Editing Warhammer 40,000/Tactics/Kill Team(8E) Chaos (section)

==Chaos Space Marines==
===Why Play Chaos Space Marines===
*'''Pros'''
**With access to both Chaos Marines and Chaos Cultists, you can be more flexible than the IG or Loyalist Marines and field Cheap Fodder CQC Cultists alongside Plasma Wielding Marines.
**Just like the loyalist Marines, you get access to Transhuman Physiology, so that's nice.
**Marks of Chaos and Icons are still in, and icons have the same relatively low costs of the vast majority of special items in kill team, even if the banner buffs are mostly within 6".
**Excluding the Icon of Wrath, Icons can affect friendly models of different Marks to Icon bearer. Maybe not as intended, but allows for the potential of multi-God Kill-teams.
**The new Khorne Berserkers are a (dark) godsend, their high number of attacks plus their ability to fight twice in a turn makes them a scary unit to face. Use the new chaos space marines box plus the axes and heads from the AoS Blood Warriors kit if you don't want them to be hilariously short.
*'''Cons'''
**A chunk of weapons from the basic Chaos Marine Arsenal have been stripped out from Kill Team. No Combi Weapons (outside of the Berzerker Champion, as of Elites) and no taking a Boltgun and Chainsword on the same model for you.
**[[meme|No cult troop soup for you]]. Berzerkers are all you get. Plague Marines and Rubrics are restricted to their own particular factions, while Noise Marines aren't in Kill Team ''at all'' (so far).

===CSM Special Rules===
*'''Death to the False Emperor:''' hit roll of 6+ against IMPERIUM keyword models allows you to make an additional attack. This additional attack cannot spawn more attacks. Also note, it you take two or more Flesh Wounds, you will be unable to trigger DttFE, due to the -1 or worse to hit.
*'''Transhuman Physiology:''' Ignore -1 penalty to hit from the first flesh wound suffered. Good, and allows you to keep using DttFE if you have just suffered one flesh wound.
*'''Mark of Chaos:''' You can choose to replace MARK OF CHAOS keyword with nothing (no mark), or one from NURGLE, TZEENTCH, KHORNE or SLAANESH.

===CSM Faction Attributes===
*'''[[Emperor's Children]] - Flawless Perfection:''' Only models with the '''SLAANESH''' keyword can be drawn from this legion. If a model is within 1" of an enemy model at the beginning of the Fight phase, your model is considered to have charged. 
**This trait is fantastic - except that you can't take the best melee unit in the faction, Berzerkers. Losing almost all the melee power of the HA isn't worth it, until Noise Marines are a thing pass on the EC.
*'''[[Night Lords]] - Terror Tactics:''' When an opponent takes a nerve test for a model from their kill team, they must add 1 to the test for each of your models (other than shaken models) that is within 3" on that model. 
**Morale shenanigans can be fun - but hard to pull off. Generally you will be better serviced by Renegade Chapters for melee teams.
*'''[[Iron Warriors]] - Siege Lords:''' Ignore penalty to Injury rolls from targets being obscured. 
**This trait has some real power - particularly against Ad Mech, Guard, Tau, or any other faction that hugs cover and shoots you.
*'''[[World Eaters]] - Butcher's Nails:''' Can make an additional attack in the fight phase with a model if it charged, was charged, or piled in with Heroic Intervention. 
**You are better off taking Dark Raiders if you want to do melee, give this one a pass.
*'''[[Black Legion]] - Black Crusaders:''' Add 1 to Leadership to all models. Rapid Fire weapons can be shot as though they were Assault weapons in the shooting phase if the model advanced (Rapid Fire 2 becomes Assault 2). 
**This trait wants to be good - but you don't have enough rapidfire weapons to make use of it. Plasmguns, Boltgun, and Combi-Bolter all benefits, but are points inefficient once you cut the firepower in half after advancing.
*'''[[Word Bearers]] - Profane Zeal:''' Reroll failed Nerve tests. 
**This trait is extremely useful if you are playing more experienced players. Most "veteran" plays will prioritize targets well enough that they try to break you by turn 2, and with cultists running around you are often broken. Re-roll nerve tests give you extra chances at recovering and scoring points in the later stages of the match.
*'''[[Alpha Legion]] - Hidden in Plain Sight:''' Considered obscured if more than 12" away from enemy models. 
**This trait doesn't have much of a home in a HA list. You only really have one model that benefits, the CSM gunner w/ heavy weapon - everything else in the team wants to be within 12" to charge or rapid fire.
*'''Renegade Chapters - Dark Raiders:''' Reroll failed charges. 
**This is the best trait if you are going Berzerker heavy. World Eaters might look nice with the +1 attack, but extra attacks don't do anything if you fail the charge.

