21st Founding

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One of the many Space Marine Chapter Foundings since the Legions were created for the Great Crusade. This one in particular is noteworthy because it was the largest since the Second Founding, and also called the Cursed Founding.

Fresh with the start of the 36th Millennium, five millennia after the First Founding, the Adeptus Mechanicus felt that it was about time to tinker with the gene-seed of the new Chapters and correct the many errors that had accumulated over the centuries.

They failed.

For one thing, many of the resulting Chapters had entirely new mutations introduced, like the Flame Falcons, who actually were covered in flames, until the Inquisition wiped them out.

Even when the Mechanicus managed to avoid creating mutated Chapters, it seems that their other creations were cursed with bad luck. For example, the Fire Hawks became the Legion of the Damned after they were lost in the Warp (maybe), and the Lamenters, who apparently managed to end up cured of the Black Rage and Red Thirst, are apparently the most disaster-prone Chapter in the Imperium, and then turned out to fall to the Black Rage anyway. Only two canon chapters seems to be doing pretty well: the Black Dragons, who the Inquisition wants to erase them in the same way as the Flame Falcons, and the Minotaurs, who are the Space Marine-killing headsmen of the High Lords of Terra that may not even be the original Chapter.

Because of these many misfortunes, the 21st Founding has come to be known as the Cursed Founding. Those Chapters unfortunate enough to have been founded at this time are barely tolerated by the Inquisition, if at all, and are mostly shunned by the rest of the Imperium. It's not exactly known why the 21st founding was cursed of all things, but it was probably Tzeentch getting his dose of lulz. Given the extensive genetic engineering involved, it is also possible that Fabius Bile was somehow involved.

On the tabletop

Games Workshop actually released rules for the different cursed founding chapters way back in 2004 during the transition between 3rd and 4th editions. The summary for them is found here.

Fan-made chapters may also use this Founding to justify some peculiar genetic quirk.

Alternative take

It's called the cursed founding, by apparently introducing more mutations and flaws. However, how the fuck is creating the Legion of The Damned a bad thing? The Black Dragons got a kickass Wolverine thing (more like Baraka), among many other actual improvements.


....Oh right, mutations are synonymous with the involvement of Chaos.

Actually, the Black Dragons and Legion of the Damned were a small amount of loyalist rarities in a large founding (the largest since the 2nd Founding). Although we're given only a small amount of specific examples, it's explicitly stated that the vast majority of Cursed Founding chapters fell to Chaos, went renegade, went INSANE, or had ridiculously bad luck and went extinct from it (the Lamenters apparently weren't the only ones. They're just the only ones that managed to survive in spite of it). And even the Black Dragons get a ton of crap to dodge in exchange for the advantages of their mutations. Not least Dark Eldar wanting them for science experiments.

Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes
First Founding
(M29)
Blood Angels • Dark Angels • Imperial Fists • Iron Hands • Raven Guard • Salamanders • Space Wolves • Ultramarines • White Scars
Second Founding
(021.M31)
Angels of Absolution • Angels Encarmine • Angels Porphyr • Angels of Redemption • Angels Sanguine • Angels of Vengeance • Angels Vermillion • Aurora Chapter • Black Consuls • Black Guard • Black Templars • Blood Drinkers • Brazen Claws • Crimson Fists • Destroyers • Doom Eagles • Eagle Warriors • Excoriators • Fists Exemplar • Flesh Tearers • Genesis Chapter • Inceptors • Iron Snakes • Libators • Lions Sable • Marauders • Mortifactors • Nemesis • Novamarines • Obsidian Glaives • Patriarchs of Ulixis • Purple Stars • Praetors of Orpheus • Rampagers • Raptors • Red Talons • Revilers • Silver Eagles • Silver Skulls • Soul Drinkers • Storm Lords • White Consuls • Wolf Brothers
Third to
Twelfth Founding
(M32-M35)
Astral Claws • Angels Penitent • Angels Revenant • Charnel Guard • Dark Paladins • Executioners • Flesh Eaters • Halo Brethren • Howling Griffons • Iron Knights • Mantis Warriors • Marines Malevolent • Night Swords • Sable Swords (initial) - Scythes of the Emperor • Space Sharks • Sons of Guilliman
Thirteenth Founding
(M35)
Death Spectres • Exorcists
Fourteenth to
Twentieth Founding
Angels of Fire • Avenging Sons • Celebrants
Twenty-First Founding
(991.M35)
Black Dragons • Blood Gorgons • Fire Hawks • Flame Falcons • Lamenters • Minotaurs • Sons of Antaeus • Tiger Claws
Twenty-Second to
Twenty-Sixth Founding
(M35-M41)
Angels of Vigilance • Angels Excelsis • Celestial Lions • Dark Hunters • Disciples of Caliban • Emperor's Spears • Fire Angels • Golden Sons • Hospitallers • Imperial Harbingers • Iron Lords • Knights of the Raven • Marines Errant • Mentors • Fire Claws/Relictors • Star Phantoms • Subjugators
Ultima Founding
(999.M41/000.M42 to 012.M42)
Angels of Defiance • Black Vipers • Blades of Vengeance • Castellans of the Rift • Covenant of Fire • Dark Krakens • Fulminators • Knights Cerulean • Knights of the Chalice • Knights of Thunder • Necropolis Hawks • Nemesors • Praetors of Ultramar • Prime Absolvers • Rift Stalkers • Silver Drakes • Silver Templars • Sons of the Phoenix • Storm Reapers • Umbral Knights • Unnumbered Sons • Valiant Blades • Void Tridents • Wolfspear
Unknown Founding Absolvers • Accipiters • Adulators • Angel Guard • Angels Eradicant • Angels of Retribution • Astral Knights • Blood Ravens • Blood Swords • Brazen Drakes • Bringers of Judgement • Brothers Penitent • Carmine Blades • Cowled Wardens • Crimson Castellans • Crimson Consuls • Crimson Scythes • Dark Hands • Dark Sons • Death Eagles • Doom Warriors • Emperor's Shadows • Fire Lords • Guardians of the Covenant • Graven Spectres • Hammers of Dorn • Harbingers • Hawk Lords • Invaders • Iron Crusaders • Iron Talons • Jade Dragons • Knights of Blood • Knights Unyielding • Marines Exemplar • The Nameless • Night Watch • Rainbow Warriors • Reclaimers • Red Hunters • Red Scorpions • Red Seraphs • Red Templars • Retributors • Sable Swords (refounded) • Shadow Wolves • Solar Hawks • Sons of Orar • Star Dragons • Stormwatchers • Storm Giants • Storm Wardens • Valedictors • Viper Legion • Vorpal Swords • White Templars • Storm Wings
Unsanctioned Founding Consecrators (founding unknown, but likely after 2nd Founding) • Sons of Medusa (separated from parent Chapters, ratified by edict) • Steel Confessors (de facto 22nd Founding, de jure ratified by edict) • Ashen Claws (separatist Raven Guard Legion exiles, nominal loyalists)
Others Astartes Praeses • Deathwatch • Grey Knights • Judged • Legion of the Damned