeply guilted by his loss of control.

;Sergeant and Captain
Dante rose to become the Captain of the Blood Angels 5th company in 753.M40. He replaced Captain Avernis, who fell during the assault on the Odrius <s>pirate lair</s> freeport in Mas the year before. At that point, Dante had been a sergeant, leading 'Squad Dante'. The Eldar corsair king Hellaineth attempted to engage Dante in [[heresy|some philosophical discussions]], but Dante wisely turned him down. While the port was destroyed, Hellaineth escaped, and not before leaving Dante with some niggling doubts anyway. Damn Space Elves. But no worry, the Sanguinor is there to ensure the emperor's finest remains eternally committed to the good fight.

;Rise to Chapter Master

In the WotDM info book, Dante became the Chapter Master in approximately 900-999.M40. Turns out that Dante was not chosen because he was the best of the Captains, but simply because he was the only surviving line officer after the debilitating Kallius Insurrection that left no more than 200 Blood Angels alive. Some might interpret this as lessening Dante's legend, and indeed the point is raised in the infobook from an in-universe POV. As a legend of M41, there is a retrospective rose-tinted perception of his every deed, and how Dante became a Chapter Master is apparently a matter the Blood Angels care not to discuss. [[Derp|This is stupid]]. It is actually saying something that Dante is the only line officer left after perhaps the most dangerous campaign the Blood Angels had fought in a long time. In WH40K survivors are the winners, and Dante was a survivor. Whoever wrote that bit of fluff did not think it through.

The WotDM is only one version of how Dante became Chapter Master. Another version of his ascent involves the Secoris Disaster, which is similar enough to the Kallius Insurrection, whilst maintaining some key differences. In this, Captain Dante and Captain Kadeus were the only line officers who survived the Secoris Tragedy (996.M40), a disastrous attempt by the entire chapter (under Chapter Master Sangallo) to cleanse the [[Space Hulk]] Sin of Damnation. Only fifty Blood Angels survive. Kadeus would go on to become Chapter Master, and together with Dante, rebuild the chapter. Ultimately, Kadeus would die in the Blood Angels fortress-monastery on Baal, naming Dante as his successor and handing him the Axe Mortalis.

Obviously the dates are off, for the latest fluff has Dante as Chapter Master for over 1000 years. However, due to the Imperium's [[administratum|shitty record keeping]] (acknowledged from a meta POV in WotDM), it is quite possible to <s>correct</s> hedge the dates. Alternatively, Dante has been Chapter Master for less than thousand years, and the whole over a thousand year shtick is Imperium propaganda (possibility acknowledged in WotDM). To be sure, the Secoris tragedy comes from the earlier fluff by James Swallow (see ''Dante: Lord of the Host'') and Gav Thorpe (''Space Hulk''), but not that old. Moreover, the Sin of Damnation (Secoris incident) is mentioned prominently in the Blood Angels 7th ed (2014), whereas the dates for Dante's rule of the chapter is not quite clear from it.

Finally, note that Blood Angels codex like the 5th and 6th ed state that that [[Darnath Lysander|Lysander]] does not recall a time when Dante was not the Chapter Master of the Blood Angels. Since Lysander was lost in the warp in late M40, and reappeared almost a thousand years later in 964.M41 (Codex: Space Marines 5th ed), Dante must have been Chapter Master before the former date. Thus, it is probably the Secoris tragedy that has been retconned, or at least, given less precedence by recent BL writers. It's probably down to shitty Imperial record keeping and GW being hopelessly inconsistent with dates. If Dante hasn't corrected it, it may be because it is too hard on him to think about how many brothers he lost.

Ultimately, whatever fluff you choose to follow, Dante was a badass. It was to him to lead the Blood Angels Chapter during the Dark Millennium that is M41.

That said, the 8th Edition Blood Angels Codex (most recent on the moment of writing) also reinforces previously mentioned info from 5th and 6th codexes, as [[Darnath Lysander|Captain Lysander]] still doesn't recall times when Blood Angels had the Chapter Master other than Dante, thus making his ascension after Kallius Insurrection more likely one, if not outright makes it canon.

It is 2021 here, and GW has chosen the only surviving line officer as canon (Darkness in the Blood). They made a good story and a good lesson out of it though; you can either stay strong to outlive your mistakes, or you can pick an easy way out, as the main supporting character in the book did. The book also says the chapter master before Dante was called Remael, actually, is this part of story taken directlly from WotDM?

===Lord Commander===
[[File:Vampire Awesomeness Incarnate.png|thumb|400px|right|One of the best ever pieces depicting Dante.]]
There is some fluff in the novels about Dante's personality as a leader. Basically, it can be said that he functions as an executive authority of the Blood Angels, rather than a 'lord' (like a Jedi Master of the High Council rather than the pre-Ruusan Reformation Jedi Lords). However, the title of ''Lord Commander'' is often used in conjunction with ''High Lord'' in the Blood Angels series by James Swallow. Meanwhile, the 7th ed codex and WotDM infobook seems to have shortened the title to just ''Commander'', while including subsidiary titles like ''Master of the Blood Angels'' and ''Lord of the Angelic Hosts''. It is not clear what exactly is the precise wording of the title. Swallow enjoys appending 'Lord' or 'High Lord' to Commander, but it could be just be reflecting the in-universe reverence of the Blood Angels for Dante. In any case, Dante behaves anything but like a 'lord' or 'master'. He is first-among-equals amongst the Blood Angels (or likes to think himself as such). He addresses First Captain [[Karlaen]] as brother, and brooks no ceremony while interacting with [[Mephiston]] and others.

According to the WotDM infobook, Dante has led the Blood Angels to their "most glorious and triumphant millennium since the time of the [[Great Scouring|Scouring]]". Some of his notable personal exploits are mentioned here.

It seems he doesn't sweat the small talk per se, and venerates a warriors honor more than a title. He certainly has many titles, all of which signify that he is indeed a warrior to be venerated above all others, but Dante really places respect above all else. Dante respects even the lowliest guardsmen who lays it all on the line for the defense of humanity, he doesn't ask anything more.

; The Gates of Pandemonium (Undated; M40-M41?)
Dante kicked [[Skarbrand]]'s ass at Pandemonium sometime during M41, casting the creature back into the warp. With Skarbrand’s banishment, the Daemonic armies were overwhelmed by the Blood Angels.

; Skylos (Undated; M40-M41?)
Dante defeated a powerful Chaos chronomancer at Skylos, who had shrouded the whole planet with his dark sorcery. The chronomancer would attempt to use time as a weapon against Dante, even stealing several decades of his life. Unfortunately for the chronomancer, the loss of a few decades is irrelevant to one such as Dante, who [[awesome|hacked him down with the Axe Mortalis]] (detailed in the short story ''Dante: Lord of the Host'').

; Ruden III (Undated; M40-M41?)
Dante's victory over Eldar corsairs on Ruden III is mentioned as one of his legendary deeds in ''Shield of Baal: Exterminatus''.

; Vetrim (Undated; M40-M41?)
Dante's role in the liberation of Vetrim from its Tau overlords and human turncoats is one of the legendary deeds singled out in ''Shield of Baal: Exterminatus''.

; Orana (Undated; M40-41?)
Sometime during M41 Dante personally led the Blood Angels strike force that saved the planet of Orana from an invasion of Chaos Space Marines and Daemons. Orana's capital hive was transformed into a hideous Hellspire, with stone and metal transformed into bloody flesh and bone, and Chaos sorcerers summoning a powerful Daemon lord. When all seemed lost Dante launched himself at the Daemon lord, banishing him back into the warp. With the Daemon's banishment, the Chaos forces were overwhelmed and the planet saved for the Imperium.

; Alchonis Campaign (Undated; M40-M41?)
Not much details about this, but that badass "I have seen all the evil that the galaxy harbours...." quote of Dante was uttered at the start of this campaign, with Dante personally involved (Codex Blood Angels 3rd ed).

; Pyrus Reach (Undated; M40-M41?)
Dante personally led a Blood Angels force during the Pyrus Reach campaign, which is featured in the ''Dark Millenium'' cardgame.
The conflict involved forces of Chaos led by [[Erebus]] and his [[Word Bearers]], and an Ork Waaagh! led by Warboss Garzulk the Faceless from the mighty Goffs clan. Space Elves from a Craftworld are also involved, and as usual, involved in some behind the scenes shenanigans that got the [[Dark Angels]] into the mess as well.

; Canau (Undated; M40-M41?)
Dante led the Blood Angels to liberate the planet of Canau from the Orks. Singled out as one of his most legendary exploits, subject to much mythmaking where he slew so many Orks that even the [[Matt Ward|Dark Lord]] has trouble accepting the numbers cited.

; Ultima Macharia (Undated; M40-M41?)
Dante performed some memorable deed here (Blood Angels 5th ed). No details are given, but possibly something to do with the [[Macharian Heresy]]. Most probably it is mentioned because it is the farthest planet on the western half of the galaxy, providing a nice mirror to Dante's involvement in Jonol (see below), the planet on the edge of the Eastern Fringes of the Segmentum Ultima.

; Jonol (Undated; M40-M41?)
Dante is mentioned as being involved in some bloody victory on this planet. Jonol is the homeworld of the Honoured Sons Space Marine Chapter, on the Eastern Fringes of the Galaxy, and probably the rationale for its prominence in Dante's fluff is to show he has fought across the length and breadth of the Imperium.

; Terion (Early M41)
Dante led the Blood Angels to relieve the world of Terion at the dawn of the 41st Millennium, defeating an alliance of [[Night Lords]] and the Traitor warband known as the Brotherhood of Darkness. In an upbeat ending, the devastated Terion was rebuilt into a paradise, and all that remains of the war’s legacy is a colossal monument to Dante in the capital city. [[Grimdark]]? What grimdark?

; WAAAGH! Big Skorcha (798.M41)
Dante led the Blood Angels in defense of Baal and its moons from WAAAGH! Big Skorcha, which included numerous Orks from three entire Space Hulks.

; Battle of Stonehaven (901.M41)
Dante led the drop assault that broke WAAAGH! Bludcrumpa's decade-long siege of the Forge World Ironhelm.

; Kalagazaar (911.M41)
When Grey Knight prognosticars predicted [[Ka'bandha]] return to the mortal world, the Grey Knights revealed themselves to the Blood Angels, bringing the news to Dante and proposing a joint strike. The Blood Angels and Grey Knights then attacked Ka'Bandha at his fortress on the Daemon world Kalagazar, banishing him and his Daemonic legions and then subjecting the planet to exterminatus. At the end of the mission the surviving Blood Angels have their memories wiped, with Dante having agreed to that at the mission's start. The fluff does not make it clear if Dante himself actually participated in the mission, but it seems much more probable that he did than not (7th ed rulebook).

; Second War for Armageddon (941.M41)
Dante's reputation led Chapter Masters [[Tu'Shan]] of the [[Salamanders]] and [[Marneus Calgar]] of the [[Ultramarines]] to acknowledge his overall command of imperial forces in [[Armageddon]].

At the walls of Tartarus Hive, Dante and Tu'Shan would famously fight side by side against [[Ghazghkull Thraka]] and his bodyguard, winning the day for the Imperium. A generation later, Dante's name is still spoken with reverence in Armageddon, and one of the Armageddon system's deep space monitoring installations was named in his honour.

; Malogrim (Undated; 941-999.M41?)
Sometime during M41 Dante personally led the Blood Angels as they defended the planet of Malogrim from a three-way invasion involving Orks, Dark Eldar, and Chaos Space Marines of the [[Emperor's Children]]. The Orks were led personally by [[Ghazghkull Thraka]], and the Dark Eldar spearheaded by [[Lelith Hesperax]] and her Wych Cult of Strife.

This conflict is undated, but the appearance of Ghazghkull gives a date shortly before 941.M40, or sometime afterwards. Of course, there is no hard and fast canon, and this is from a card game the ''Siege of Malogrim Hive''. Possibly there was never a date indicated, just like what developers claimed for [[Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine]].

;The Gehenna Campaign (955.M41)
Dante and the Blood Angels 3rd Company battled against the Necron Legions of the [[Silent King]] on Gehenna, his leadership allowing the company to fight the enemy to a stalemate for three standard weeks. When a Tyranid splinter fleet enters orbit, the Blood Angels and the Necrons ally to fight the common foe successfully.

However, it turns out that the Necrons were using the Blood Angels, letting them bore the brunt of the fighting (hmmm, perhaps Dante would have done well to internalise the lessons about Xenos perfidy). The Necrons fled before the Blood Angels recognised the treachery, but Blood Angels propaganda made it out that Dante let them leave in gratitude for their 'contributions' to the defence.

; The Blackfang Crusade (994.M41)
Dante mobilised the whole Blood Angels chapter, leading them to drive the Orks from their empire (twelve worlds) in the Blackfang system, and also its two neighbouring systems. [[Awesome|All in a single standard year]].

; The Third Tyrannic War (997.M41-early.M42)
[[File:Dante-vs-Hive-Tyrant.png|300px|thumb|right|Dante taking on a hive tyrant]]
[[Hive Fleet Leviathan]], the largest [[Tyranid]] force ever to invade the Galaxy, is eventually defeated at Baal. Dante and the Blood Angels play an important role, contributing decisively in the Cryptus Campaign and the defence of Baal (and its moons) itself.

