Warhammer 40,000 Homebrew Wiki:How to Create a Homebrew Chaos Space Marine Warband

"Who can stand before the might of Chaos?"

- Darvenorax, Champion of the Word Bearers Legion

This is a guide for those who wish to create their own Fanon Chaos Space Marine Warband. Listed below are some tips of what to do and not to do, when creating a canon-friendly Renegade Space Marine Chapter, and hopefully help you to avoid the pitfalls and cliches that often plague many fanon-based Chaos Warbands.

Before Beginning
To begin, please ensure that you have read the rules and the Quality Control Policy. These will give you an understanding about what you can, and cannot, write about when creating a Fanon Space Marine Chapter. When creating a Space Marine Chapter, be sure to utilise the Chaos Space Marine Chapter Infobox in order to keep your article uniform with other Renegade Space Marine Chapter pages.

Also be sure to browse around this wiki, as there are already a lot of Chapters that have been created. There might be one that is similar to the one you had in mind to create. Though this is unfortunate, try to ensure that you create something unique and original, as this will avoid problems with being accused of plagiarization. To quickly access the location of the Space Marine Chapters already listed on this wiki, please be sure to browse the Chaos Space Marine Chapters category.

The Horus Heresy
"The hand of the Traitor struck, And hell followed with it..."

- The Apocrypha Terra

Ten thousand years ago, nine of the Primarchs and their attendant Space Marine Legions saw through the lies that the Emperor told as he undertook his Great Crusade. They realised that his disavowal of the psyker and the entities of the Immaterium were little more than the mewling of a frightened kitten. They disagreed with his unwillingness to pry too deeply into the lost secrets of mankind's ancient past. Most importantly, they viewed his abandonment of the Great Crusade and return to Terra - leaving Horus and his fellow Primarchs to prosecute the Crusade - as the actions of an uncaring father, abandoning his dutiful sons. Angered, hurt, and betrayed, they took up arms against their father, and tore the Imperium asunder with civil war. Though the Emperor's vast armies were triumphant in the end, the Dark Gods rewarded those who followed Horus. They, the Traitor Legions, have been devoted followers of the Ruinous Powers ever since, constantly striving to bring the influence of the Immaterium to all those who might embrace its ways. Those who have met with success have continued to garner new blessings that have become integrated with their superhuman natures.

The Traitor Legions
The Traitor Legions of the Chaos Space Marines represent 9 of the 20 original First Founding Legions of Space Marines who were created by the Emperor of Mankind from the genomes of his 20 Primarchs in the late 30th Millennium to fight the Great Crusade that forged the Imperium of Man. At this time Horus, the Warmaster of the Imperial forces and Primarch of the XVIth Legion, the Luna Wolves, (which the Emperor allowed him to rename the Sons of Horus in his honour before the onset of the Horus Heresy to demonstrate his status as first-among-equals among the other Primarchs), was corrupted by Chaos and instigated the galaxy-wide Imperial civil war known as the Horus Heresy in his determination to replace the rule of the Emperor with his own.

After the death of Horus at the hands of the Emperor aboard his flagship, the Vengeful Spirit, during the Battle of Terra that saw the conclusion of the Horus Heresy, the remnants of the nine Traitor Legions fled, along with the other Traitor Imperial forces that now served Chaos, into an area of the galaxy where the Warp bled into realspace, creating the permanent Warp Storm known as the Eye of Terror. Due to the nature of Chaos, and the temporal instability of the Warp, many of the very same Chaos Space Marines who revolted against the Emperor more than 10 millennia ago continue to fight against the Imperium today, having effectively been granted a tortured immortality by the will of the Ruinous Powers.

The Traitor Legions have kept their old names, with the exception of the Sons of Horus who were renamed the Black Legion by their new leader, Abaddon the Despoiler, once Horus' chief lieutenant and the First Captain of the Luna Wolves before he followed Horus into damnation. Besides Horus, two other Traitor Primarchs were killed during or shortly after the Heresy (Alpharius of the Alpha Legion and Konrad Curze of the Night Lords). The six surviving Traitor Primarchs have since been transformed into Daemon Princes by the Chaos Gods. These daemonic Primarchs rarely take part in the affairs of their Legions. Four of the Traitor Legions have pledged a singular loyalty to one of the great Chaos Gods. while the others serve the interests of Chaos as a whole in the form of Chaos Undivided. Due to the nature of Chaos and those who choose to serve it, not long after the end of the Heresy the Traitor Legions, save for the Word Bearers, largely stopped operating as unified military organisation and instead devolved into a series of separate and often competing warbands. The Traitor Marines who command these warbands, all potent Chaos Champions, seek their own personal glorification and the eventual opportunity to become Daemon Princes in their own right by earning victories in the cause of Chaos.