===CSM Ranged Weapons===
'''Chaos Space Marine'''
*'''Boltgun:''' The other classic weapon, this weapon has solid range, and a decent strength and not much else to say. Still will probably see them more in Chaos Space Marine Kill-teams compared to loyalists, due to the lack of other bolt weapon choice, and assuming you are not just filling out on cultists for your fire teams.
*'''Flamer:''' The standard flamer with all the auto-hitting goodness you have come to expect. Doesn't care about all your -1 to hit, and can be fired after advancing to help get it into range. Even better in the hands of a Demolition specialist.
*'''Meltagun:''' While there are no vehicles in Kill-team to melt with this thing, its short range is less of an issue when it comes to getting into range with it due to the small playing field. Will all but guarantee to take a model out of action (if it hits) with its high amount of damage, though be cautious when using it on Necrons. Can be shot after Advancing to get into short range and a more reliable D6 damage. Works well with a Heavy specialist 
*'''Plasma Gun:''' The classic plasma weapon with high strength, AP and two firing modes: the 'safe' Str7 1 damage profile, and the 'overcharged' Str8 2 damage profile. Unmodified hit rolls of '1' will take the bearer out of action immediately. Though this actually makes it safer than in regular 40k, as only 'unmodified hit rolls of a 1' will slay the bearer, the -1s to hit that are so common in kill-team are not taken into account. Generally, the 'safe' mode should be enough for most targets, though 'overcharging' does give you the ability to take down Primaris, Sicarians and Ork Nobs with one shot. Works well on a Sniper specialist for the sweet re-roll 1s.
*'''Heavy Bolter:''' At 36" range, this used to be the best long range gun we had. -1 AP with 3 shots at a high-ish strength made it a good staple weapon. Unfortunately for it, but fortunately for us, its been completely outmoded by the addition of the Autocannon. 
*'''Bolt Pistol:''' The classic bolt pistol, something all your Chaos Marines will come equipped with, regardless of load out. Useful to get a shot off during a prolonged close combat you get stuck into. Always remember them, they come in useful quite often.
*'''Plasma Pistol:''' All the versatility of a pistol, combined with the firepower to put a hole through anything. Like all plasma weapons, it has two modes: the 'safe' Str7 1 damage profile, and the 'overcharged' Str8 2 damage mode, though an unmodified roll of a '1' will take the bearer out of action immediately.
*'''Frag Grenade:''' As a grenade weapon, you ignore the -1 to hit long range penalty. Only one grenade can be thrown per phase. A good option if you need to clear a number of closely clustered low toughness targets, or to give you a greater chance of hitting in Overwatch. Other than that, your probably better off with your bolter if you have one.
*'''Krak Grenade:''' As a grenade weapon, you ignore the -1 to hit long range penalty. Only one grenade can be thrown per phase. A good option in a pinch to take down multi-wound models like Ork Nobs, Sicarans, Aberrants, Tyranids Warriors and the odd Primaris Marine.
*'''Autocannon:''' At the same price point and both being exclusive to the same gunner, this completely replaces the Heavy Bolter. Stronger, deadlier and further reaching than the Heavy Bolter, the only remaining question is do you take this or the Missile Launcher?
*'''Missile Launcher:''' Krak missles trade a shot compared to the autocannon for S8 AP -3 and D D6 meanwhile your frag missile will delete GEQ swarms. This weapon is best for teams with very strong targets and very weak targets (hint, Tyranids) where as the autocannon is better against middle of the road teams. 
'''Chaos Cultist'''
*'''Autogun:''' A lasgun by another name, don't expect these to do much, although be pleasantly surprised when they do. Rapid fire gives them a greater chance of doing something if they get into short range. Plus, no-one wants their 20pt+ model to die to a 4pt cultist, and some may blow their command re-roll to prevent just that.
*'''Shotgun:''' Exclusive to the Cultist Champion, the small gaming area of Kill-team makes this a much more realistic option. 12" range coupled with Assault 2 and plus +1 Str at short range can be surprisingly good against certain targets. You just have to get there...
*'''Flamer:''' The only upgrade that is not free (to Cultists), this thing is identical to those wielded by your Dark Masters, except on a squishy human. Being able to advance and shoot this thing at full effect can make such a model a good distraction model, forcing your opponent to choose between D6 auto hits on a squishy human, or focus fire on your power armoured models. Though this distraction does cost the same as two regular cultists, so it's up to you which is better.
*'''Heavy Stubber:''' Basically a ''Heavy 3'' bolter with longer range. Cheap at 1pt over a basic cultist, so unless you're running flamers on both of your Cultist Gunners, definitely take it - it'll never carry the day, but it can get you surprising kills as part of chaff fire that your opponent might not be looking for.
*'''Autopistol:''' A las pistol by another name, don't expect these to do much. In fact, you probably won't use this, as the short range generally means that the choice is usually shoot or charge. And in most cases, Combat is usually the better place to be. Still, if you find yourself locked in combat for more than one round, use them. You never know what might happen.
'''Terminator'''
*'''Heavy Flamer:''' <span style='color:red>'''[ADD YOUR OPINION HERE]'''</span>
*'''Reaper Autocannon:''' <span style='color:red>'''[ADD YOUR OPINION HERE]'''</span>
*'''Combi-Bolter:''' <span style='color:red>'''[ADD YOUR OPINION HERE]'''</span>