Responding to Dante's call-to-arms, every Blood Angels successor chapter (save the [[Lamenters]]) assembled at Baal. During the fighting, Baal Primus (Baalind) and Baal Secundus (Baalfora) were both pretty badly fucked up, but the arrival of a relief force led by Guilliman allowed the Blood Angels to claim victory on Baal.

'''Spoilers for [[Devastation of Baal]] ahead!'''

As the destruction of Baal came to a close, Dante and a mere 2000 marines from various chapters found themselves in a last-stand scenario. With the Arx Angelicum's defences destroyed, their Astropathic Choir dead or maddened, most of their Neophytes consumed by the horde and no hope for victory left, each and every marine present inducted themselves into the [[Death Company]] using ash, soot, and blood in place of paint to darken their armour. Dante gives one final inspirational speech to the assembled marines and orders the prisoners of the Tower of Amareo to be unleashed to accompany them as they began their suicidal charge into the Tyranid hordes.

In the process of pushing towards the Swarmlord as their final hope of victory, Dante begins to willingly succumb to the Red Thirst and very nearly falls to the Black Rage, barely keeping his bloodlust in check by swearing to himself that he'll see the Swarmlord dead before he gives in completely. As he and his forces pushed forward and were thinned out by the swarm, the [[Sanguinor]] and [[Legion of the Damned]] showed up and assisted Dante in reaching the Swarmlord.

In the ensuing duel, Dante found that for all his might and experience, it was nothing compared to the might of the Swarmlord (exacerbated by the way Dante was exhausted, hallucinating, and bordering on psychotic madness). Dante attempted to weave around the Swarmlord to get swings in with the Axe Mortalis or shots with the Perdition Pistol, but barely drew any blood. As his jump pack ran out of fuel, the Swarmlord took advantage and very nearly killed Dante then and there, but Dante abandoned his backpack all together. However, this had the unfortunate side effect of his armor no longer having a power source and it rapidly began shutting down.

Dante made one final charge, parrying and shattering one of the Swarmlord's bone swords; however, the momentum of the sword continued through the blow and impaled Dante through one of his hearts, leaving him gravely poisoned and bleeding to death. Before the Swarmlord could cleave Dante in two, his armor's sealing foam melded it to the bone sword, catching the Swarmlord unawares. Using this momentary hesitation, Dante fired the Perdition Pistol into the Swarmlord's face at point-blank range, melting it into hot Tyranid goop (though it still manages to sever its own arm and shoot Dante an epic death glare with one eye before finally dying).

Dante finally succumbs to his wounds, wondering who the golden warrior that Sanguinius saw dying before the Emperor was. He awoke to the sight of the Sanguinor, standing beside Sanguinius himself. Sanguinius called Dante the greatest of his sons and said that Dante had earned his right to rest beside him for all time. Dante begged for eternal rest, [[Grimdark|literally]] ''[[Grimdark|crying]]'' [[Grimdark|as he asked for his father to finally let him die]], but Sanguinius regretfully told him that he still had a duty to perform in the mortal world, and poured strength into Dante, reviving him. Dante himself nearly has a mental breakdown over the fact that his suffering would continue, but he swiftly gets over it as the below is revealed to him.

===Dark Imperium===
Dante lives to see the Blood Angels and the Imperium win against the Tyrannids on Baal. He meets with Guilliman afterwards, who names him Warden of Imperium Nihilus, the supreme commander of Imperial forces north of the Cicatrix Maledictum. Guilliman basically orders Dante not to kneel before him and says that he, above all else, earned the right to stand up with him.

==Appearance==
[[File:Dante Bloodquest.jpg|thumb|200px|left|He looks like this, but much older and with white hair]]
[[File:Dante Wargear.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Cool guys like Dante always get cool stuff.]]

Dante's eyes are described as pale amber, while his once golden hair has long since turned white (WotDM and the novelisation ''Dante''. However, in the 2020 novel ''Darkness in the Blood'', Dante recalled himself to have black hair for some reason). In the ''Blood Quest'' comic series, his hair is long, going down to his chest à la Thranduil/Lucius Malfoy. [[Pretty Marines|Bishounen]] much?

Dante is so old that his age shows; his face is deeply wrinkled, and incredibly for a Space Marine, there are tell-tale signs of physical aging like loosening skin folds and loss of muscle definition. How old you ask? Apparently, the skins of ancient marines became thick and seamed with shallow wrinkles akin to cracks in leather. Aaand Dante has gone even further beyond that. His wrinkles at one point were so deep that they sharpened his "fine bone" face to "the point of brittleness", while the eyes sunk into their sockets. Mainly the reason why Dante never shows his face in public; seeing him uncovered would shatter the mystique of the immortal golden hero. Okay, so not that Bishounen. Think Jedi Master Cin Drallig, with a flavour of Grand Moff Tarkin.

In the novel ''Deus Encarmine'', Dante is described as having a 'hawkish countenance', including an aquiline jaw and nose. It is said he had the "aspect of a predator at rest". So, one can imagine a patrician face, which looks like a snarling Elrond when enraged. Aaand the fangs. Don't forget that Blood Angels like Dante have long fangs which grow as far to prickle the lower lip.

Dante swore off living blood after a nasty vampire incident. Towards the end of the novelisation, Dante drinks blood after fifteen hundred hundreds years, which somewhat reverses his physical aging. Still old, but the blood gives him strength and youth (well, he is a [[Indrick Boreale|spehss]] vampire after all). Dante had previously taken sacramental blood, which seems to be a big thing in ceremonies etc. There is no reason why this should not have restored his youth, and indeed, Dante describes it as "borrowed life" as well. Perhaps there is something in the Blood Angels gene that allows them to draw strength from 'living' blood particularly.

Note that in the novelisation Dante brings up the in-universe speculations about the 'functional immortality' of Space Marines. He thinks that marines had rarely survived long enough to test the theory, but seeing himself after sixteen hundred years he doubts it is true. He is old, and wonders how many years he had left in him. Then again, his severely aged appearance could come from not drinking enough living blood.

;Voice
Dante has a deep, badass baritone voice in the ''Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon'' video game. However, the ''Bloodquest: Prisoner of the Eye of Terror'' audiobook portrays him as having a sophisticated RP - ancient, wise and fatherly. The different setting of these stories (warrior in a wargame vs background role as ancient authority figure) could explain the choice of voice.

==The Man, the Myth, the Legend==
[[File:Tearing wires.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Someone made up a drawing of Dante fucking up a motherfucking Titan. The Imperium approves.]]
{{topquote|You are the greatest hero of the Imperium! Who can claim to have lived so long or achieved so much?|Dante's equerry <s>Alfred</s> Arafeo}}
{{topquote|I have seen all the evil that the galaxy harbours, and I have slain all whose presence defiles the Emperor.|Dante to the Blood Angels}}
{{topquote|My son, my greatest son.|Sanguinius to Dante}}
{{topquote|My historitors have struggled to create a concise history of your life.|Roboute Guilliman to Dante}}

Fluffwise, the WotDM for Dante seems to push for a trinity of 'big three' Space Marine Commanders of M41, including [[Logan Grimnar]], [[Marneus Calgar]], and Dante himself. The fluff goes on to present Grimnar as the most beloved figure in a folk hero sort of way, while Calgar turns out to be a four-star badass that is most respected in his capacity as a Chapter Master. In comparison, Dante is presented as a distant hero figure to the people of the Imperium, an immortal golden warrior whose deeds have become indistinguishable from legend.
In fact, even the Space Marines are in awe of Dante. [[Tu'Shan]], Chapter Master of the [[Salamanders]], and his Firedrake elite, kneel to greet Dante in ''The Burden of Angels''. Aaaand do not forget the ''The Diadem of Dante'', a Golden Iron Halo forged in honour of Dante as a great hero of the Imperium, but now proudly paraded by the [[Blood Ravens|Magpies]]. It is said that all those wearing it hope that some of Dante's might would rub off on them.

The WotDM outlines the in-universe myths and legends surrounding Dante. He is basically to the Imperium what Calgar is to the [[Matt Ward|Dark Lord]]. According to the Imperium, he is the oldest Space Marine alive, whereas that distinction actually belongs to the Blood Angels Veteran Sergeant Cleutin. Who cares about sergeants, eh? (but note the Cleutin fluff was 2nd ed, maybe retconned). Much is also made of the fact that Dante has basically got more shit done than several entire chapters founded in M41. AND the WotDM goes on to state this is not enough for the Imperium, they go full ham in which legend is intertwined with truth à la 'if-it-didn't-happen-it-should-have-happened" myth-making. Funnily enough, the [[Matt Ward|Dark Lord]] is very meta about Dante's legend in the Blood Angels 5th ed. It is noted that Dante has lived so long that "his exploits have passed into myth". Thus, it is now "now impossible to say" how many Ork he slew single-handedly during Liberation of Canau, and that the "tally grows greater each time the story is recounted". The Dark Lord also questions if Dante "truly" defeated Skarbrand before the Gates of Pandemonium?, and if it was "indeed a single mighty blow that clove the Daemon in twain"? Finally, it is noted that only Dante himself could reveal whether there is truth to these stories, and how much is just Imperial legend and propaganda that Dante tolerates for the sake of providing a hero. The Dark Lord's own view is quite apparent since it is claimed that the "exaggerated nature of such tales must rankle" Dante. There is some truth to this, for it turns out that the Grey Knights needed to team up with Dante and the Blood Angels to defeat [[Ka'bandha]] on Kalagazaar in 911.M41. While Haley would also take this stance in the novelisation, you have to wonder if the [[Matt Ward|Dark Lord]] was truly writing clever meta, or he was just taking the shine off the major threat to his beloved [[Marneus Calgar|spiritual liege]].

Note that Dante's legend is not just the result of deliberate Imperium propaganda. The Imperium is a decentralised empire of a million worlds, and Dante's legend has been distorted by time and flawed retellings across the galaxy. The WotDM goes on to offer Dante's possible reaction to his legend. One view is that Dante lets his legend grow because he knows mankind needs heroes in the Dark Millenium. Another is that Dante has better things to do than pay heed to the words of mortal men and women.

The novelisation ''Dante'' basically states outright that Dante has tolerated the embellishment of his legend to provide humanity with a hero. In the words of Dante himself "I allow my legend to grow beyond all measure of truthfulness. I allow men to think me infallible and potent beyond my means. I embrace it gladly for the service it gives mankind".

Dante himself remains grounded, and tired of the hero worship. He thinks he is no saint and that he has had to pretend to be something he is not. In his words, "...although I am mighty and wise, and of the Adeptus Astartes, I am just a man. Under my armour beats a human heart alongside the one gifted me by the Emperor". [[Awesome|Daaaamnn]].

==The Sanguinor==
[[File:Sanguinoranddante.jpg|thumb|500px|right|Dante and the Sanguinor.]]
Dante has a special relationship with the Sanguinor, who has come to him several times in aid.
*The first time to save Dante when he was dying of thirst while trekking to Angel's Fall for the Blood Angels trial.
*The second time to aid Dante during the trials by stopping him from falling asleep.
* The third time Sanguinor appeared to save a young Dante's company from the Orks on Rora.
* The fourth time the Sanguinor appeared to pull Dante from the depths of the Red Thirst on Tobias Halt.
* The fifth time to dispel Dante's doubts about the shitty human experience in the Imperium, just before he became Captain of the 5th company.
* The sixth time was shortly after Chapter Master Dante sacrificed the world of Aeros during the Cryptus Campaign to delay the Tyrannids from reaching Baal and with the Sanguinor answering Dante's question that there is still hope in saving their homeworld.
* The seventh time was when Dante was dying and the Sanguinor heralding Sanguinius before Dante is healed.

And...counting. Since becoming Chapter Master, Dante has seen Sangunior many times. On the first occasion Dante had been praying to the Emperor to save him, and on the fifth occasion Dante had been invoking Sanguinius for guidance. This is interesting as the Blood Angels like Dante don't believe the Emperor and Sanguinius to be gods. Who is the Sanguinor and why does he help Dante? The Blood Angels do not consider him divine, but a mysterious entity which helps them in times of great peril. However, Dante was not yet a Space Marine when the Sanguinor first appeared to help him. So, the Sanguinor is some sort of Baalite entity, one who does not restrict himself to helping the Blood Angels (or because Sanguinius had the gift of foresight and the Sanguinor is connected to/an aspect of Sanguinius "they" knew that Dante was going to be chapter master).

Dante himself believes the Sanguinor to be a pure entity, and replied as such to an inquisitor who challenged the Blood Angels over the being's true nature. Interestingly, Dante feels close to Sanguinius during the Sanguinor's presence, almost as if "Sanguinius himself were there". Hmmmmm.

Update: The ''Devastation of Baal'' all but states Aratron still serves as the Herald for Sanguinius. Even in spirit form.