Each of the 9 Astartes Traitor Legions fights using a different style of warfare that is defined by their Legion's culture and nature; also, 4 of the 9 -- the Emperor's Children, the World Eaters, the Thousand Sons and the Death Guard -- are dedicated specifically to the service of one of the four major Chaos Gods, Slaanesh, Khorne, Tzeentch and Nurgle, respectively. The other five Traitor Legions essentially serve the interests of all of the Ruinous Powers collectively in the form of Chaos Undivided.

The 9 Chaos Space Marine Traitor Legions who joined the rebellion of the Warmaster Horus against the Emperor, fully one half of the Space Marine Legions created during the First Founding are (in order of their Founding):

IIIrd Legion (Emperor's Children)
The Emperor's Children were one of the earliest of the Space Marine Legions to declare itself for Horus and his Traitors, fighting at his side against its own Loyalists during the Istvaan III Atrocity and against the Loyalist Legions during the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V. The IIIrd Legion and its Primarch Fulgrim had been corrupted following its encounter with the Slaanesh-worshipping xenos race known as the Laer and their world of Laeran late in the Great Crusade. The rot spread quickly through the Legion, and the Emperor’s Children embraced Chaos, particularly the Prince of Pleasure, in all its depravity. Little trace can now be seen of the original armour and equipment of the Emperor’s Children, covered as it is by skins of iridescent fur or scales, jewels, or the fantastical renderings of screaming faces or rutting beasts. The Emperor’s Children fight for sensation and sensory overload, bringing a clashing cacophony of sound, colour, and energy to the battlefield.

IVth Legion (Iron Warriors)
The Iron Warriors once formed the Emperor’s legion of siege troops. They fought on a hundred worlds in the Great Crusade, laying siege to alien citadels and the palaces of Heretics with equal gusto. The Iron Warrior’s Primarch, Perturabo, excelled in the arts of siege and trench warfare above all else, and his treatise on fortifications and their reduction formed the basis of several sections of the Tactica Imperialis. The Iron Warriors betrayed the Emperor on Istvaan V, their mazes of bunkers and razor wire becoming a death trap for their Loyalist brethren instead of the sanctuary they promised to be. The Iron Warriors wear relatively unadorned armour that is commonly pieced together from the older marks for its heavier frontal protection. They favour heavy weaponry like Lascannons or Missile Launchers for long-range engagements, although well-equipped Iron Warriors Assault Squads are also rightly feared. The Iron Warriors also possess the highest number of Obliterators amongst the Traitor Legions.

VIIIth Legion (Night Lords)
Led by their saturnine Primarch, Konrad Curze (also known the Night Haunter) the Night Lords were greatly feared even before the Heresy. Curze believed in the use of terror as a weapon and his foes quickly learned to fear the night. The Night Lords were one of the first Legions to join Horus' rebellion, turning on what they saw as a weak-willed Emperor incapable of having the strength to lead. Even after the Warmaster's defeat, the Night Lords have continued to wage an unremitting campaign of terror against the Imperium. The Night Lords refuse to follow any of the Chaos Gods, and have become cynical, hard-bitten, and frighteningly ruthless warriors. They fight for the pleasure of it, and for the material rewards it can bring, and not for the worship of some deity. They look down upon their more dedicated brethren, whether they are fanatical Chaos Space Marines like the World Eaters, or zealous Loyalist Space Marines like the Dark Angels.

XIIth Legion (World Eaters)
Under the Primarch Angron, the World Eaters underwent psycho-surgery that transformed an already fierce legion into bloodthirsty berserkers through the use of cortical implants known as the Butcher's Nails pioneered on their Primarch's homeworld of Nuceria. When they betrayed the Imperium, it was of little surprise that the vast majority dedicated themselves to Khorne. The XIIth Legion fractured after the Heresy, scattering into many small warbands across the galaxy that frequently serve as mercenaries to other Chaos commanders. As is fitting to their patron God, the World Eaters wear armour as red as arterial blood, edged with brass and decorated with skulls and symbols of Khorne. Most disdain long-ranged warfare, preferring to close with the enemy to kill them with Chainaxe, Power Sword, and (if need be) Bolt Pistols.