===CSM Melee Weapons===
'''Chaos Space Marine'''
*'''Chainsword:''' The trusty reliable chainsword, +1 Attacks when used in combat and that's about it. This is the only melee weapon your rank and files marines get, and worth considering on one or two of them if you're going up against GEQ — more attacks means more targets you can tag in a single round of combat.
*'''Power Sword:''' Removes armour saves from anything. Costs the same as a Power Axe, and is largely comparable to it. The sword is better against Scions and Sisters, the Axe is better against Orks and T5 and everything else is about the same. As with the axe, if you're willing to drop the 2 points on this, consider spending 2 more for the Fist instead. 
*'''Power Fist:''' The weapon of choice when you want something dead and you want it now, and the best (and most expensive) weapon to put on your Champion. Given how the injury system works, d3 damage is a godsend to making sure whatever your Champion hits doesn't get up — rolling 3 damage is almost guaranteed to take someone out of the action. The -1 to hit unfortunately prevents Death to the False Emperor, though this can be countered through the "Beseech the Gods" stratagem (though the +1 to wound will be wasted).
*'''Chainaxe:''' Costs the same as a Power Maul, which is plainly superior. What's going through GW's heads when they make up points costs is beyond our comprehension.
*'''Power Axe:''' The cheaper option when going up against marines. Wounds Death Guard on a 4+ and has more AP than the Power Maul, but also costs a point more. If you're dropping the points on this, might as well consider the Power Fist instead. Or alternatively, turn your champion into a budget Khornate Berzerker with a maelstrom of attacks to distribute by making him a Combat specialist and dropping Beseech the Gods on him.
*'''Power Maul:''' Your best option when going up against GEQ, letting you wound most models in Kill Team on a 2+ and denying t-shirt saves. At mere 1 point it's practically a no-brainer to take, unless you're planning to spice your champion up further with something above.
'''Chaos Cultist'''
*'''Brutal Assault Weapon:''' Mechanically the same as a chainsword, it can make an assault cultist a bit more of a threat through weight of attacks. Or at least more then a slight irritant, depending on your target.
'''Terminator'''  
*'''Chainaxe:''' Costs the same as a Power Maul and the Power Maul is simply better. What's going through GW's heads when they make up points m
*'''Chainfist:''' <span style='color:red>'''[ADD YOUR OPINION HERE]'''</span>
*'''Power Axe:''' <span style='color:red>'''[ADD YOUR OPINION HERE]'''</span>
*'''Power Fist:''' <span style='color:red>'''[ADD YOUR OPINION HERE]'''</span>
*'''Power Maul:''' <span style='color:red>'''[ADD YOUR OPINION HERE]'''</span>
*'''Power Sword:''' <span style='color:red>'''[ADD YOUR OPINION HERE]'''</span>
*'''Lightning Claw''' For 1 point and getting to reroll wounds in melee is bonkers. On top of that they have -2ap which it makes for the best melee weapon point wise. 
*'''Pair of Lightning Claws:''' short of being the most terrifying looking monster on the board, there's not really a point in taking two claws. The extra attack is neat, but devoting a termy to 100% melee seems like a waste when they have access to the big guns that heretics are already limited on.
'''Khorne Berzerker'''
*'''Chainsword:''' The good ol' piecemaker, now with S5. Sub for the bolt pistol whenever possible to get more attacks and kill more stuff faster.
*'''Chainaxe:''' Your source of AP against most things with Berzerkers, and allows you to reach S6 base. For 1 points, it's something to consider against most things, as AP even denying a save to some factions and wounding better for 1 point is a pretty good thing.
*'''Lightning Claw(s):''' A single Lightning Claw for 1 point is a steal on your Berzerker Champion, enabling you to dish out S5 AP-2 attacks re-rolling to wound. You can take 2 Lightning Claws for 3 points for the cool factor and the extra attack with -2 AP against most things rerolling to wound. One of the main weapons.
*'''Power Fist:''' Remember how Aspiring Champions can't wound on a 2 Plague Marines, Custodes and such? Forget that, and put this on your zerker Champion if you want it to be killier against stuff with big armor. With 4 attacks if it's a combat or a zealot spec and attacking twice, not much will survive contact.
*'''Power sword:''' With the Lightning Claws around, not much of a reason to take the Power sword for -3 AP over -2 and lack the chance to re-roll failed wound rolls.
*'''Power Axe:''' Looks cool, but its profile really doesn't offer much improvement from the Lightning Claw.
*'''Power Maul:''' It looks really good on your models, but again, the Lightning Claw is strictly better.
'''Possessed'''
*'''Horrifying Mutations:''' It's not as if you really have a choice, but at least it's pretty decent as far as weapons go. S5 and AP -2 means you'll wound most things and they'll have a hard time saving against your 2 attacks on average.

===CSM Psychic Powers===

====Dark Hereticus====
Exclusive to the Sorcerer from Commanders and Sorcerer in Terminator Armor from Elites
*'''[Commander] Death Hex (Warp Charge 7):''' No invulnerable saves for a visible enemy within 12" until the next psychic phase.
*'''[Commander] Prescience (Warp Charge 6):''' +1 to hit rolls for a friendly model within 8" until the next psychic phase. 
*'''[Commander] Diabolic Strength (Warp Charge 6):''' +2 to Strength and +1 to Attacks for a friendly model within 8" until the next psychic phase. 
**A Khorne Berzerker Champion Zealot with this has S8 and 5 attacks on the charge, and gets to Fight twice for a total of 10 attacks. Pair it with the Zealot 1 Tactic, and each of those 10 attacks has a 1/6 chance to generate another attack. Fun times.

====Malefic====
Exclusive to the Master of Possession.