==More fluff==
[[File:SoB Ex Dante.png|thumb|400px|[[Ultramarines|Most Chapters]] [[Space Wolves|can only wish their Liege was this]] [[Emperor's Children|fabulous]].]]
===Dante and the Imperium===
{{topquote|All my life I have striven to serve not only the Imperium, but humanity.|Dante}}

In the novelisation, Dante is portrayed as being aware of the grim conditions of humans under the Imperium. As most Imperial commanders (yes most, the Imperium wouldn't have survived if the majority of their top brass were incompetent maniacs), he is not okay with throwing away the lives of Imperial Guardsmen (for whom he has the highest respect), or any other soldier of the Imperium. In the short story, ''The Word of the Silent King'', Dante allies with the Necrons to defend Gehenna from the Tyrannids. Captain [[Erasmus Tycho|Tycho]] pointed out that chapters had been declared excommunicate traitoris for less, but Dante was prepared to risk it for the people of Gehenna. Admittedly, Dante does have a backup plan to assassinate the Silent King with a cyclonic torpedo hidden in his own Rhino if the parley went bad, and he intended to assassinate him afterwards. In the end, the Necrons managed to leave before he could seek the Silent King out but he had already forgone a much better opportunity in the first place to help defend the people on Gehenna.

Dante's views on the impotent administration of the Imperium are....well. The relevant quote from the novelisation is revealing, "I have fought every foe that mankind must face, from the overt aggression of the orks to the grindings of unthinking bureaucracy". Yeah, Dante just included the lovely chaps at the [[Administratum]] among all the vile enemies of mankind he had slain over the last 1600 years.

Dante also wonders, if Sanguinius was a hero, why did he leave the moons of Baal as wastelands, when he could have easily restored them. He questions if an 'Angel' would leave his people to suffer so that their strife-hardened children might make for good warriors. Ultimately, Dante answers his own question, "it was the way it was, because it had to be that way". [[Grimdark]].

===Dante on the Xenos===
[[File:Dante VS Avatar.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Fighting the xenos. Dante taking on a freaking [[Khaine|Avatar of Khaine]] like a boss.]]
The novel Dante reveals his views on the [[xenos]]. Dante thinks that he had been (rightfully) taught to mistrust xenos races, but that he never truly hated them. He proves sympathetic to the [[Oretti]], a dying xenos race pitifully eking out a living by scavenging on dead worlds. Unfortunately for the Oretti, dead Imperial worlds are still Imperial, and the Blood Angels exterminate them after they are thought to be responsible for the destruction of a colony world. [[Grimdark]]. Actually, exterminate wouldn't describe it. The Blood Angels went all vampire on the Oretti, and even 1500 years later, Dante remembers the incident with great regret.

Dante only truly hates the [[Tyranids]], and that is so because they seek to [[Necron|extinguish life]] [[What|itself]]. In a display of [[noblebright]], Dante believes "[[heresy|non-humans strove only to survive as mankind strove]]". It could be argued that he's wrong, since the predominants aliens in 40k being shitheaded asshole space monsters is one of the reasons of mankind's struggles. Aliens like the [[Dark Eldar|Drukhari]], [[Orks]] and [[Necrons]] are solely led at bay because the Imperium counter-attacks instead of bending over. But it could be argued that he's right, as xenos are in no way allies and they must also strove to survive each others. Either way, expect to see words like nobility, honour, mercy, and virtue in such scenes, but also perfidy, treachery, and atrocities. Dante would certainly be considered a heretic by many in the Imperium, but [[Roboute Guilliman#41st millennium / Gathering Storm|recent events]] might lead one to think otherwise.

Of course, Dante is no idealist opposed to human supremacy (he is a space marine after all). He desperately contemplates an alliance of races, but only for the great war against the Tyranids. However, Dante concedes that he could not envisage true unity among humans, let alone between the different races.

In conclusion, there are some elements which might make Dante seem to be a Mary Sue for WH40K.

===Dante and the Imperial Cult===
[[File:Dante WH40K Armageddon.png|300px|left|thumb|Dante wearing the death mask of Sanguinius.]]
{{topquote|On this day, as on every other, I ask you grant me wisdom and strength, great Sanguinius, so I may guide our Chapter to ever greater glory.|Dante praying to Sanguinius}}

The Blood Angels generally keep to the [[Imperial Truth]], but venerate the Emperor and Sangunius as ancestral figures. However, it is not a stone-cold atheism that is shown by chapters like the [[Excoriators]]. There is a lot of room for doubt, and Dante at times finds himself agreeing with the [[Ecclesiarchy]] about the Emperor and Sanguinius (well, duh, the baroque Catholic vampires in spehss thing won't work otherwise).

Dante prays daily to Sanguinius in ''Deus Encarmine'', albeit cynically noting in the novelisation ''Dante'' that Sangunius had never actually answered his prayers. Hmm, it would seem that Dante and the Blood Angels are yet to to identify why it is that the Sanguinor keeps bailing them out time and again. In the first and third entries of the ''Gathering Storm'', and any number of a dozen+ novels set during or following the Fall of Cadia, it is confirmed and outright stated that heroes like [[Saint Celestine]] and the [[Legion of the Damned]] are warp entities that the Emperor himself sends forth to save the day, which incidentally goes a long way to explaining why daemonkind respond to them with such fear, given the link to Big-E; the Ruinous Powers didn't name Him ''Anathema'' for nothing after all. <s>While there is no confirmation, it is very strongly implied</s> ''The Darkness In The Blood'' has confirmed that the Sanguinor is indeed some sort of Blood Angels warp manifestation, and to be associated with Sanguinius in some fashion (the [[Inquisition]] likes to [[Chaos|think otherwise]]). When Dante has a moment of doubt, he prays to Sanguinius for reassurance, but doubts if the prayer will be answered. Not so co-incidentally, the Sanguinor appears at that precise moment and tells Dante there is hope for the Imperium.

James Swallow has also played on the atheist/religious angle in ''The Sanguinor: the Exemplar of the Host''. In the story, The Blood Angels veteran sergeant Ganon is a cynic and very atheistic, whereas others in his squad are more spiritual. In comparison, Blood Angels like Dante fall on the agnostic spectrum, and whether the Emperor (and Sanguinius) are divine or not depends on what exactly is a god in WH40k. The one thing that is clear is that there are 'higher powers' at work that help out the Blood Angels in their time of need.

;The Ecclesiarchy and Dante
[[File:Lord muthaflubbin dante by mrrumbles-d6mqupm.jpg|200px|right|thumb|pictured: too old for this shit.]]
A lot of people in the Imperium venerate the Space Marines as the Emperor's Angels, and the Blood Angels are at the very top when it comes to being revered (well, at least until Roboute-living-god-Guilliman showed up again). The Sanguinala is a Christmas/Easter like festival in honour of Sanguinius (aka spehss Jesus), and on that day the people of the Imperium wear the livery of the Blood Angels. You should not therefore be surprised to see the veneration even extending to the greatest warriors of the Blood Angels, including Dante. In the novelisation ''Mephiston: Blood of Sanguinius'', fanatical pilgrims and priests even travel to Baal to worship [[Mephiston]]. It is not clear how common it is, but evidently this is not considered [[heresy]] (note that the pilgrims were led by priests who needed Mephiston's superpowers to bail their planet out, and so this is possibly an one-off display of sycophancy). On the other hand, ''The Carrion Throne'' reveals that the 9 loyalist Primarchs are extolled as the archangels of the Emperor, created to battle the 9 "great devils" of Chaos. The word Primarch itself seems to have come to denote the greatest of angels. So, simply by virtue of descent the Space Marines (especially the greatest heroes) can be expected to be treated with a high degree of reverence, being lesser angels.

In the novelisation, [[Sisters of Battle|Sister]] Amity Hope of the [[Sisters of Battle|Order of the Sacred Rose]] tells Dante and the Blood Angels that they are the "sons" of the Emperor's most "holy offspring" Sanguinius, whose soul is guided by the Emperor, and works through them. Interesting. The Order of the Sacred Rose appears in the [[Dawn of War]] series and are rather antagonistic to the [[Blood Ravens]]. So, it seems that the Blood Angels find a place in the Imperial cult and are exempt from the contempt shown by some sisters to other chapters. Then again: dawn of war could be an exception to this rule given it's relative distance to the main 40k canon.

The GW website states this about Dante: "Amongst mortal men he is nothing less than a saviour, a golden god who descends from the heavens on wings of fire to smite his foes in deadly close combat". There is also a bit in the Blood Angels 7th ed about him being a "golden god" to the "common soldiers" of the Imperium.

===The Red Thirst===
[[File:Drink Dante.png|thumb|200px|right|Chug! Chug! Chug!...]]
{{topquote|He was an angel, not a monster.|Dante on why he refused to take living blood}}

Despite suffering from the [[Red Thirst]] like all Blood Angels, Dante refused to drink living blood for the longest time. There is a discrepancy in the novelisation about when he took the decision. On the one hand, Dante thinks at one point that he had not drank living blood since the incident on Ereus V, whereas the decision is shown as being taken after he lapses to the thirst at Tobias Halt. In any case, Dante consequently suffered from a constant hunger for blood, compared to an appetite "gnawing at his stomach and soul" and a "hunger that filled his dreams with the bright lustre of blood".

In one council scene, Dante is shown as counting blood drop rubies in a bowl, evidently said to help in meditation. While it is not explicitly stated that it is to ward off the thirst, the immediate context for the scene is his decision not to drink wine spiced with 'dead' blood, and so one can interpret it as an attempt to distract himself from the temptation. Note that Dante did occasionally drink wine spiced with blood. It is just that by that point in the book even the tiniest dollops of dead blood could drive him to almost intolerable temptations.

He eventually drinks living blood near to the end of ''Dante'', courtesy of a gambit by his mortal equerry Arafeo. Arafeo, knowing he was dying of old age and aware of Dante's weariness as well as his fears about the Imperium's future, cut his own wrists before using Dante's sense of honour (and his need for blood) against him to drive Dante into drinking his blood, finally rejuvenating him both physically and mentally.

===Codex Astartes/Codex Imperialis===
In ''Deus Encarmine'', the Blood Angel battle-brother Koris voices Dante's wisdom that a "Blood Angel who does not strive to question is no better than a mindless servitor". It can thus be argued that Dante is not an orthodox follower of the [[Codex Astartes]], or at least not in the manner many other chapters chose to interpret it. Note that this also depends on if you see the Codex as being an in-universe inflexible bible (see the page), and that bit might just be an innocuous line that has nothing to do with the codex otherwise. In fact, the context for the line in the book itself is about faith and belief. However, it would be still possible that Dante's wisdom encapsulates the codex. Finally, note that the Blood Angels 7th ed says that they adhere as closely to the Codex Astartes as possible, albeit with few important variations.

Interestingly, there is a scene in the novelisation ''Dante'' in which Dante reminisces about the glory days of the old legions, set in the context of the rising tide of enemies facing the Imperium. So, Dante seems to be one who would possibly not be adverse to the concentration of Space Marines in one single force, and indeed he calls all the Blood Angels descendants to Baal for the war against the Tyranids. His logic is that only the full strength of the Blood Angels and successors in one single point of action can hope to succeed.

''Devastation of Baal'' points to him being in favour of Guilliman's reforms.

===Friends, allies, and enemies===
[[File:BA's.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Tyranids vs Blood Angels, or how Dante sees the End Times]]
During the Second War for Armageddon, Dante became bros with the Chapter Master of the [[Salamanders]], [[Tu'Shan]]. He praised Tu’shan for his contributions, which the Salamanders take as a 'supreme gesture' (8th ed codex Space Marines). To commemorate their past victories and the bond between them, the Blood Angels and Salamanders meet every now and then to exchange counsel, trophies of war, and vows of friendship (''The Burden of Angels'' by Nick Kyme).

The Blood Angels-Salamanders bond is remarkably strong. On one occasion to celebrate the anniversary of their alliance on Armageddon, the Salamanders led by Tu’shan arrived on Hecatomb, a planet claimed by the Blood Angels. On this planet, long ago, Dante had vanquished the Chaos champion Raegus Malifact. While exchanging ritual vows, the Blood Angels librarian Abathor became possessed by the shattered blade of Raegus, which had contained some of his essence. Waves of Daemons spilled forth, and while the warpspawn and Raegus/Abathor were beaten back, the event triggered the Red Thirst in Dante and the Blood Angels. They fought. Dante vs Tu’shan. Blood Angels vs Salamanders. Before they became dinner, the Salamanders and Tu’shan were able to calm down Dante and the Blood Angels by appealing to their humanity. Despite the unsavoury incident, the Salamanders pledged to be as strong as friends as ever.

The Blood Angels under Dante also have the dubious distinction of becoming 'allies' with the Necrons, fighting together on Gehenna against the [[Tyranids]]. Dante has the supremely dubious honour of shaking hands with the Silent King himself, in person. To be fair, the Blood Angels ''did'' fight the Necrons at the start, and it turned out that the [[Silent King]] had made an accord with Sanguinius 10,000 years before. So, this was just a (temporary) renewal of an ancient alliance. In a monologue, the Necron lord [[Anrakyr]] later admires the Blood Angels, giving honour to their dead on Gehenna.

