Setting:Transformers

Optimus Prime and his Autobots on the left, and Megatron and his Decepticons on the right.

Since the time past written memory, the technological race known as the Transformers have always been a driving force in the galaxy. While not as ancient as the Eldar or Necrons, the Transformers have existed long before humanity had began to even crack rocks together to create fire. At the cusp of the 41st Millennium, however, they are scattered across the galaxy; fragmented and more divided than they have ever been. The lines between their original factions, Autobot and Decepticon, have been blurred and are probably nonexistent to some. The chief reason most Transformers fight is simply for survival. Ever since their Great War some 50,000 years ago, the entire race as a whole have scrounged across the galaxy in search of more of their lifeblood and energy source: Energon. It can be found either in its pure, natural form within a planet’s crust or refined from any type of energy, be it electricity or fossil fuels.

Transformers, like the Necrons, are living machinery composed of an almost “living metal.” However, unlike the Necrodermis of the Necrons, the biology of the Transformers is much more akin to that of normal organic beings. From their core structure of cybernucleic acid (CNA), to their robotic-skeletal structure, and even their mechanical parts similar to that of biological organs, the Transformers are like a strange, larger than life mimic of most sentient races. Despite that, the ability that serves as their namesake makes them far more different than any other race that has ever existed. All Transformers have an innate ability to to copy and transform into an alternative, typically vehicular, mode. Because of this they're often called “robots in disguise” due to their ability to mimic literally any kind of vehicle they set their optics on. Anything from an Ork Trukk to an Imperial Baneblade is within the realm of possibly as long as the size is appropriate to the Transformer. They are not limited to vehicular modes as mentioned before, however. Some are known to have alternative quadruped forms, usually an animal of some sort. Others can turn into lethal weapon platforms, signal arrays, and according to legend, entire cities. Imperial xenologists are unsure how a Transformer’s body adjusts when it acquires a new form.

Relations with the other races of the Milky Way galaxy are hesitant and strained at best. Overall the Transformers are on the defensive, only enacting a major campaign when they're very existence is threatened, like an oncoming Tyranid invasion or stealing energon from a forge world. Autobots are the only ones who may sometimes fight based on an ideology, typically derived from the ancient words of the great Optimus Prime himself. Decepticons may conquer in order to subjugate and enslave the local population, or wage war just for the sake of fighting similar to the barbaric Orks. Of course, age old rivalries may transcend quarrels with other species. Autobot and Decepticon are known to clash to this very day, mimicking their civil war all those centuries ago. Despite that, there have been a few occasions where the two band together against a greater threat, such as Transformers under the command of Ultra Magnus and Soundwave holding back the Ork WAAAGH! McSmasher on Sampson II. After the battle, despite simmering hatred between the two factions, both commanders withdrew their troops without haste.

Factions

• Autobots: Eons ago, it was said that the Autobots were heralds of peace; bringing justice to all sentient races and defending the inhabitants of the galaxy from the Decepticons. While that may be true, that has fallen lower on their list of priorities. They fight a constant war of attrition with the galaxy, where simply staying alive is an achievement in of itself. After the disappearance of Optimus Prime during the Horus Heresy, Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus founded the Covenant of Primus; a coalition of the various Autobot subgroups and factions, similar to that of the Dark Angels and their various successor chapters. While having their own tactics and leaders, member groups of the Covenant are in constant contact with one another and often heed the call to aid another faction. Despite the name, they all proudly wear the Autobot insignia of old, in memory of Optimus Prime, wherever he might be.
  • Wreckers: Led by Ultra Magnus, the Wreckers are the most proactive group of the Covenant of Primus. They are always on the front lines, harassing or outright obliterating enemy scouting teams and armies. Currently they are in a hasty but mutually beneficial agreement with the Imperial Inquisition in sabotaging supply lines to Abaddon’s 13th Black Crusade.
  • Grimlock: Of all the senior Autobots, Grimlock was the only one that refused to join the Covenant of Primus. After the establishment of the Covenant, Grimlock when out on his own, obsessively searching for his team of Dinobots who had disappeared in the aftermath of the Horus Heresy. If there are any sightings of his teammates in a given system, one can be sure that Grimlock will be the first there, cutting bloody paths through whoever gets in his way. The most famous occurrence was on the moon of a dead world, where Grimlock dueled a Bloodthirster in order to find his comrade Slag. When Grimlock discovered he wasn't there, he proceeded to butcher every daemon on the moon, from the smallest Bloodletter to the lead Bloodthister. Rodimus Prime and other members of the Covenant worry that the Blood God is somehow manipulating Grimlock into falling to Chaos, but whether he has succeeded in doing so has yet to be seen. Over time he has developed a small retinue of Autobots who gather around the powerful Dinobot for protection and to help him in his quest of searching for his brethren.
• Decepticons: Few things have changed about the Decepticons over the millennia, even after the disappearance of Megatron. They believe the Great War with the Autobots continues to this day, and any ordinary Decepticon would attack an Autobot on sight. After Megatron vanished the Decepticons fell into civil war, known to them as the Fracture. Unlike the Autobots who typically seek peace, the Decepticons see the other races of the galaxy as nothing more than target practice. If they can't outright annihilate their enemy they will try to manipulate or enslave them. The Decepticons overall split into three separate factions:
  • Starscream: Megatron’s former conniving lieutenant, his initial attempt to seize power led to the Fracture in the first place. The only Decepticon who advocates ending the Great War entirely arguing that the Cybertronians have allowed themselves to become too weak and scattered in this hostile galaxy. Though smallest of the major Decepticon factions, he is the most ready to ally with the Autobots and has even made tentative attempts at brokering peace. Determined to exploit any potential source of strength the galaxy offers; most willing to ally with organics as a result. Founds cults that provide fuel, healing and other resources to his forces. Makes heavy use of Pretenders and "Master-caste" transformers, given this focus on working with/exploiting organics.
  • Soundwave: Megatron's former right-hand mech and unflinchingly loyal to his master. He still believes Megatron lives and is determined to find him, leading a small but hardcore faction of loyalists. Their goal is to find Megatron and lead him back to his rightful place. Constantly picks fights with Autobot groups, as their dedication is to winning the Autobot/Decepticon war. Loosely allied with Shockwave's faction, but look down on him for his abandoning of the Great War.
  • Shockwave: Former chief strategist of Megatron, Shockwave is driven by logic. He has turned the Decepticons to the cause of surviving and rebuilding their power base, earning the loyalty of the vast majority of Decepticons. He holds an unsteady peace with Soundwave; he needs Soundwave's fighting skills, but he considers prosecuting the war at this current state of affairs to be illogical.
• Cybertronians: Orginally a splinter group of Decepticons during the early stages of the Great War, they have evolved into their own fully competent faction. What differs them from the other Transformer groups is their discover of a new form of reproduction: bio-morphic reproduction, or "budding." The process is asexual, where a "bloodline" is formed via copying of the parent Transformer. The main downside to this is each generation is increasingly less sentient and emotional, making Cybertronian society as a whole more logical and detached from other Transformers. They view themselves as the peak of all life, and have taken on a harsh expansionary policy similar to the Tau. Even though they abhore being associated with their Decepticon brethren they take the former's beliefs to the extreme; exterminating a planet's population and cyberforming it before colonization. They are at odds with quite literally every race in the galaxy and are considered the foremost threat among all Transformers.

See Also

• Codex: Transformers - The official attempt to make a 40k codex to use with this fluff.

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