*'''[Elites] Sacrifice (Warp Charge 4):''' Inflict a mortal wound on '''ANY''' model within 2", then remove all flesh wounds from a friendly DAEMON model within 12"
**Can be used on your own troops to heal the important ones, but the low warp charge and the MoP 2 manifests also makes this+psybolt good emergency spam for when when you get charged by something big and nasty. 
*'''[Elites] Cursed Earth (Warp Charge 7):''' Get a 6" aura that grants +1 to Invunls (to a max of 3++) for friendly DAEMON models within 6"
*'''[Elites] Infernal Power (Warp Charge 6):''' Get a 6" aura that grants rerolls for hit and wound rolls of 1 for friendly DAEMON models within 6"

===Icons===
*'''Icon of Wrath:''' {{W40kKeyword|KHORNE}} only, any {{W40kKeyword|KHORNE}} models within 6" of the icon bearer can re-roll charge rolls
*'''Icon of Flame:''' {{W40kKeyword|TZEENTCH}} only, at start of your turn in the psychic phase, roll 1d6 for each model equipped with an Icon of Flame. on a 6, you cause a mortal wound to the nearest enemy within 12" of the icon bearer.
*'''Icon of Despair:''' {{W40kKeyword|Nurgle}} only, subtract 1 from the Leadership characteristic of enemy models within 6" of the icon bearer.
*'''Icon of Excess:''' {{W40kKeyword|SLAANESH}} only, the Death to the False Emperor takes effect on a 5+ rather than a 6+ for any friendly models within 6" of the icon bearer. RAW, this means it also effects models with no Mark/different Marks to the icon bearer, though you still need to be {{W40kKeyword|SLAANESH}} to carry it.
*'''Icon of Vengeance:''' Models without the {{W40kKeyword|KHORNE}}, {{W40kKeyword|TZEENTCH}} , {{W40kKeyword|Nurgle}} or {{W40kKeyword|SLAANESH}} keyword. Add 1 to the Leadership characteristic of friendly models within 6" of the icon bearer