Also to be noted are the Daemons of [[Khorne]]. [[Ka'bandha]], ancient foe of Dante and the Blood Angels, was leading a campaign against them when Hive Fleet Leviathan invaded Baal. As the dust of the conflict cleared, it became evident that the Khornate daemons actually fought against the Tyranids on Baalind (Baal Primus), leaving behind the eight-pointed star of Chaos made out of Tyranid skulls. Suffice to say that there is some degree of respect (perhaps Khorne still desires the Blood Angels as his own, hmmm) and, if anyone is to destroy the Blood Angels, Ka'Bandha thinks it should be him.

Unsurprisingly, Dante gets on fabulously well with Roboute Guilliman.

More recently, he also had the distinct privilege of meeting [[Lion El'Jonson]] as well. While the Lion was seriously pissed off that he was wearing the death mask of his late brother, he eventually learned to accept and even befriend the ancient chapter master. Hell, Lion even saved him from being ripped to pieces by [[Angron]] despite Dante's very serious death-wish.

==End Times==
{{Topquote|Death is lighter than a feather, duty heavier than a mountain.|Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors.}}
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">
In the novelisation, there is a prophecy made by Sanguinius about the End Times, where a great, golden warrior will stand between the [[Emperor]] and the darkness. Dante believes that this golden warrior is him despite most Blood Angels assuming it refers to the Sanguinor. Dante used to castigate himself for what he saw as his vainglory, but he is now increasingly convinced that this warrior is indeed him, holding onto it as his reason to keep fighting through increasingly terrible odds.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

"I fear what I have seen. My visions plague me with darkness. So little of comfort can be gleaned from them. The consequences of our victory are dire indeed, as I have described in these writings, and yet there are some things I cannot bring myself to record, visions so dark that they fill my heart with despair.

The dreams of my father are dead, that is certain. Long aeons await of war and suffering that would break the heart of the Emperor to perceive. He never showed any sign that He saw the dark future advancing towards us. Does He know? I cannot credit that He does not. My gift of foresight – if gift it can truly be named – descends from His, and His is more potent than I can conceive. Time and again I have asked myself, did He always know, and did He foresee all that has come to pass? Or was He, like me, taken unawares? The brighter future I once saw has been burned to ashes and a second, rotten potentiality raised in its place. I curse you, Horus, I curse you to the end of days.I have written too often on these matters. I still cannot divine the answer. I shall instead write down my dream of last night. This brought some comfort to me when no comfort ought to be expected, and is thus worthy of record.
Dante unrolled the scroll, exposing the next page.

There shall come to pass days of great darkness, when mankind is diminished and all the lights of the world shall be extinguished, and the final scraps of hope torn away. I dreamed I was upon a plain of black sand studded with diamond stars. In the dream there was [[Tyranids|a great hunger]] that pervaded all time and space, a more terrible and consuming appetite than the thirst that dogs my sons. It rose from the east of the night, and swallowed the moons of Baal that coursed across the unfamiliar sky. Before Baal Secundus was consumed, a bright light flashed upon it and sped away, outpacing the shadows.The hunger spread rapidly, bloated by its meal of my home. Fortified by the blood of Baal, the formless hunger took shape, becoming a ravenous dragon that consumed the stars in great mouthfuls, until the only light was the memory of their glory, trapped in the diamonds on the sand. As the last star was eaten, the hellish Octed of the traitors burned through the western sky, writ in fire on the starless void. Then this too went out, and I was alone in the dark.

Shadows swirled and parted. The vision lost its disguise of metaphor, and I looked upon a scene that may be a true echo of the future. I saw my father. Ruined. Broken. I knew it was Him, though His body was little more than a corpse, for I could feel His mind. His power was much reduced in potency, and I could feel no sense of consciousness there, merely raging, ungoverned power that threatened to obliterate my sleeping mind. This living corpse of my father was trapped in machinery that fed His soul the essence of others. I do not know if I should commit this to paper, even in my private writings. He cannot ever know of this fate, if He does not already. Or is He aware, and makes this choice between that life in death and the utter destruction of mankind? If so, my respect for my father grows.
As the guns of the Warmaster pound at the walls of the Palace, perhaps this miserable reality is the best that can be hoped for. Perhaps this is what I must die to ensure.

The hunger came for my father. The puppets of the Dark Gods clashed with the hunger for the pleasure of killing Him. There was a warrior in gold before the throne, surrounded by my father’s Custodians and other heroes who, mighty though they were, paled next to the lords of our days. There they fought, and there they died. The vision ended as the devourer of flesh and the devourers of souls closed in on my lord and creator. There was despair only, despair and more despair. But before I woke something more. I sensed stirring in the warp, and the touch of my father, His mind made anew, and the knowledge that all might be well.

As I am fated to, so too did this golden warrior lay down his life to protect my father. The precious seconds he bought with his blood could change everything, or they could change nothing. Maybe the vision is false. I pray the future is mutable, and so it has proved in the past. All but the moment that draws near, the reckoning when I must face my brother. That I cannot avoid.
I do not know who this golden warrior was. He appeared similar to my Herald, and I saw my own face depicted upon his mask, but he was not me, and he wore a form of armour I do not know. It is certain that he was one of my sons, and whether his sacrifice will prove to be in vain or not, I know this: that he was a noble warrior, true and purer than any of his age, and I love him for that, for it means that my works for the Emperor, at least, have not been undertaken in vain, and that my unavoidable death might also prove fruitful."</div></div>

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">
Another prophecy concerning Dante comes from the WotDM infobook. In-universe, this prophecy was made by Sargon Eregesh, the Storm Oracle of the [[Black Legion]].
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">

{{Topquote|In the Time of Ending, we will see the final flight of the Dead Angel’s Host. They rise above us on howling wings. They fall upon us in a celestial storm. At their vanguard flies the Last Archangel. To the Neverborn, he will be the Death-that-Soars. To you and I, he will be a mortal man bearing the immortal face of his fallen father. To the Imperium of Man, he will be hope. A warrior of infinite courage. A soldier of infinite sorrows. Beware the golden mask that forever stares and never smiles, weeping tears of frozen gold.|The Mourner’s Prophecies.}}

This prophecy is independent of the one made by Sanguinius, but it is clear that the fluff has Dante fated for some epic climax. He is tired after sixteen hundred years of service, and clings onto the prospect of a final battle as personal motivation in these dark times.

<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="100%">
Finally, this account of Dante's situation from the ''Shield of Baal: Exterminatus''.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
For over a thousand years, Commander Dante has been Chapter Master of the Blood Angels. Amongst the greatest of Adeptus Astartes lords, he has overseen centuries of war across the length and breadth of the Imperium. Always clad in ancient gold artificer armour, he wears the Death Mask of Sanguinius, which bears the likeness of his Primarch. To the Emperor’s armies Dante is a golden god and the doom of the enemies of Mankind, while to the Blood Angels he is revered and respected like no other since the days of Sanguinius. Dante’s deeds are legend across the Imperium, from slaying the Bloodthirster Skarbrand before the gates of Pandemonium to vanquishing the Eldar pirates of Ruden III; from freeing the Tau bond-world of Vetrim from its deceitful overlords, to winning victory during the Second War for Armageddon against the Ork hordes of Warboss Ghazghkull. And yet for all his triumphs a shadow hangs over Dante. The Chapter Master feels the weight of years of war heavy upon him. He has been forced to witness the slow degeneration of his battle-brothers as they succumb to their genetic curse. Like Sanguinary High Priest Corbulo, Dante hopes for a cure to the blood madness that afflicts his kin. Yet with every passing year that hope dwindles a little more. Only one thing keeps Dante from giving in completely to these doubts, a prophecy recorded in the oldest of the Chapter’s records. Penned by the Primarch himself, it speaks of a golden warrior standing in defence of the Emperor’s throne during the final battle for Mankind. Dante believes that he is the one the scroll speaks of, and so he fights on, awaiting the day when he will be needed to hold back the darkness one last time.</div></div></div></div>

The ''Devastation of Baal'' gives strong traction to the possibility Dante is the Golden Warrior of Sanguinius' prophecies.

==Miscellaneous==
[[File:Dante old art.jpg|400px|thumb|right|<s>Trainers</s> Chaos hates him. Here he is, the Last Archangel, falling upon the enemies of man.]]
===Music===
Dante has his own theme leitmotif in the Warhammer 40k Armageddon video game. It is titled 'Dante's Retribution' and is an epic boss type music that lets you know shit is about to go down. Not surprising, cause Dante is the Imperium's big bad boss to kick the shit out of enemy bosses like Skarbrand and Ghazghkull. You can listen to it here https://soundcloud.com/danbewick/dantes-retribution-from-the-warhammer-40k-armageddon-ogs. The composer is Dan Bewick.

Damn, just think of that score playing when Dante beats the crap out of Skarbrand and Ghazghkull. The ominous intro transitions to a heroic action beat, climaxing into the score of a victorious Imperium. THE EMPEROR PROTECTS!

===Video games===
Dante's dialogues in the Warhammer 40k Armageddon video game can be heard on playthroughs of the game on Youtube. He is also an HQ Unit in the Blood Angels mod for Soulstorm.

===Card games===
Dante and the Blood Angels were featured in the Warhammer 40k cardgames by Sabertooth Games. These are ''Siege of Malogrim Hive'' and ''Dark Millennium''. Note that Sabertooth Games is now defunct, and the cardgames no longer supported.

===Board games===
Dante and the Blood Angels are featured in the ''Battle for Armageddon'' board game.

==On the Tabletop==
[[File:99800101001 CommanderDanteNEW 01.jpg|300px|right|thumb|His Model]]

9th Edition Dante!

{| class=wikitable
! || Pts || WS || BS || S || T || W || A || Ld || Sv
|-
| '''Commander Dante:''' || 165 || 2+ || 2+ || 4 || 4 || 6 || 6 || 9 || 2+/4++
|}

Commander Dante himself, one of the [[Logan Grimnar|big]] [[Marneus Calgar|three]], and damn does it show. As of <s>8th</s> 9th Edition, he has changed. First off, his ability to hit or shoot anything on a flat 2+ is a great buff, but when combined with his ''Chapter Master'' ability which allows him and other units with the Blood Angels keyword within 6" to reroll failed hits, he and any force he accompanies quickly become a terror to behold. His Death Mask now <s>inflicts a -1 modifier to enemy leadership for units within 3" of him</s> protects him with a -1 to hit on all incoming attacks.

As befitting of the oldest and most fabulous space vampire, he is no slouch in combat and has some great equipment. He comes with an inferno pistol that still has a 6" range, but it's an AP-4 Pistol 1 with Dd6 damage that gets to shoot while in melee. The Axe Mortalis has completely changed from seventh edition. It is now a <s>S+2 AP-3 axe that does Dd3 damage and can reroll failed wound rolls against characters. Throw him at enemy characters and laugh as you tear them down while rerolling failed hit and wound rolls. Did I mention he has 6 attacks now? With lucky rolls, that's a potential 18 damage inflicted on one character or 6 elite models being struck down by this stone cold pimp.</s> S+3 AP-3 D2 axe with no other abilities... [[Fail|for shame 9th edition!]] At first, his axe now giving him S7 to allow him to wound T6 more often looks better, but the reroll to failed wound rolls beats the hell out of S7 due to the rarity of T6 and thus S7 and S6 being functionally the same against the more common T5. Flat 2 damage instead of Dd3 damage seems more reliable, and while it is for dealing with common pesky 2 W's, the lack of a potential upper damage scaling hurts his potential against elites and characters, with special mention going to [[Swarmlord|the Swarmlord]], Dante as he is now stands virtually no chance against ol' Swarmy unlike in 8th edition, where he at least had a chance to kill him in one or two turns, now he has to pray that 3 of his attacks land so that Swarmy's statline is weakened so that he doesn't instantly kill poor Dante and his piddling T4 with 6 S8 D3 attacks, and against Swarmy's T7 and 3++... good luck with that, kinda makes you wonder how he [[Plot Armor|solo'd him]] during the [[Devastation of Baal]] (although he did very nearly die there).

The best Dante can hope for is that Swarmy does not have his [[Tyrant Guard|Tyrant Guards]] around to eat Dante's Inferno Pistol shots, because that is the only way that Dante can hope to charge the Swarmlord and not die.

On the other hand, Dante has a few new abilities that make him more suited to be a commander rather than a face beater, '''Epic Hero of the Imperium''' gives him the ability to use a self-targeted Epic Deed Stratagem for ''free'' once per battle, '''Lord Regent of the Imperium Nihilus''' gives you a bonus CP for making him your warlord, and '''Heroic Bearing''' now increases his aura ranges to 9". With this in mind, the Emperor's new Dante is now best when leading a fast-moving line-breaking group of elites rather than smashing enemy warlord and elite face alongside his bodyguards (although he is still capable of that despite his retooling).

Later on, they even released a Primaris version of Dante who's pretty much identical aside from being A7 W7 and his Inferno Pistol changing names back to "Perdition Pistol" and becoming a beam weapon. More lore accurate and fully moving away from the original "Dante's Inferno Pistol" pun. Satire!

