Editing Nobledark Imperium Chaos Guard (section)

= Chaos Guard =

Falling under the [[Nobledark_Imperium_Forces_of_Chaos|Forces of Chaos]].

Chaos Guard is a generic term for humans at war on side of Chaos. Their exact nature is mostly defined by origin. Renegade Guards regiments would fall under either Crone Eldar or Fallen Marine overlords, most of these battlegroups act like jack-of-all-traits to compensate for the fact they will be outnumbered by loyalist forces. They have to adapt to each different battle then use their small force to defeat a larger force, Chaos Guards battlegroups that failed to master this are quickly crushed by overwhelming Imperial troops. The nature of the fighting for the Chaos Guard makes some battlegroups more elite and the Warp kills all the weaklings who failed to become tougher. What the Chaos Guard lacks in troops or weapons are more than made up for by Warpcraft and smart officers. How the Chaos Guard is often in a position of rebellion or under an overlord's service that lives inside the Warp, have them use cheaper weapons and armor. The industry and looting that supply the Chaos Guard is simply not enough to keep up with Imperial manufactorums, leading to the rise of Autoguns as the favored weapon of Chaos Guardsmen. Lazweapons are also popular among the Chaos Guard, due to how easy it is to recharge a lasgun’s power pack, but the actual weapons themselves tend to be hard to come by. 

At worst if all of the different Chaos Guard battlegroups somehow managed to unify, they become a Segmentum level threat. Of course, this never happens as the closest thing to that is 1 or 2 sectors being threatened near the Eye of Terror and the Maelstrom by battlegroups during a Black Crusade. Given this low priority, the Imperium never totally snuff out the Chaos Guard instead fighting Orks or preventing Dark Eldar raids.    

Battlegroups raised from primitive or ruined Chaos controlled human worlds are the stereotypical cultists, mutants, and madmen. Whenever Crone Eldar or Fallen need an expendable soldiers or workforce they visit such worlds and herd the fodder into transporters. Chaos controlled worlds that have actual infrastructure raise more or less like PDF battlegroups. Equipped with stubbers or some las, and iron armor. There is minor sorcery, gifts from the Gods on officers and elite subdivisions. These battlegroups are often brought along by greater forces but might do their own raiding or piracy in frontiers. 

Traitor Guard that were turned fight as they did before, but with less supply and more sorcery, sometimes demons. Materials tend to deteriorate with time. Skills too if they recruit replacements from cultists. If they have a specific Chaos patron, they may move over to its doctrine in time such as Khornate charging, Nurglite chemical or bio weapons and so on. Usually, they follow the orders of whoever turn them, traitor. Otherwise, will either join larger Chaos forces or establish territory somewhere the Imperium is unlikely to pursue them short term. Regiments that prevent deterioration in at least skills act like oversize mercenary outfits that take payment in arms and armor. These battlegroups use either Imperial Guard or recycled equipment along with rarely weapons better than the average Guard regiment. They try to have some internal manufacturing capability if possible and recruit from cultists or slaves but retain the same standards and training before defection. Raiding for supply or assist other Chaos forces for pay is also common.

== Tactics and Doctrines ==

Unrestricted by Imperial doctrines, the Chaos Guard battlegroups can mix and match tactics to adapt to the ever-changing battlefields. Smaller Traitor Guard battlegroups avoid direct confrontation and use ambushes, raids, and hit and run as much as possible. Those with enough cultist can even operate as a guerrilla force blending in with the civilian population. Battlegroups with enough civilians under them will be throwing out swords and stubbers to every civilian in sight to make cannon fodder cultist. If there are enough men or at an advantage, Traitor Guard battlegroups do act like an organized conventional military force. Battlegroups don't follow any set doctrine but already adapt with changing tactics before the battle starts.

The Lost and the Damned also tend to rely much more heavily on [[Warriors of Chaos|melee combat than a normal guard regiment]], for the simple reason that blades don't require ammunition. Although at first glace this would not seem to be that much of an advantage for the Chaos Guard, given the effectiveness of most ranged weapons and the fact that the average traitor Guardsman is not as durable as an ork or even a Croneworlder, the Lost and the Damned are able to make this work for several reasons. First, your average member of the Lost and the Damned is much tougher than your average Guardsman, about as tough as your average Death Worlder. Life is not easy in the Warp, especially for someone at the bottom of the immaterial food chain, and the weak among the Chaos Guard are quickly culled. Secondly, regiments of the Lost and the Damned often use cultists as meat shields, allowing the actually valuable melee fighters and those Chaos Guardsmen with ranged weapons to close to fighting distance. Third, the Chaos Guard traditionally pick fights in such a way that plays to their advantages. Almost every Chaos Guard regiment, save for perhaps the most puritan of Khornates, avoids an open field engagement. When fighting defensively, Chaos Guardsmen often retreat into cover-rich environments such as cities or forests that force Imperial forces to fight in close-quarters where they can be easily flanked and are often heavily fortified beforehand with boobytraps. A common saying among Guardsmen is that only Orks are better than the Lost and the Damned when it comes to making weapons out of scrap. Offensively, the Lost and the Damned traditionally attack via ambush, attacking in such close quarters that any advantages provided by the better ranged weapons of the Imperium are nullified.

The Chaos Guard's advantage in melee and guerilla tactics is particularly effective against followers of the Cadian doctrine, which is perhaps the most common combat doctrine in the Imperium. The Cadian doctrine is primarily a defensive one, based around digging in and mowing down any attackers before they get into melee range, with mass artillery support and charging infantry to dig out defending enemies. Ironically, regiments of Cadian Shock Troopers that are actually from Cadia tend to do slightly better in close combat against the Chaos Guard than other followers of the Cadian doctrine, as they have had to deal with the Chaos Guard on a more regular basis.

== Equipment ==

Newly turned Chaos Guard regiments typically retain much of the materiel available to a typical regiment of the Imperial Army, including tanks and other vehicles. However, due to attrition, most regiments of the Lost and the Damned are much more poorly equipped than their Imperial counterparts. Most regiments of the Lost and the Damned survive by raiding poorly defended Imperial worlds, or by looting the weapons of the dead. Some of the smartest of the Lost and the Damned make bargains with the Dark Mechanicus, gaining a ready supply of weapons and ammunition in exchange for attacking and raiding Imperial research facilities, providing a steady stream of test subjects (willing or otherwise), or killing a hated rival.