===CSM Units===
*'''Chaos Space Marine (Leader [Aspiring Champion only], Heavy [Gunner only],Combat, Demolitions, Sniper, Veteran, Zealot):''' With good stats and the versatility of being armed with either chainswords for Melee or bolters for Range, these guys can be kitted out to fulfill different rules, with the option to mix in both across the Kill-team. Which is good, as these are the only Power armored guys you're going to get (for now at least). With only 1 wound a piece, one bad roll is all it takes to be taken out of action, though Transhuman Physiology helps with countering the negative of Flesh Wounds on your own attacks. Using cover/cultists is, therefore, key to staying relevant in the first round or two as you move into position.
**'''Chaos Space Marine Gunner (2):''' Additionally gain access to special and heavy weapons (though you can only have one of each. No dual special or heavy weapon like in regular 40k). Being the only Heretic Astartes that can have the ''Sniper'' specialism, they have access to reasonably safe overcharged plasma gun shots, which always have a use. A Flamer armed ''Demolition'' specialist can also wound most obscured targets on a 2+ thanks to '''Custom Ammo'''. You may get more benefit by making the Flamer a ''Veteran'' and moving the up the board to put pressure on the foe. An autocannon is exceptional on a ''Heavy'' and a reliable source of kills at range, you can count on his Str 7 and damage 2 to remove any medium armored or lower threat. A missile launcher is a great candidate for ''Sniper'' - you can buff their BS to hit on 2+ with a powerful Krak missile. This is a great solution to problematic 3 wound models like Ogryn or Tyranid Warriors. Skip the heavy bolter - in every case the auto-cannon is better. You should always mark your Gunners as Slaanesh so that they can use ''Endless Cacophony'' if you need another round of shots. Firing you Plasmagun, Flamer, Autocannon, or Missile Launcher twice is a powerful tactic.
**'''Aspiring Champion (1):''' The only one who can wield anything above a chainsword in close combat (except for the chainaxe and power maul you got in your entry-level CSM kits, because they weren’t available when Kill Team launched) and can take a plasma pistol. As he is 9/10 likely to be your Leader, whether you want him in danger close depends on the rest of your kill team. He can bring him in close to really wreak face in Melee/Pistol range, but then be potentially exposed to be assassinated. Or he can hold back and do very little. Or thirdly, make a Cultist Champion your ''Leader'', make this guy your ''Zealot'' specialist, and go hunting.
*'''Chaos Cultist (Leader [Champion only], Heavy [Gunner only], Combat, Demolitions, Veteran, Zealot):''' What they lack in quality, they make up for in numbers. Three cultists cost the same as one Chaos marine, and you could easily fit 20+ models into a kill team at that price. But don't take that many, seriously. They are only regular humans with a 6+ save, and if they lose half their models and break, the nerve tests will leave most of them standing around shivering in fear for the rest of the game (they ''are'' only Leadership 5, 6 for the champ). If you really want to run a big cultist heavy team, go play Servants of the Abyss instead. Vanilla cultists are best used to shield your scarier and tougher Chaos marine masters, or to block the movements of your opponents' models, or surround them so your chaos space marines can finish them off. You get the idea, just be a nuisance to your opponents' efforts and you're doing your job right. And if by some miracle a cultist does take a model out of action during all this, then praise be the Dark Gods! They are not the best specialists for this reason, save that for your Chaos space marines.
**'''Cultist Gunner (2):''' Can take either a heavy stubber or a flamer, adding some stronger and/or more reliable ranged support for your Dark Masters (for free in the case of the stubber). The flamer in particular actually makes the Cultist Gunner much more threatening. When they can move, advance, and still fire D6 auto hits on a target within 8", that can threaten most of the board by turn 2, if not 1. That in turn forces your opponent to choose between D6 Str4 hits, and a potentially more dangerous target if left unchecked. Don't make them specialists though, it just puts a big target on their head, and it doesn't take much to take these guys out.
**'''Cultist Champion (1):'''  Can take an autogun, shotgun or the brutal assault weapon and autopistol combo the regular dudes have access to. While the shotgun can be good, the weight of three attacks in the close combat would potentially do better to bring down an unsuspecting enemy. If you do make this guy your Leader, it's probably best you hide him out of line of sight, as he will likely go down if exposed to even just one enemy model. Since the release of Elites, this is an even bigger worry, since deep striking units can wipe this guy out. During deployment, set him up out of your opponent's line of sight and don't touch him for the entire game. If your opponent forgets he's there, they can't kill him. You'll be surprised by how often this works.
*'''Dark Disciple:''' If your team includes a Dark Apostle commander, you can take 2 of these guys. They don't seem very elite by normal standards, essentially slightly better cultists at the same 4pt - a 5+ save and Ld 6, but they do come with a free Power Maul and each provide a 1" boost to the range of the Apostle's aura if they're within 1" of him. If you're taking the Apostle and Cultists anyway, these are essentially a strict upgrade for melee combat.
*'''Khorne Berzerker (Leader [Champion only], Combat, demolitions, Veteran, Zealot):''' BLOOOD FOR THE BLOOOD GOOOOOODDDDD!!!!! For 16p, you get access to a melee focused unit with chainsword and bolt pistol with access to the icon of wrath and chainaxe. Between their two base attacks, Blood for the blood god, a chainsword, and zealot or combat specialisms, Berzerker's will be dishing out enough attacks to turn most things into shredded guts, ''especially'' IMPERIUM units. Run them with the Icon of Wrath and charge your cultists in to soak up overwatch. Don't forget to re-roll their charge distances too.
**'''Berzerker Destroyer(2):''' Gets access to plasma pistols. That's it.
**'''Berzerker Champion (1):''' Gets another attack and more Ld, as well as having access to lightning claws, plasma pistols, power axes, power fists, power mauls, or power swords, and being able to pick two, can duel-wield any of them. Or, they can just pick one of those weapons and additionally take a boltgun or combi-weapon instead. A World Eaters berzerker champion with a pair of lightning claws and the combat specialism can attack [[RAGE|12 times]] in a single round, [[RIP AND TEAR|which is pretty cool]].
***If set up right, a Berzerker Champion can get a total of 16 attacks in. give him a pair of lightning claws giving him an additional attack each time he fights. Then you make him your Combat specialist for another attack, giving him 5 attacks each time he fights. Take the World Eater's legion which gives him +1 attack on the round in which he charged, was charged, or piled in. Being a berzerker means he has Blood For the Blood God, which lets him attack a second time each fight phase. then you pay 2CP for the Fury of Khorne strategem. That's 16 attacks with a S5 AP -2 weapon. It doesn't matter what you point that thing at, it will die, it will be bloody, and khorne will be pleased. Also keep in mind, if you're going against an Imperium army 6's still explode.
*** However, dual lightning claws only only do 1 Damage, meaning that no matter how many armour saves the enemy model has to make, you will only make 1 Injury roll per activation. Lightning claws are fine if you're up against grouped hordes, but if you're trying to kill a tough opponent, power fist and chainsword are the way to go. This is a much more reliable way of taking down tough units like Death Guard and Custodes. The World Eater's legion trait is fantastic on this loadout. Give him the combat specialism for more attacks to try and overcome the power fist's -1 to Hit or go zealot if you want to smack someone with 4 Strength 12 attacks and then tap them with the chainsword for good measure.
*'''Possessed (Leader, Combat, Veteran, Zealot):''' Despite not having access to any ranged weapons, or any options at all beyond marks, Possessed give Berzerkers some stiff competition as the go-to melee unit of Chaos, and at the very least are yet another unit that shines much more in the close confines of Kill Team than on the open battlefields of 40k. Possessed are fast and tough, with two wounds and an invulnerable save, and the horrifying mutations they're armed with are basically lightning claws. Problem is, the base number of attacks Possessed have are decided by a D3 each phase, so they could end up hitting like a [[rip and tear|whirlwind]] or a [[fail|fart]] depending entirely on luck, which makes them a rather poor candidate for Combat specialization. All in all, Possessed are decent, though Berzerkers are probably more reliable.
**While Possessed are merely okay in regular games, they ''really'' come into their own in a Commanders game, running with a Master of Possession or Greater Possessed, where they can be buffed into near-unstoppable melee monsters.
**The Greater Possessed and Possessed mush share a Mark of Chaos. If your Legion allows a Mark of Khorne, here’s no point choosing any of the others, as Khorne is the only one that gets a Tactic.
*'''Terminator (Leader [Champion only], Heavy [Gunner only], Combat, Comms, Demolitions, Veteran):''' On the face of it, Chaos Terminators don't seem as good as their Loyalist counterparts. They have the same stats and base cost, but are stuck with chainaxes by default and have to pay extra for power fists. They also don't have access to Zealot specialism, assault cannons, cyclone missile launchers, plasma cannons, or thunder hammers and storm shields. ''But'', what they ''do'' have arguably makes up for it. They have Death to the False Emperor and Chaos marks. The reaper autocannon has higher range and more powerful (if 2 fewer) shots than the assault cannon. Any Chaos Terminator can take a combi-weapon, and they have access to a full range of melee wargear without faction restrictions.
**'''Terminator Gunner (2):''' <span style='color:red>'''[ADD YOUR OPINION HERE]'''</span>
**'''Terminator Champion (1):''' <span style='color:red>'''[ADD YOUR OPINION HERE]'''</span>