{{Marines-Characters}}

[[Category:Space Marines Chapter Masters]]
[[Category:Blood Angels]]

Command Squad

2023-05-29T19:22:35Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Mantis Warriors Command-Squad.jpg|500px|thumbnail|right|A [[Mantis Warriors]] Command Squad. Not Kamen Rider enough. Plus check out the mantis.]]
A '''Command Squad''' is a squad of [[Space Marine veteran]]s who accompany the [[Brother-Captain]] or other senior leaders such as a [[Librarian]] or [[Chaplain]] into battle. The exact name of the squad can vary from chapter to chapter, based on customs or tradition, but their function is largely the same. Serving in a command squad is a great honor as the members are often hand picked by the commander, not only for their combat skills but also for their tactical brilliance. Such a prestigious honor always speeds promotion within the chapter, thought this is not without risk. Accompanying the marine commander, the squad will often fight where the battle is the thickest and most wrought with peril.

The members of a Command Squad are known as Honoured Brothers, and members of a command squad are as follows: the [[Brother-Sergeant|Veteran Sergeant]] (which is sometimes not included), the Company Champion, Standard Bearer, and [[Apothecary]], along with one or two veterans. The Veteran Sergeant will serve as second-in-command to the Captain, but it is rare for the Veteran-Sergeant to succeed the Captain as commander of the Company, though isn't unheard of. The Company Champion is the bodyguard of the Captain. While your average Captain is a human killing machine, the Company Champion will be charged with fighting enemy warlords and champions, allowing the Captain to better focus on coordinating the battle. If there isn't a Veteran Sergeant, the Company Champion will be the acting leader of the Command Squad when the Captain is absent. The Company Standard Bearer will be given the title of "Ancient" and protect the Company Standard from all harm. So if an enemy manages to kill the Standard Bearer and steal/defile the Standard, every Marine in the company will be honor bound to kill the one who did. So basically, the Space Marines were going to kill you, but now you had to go and make it ''personal''. The Veteran will often serve as an adjutant or equerry to the commander.

The Company Champion will always enter combat with a combat shield and power weapon of some variety. The other members of the squad are allowed to take their pick of the company's armory. Unlike other [[veteran squad]]s such as the Sternguard or Vanguard, members of the Command Squad (excluding the Champion and Apothecary) are not singularly restricted to ranged or melee weapons. However, they may not take heavy weapons.

Command Squads may take to the field mounted on Bikes should they choose. This is preferable for chapters who specialize in mounted assaults.

==Tabletop==
'''
7th Edition:'''

For 90pts you get an escort unit of vets with reasonable options. The entire squad(with the exception of Apothecary and Champion)(no longer true! Per the new FAQ, the Apoth can be kitted like the rest of the squad. Edit: Games Workshop clarified the FAQ, saying they had made a mistake, and the Apothecary cannot be kitted out like the rest of the squad) can take melee weapons and storm shields each in the same manner as Vanguard Vets. The squad's main strength is the FNP from the Apothecary. The squad's small size also makes it easy to fit into a Razorback or other transport with your leader.

The entire squad has the option to take bikes, making them all the more deadly.

A word of caution on the Company Champion. You're getting a WS5 marine with a free power weapon, however his combat shield only gives him a 6++ save and can't be replaced by a storm shield.

Thanks to the FAQ, every Veteran can now take a SPECIAL weapon, not just a RANGED weapon, which means shooty Command Squads are now a thing that can happen, and are in fact the best way to field them. What does this mean for you? With a Drop Pod, it means five Meltaguns dropping down behind your enemy's Land Raider on Turn One, costing 75 points less than the tank. Add in Vulkan He'stan for Master-Crafted Meltaguns, and you'll be laughing. If you can land the Drop Pod in a way so that some doors can't be opened and thus block LoS, even better!
(The [[Ultramarines]] and [[Star Phantoms]] object to you calling on a special character for your re-rolling needs.)

Whilst you totally COULD mix-and-match the weapons, it's generally better to specialise the squad for one purpose that it does WELL, rather than two or three purposes that it does ok at.

There's also the 'Flamethrower Lawnmower', wherein 5 Salamanders Command Squad Veterans take Flamers for hilarious results against Orks, Guardsmen or Tyranids, or 'Terminators, What Terminators?', with 5 Grav-Guns for between 10 and 15 Grav shots, depending if they moved.

*5 Flamers are 115
*5 Meltaguns are 140
*5 Grav-Guns are 165

Not bad cost for mauling Land Raiders ( 25% chance to strip 5 HP in one turn ( You can't take out exactly 4 unless the target is immune to immobilized, but in that case this strategy becomes largely invalid ), 54% to strip 3 ( Hello Russes ) ), Paladins and Riptides.

== See Also ==

* [[Imperial Guard Command Squad]]
*[[Solar Auxilia Tactical Command Squad]]
*[[Renegade Command Squad]]
[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Imperial]]

[[Category: Space Marines]]

[[Category: Official Space Marine Chapters]]

[[Category: Blood Angels]]

[[Category: Dark Angels]]

{{Marines-Forces}}

Charnel Guard

2023-05-29T19:22:08Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Charnel Guard
|Heraldry = [[Image:Charnel Guard Chapter Icon3.jpg|center|140px]]
|Battle Cry = Unknown
|Successors of = [[Blood Angels]], possibly through the [[Blood Eagles]]
|Founding = [[Third Founding]]
|Successor Chapters = None
|Chapter Master = [[Zephon]](founding), Paracelius(devastation of baal)
|Primarch = [[Sanguinius]]
|Homeworld = Fleet Based
|Specialty = Sector-wide scouring actions, discretion.
|Strength = Critical
|Allegiance = [[Imperium]]
|Colours = Wine and Black
}}
[[Image:Charnel Guard Fellblade Mori Drakka.jpg‎|200px|thumb|left|Among what few information we have on this chapter, the only depiction of their colors and heraldry comes from this extremely rare [[Fellblade]] of all things.]]Another [[Space Marine]] Chapter that used to have no info, but they have been involved in a few things, AND been slowly expanded across the years. [[Derp|Somehow no one has taken a photograph of them]] [[Blood Angels|or even talked to their cousins]]. They also sound cooler than [[Ultramarines|other chapters]]. To start off, they utilize [[Awesome|stasis pods when they're not out killing heretics]]. It makes sense; your skills do not need to be maintained if you are in stasis nor do you need to be fed and whatnot, so that's a huge savings on ammo, food, and other supplies. Not only that, but since they are a Third Founding Chapter they still have some cool Heresy-era tech that is rare or non-existent in the 41st Millennium. They were apparently founded by all around badass Dominion Zephon sometime after the Siege of Terra. They are known to have three [[Fellblade|Fellblades]] and a lot of [[Fire Raptor|Fire Raptors]]. They also have a minor geneseed deviation which causes them to have [[Vampire|unusually elongated canines]], even by Blood Angel successor standards. For a time, they were also part of the [[Badab War|Maelstrom Warders]].

They used to share a strange tradition with the "Triarchy": a group of Chapters created by [[Black Library]] writers that include the [[Red Seraphs]] created by [[John French]], [[Angels Numinous]] created by [[Aaron Dembski-Bowden|ADB]], and the Charnel Guard itself who was created by the late [[Alan Bligh]]. Every century or so three warriors would reunite on a dead world to speak of their [[chapter]]'s past, present, and future. As of the Age of the Dark Imperium in a short story titled "Tradition's Last Breath" by ADB, the [[Great Rift]] has made the present ever more dire and the future ever more uncertain leading to the three chapters deciding to leave their important tradition behind and join their fleets to take the fight to the enemy.

They were nearly wiped out in the [[Devastation of Baal]], but given the arrival of Guilliman and his crusade fleets, it can be assumed that they got some Primaris Marine reinforcements.

Obliquely featured in the [https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8400788/1/Inquisitor-Carrow-and-the-GodEmperorless-Heathens Inquisitor Carrow] fan-fiction series, a Warhammer 40k/Harry Potter crossover. Which [[HERESY|shouldn't work]], but somehow [[Awesome|does]].

==Campaigns==
*'''[[The War of the False Primarch|860-940.M33 War of The False Primarch]]''' - One of a few chapters that got their purging on with the [[Space Sharks]], [[Flesh Eaters]], [[Red Talons]] and the [[Death Eagles]] (Pentarchy of Blood). This war was extremely secretive to the point that the only thing we know about it is that the Pentarchy destroyed eleven other Space Marine chapters deemed heretics.
*'''770-791.M38 Great Malagantine Purge''' - The Chapter joins a task force collectively termed the Manus Irae for another secretive campaign spanning the entire Malagant sector. This time it includes the [[Silver Skulls]], [[Fire Hawks]] and two other chapters whose names remain unknown. While admittedly a step down in badassery from the Pentarchy of Blood, the [[High Lords of Terra]] still wanted to set an example, and thus when the Chapters get rolling, genocide ensues.
*'''???.M38 Messallas Purgation Campaign''' - As stated. Notable because they used one of their [[Fellblade|Fellblades]].
*'''367.M39 Phaenonite Schism''' - A minor incident during the Angevin Crusade that would nevertheless have greater repercussions down the line. The planetary governor of a planet called Phaenon Prime turned to the worship of Chaos and the Charnel Guard was called in to drop [[Exterminatus|Virus Bombs]] on his head. This was done under the orders of a Radical Lord Inquisitor, who kept using the dead world as a research base for [[HERESY|heretical studies]]. These ultra-radicals would eventually become the Phaenonite faction, whom upon discovery would be declared traitors and purged as thoroughly as possible. Phaenon Prime would be subjected to a second Exterminatus by the [[Mechanicus]], who used the tried-and-tested [[Autek Mor]] method to ensure the planet was completely destroyed.
*'''013.M41 Strato-Keeps of Keziah's Moon''' - The Forge Moon of Keziah, located in the strategically vital [[Solar Auxilia|Agathon System]], falls into an unnatural eclipse, driving the population to murder and madness in an endless night of horror (because [[Chaos|of course it does]]). The dread forces of the [[Tenebrae]] and the [[Company of Misery]] keep kicking the asses of the Imperial Guard and Inquisition until the Goth alliance of the Charnel Guard and the [[Adepta Sororitas]] of the [[Stercus Ludicrum|Black Sepulchre]] arrive to get shit done. They manage to keep the Chaos forces at bay until reinforcements from the [[Angels Porphyr]], [[Storm Lords]], Iron Hands and the Mechanicus arrive. Once the heretics were outnumbered, it was only a matter of time until they got expelled from the moon after a series of tank battles and [[Zone Mortalis]] engagements. The Charnel Guard used more of their forces in this event than they had in the last three thousand years.
*'''587.M41-651.M41 Maelstrom Wardens''' - Bundled up with a [[Mantis Warriors|few]] [[Lamenters|other]] [[Astral Claws|chapters]] to watch the Maelstorm. They fought alongside them for a while, but then were sent to the southernmost edge of the galaxy on the Thanatos Crusade. This means they missed all the fun in the [[Badab War]].
*'''Thanatos Crusade''' - According to [[Imperial Armour]], their last recorded action before the Devastation of Baal shows the Chapter plunging south, towards a region of space named the Caligari Sector in the "Inquisitor Martyr" video game.
*'''999.M41 Devastation of Baal''' - Took very heavy casualties in the battle, including their Heresy-era [[Battle Barge]] "Invictrix", and are said to be almost destroyed.

{{Template:Marines-Official}}
[[Category:Warhammer 40,000]][[Category:Imperial]][[Category:Space Marines]][[Category:Blood Angels]]

Chapter Serf

2023-05-29T19:21:50Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Serfs.jpg|300px|thumb|right|"Hail to thee, honoured mortal servant. Wouldst thou consider serving the [[Space Marines|Adeptus Astartes]] in Their daily routines and perhaps end thine life as the [[Space Marine Hunter|insides of an anti-air missile?]]]]

{{Topquote|Even a man who has nothing can still offer his life.|Thought for the day}}

[[Space Marines]] are big tough supermen and all, but even they need a helping hand. Someone has to to polish their armor and nob, cook their food, sweep their halls, clean their toilets, file their tax returns, and keep the [[fortress-monastery]] defended when the brothers are out stomping [[Bloodletter]] faces into the ground and tearing [[Ork]] rectums apart with [[chainsword]]s. After all, Space Marines are knights ''in spaaaace!'' and every knight needs his retainer. These people are '''Chapter Serfs''' and live comfortable, well-to-do lives... at least by [[Imperium of Man]] standards.
==Overview==
Chapter Serfs (formerly Legion Serfs), were originally picked from failed Space Marine Aspirants and other natives of Space Marine homeworlds who, though physically unable to become Space Marines, still wished (and were deemed able and worthy) to serve. The children of Chapter Serfs also often become chapter Serfs themselves. Generally speaking, Chapter Serfs are well-trained, highly educated, and treated well; they are officially part of the Chapter, and therefore get access to the fancy toys in the space marine armoury.