====CSM Commanders====
*'''Exalted Champion (Commander) (Ferocity, Fortitude, Leadership, Logistic, Melee, Shooting, Stealth, Strategist, Strength):''' Probably the best duelist in Kill Team thanks to his ability '''For the Dark Gods''' that permits him to re-roll failed hit rolls against a Commander.
** Plasma Pistol and Power First  is probably the best combination if you're using him mainly to kill the Commander, because you have in both cases a rerollable 3+ to hit and at minimum a 3+ to wound.
**Shooting is a waste on this character, you should take a Strategist (it's never a wrong choice), Melee (especially if using Axe instead of Fist, to deal with nearly every enemy in melee) or Strength (if you're using a Fist and you hate to remember how wound roll work, now you always roll 2+)
*'''Sorcerer (Fortitude, Melee, Psyker, Shooting, Strength):''' <span style='color:red>'''[ADD YOUR OPINION HERE]'''</span>
*'''Greater Possessed (Ferocity, Fortitude, Melee, Strength):''' <span style='color:red>'''[ADD YOUR OPINION HERE]'''</span>
*'''Master of Executions (Ferocity, Fortitude, Melee, Strength):''' <span style='color:red>'''[ADD YOUR OPINION HERE]'''</span>
*'''Dark Apostle (Ferocity, Fortitude, Leadership, Melee, Strength):''' <span style='color:red>'''[ADD YOUR OPINION HERE]'''</span>
*'''Master of Possession (Fortitude, Leadership, Melee, Psyker, Strength):''' You pay 3pts more than the regular Sorcerer for the same statline and lose the slight melee edge offered by the force sword over the force stave. But in return you get a 5++ and the ability to make enemy psykers peril on all doubles if they're within 12", both of which are much more relevant than they seem, as squishy Commanders lose matches and every third commander is a Psyker. Their set of powers is mostly oriented around buffing Possessed, but even if you're not taking them, the reality is that most of the time you're going to be manifesting Psybolt for one of your two powers anyway and you can always swap the other for one of the [[Warhammer_40,000/Tactics/Kill_Team(8E)#Psychic_Phase|generic powers available to Commanders]]
*'''Sorceror in Terminator Armor (Fortitude, Melee, Psyker, Shooting, Strength):''' <span style='color:red>'''[ADD YOUR OPINION HERE]'''</span>
*'''Chaos Lord in Terminator Armor (Ferocity, Fortitude, Leadership, Logistics, Melee, Shooting, Strategist, Strength):''' What the Captain in Terminator Armor is to the loyalists, this guy is to Chaos- dead killy, infinitely versatile, and he has a Commander Tactic that lets allies re-roll 1s. You can't go wrong with him.

===CSM Tactics===
*'''[Core] Beseech the Gods (2CP):''' In true Chaos fashion, this can either turn a unit into a [[rape|rape train with no brakes]], or [[fail|insta-gib them before the battle's even started]]. At the start of the first battle round, pick a unit and roll a D6. On a 1 the unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. On a 2+ add 1 to hit and wound rolls for that unit until the end of the battle. You can only use this once per battle. Amazing on the model you use it on, and pairs well with other stratagems/specialisms, but will leave you with no CP for the first turn, and again, will fuck you over if your roll is a dud. (You want this on a heavy bolter. Just do it.)
*'''[Core] Daemon Spirit (2CP):''' Pick an enemy unit within 1" of your leader at the end of the Movement phase and roll a D6. On a 4+ that unit suffers 1 mortal wound. Expensive, but good in a pinch when you need to clear away or wear down one of the models you charged (or charged you!)
*'''[Core] Fury of Khorne (2CP):''' Pick a {{W40kKeyword|Khorne}} model from your kill-team that is within 1" of an enemy model at the end of the fight- it can immediately fight again. 
*'''[Core/Elites] Veterans of the Long War (2CP):''' Use this tactic when you choose one of the Chaos Space Marines from your kill-team to attack in the Shooting or Fight phase. You can add 1 to the wound rolls for that models attacks that target {{W40kKeyword|IMPERIUM}} models until the end of the phase.
**Would be really good if not for the fact that it comes at 2CP, plus you have other ways of getting +1 wound, mostly via the ''Demolition'' specialism.
**Elites updated this to also include Terminators.
*'''[Elites] Teleport Strike (Reserve) (1CP):''' Use at the end of the movement phase, bring in up to 3 {{W40kKeyword|TERMINATOR}} models from reserves anywhere more than 5" from an enemy.
*'''[Annual2019] Temptations of Power (1CP):''' Use at the start of a round. Pick one chaos mark - until the end of the round all unmarked models in your team have the chosen mark.
*'''[Annual2019] Blessed With Resilience (1CP):''' Use at the start of the Movement phase. Pick a {{W40kKeyword|NURGLE}} model from your team - add 1 to that models Toughness until the end of the round.
*'''[Annual2019] The Price of Heresy (3CP):''' Use at the start if the Morale phase. Pick a {{W40kKeyword|CHAOS CULTIST}} from you team that is within 3" of an unshaken {{W40kKeyword|CHAOS SPACE MARINE}} in your team. That '''CHAOS CULTIST''' is taken out action - until the end of the phase all other {{W40kKeyword|CHAOS CULTISTS}} that can draw LOS to the {{W40kKeyword|CHAOS SPACE MARINE}} automatically pass Nerve tests.
*'''[Annual 2019] Endless Cacophony (2CP):''' Use anytime during the Fire at Will portion of the Shooting phase when its your turn to pick a model to shoot. Choose a {{W40kKeyword|SLAANESH}} model from your team that has already shot - they can shoot again.
*'''[Annual2019] Daemonic Attack (3CP):''' Use when an enemy psyker suffers Perils of the Warp. The suffer 3 mortal wounds instead of the normal d3.
*'''[Annual2019] Let the Galaxy Burn! (2CP):''' Use at the start of the Shooting phase. Choose an objective on the field - until the end of the phase re-roll wound rolls of 1 for attacks against enemy models within 3" of that objective.
*'''[Annual2019] Guided by Fate (1CP):''' Use at the start of the Movement phase. Pick a {{W40kKeyword|TZEENTCH}} model from your team - if they have no invulnerable save they gain a 5+ invulnerable save until the end of the round.