How well they're treated depends on the Chapter they serve. [[Ultramarines]], [[Blood Angels]], [[Space Wolves]], [[Raven Guard]], [[White Scars]], and [[Salamanders]] are well aware they couldn't purge aliens, mutants and heretics without the 'unglorious' support Serfs provide and [[this guy|treat them as equals to other Space Marines, like how real-life soldiers might treat their friends in the supply and maintenance corps.]] The Wolves use their serfs as a defence force on Fenris, known as "Kaerls", though we don't know if they get to go on campaign or not except for those serving in the fleet. The [[Star Phantoms]] entrust them with maintaining the chapter's faith and up keeping their massive ossuary. [[Blood Drinkers]], being vampires, let them volunteer to be ritually drained of blood for them to (surprise surprise) drink to stave off the Red Thirst. [[Iron Hands]], [[Dark Angels]], and [[Imperial Fists]] and their countless successor chapters see them as just kind of there. They don't really care one way or another and form little bonds with them, considering service to be its own reward (think the way you treat the fast food workers and garbage collectors who make your comfy life possible). [[Marines Malevolent]], being dicks, treat them like slaves. [[Flesh Tearers]], being psychotic, treat them like stress balls to work out frustration on between missions. (Spoiler alert: a human can't usually survive being used as a stress ball by a Marine.)

As for the Traitor Legions, it varies from "tolerably bad" to "absolute hell", mostly depending on the guy in charge and what God(s) he worships. Most Chaos Warbands doesn't have actual Serfs but use Cultists, who are pulled towards the Warband to worship them as living avatars of the Chaos gods. Cultists are mostly treated like crap by the Traitors, since their own hubris and newfound freedom doesn't go well with 'being nice to people below you'. On the other hand, [[Chaos Lord]]s know how important a healthy supply of fanatic cults is for the runnings of a Warband and the value of meatshields in combat; even bands of [[Khorne Berzerker|Khornate Berzerkers]] still have mortals tagging along with them despite their constant urge to kill anything crossing their path in the name of the Blood God, which means they do show ''some'' restraint. Of course, said mortals are [[Jakhals|just as bloodthirsty and just as often end up killing some of their own]], but Khorne cares not from where the blood flows.

Of the various Traitor Legions depictions so far, the [[Emperor's Children]] are the worst, mistreating their "serfs" to death so hard they had to resort to stealing everyone else's during the Great Scouring (causing a huge civil war amongst the Traitor Legions). The [[Word Bearers]] mostly see mortals as a reserve of walking sacrifices waiting to happen. One band of [[Iron Warriors]] used slaves instead of chapter serfs, seeing them as nothing but replaceable cogs in their machines of war (and they ended up being just as reliable as you'd expect when the shit hit the fan); [[Honsou]] however sees the armies of cultists in his service as low-quality troops that nevertheless have their use so he values them a tiny little bit. The [[Thousand Sons]] use a combination of Tzaangors (who are actually voluntary employees treated relatively well and respected) and enslaved native human population from the [[Sortiarius]] (who, should they manage to escape and survive, become primary candidates for new Thousand Son marines. That's how Tzeentch rolls). The [[Crimson Slaughter]] has an entire city's worth of serfs in the depths of their battle barge that they just ignore most of the time (they tag alongside the Crimson Slaughter in battle hoping to get noticed, and those that somehow distinguish themselves get a shot at becoming new Crimson Slaughter marines). Talos Valcoran of the [[Night Lords]] treats his serfs surprisingly well (better than even some Loyalist Marines), and the others in his warband at worst see mortals as useful tools that shouldn't be wasted pointlessly.

[[Alpha Legion]] warbands operate at the [[Reasonable Marines|halfway point]], maintaining unaugmented operatives who, depending on the mission, stand a roughly fifty-fifty chance of being trusted with roles vastly more important than the Astartes themselves or being sacrificed to the enemy in interference action. Like the loyalists, these are considered members of the Legion. Like most other traitors, that makes then far from indispensable.

The [[Blood Gorgons]] have a unique relationship with their serfs amongst the [[Chaos Space Marines]]; they not only treat them with respect but actually do so with mortals in general. While this might sound a bit sueish it's actually a essential part of their war against the Imperium: this lets them act as military supporters for off-world rebellions, set up recruiting worlds much like their loyalist brothers and allows the chapter to control quite a number of planets despite being much smaller and weaker then their competition. It's implied that other Chaos Marine chapters give them shit for this, though it's unlikely they'll be changing their ways any time soon thanks to how this fair treatment came back around in their darkest hour. See, when the [[Blood Gorgons]] were betrayed from the inside and their space hulk captured by [[Death Guard]], not only did the population of their recruitment worlds fight back (as in, took on Nurgle Marines with bows and arrows) but the chapter serfs imprisoned aboard the hulk threw themselves at their captors and literally suffocated them under their mass of bodies, causing utter chaos all over the ship and allowing the Gorgons to break out and fight back. For the record the actual treatment of Blood Gorgon serfs involves acting like they were nine to five employees, letting them just do their damn job before having free time to chill and take drugs. LOTS of drugs.

In short, Chapter Serfs are the [[/co/|Alfred]] of 40k, because no fine superhero is without a friend/allies that would comfort them after all the grimdark shit happened outside to fight another day.

In 'Spear of the Emperor' by [[Aaron Dembski-Bowden|ADB]], the [[Mentors]] have a specialized subset of Chapter Serfs called "Helots" that are tasked with remotely controlling laser shooting [[Servo-skull]]s to give their Masters targeting information and suppressing fire (like those drone pilots in real life's M3 era), maintaining the Marines' gear, and fighting back against attackers in the case of their ship or base being attacked. While armed with [[Power weapon#Power Blade|power blades,]] [[Shotgun (40k)|armor piercing shotguns]] with vortex [[Grenade Launcher|grenade launchers,]] your basic assortment of [[laspistol]]s & throwing daggers, and [[Carapace Armour]] that's advanced enough to put [[Stormtrooper]] equipment to shame, they're still treated as peripheral (albeit useful) servants at best that are below their Masters' immediate concerns.

== Serf Roles ==
Granted, even serfs are specialized in specific roles and not an all-rounder 'slave'. Here are the most common roles that serfs might serve in a Chapter
*'''Artificers''' - Technicians and assistants to Techmarines. Routinely polishes and conducts minor repairs on their master's power armor and wargear while the Techmarines handle the more complicated tasks.

*'''Master of the Refectorium''' - These are the 'head chef' of a Chapter's kitchen, ensuring the hefty amount of food served is prepared at its highest quality. Some of the most prestigious position that a serf might get into since even Space Marines would love to have a well-served meal. The [[Space Wolves]] jokingly assert that theirs is the most powerful person in the chapter, as not even [[Logan Grimnar|the Great Wolf]] wants to upset her.

*'''Medicae''' - Nurses to the Apothecary's doctor. As the Space Marines' anatomy is complex beyond comprehension, these are often staffed by the most intelligent and dexterous serfs.

*'''Monitors''' - Messengers engineered to be able to remember pages long worth of information and somehow ENCRYPT THE TEXT and DECRYPT it when given correct verbal code. Fleshy 1940s Enigma Machines, creepy.

*'''Sacratium''' - Lay assistants to the Chapter's Chaplains. Tend Chapter relics and assist with ceremonious tasks. In chapters with strong religious leanings, these serfs can even outrank marines.

*'''Scribellum''' - Clerks to the Chapter's Librarians. Chronicle the Chapter's history and deeds and assist with creating Purity Seals.

*'''Shipmaster''' - The commanding officer of a ship in the Chapter's fleet -- they would be the Captain if that wasn't [[Brother-Captain|their boss' rank]]. They oversee the ship's operations, including combat when the Space Marines are engaged in fighting off opponents.

===Master of the Household===
Comes under a variety of different titles depending on the Chapter, like "Lord of the Household" or "Ordinator of the Household" etc etc. They act as the Chapter Master's personal teddy bear and equerry. Well-performing serfs (usually on the field of battle) can catch the attention of their Chapter Master lords and get promoted to this position. They act as the nominal head of the Serfs, overseeing the mundane duties of food preparation, hygiene, maintenance and construction tasks as well as overseeing serf recruitment in situations where selecting from failed Astartes candidates is not enough. These folks ensure that other Serfs are smoothly performing their duties and get the special privilege of being in the presence of the Chapter Master at any time.

Unusually for a position within the Chapter, this post can be filled by either a Serf or a full-fledged Space Marine. Back in the [[Rogue Trader (Sourcebook)|old days]] this position was said to be difficult but mostly boring since it's not a frontline position. If a Marine took the position it was seen as allowing them to fulfill the necessary training that would enable them to progress to higher rank within the Chapter; for instance, 1st edition Marneus Calgar was Master of the Household before earning his promotion to Chapter Master. While this is less the case these days, Space Marines may still fulfill the role in different chapters; the [[Blood Angels]] and [[Dark Angels]] both have a brother titled '''Warden of the Gates''' in charge of their Chapter Serfs.

== Rules for Serfs ==

Chapter Serfs are represented with various rules both in the 40kRPGs and on the tabletop:

On the tabletop they are represented in battles where space marine capital ships get invaded by enemy forces, as the crew has to get involved by necessity. They come in squads of 6, are armed with either [[laspistol]] and a melee weapon or [[Shotgun (40k)|shotgun,]] and wear void-hardened [[Flak Armour|flak armour.]] However, they have the same statlines as Imperial Guard Conscripts because they aren't battle-hardened fighters, or expected to be.

The [[Deathwatch (RPG)]] does it very similarly, serfs having statlines weaker than starting [[Dark Heresy]] player characters, and if you take the tens digit of their statline it very nearly exactly follows the tabletop stats for them, too. The difference is that chapter serfs ''do'' have biological enhancements, and have the ''Unnatural Strength'', ''Toughness'' and ''Senses'' traits, as well as Dark Sight, which actually falls into line with how the main character of ''Prospero Burns'' is presented (though he's not strictly a Serf; his enhancements were apparently no great expense for the Legion because instead of giving him a augmetic eye they just rammed a wolf eye in there, but they replaced every organ system but his nerves with new ones).

With the ally rules, you could probably take them as Imperial Guardsmen, just modeled differently. What to do with all those Spare Marine and scout torsos? Give'em lasguns and play them as Chapter Serfs.

== Notable Chapter Serfs ==
Kaleb Arin was [[Nathaniel Garro]]'s personal servant and informant. Kaleb practiced emperor worship and told Garro "Have faith, Nathaniel. You are of purpose." These were words that Garro thought of more than once. When Garro was almost defeated by the Lord of the Flies, he reflected on Kaleb's words and this gave him the morale boost and piety to overcome the daemon.

[[Category: Warhammer 40,000]]

[[Category: Imperial]]

[[Category: Space Marines]]

[[Category: Official Space Marine Chapters]]

[[Category: Blood Angels]]

[[Category: Dark Angels]]

[[Category: Space Wolves]]

[[Category: Deathwatch]]

[[Category: Grey Knights]]

{{Marines-Forces}}

Chapter Master

2023-05-29T19:21:08Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Nimrod_grudge_chapter_master_of_harbingers_by_warhammer40kcampaign-d8oh7s1.jpg|300px|right|thumb|If your Chapter Master isn't [[Awesome|smoking a pack of cigars]] whilst in combat, then your Chapter Master is doing it wrong.]]
In [[Warhammer 40,000]], a [[Space Marine Chapter|Chapter]] of [[Space Marines]] is led by its '''Chapter Master'''. Chapter Masters are among the most experienced Marines in the [[Imperium]] and supremely skilled in warfare. They often have many centuries under their belt, including many years of service as a [[Brother-Captain|Company Captain]]. He is a true scion of the Emperor of Mankind, heir to the strength and fortitude possessed by his genetic forebears, the Primarchs. Centuries of combat gained from time spent throughout the various ranks of the Chapter have taught him valuable lessons in the art of war, trained him in the various facets of military strategy and honed his martial instincts to the level of near pre-cognizance.

They're usually elected to the position by the other Captains or Veterans of their Chapter after the previous Chapter Master vacates the post, although, in practice, the First Captain usually ends up getting the job. If a Captain accomplishes something extremely noteworthy while his Chapter Master is still around, his name may be put forward to lead a new Chapter at the next [[Founding]].

The Chapter Master's responsibilities do not end with his Marines; he is also in charge of the chapter's non-Marine personnel, known as [[Chapter Serf]]s, and the many organizations surrounding his Chapter, like the [[Planetary Defense Force]] and Navy fleets of his Chapter's homeworld (if they have one).

Some Chapter Masters have adopted additional responsibilities by combining their ranks with one or more of the other highest ranks of their Chapter. For instance, several Masters of the Blood Ravens (who are renowned for the obsessive search for knowledge) have combined the title and duties of Chapter Master and Chief Librarian (Which ended pretty badly once a [[Azariah Kyras|certain sleep deprived psyker with a unusual love of Khorne came into power]]).

== I Can't Believe It's Not Chapter Master™ ==

Non-[[Codex Astartes]] Chapters may use other terms for their senior officer, or may not have one senior officer at all, if they are ruled by a council. Some other titles used include:
* Lord Commander ([[Blood Angels]] and [[Silver Skulls]], as well as the most common term used in the pre-Heresy era)
* Lord High Commander ([[Red Scorpions]])
* Great Khan ([[White Scars]])
* Supreme Grand Master: [[Dark Angels]]. Secretly, this guy commands ''all'' chapters using the Lion El'Jonson gene-seed. Chapter Masters of Dark Angels successors just use [[Dark Angels Grand Master|"Grand Master"]].
* Supreme Grand Master: [[Grey Knights]]. Prior to [[Matt Ward]] this rank didn't exist, and the Knights were ruled by the council of Grand Masters.
* Great Wolf ([[Space Wolves]])
* High Marshal ([[Black Templars]])
* The Chapter Master can also be the First Captain (such as in the [[Salamanders]] and [[Crimson Fists]]).
* The [[Iron Hands]], meanwhile, are ruled by a Clan Council. [[Kardan Stronos]] is listed as Chapter Master only in name as he was elected to be the only one to do shit in the council between fighting nids and [[Farsight]].

==Wargear==
As the big boss of an entire army of testosterone-fueled supermen, it is of common sight to see the Chapter Master be armed with a plethora of high quality and absolutely destructive weaponry. Do not be surprised to see a Chapter Master [[Awesome|duel-wielding heavy flamers or heavy bolters,]] weapons that even Space Marines have trouble controlling. Additionally in terms of defense, a Chapter Master is always seen wearing a master crafted piece of armor to denote his position. In most cases, a Chapter Master typically dons [[Terminator Armour|Terminator armor]] for maximum protection, although it isn't uncommon for them to trade protection for maneuverability by wearing [[Artificer Armour|artificer armor]] instead (Just look at [[Dante]] and his ''fabulous packs'' for example). Iron Halos also seem to be standard-issue, not surprising given they have performed many great deeds during their lifetime of service. Most Chapter Masters like to be accompanied by rare and powerful vehicles with some even driving said vehicles into battle, like the Khans of the White Scars.

The skill and prowess whilst powerful, differ from chapter to chapter in the same way the fighting doctrine of each Space Marine chapters differ. You will have Chapter Masters who are extremely skilled in covert and guerilla warfare like those from the [[Raven Guard]], you have Chapter Masters skilled in tactical warfare like the [[Ultramarines]] and [[Dark Angels]], or you can have Chapter Masters who go face into combat, tearing the enemies of mankind a new asshole like those seen by the [[Space Wolves]] or [[Blood Angels]]. In either case, however, a Chapter Master's entire life has been one big fight after another, so he will be a daunting opponent to face against, regardless of what strategy is used against him.

==Notable Chapter Masters==

[[File:Chapter master by greyall-d3j585t.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Your typical Chapter Master. The blingier and bulkier, the better.]]
There is a boat load of Chapter Masters, so here are some of the most note worthy Chapter Masters that [[/tg/]] adores.

*[[Gabriel Angelos|'''Gabriel Angelos:''']] Chapter Master of the [[Blood Ravens|BLUD REHVENS!]] Known as Old Gabe, Angey or Gabe the Babe. Gabriel Angelos is known for his intense humanity and broness as well as his [[Awesome|kickawesome]] voice of rusted liquor. Thanks to a [[CS Goto|certain Irish Leper]] and a [[Dawn of War III|peculiar game,]] [[Bullshit|he can now jump and somersault like a circus performer]] [[Rage|whilst in Terminator armour.]]
*[[Azrael|'''Azrael:''']] Leader of the [[Dark Angels]] and <s>currently busy hunting down the [[Fallen Angels|Fallen-]]</s> PARTAKING IN TOTALLY NOT-HERETICAL MOTIVES WHILE WE ARE BUSY INTERROGATING THE TRAITORS WHO HAVE DEFINITELY NO CONNECTION TO CERTAIN MEMBERS OF OUR CHAPTER!!!
*[[Marneus Calgar|'''Marneus Calgar:''']] AKA Papa Smurf. Chapter Master of the [[Ultramarines|Ultrasmurfs]] and number one Fisting Champion for 1,000 years straight. Also a quadriplegic after losing them to [[Swarmlord|Space Gargamel.]] Was upgraded to primaris and got his shit beat out by Abbadon.
*[[Dante|'''Dante:''']] Dante is the leader of the [[Blood Angels|Sexy Bishonen Vampires]] and the number one best rated "Sexiest Grandpa of the Imperium" for 1000 years straight. Now runs half of the Imperium.
*[[Logan Grimnar|'''Logan Grimnar:''']] He is the [[Furry|Alpha Furry]] of the [[Space Wolves|Space Yiffs]] and a total bro during the [[Armageddon|First War of Armageddon.]] Noted for pimp slapping the [[Inquisition]] and the [[Grey Knights]] for harming the civilians and soldiers of Armageddon because the Inquisitor got his panties in a bunch over some paranoia of Chaos influence.
*[[Helbrecht|'''Helbrecht:''']] High Marshal of the [[Black Templars]] and a total badass with a badass name.
*[[Pedro Kantor|'''Pedro Kantor:''']] Chapter Master of the [[Crimson Fists|Space Mexicans/Spaniards]] and one of the biggest bros and is tied with Ol'grimmy and Tu'Shan.
*[[Tu'Shan|'''Tu'Shan:''']] He is the biggest bro in a [[Salamanders|Chapter of bros.]] He along with [[Vulkan He'stan]] have a bro-tier so strong it borderlines bromance. [[Marines Malevolent|A particular piss-stained Chapter has a grudge on the Salamanders over a particular spat.]]
*[[Kayvaan Shrike|'''Kayvaan Shrike:''']] Chapter Master of the [[Raven Guard]]. Replacing some unknown git named [[Severax]] whose only known accomplishment was dying like a bitch to [[Shadowsun]]. Kayvaan on the other hand [[gets shit done]] like only Kayvaan knows how. The leader of the emo bois got a new primaris upgrade with the release of the new Raven Guard Codex, along with a haircut that makes him look straight out of Spiderman 3 with plenty of memes to go with it.
*[[Kaldor Draigo|'''Kaldor Draigo:''']] The Supreme Grand Master and the [[Mary Sue|Prime Mary Sue]] of a chapter of overpowered [[Grey Knights|Mary Sues.]] [[Fail|He somehow got trapped in the]] [[Warp]] and is forever stuck [[Troll|trolling]] the homes of the [[Chaos Gods]] themselves. Despite his immense [[Derp]] and possible addiction to [[Drug|Warp Dust]], he is still an absolute monster of a man and was able to tear [[Mortarion|a fucking Primarch]] [[Bullshit|with some bullshit plot device]].
*[[Vorn Hagen|'''Vorn Hagen:''']] Continuing the Imperial Fist's trend of "Who the hell is this guy and why is it not Lysander yet for fucks sake?!" Is this heretofore unheard of shmuck who is described as [[Mary Sue|"Dorn's ideal space marine"]]. His Sue-dom is slightly lessened when everyone knows--including himself that he's just living in [[Darnath Lysander|Lysander's]] Shadow. If you wanted to make him live up to his reputation of...not measuring up. Give him the exact same gear as Lysander and hope you roll "Unwilling to Die". That way you play like a poor man's Lysander. Hagen then got himself killed and was replaced by Gregor Dessian.
*[[Gabriel Seth|'''Gabriel Seth:''']] Chapter master of the [[Flesh Tearers]] and a grumpy ass dude by even the Imperium's standards. After a few bumps in the road his Chapter is back on path to regaining its honours, and has one of the best relationships with its parent chapter.

== See Also ==
* '''[[Chapter Master (game)|Chapter Master]]: A Chapter Management Simulation''' is a game unfortunately no longer in development where you get to be the Chapter Master of your own [[Space Marine]] chapter and lead them to victory, or (much more likely) get wiped out hilariously.
* '''[[Watch Master]]: The Deathwatch equivalent of Chapter Masters, but the DW get to have a lot of them, because that's how they roll.
* '''[[Warsmith]]''': [[Iron Warriors]]' lots, given their Grand Companies each equivalent to a chapter.
* '''[[Praetor (Space Marine)|Praetor]]''': The Legionaries equivalent role next to a Primarch.

{{Marines-Forces}}
{{Blood Angels}}
{{Dark Angels}}

Carapace Armour

2023-05-29T19:20:40Z

2A02:1810:4E2C:A900:E100:687B:F124:50E7:

[[File:Carapace_Armour.JPG|200px|right|thumb|These boy toys are the best thing your average joe is gonna get, short of having power armor.]]
Carapace armour is basically [[Flak Armor|Flak Armour]] LV2. A bit tougher, and a bit more expensive. Carapace Armor is usually given to commissars and [[Stormtrooper|stormtroopers]], but is sadly a step down from Power Armor. It is currently the best armor that non augmented humans outside of the [[Sisters of Battle]] and [[Inquisitors]] can get their hands on. Rarely it will also be worn by [[Lost and the Damned]] or a well equipped [[Planetary Defence Force|PDF]]. Generally speaking, this is the most protection an ordinary man will get to use unless they get extremely lucky/prove useful enough to wear some form of powered armor.

Like [[Power Armor]] it has Ceramite or armaplas (perhaps plasteel, armaplas is never really explained) molded into armor plates. This also makes it much heavier and will fatigue the wearer much faster than flak armour or power armour given that it usually lacks any kind of assisted movement systems, though that isn't always the case as semi-powered examples do exist. Usually, soldiers issued carapace armor are elite units and given light bio-enhancement to bear the weight without problems.

The protection provided by a set of carapace armour varies a lot from story to story, as you'll frequently hear of normal bolter bolts punching clean through power armour (at close range) and thus should go through carapace like it wasn't even there, however on the tabletop now carapace offers some protection from the likes of [[Heavy Bolter|heavy bolters]], [[Power weapon#Power Maul|power mauls]] and [[autocannon]]s, and to a lesser extent even [[Hellgun]]s, [[Inferno Bolter]]s and [[Special Issue Boltgun|Sternguard Bolters]].

The largest problem with wide-scale deployment is one of cost. While some regiments, such as Krieg, can afford to fabricate and maintain carapace armour for its elite grenadier units (and tanks, heavy tanks, and super-heavy tanks and other giant vehicles in massive quantities), mass deployment becomes another issue (because the Imperium has yet to put its worlds on a war economy footing, so it's always lacking in everything its military needs. Seriously, a Hive World dedicated to war churns out continent factories of tanks and armor.). To whit, carapace armour costs roughly the same to put on a guardsman as it does to shuttle in a fresh guardsman (this is poorly worded as there is no way in Hell a Guardsman wearing carapace equals the cost of transporting him from his planet to another star system). While in elite units the Return on Investment for combat experience can be worth the added cost to equip, the general modus operandi of the Guard is to ship two men instead of one well-armoured one. Which is double stupid as the one better equipped guardsman is worth a dozen or more fragile dudes. Which is why grenadiers are so fearsome. They’re damn hard for grunts to kill and slaughter everyone. Of course, if you armored the Guardsman he wouldn't need to be replaced in the first place, but the Administratum is not known for being remotely competent, and putting two men in two different places has its own advantages over putting a single well-armoured one in one place. But not really. Because two men in two different places just means they can’t support each other and die even more easily than they normally would. Even with strong defenses the enemy would just focus heavy forces and win and then go after the next one as well. You MUST have soldiers capable of weathering that. Numbers can do it but there comes a point the cost of replacing casualties cannot compete with the price of better equipment. Having one better equipped man instead of two red shirts doesn’t mean he cannot protect as much territory, it means the one man can actually defend his position whereas the other two would be curbstomped.

The Imperium is the embodiment of “He who defends everything protects nothing” largely due to its obsession with overwhelming numbers scattered across the galaxy instead of fewer soldiers capable of hitting many times the weight of the canon Guard. Even when concentrated, the Guardsmen often lose simply due to not being durable enough to survive long enough to make a meaningful impact. The Tempestus Scions (Stormtroopers) embody this on tabletop and perhaps in the lore. They're not quite glass cannons but still somewhat squishy yet hit hard enough to be wary of and get the job done. When paired with the Guard's vehicles and support, the result is the death of any threats to the armor while the armor gleefully slaughters everything. Which is, of course, how infantry is supposed to support vehicles in the first place in real modern warfare.

In all fairness to Krieg, though, they mostly use their line infantry to press openings made by grenadiers and tanks or to hold fortified positions. The parts of their body that stick up from cover when fighting are actually protected by carapace armor, which is very reasonable and efficient. Their whole bodies aren’t generally exposed to anything carapace can protect against until the grenadiers and vehicles have smashed any real threat to the line infantry’s own advance.

There are, in fact, entire regiments of grenadiers and they don’t generally come from Hive Worlds. This pretty much proved the planets could make extremely well equipped and highly trained Guardsmen but just don’t give a damn. Probably thanks to corrupt rulers hoarding wealth for themselves. Thank the Emperor they seem to prefer producing tons of artillery to offset this or the Guard would be fucked. Don't tell their enemies to build anything for intercepting artillery shells like real life militaries are doing. Or maybe do so to force the Mechanicus do use their funky space-techno-magic to be helpful.

==Variants==
[[image:Cadian NCO.jpg|thumb|340px|left|Kasrkin use a model of Carapace specific to and created just for them. Guardsmen respect them for a very different reason. Pic related is one such sergeant of the 8th Cadian Kasrkin. This was, of course, from an age of [[Awesome]] where ''ALL'' [[Stormtrooper|Stormtroopers]] were essentially Kasrkins, until...]]
=== Hydraphur Judge's Armour ===
[[File:Arbites_Armour.JPG|200px|right|thumb|YOU BETRAY DA LAW!]]
[[Judge Dredd|I AM THE LAW!]]