===CSM Commander Tactics===
*'''[Commanders] Aspire to Glory (Aura) (1CP):''' Use at the start of the shooting phase. Friendly models within 6" of your Exalted Champion can reroll wound rolls of 1
*'''[Elites] Locus of Power (Aura) (1CP):''' Use at the start of the Fight phase. Friendly DAEMON models within 6" of your Greater Possessed get +1S as long as they share the same Mark of Chaos keyword
*'''[Elites] Ritual Sacrifice (1CP):''' Use when your Master of Executions takes out an enemy during the Fight phase. Roll a D6, on a 2+ select either S,T,W, or A to gain +1. The MoE keeps this until the end of the mission. This can be used several times but you must choose a different characteristic each time.
*'''[Elites] Dark Zealotry (Aura) (1CP):''' Use at the start of the Fight phase. Friendly models within 6" of your Dark Apostle can reroll failed hit rolls.
**Whilst your Dark Apostle has access to an armoury that’s not included in his kit or legal in 40K, his other Prayers are not represented.
*'''[Elites] Lord of Chaos (Aura) (1CP):''' Use at the start of the shooting phase. Friendly models within 6" of your Terminator Chaos Lord can reroll hit rolls of 1

===CSM Strategies===
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'''CSM Strategies:'''
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Generic Chaos in Kill Team is a bit of a mixed bag. While in theory access to both marines and cultists should give you enough flexibility to adapt to many threats, the lack of options on their wargear stops them from being trully great. At least in vanilla Kill Team, they got a lot of shinny new toys in Elites and Commanders, but let's talk about the base game first.

Starting with the traitor astartes, we have the aspiring champion, the toughest guy you could take in the basic game. With 2 attacks (3 against Imperium, 4 with the right speciality and 5 with the chainsword, but why would you give it that, though?) and access to a power sword or a power fist, this unit is your prime melee guy. This thing can do a lot of damage, especially good against heavy armoured units. Throwing this at GEQs is somewhat of an overkill, unless said unit is really dangerous, like a guardsman with a plasma or a melta. The Aspiring Champion cannot get boosted by the chaos marks, though, only the regular chaos marines and cultists can, so no more than 4 attacks. Though, to be fair, 4 should be enough to reliably kill most things, the power sword has AP3 and the power fist has Sx2, AP3 and D3 Damage. This makes it a lethal member of your team, with the drawback of it being a rather obvious target. Every unit that could realistically take it down will shoot at it, least it reach melee. And considering it only has one wound, you have to be careful on how you make it reach the enemy lines. They can at least be effective at ranged with the plasma pistol, though is bett for melee when someone charges him.

Chaos Marine Gunners rather basic: options range between heavy bolter, plasma rifle, flamer and meltagun. Meltagun is rather situational, considering it needs to be close to reliably hit (but when it does, it can turn into goop anything, D6 damage is great). Flamers are on the weak side, more for defending against charges than an offensive weapon due to their 8" range. So the choice is between plasma and heavy bolter. To take advantage of all of the specialisms, you want a plasma sniper and a heavy/demo heavy bolter. The plasma is self-explanatory, re-rolling ones means that you can overcharge the weapon safely. Heavy heavy bolter will be able to move around the map without the hit roll penalty, although considering it has a 36" range, you might rather let it stand still and add the demolition's +1 on the wound rolls. This combination makes it the best sniper of your team, though it is probably somewhat mediocre compared to the choices of other teams. 

Regular Chaos Marines are your run of the mill marines. Either chainsword with bolt pistol or boltgun, with both frag and krack grenades for good measure. You know what these do, don't expect miracles from them. Sadly, unlike SotA Marines, they can't naturally boost the surrounding unit's leadership, they instead recquire a relic for that. The regular marines have one relic, and ONLY one relic on the team. The Undivided relic boosts surrounding unit's leadership, Khorne's makes everyone re-roll charge rolls (very good for melee focused teams, of course), Nurgle's hurts enemy leadership, Slaanesh's makes surrounding allies get a DEATH TO THE FALSE EMPEROR ar 5+, which is really good, probably better in melee than Khorne's relic, and Tzeench makes the bearer into a psyker that only attacks on a 6+ roll, but with no perils. Melee focused teams will go for Khorne's and Slaanesh's, while ranged teams will preffer the Undivided to boost the cultists. Tzeench's is nice but very unreliable, with 1/6 chances of actually doing something, and Nurgle's relic is simply not that good. 

Once we finish with the superhumans of the team, we go to the squishy ones. Chaos cultists are close to Imperial Guardsmen in terms of stats, but have worse equipment overall. The regular cultists have access to the relics, but it's just not as good on them, considering the marines are much tougher and better armed. The cultist champion has access to a shotgun, which you're going to give to him considering that there's no point to it outside of it (maybe the extra leadership? It's still L6, it's going to be at risk at all times, and be terrified after a wound or two). Cultist Gunners have flamers or heavy stubbers. Flamers are good for kamikaze runs, heavy stubbers are too weak for the job. Though they are free, the moment there's cover and a wound, it will barely hit aything, plus if the enemy is going to shoot cultists, they will go for the gunners first. Also, you don't want to give the specialities to this guys, those are for the marines.