The main armour worn by the Imperial's [[Adeptus Arbites|skull-stomping authorities.]] The Hydraphur-pattern Judge's carapace suit represents the manifestation of a Judge's authority under the laws of the Lex Imperialis.

It is similar to the light carapace suits worn by regular Arbites, complete with distinctive matte-black and red colouring, but also incorporates a storm coat and massive golden eagle topping the helm. The helmet features a photo-visor, encrypted micro-bead and vox-amplifier, while a small light source can be attached to the shoulder pads. A small power pack similar in size and cost to a lasgun's power pack provides enough energy for a week's continuous use.

The Hydraphur-pattern Armour does not offer the same degree of protection as conventional Carapace Armour, due to the environment they operate in, in which [[Stubber|Stubbers]] are the most common weapon they will face against.

They also come with the aforementioned spiffing coat and look ''just'' original enough to not look like a blatant Judge Dredd knock-off. Although with the helmet on, it looks more like they are conditioning to role-play in Mega City One.

=== Kasrkin Armour ===
[[File:Kasrkin_Carapace.JPG|200px|right|thumb|In Dawn of War, they were known as the Cat Armour. [[/a/|Nyaaaa!]]]]
[[File:Tempestus_Armour.JPG|340px|left|thumb|...came 7th Edition with the release of the [[Tempestus Scions]]. Wiping away the cool factor of the Kasrkins with the less-than-ballsy Tempestus Stormtroopers. Because GW can't trademark hard enough, [[Derp|even though ''Kasrkin'' is one of their few original names]].]]
The more [[Awesome|chad]] version of the normal Carapace Armour. The Cadian-pattern "Kasrkin" carapace suit worn by the famed [[Cadia|Cadian Kasrkins]] ([[Catfolk|Otherwise known as the cat armour by /tg/]] due to the unit artwork in [[Dawn of War]]), completely protects the wearer's body and featuring a suite of advanced technologies.

The helmet is equipped with a rebreather, photo-visor, encrypted micro-bead, and a clip attachment on the side for a light source or vid-recorder (which, in [[Dawn of War]], made them look like they had cat ears, hence the nickname), while the suit itself incorporates an integral auspex unit accessed via wrist display and attachments for a grav-chute.

Power for these systems is provided for by a small power pack, equivalent in size and cost to a lasgun power pack, which allows for a week of continuous use before requiring replacement. While associated with Cadia, this pattern of carapace suit has been so popular (with less of the stigma associated with normal Carapace Armour amongst the [[Imperial Guard|Guard]]) that it was eventually adopted by the Departmento Munitorum for use by other units from as far away as the Calixis Sector.

Kasrkin armour used to be the stock-standard armour worn by [[Stormtrooper|Stormstroopers]]. Unfortunately, the update of the [[Tempestus Scions]] basically replaced the Kasrkins. Their model range has been discontinued ever since... until 9th edition revealed new '''hard plastic''' Kasrkin models.
<gallery>
file:Kasrkin9th.png|Thank Emprah for hard plastic
</gallery>

=== Hospitaller Armour ===
[[File:Sister_of_Order_Hospitaller.jpg|200px|right|thumb|''Helloooooo'' Nurse!]]
Armour worn by everyone's favourite [[Sister Hospitaler|nurse!]]

Although they have access to [[Adepta Sororitas]] [[Sisters of Battle Armour|Power Armour]], the Sisters of the Orders Hospitaller usually favour lighter garb when operating outside of active warzones, which makes sense, since they are predominantly a rear-line support force, the only danger they are gonna face are shrapnels from enemy artillery or the occasional rogue sniper.

On top of physical protection, Hospitaller Carapace Armour provides specialized defense against the noxious threats they may encounter as a Medicae: The hooded robes are coated in incense and ungents, while the armour itself is sealed, treated against toxins and comes with a Rebreather, integrated Surgeon Tools and Diagnostor to help the Hospitaller practice her craft. Of course, the whole protection is rendered [[Derp|DERP]] when it comes to [[Chem Weapons]]; them frilly little hoods and exposed eyes would offer zilch in front of a virus bombing.

They are for all intents and purposes, combat nurse uniforms. As they are meant more for a civilian role than it is, a fully fledged combat role. As such, they are less bulky and more slimmer than usual.

Due to them not wearing proper power armour, the Hospitaller suit is only Toughness 3 and a 3+Sv. For some reason though, she is extremely tough at [[Wat|4 Wounds!]] Seriously, she has more health than a fucking [[Terminator]]. Why that's the case we have no idea.
((Because the Emperor loves medics, that's why)).

=== Scout Armour ===
[[File:Scout_Armour.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Also known as Scout Power Armour for 40k newbies.]]
Per usual any version that normal humans have, Space Marines will have something better. Instead of [[Power Armor]], Neophyte Astartes who survive the Geneseed process become [[Scout]]s are given Scout Armor and Camo Cloaks. It is made of overlapping plates of carapace armour which can easily stop a bullet, while the fatigues are made of ballistic nylon which gives further protection without reducing the Scout's movement.

These hardened ceramite pieces include the chest plate that covers the Space Marine's torso, with shoulders and groin area worn over a reinforced [[Bodyglove|body glove]]. Armoured, elbow-length gauntlets protect the wearer’s hands, while heavily reinforced, ceramite-toed grox-hide boots keep his feet safe and dry.

The aforementioned ballistic nylon [[Bodyglove|body glove]] is impregnated with special fibres coated with powerful unguents that provide limited protection from atomic, chemical, and biological threats. It is also woven with small, gel-filled passages that allow the Space Marine wearing it to better withstand heat and cold as it regulates his temperature.

Nevertheless, the true purpose of this armor is to make themselves super stealthy instead of giving extra protection (Unless you're Raven Guard or their Successors who sneak around in full [[Mark VI: Corvus Armour|Corvus Powered Armor]] to get best of both. However there is a fluff reason for that).

Even Sergeants and Veteran Sergeants (who are members of the First Company) wear it when they volunteer to train the newbs. As unlike [[Marines Malevolent|certain]] [[Minotaurs|chapters]], you don't become top dog if you act like a total douchebag (in an ideal Imperium of Man, anyway). Wait a minute. Ten captains, one squad of veterans as honor guard each, sergeants are often veterans and ten in each company and yet the Chapter can call on a hundred terminators without removing honour guards and sergeants...hooold on. Math doesn't work that way!

[[Deathwatch]] Scouts have further modifications, with gel-passages, a re-breather system that contains both oxygen and water, auto injector gloves, a vox system, and a special coating. These upgrades deliver enhanced mobility and extended operations while sneaking explosives or teleport homers into the homes and HQs of unlucky xenos. That said, Deathwatch members wearing Scout Armor are full Marines so it's a matter of choice for them. This was also the case during the days of the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy for Recon Marines. The predecessor to Scouts. However, they rarely showed up in the fluff because they didn't have the extra shit the Deathwatch has. Instead, they carry Shourd Bombs, Vexilla, Nuncio-Vox and Augury scanners. With standard issue Boltguns that can be exchanged for shotguns, Chainswords, Nemesis Bolters that were basically sniper rifles and [[Storm Eagle]]s as their dedicated transports. Scout Armor was optional for Recon Squads so they only used it when they needed more speed for foot slogging without a ride.

=== Void Armour ===
[[File:Void_Armour.JPG|200px|right|thumb|Cue Forbidden Planet theme song.]]
The original version of Carapace Armor. A step down from [[Power Armor]], Void Armor was standard issue protection for the [[Solar Auxilia]]'s [[Solar Auxilia Lasrifle Section|Lasrifle and]] [[Solar Auxilia Medicae Section|Medicae Section]]. As the name implies, this armor is the grim dark future version of a spacesuit, at a time where normal humans have the expertise to do actual personal void combat.

Unlike normal civilian-grade Void Suits which incorporate simple void-kits that include tether lines, voidsteel clamps, and similar small pieces of useful equipment (Which means that poor void suits may not adequately shield the wearer from the energies of the void over long periods of exposure, leading to sickness or death), Void Armor is meant for combat in conditions that even all but the most specialized units would flounder in, like the vacuum of space or extreme exo-planetary conditions. Unlike Carapace Armor it seals off most of the wearers body as Void Armor comes with a nifty looking Steam punk style helmet.

Fully integrated with life support systems, Void Armor had low level self repair systems that worked against small amounts of penetration and lacerations, while being resistant to radiation (due to space having Cosmic rays and all that other stuff) and thermal effects.

Fluff says it was made by Saturnyne Domains, so now it's nearly impossible to create by the 42nd Millennium. If the Imperium bothered to store the STC printouts, we might still be seeing this armor in wide use today. Interestingly (or perhaps not, thanks to Wardian fluff), the [[Grey Knights]] now call this region of space home.

The [[Imperial Navy Breachers]] also wear a different pattern of Void Armour given their nature of boarding shit that will include the vacuum of space. Although theirs aren't on the same level as the ones from the Solar Auxilia.

Crunchwise, to match the fluff, this was when the IG got actual space armor instead of cardboard. Void Hardened Carapace Armor, thus 4+ save being stock for the Solar Auxilia, while doing fine even in Zones Mortalis. Pretty sweet.

=== Reinforced Void Armour ===

[[File:Reinforced_Void_Armour.JPG|200px|right|thumb|When you want to [[Rape|fuck]] [[Space Marines]] on an equal footing.]]

A bulked up version of Void Armor. The Reinforced variant makes an unaugmented human almost as hard to kill as a [[Space Marine]], thanks to its extra protection from [[Flamer]] style weapons and most long-range explosives. These were worn by [[Solar Auxilia Veletaris Storm Section|Veletaris Storm Sections]] and [[Solar Auxilia Flamer Section|Auxilia Flamer sections.]] This creates the implication that Reinforced Void Armor was meant for close-quarter firefights. With the number of Xenos who love running headfirst into the battle lines or ambushes in dark corridors, up-armoring Void Armor isn't a bad idea.

Unfortunately, such enhanced protection begins to run up against the limitations of human technology. No matter how many servomotors compensate for the weight, baseline humans lack the necessary implants to seamlessly maneuver in Reinforced Void Armor. As such, your average Veletaris suffers in open spaces due to the excessive bulk of their wargear.

No sane human being would get into a firefight with a Space Marine, but the Horus Heresy made for an insane time period. As such, the Auxilia had ample access [[Volkite Charger]]s and [[Flamer]]s. This would make it absolute hell for anyone without a defense comparable to [[Terminator_Armour|Terminator Armor]]. Yes, Volkite. Too-rare-to-be-standard-for-Astartes volkites. Yes, at this point one-fifth of the Imperial Army were Solar Auxilia. Don't think about it, heretic. By the time a loyalist or traitor got themselves close enough, most of his buddies were turned to ash or simply vaporized. Even if an enemy could survive long enough to close the gap, that enemy would be easily vaporized by the nearby allies of whoever was getting attacked in the first place.

Without factoring in the difficulty of even penetrating reinforced Void Armor to begin with, it was clear that taking on these guys in melee combat was a sheer impossibility unless you were an Astartes or in a massive horde. Even then, the most assault focused of Astartes would be reduced to slinging Bolter rounds, energy beams, plasma and grenades against squads of normal humans like it was World War One in space.

These brutal firefights between Auxilla and Space Marines on both sides would have most likely been common during Horus's rebellion, where average shmucks in barebones half flak armor would be turned to soup in short order, assuming any reasonable number of Auxillia turned traitor.

Crunchwise, Void Armor that re-rolls failed armor saves against Templates and Blasts. This is invaluable and awesome - short of the best armour a regular human could hope for. Veletaris exclusive, though. Do note that both versions of Void Armour lack the -1 penalty the Space marine version has. As of Horus Heresy 2.0, such bonuses also come with the dubious honor of making your dudes very, ''very'' slow on foot. The “I am incapable of running” kind of slow.

Come the 42nd Millennium, and you'd see that some members of the [[Imperial Navy]] field Void Armour that's a little better than a mere 4+ save thanks to a 2022 [[Kill Team (Specialist Game)|Kill Team]] box. This still allows the wearer to re-roll a failed armor save against Blasts and Torrents (basically Blasts and Templates like above), with the added benefit of rendering them immune to the after-effects of getting hit by any Splash weapons as well. While it's unknown if the team shown in Kill Team is a squad of basic grunts or a super-elite crack team (and the fact that the Voidsmen accompanying last edition's Rogue Trader team only got a 5+ save from their gear might make us think the latter), any fears of this technology being forever lost are a bit exaggerated.

Similarly, there's also the [[Leagues of Votann]] who use void armour that's more than a step up thanks to the Kin's improved understanding of craftsmanship. While also a 4+ save, this armour not only provides better protection by reducing the impact of incoming attacks by reducing the AP of all attacks by 1, it also foils any attempts to guarantee that any hits make their mark by blocking any re-rolls to wound them. Is this absolutely insane to throw onto a basic trooper? Absolutely! But if you call this busted, then consider that all Space Marines got the same AP reduction rule, with the "[[Salamanders|we're all rocking Master-crafted gear]]" chapter getting the same no wound re-rolls in the re-roll crazed meta of 9E.

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