For team composition, avoid space-marine only teams. Seven marines can be strong, but you will always have the same team composition, and always be outgunned and outmatched by both loyalist and specific traitor counterparts. Loyalist have access to better weapons and primaris with W2, Death Guard have better toughness, Disgustingly Resilient and better weapons, and Thousand Sons have psykers. The only full marine chaos team worse than this would be the SotA, and even then they have access to boosted cultists, traitor electropriests and actual psykers, so they are NEVER going to go full marine. All-out cultists is more interesting, though considering how squishy they are and with their pathetic weak guns and low morale, their only numeric advantage is numbers. If you could have more than two cultist gunners, a massive horde of flamers would be quite scary, but as it is, it's just not worth it. 

Mixed teams is going to be the best option. Give your leadership to one of the cultists and hide it from EVERYONE, to clear specialist slots. Combat/Zealot aspiring champion, sniper plasma, heavy/demo heavy bolter, marine with the icon you want. After that, you'll either pick a couple of extra marines, and two flamer cultists, and as many regular cultist as you can with the remaining points. This is pretty much the standard team, and people know this. This lack of flexibility is what makes this army difficult to be competitive with, though if competitive is what you want, you can check out the Elite slots.

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'''Counterplay:'''
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A team that can reliably take down marines while not sacrificing power against hordes is a good team against it. The guy who gets the Beseech the Gods stratagem has to become an instant target, especially if the aspiring champion, the plasma or the heavy bolter have it, though keep in mind that these are already high priority targets, it just changes the focus of the first attaks. Regular marines will have enough firepower to deal with the traitor scum, while the units with basic equipment will pretty much always kill the cultists. Same with Imperial Guard, plasma spam for the marines and attack spam for the grunts. AdMEch can use the infiltrators with the power sword to charge first and deny the enemy the chance of attacking first, the transuranic arquebus to obliterate whatever it sees, as well as the plasma guy (in fact let's just take this out of the way, PLASMA IS THE BEST COUNTER AGAINST MARINES OF ALL KIND, PERIOD), plus, ranger/vanguard spam is excellent against them. Other Chaos teams have ways to deal with astartes' high saves, though cultists will be able to give poxwalkers a run for their money, considering how weak they are without the disgustingly resilient rule. Tzaangors overpower cultists in melee pretty much every time, and rubric marines have enough toughness to just walk straight to them and roast them with magic flamers. Necrons will laugh at anyone who tries to kill them with autoguns, so once they've dealt with the big guys, the game is over. Orks might outnumber and overpower chaos marines, and once in melee, cultists are fucked. Eldar of all kinds will ignore most of the damage caused by the cultists (another reason to use the flamers with them, because something is eventually bound to get in). SotA will have problems with them, but that's where you want you negavolt cultists and your rogue psyker to carry your team, while the black legionnaires boost them and the rest deal with the cultists. Tau will have no problems dealing with regular chaos marines if they can keep them at a distance (a full mixed melee team with Khorne relic is great if you manage to reach the Tau lines with enough dudes, if you play Tau you'll prioritize the Aspiring Champion and the guy with the relic). A Lictor and Genestealer charge should be enough for tyranids to deal with the marines, but be wary of the counter-offensive if the astartes survives. 

Overall, the strategy against heretic astartes is simple: Big guns focused on their big guys, cheap units on the rest. 
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===CSM Example Teams===
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'''Standard Kill Teams'''
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*7 models, 99 points
**Aspiring Champion with chainsword and plasma pistol, 14 pts (Leader)
**Chaos Space Marine Gunner with heavy bolter, 16 pts (Heavy)
**Chaos Space Marine Gunner with plasma gun, 16 pts (Sniper)
**Chaos Space Marine with chainsword, 12pts (Zealot)
**Chaos Space Marine with chainsword, 12 pts
**Chaos Space Marine with chainsword, 12 pts
**Chaos Space Marine with boltgun and Icon of Flame, 17 pts
*10 models, 100 points
**Aspiring Champion with power sword and plasma pistol, 15 pts (Leader)
**Chaos Space Marine Gunner with heavy bolter, 16 pts (Heavy)
**Chaos Space Marine Gunner with plasma gun, 16 pts (Sniper)
**Chaos Space Marine with chainsword, 12pts (Combat)
**Chaos Space Marine with chainsword and Icon of Wrath, 17 pts
**Chaos Cultist Champion with brutal assault weapon, 5 pts
**Chaos Cultist with brutal assault weapon, 4 pts
**Chaos Cultist with brutal assault weapon, 4 pts
**Chaos Cultist Gunner with heavy stubber, 5 pts
**Chaos Cultist Gunner with heavy stubber, 5 pts
*20 models, 100 points
**Aspiring Champion with power sword, plasma pistol, and Icon of Vengeance 19 pts (Leader)
**8 Chaos Cultists with brutal assault weapons and autopistols, 32 pts
**9 Chaos Cultists with autoguns, 36 pts
**Chaos Cultist Gunner with heavy stubber, 5 pts
**Chaos Cultist Gunner with flamer, 8 pts
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'''Commanders Kill Teams'''
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''For When Commanders Cost Points''

''For When Commanders Cost Nothing''

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