XIVth Legion (Death Guard)
The Death Guard's sense of loyalty to the Warmaster and their Primarch Mortarion, triumphed over their duty to the Emperor on distant Terra, and so, they unknowingly followed both into damnation. The rebel Death Guard Legion was marooned in the Warp during the long journey to Terra to join the attack on the Imperial Palace. A mysterious, unstoppable contagion spread through the trapped fleet, putrefying all it touched. Mortarion himself became infected and in his delirium he called upon the Powers of Chaos to aid his Space Marines. Mortarion’s fevered ravings were answered by Nurgle, and Mortarion became Nurgle’s foremost mortal Chaos Champion and eventually his Daemon Prince. The Death Guard survived but they continue to bear the marks of Nurgle's first blessings upon them. Their once-white armour became stained and cracked where the bubbling foulness of their mortal bodies had erupted to the surface. They bear the three-lobed mark of Nurgle rendered as flies or rotting heads upon banners and shoulder guards. Their Bolters and Chainswords are caked with filth and rust but are no less deadly. The Death Guard favor the use of heavy infantry, and are notorious for their brutality. Plague and contagion have become the Death Guard’s primary weapons and they can be found anywhere in the galaxy spreading Nurgle's foul blessings.

XVth Legion (Thousand Sons)
The path to damnation for the Thousand Sons Legion of Space Marines was longer than most, but its final plunge more complete than any. Even before the Horus Heresy the Sons' cyclopean Primarch Magnus the Red led his sons in the study of arcane lore and the practice of sorcery despite the Emperor’s disapproval and the outright ban on such practices at the Council of Nikaea. When Horus gathered his forces the Thousand Sons tried to use their occult powers to warn the Emperor of the Warmaster's betrayal. The Emperor did not trust Magnus's warnings, disbelieving that Horus would betray Him, and seeing that Magnus had disobeyed him by using sorcery, He ordered the Thousand Sons' Primarch to be taken captive and brought in chains to Terra to answer for his disobedience. Leman Russ and the Space Wolves Legion were sent to escort the Thousand Sons' Primarch to Terra, but their mission was altered by Horus, which saw the destruction of their home world Prospero. To survive and protect their accumulated wisdom, the Thousand Sons sought the patronage of the Chaos Power Tzeentch, Changer of the Ways, greatest master of magic among the Chaos Gods. During the terrible battle known as the Burning of Prospero, Tzeentch transported Magnus and his surviving sons to the Daemon World in the Eye of Terror called the Planet of the Sorcerers. The surviving Thousand Sons have since been split by internal schisms, their pursuit of occult knowledge estranging them from each other and even their cyclopean Daemon Primarch. A cabal of renegade Sorcerers led by their once-Chief Librarian Ahriman unleashed a great sorcerous spell, known as the Rubric of Ahriman upon the Legion in order to prevent further mutation and corruption of its members by Chaos. This mighty spell reduced most of the Thousand Sons to soulless suits of animated armour known as Rubric Marines, but left the surviving Sorcerers unmatched in power.

XVIth Legion (Black Legion)
In the First Founding the XVIth Legion was created as the Luna Wolves. The Emperor subsequently allowed his favoured son Horus to rename the Legion "the Sons of Horus" in recognition of his accomplishments in the Ullanor Crusade and in honour of its Primarch. The Sons of Horus willingly followed their beloved Primarch and Warmaster into rebellion, fighting at the very forefront of his most important campaigns. The Sons of Horus stood out as the elite of the Chaos armies, with a very aggressive and efficient method of war -- the fielding of elite and specialised units to destroy enemy command and isolate divisions from one another -- methods upheld by the legion still. During the Heresy massive recruitment of new marines from Cthonia occurred, giving the legion numerical superiority to most legions as well. When Horus was defeated by the Emperor at the Battle of Terra, the Legion's morale and pride was shattered. After their defeat, the Black Legion and their fellow Traitor Legions were driven into the hellish realm of the Eye of Terror by the vengeful Imperial forces. Soon, the Sons of Horus lost their primacy as the preeminent legion, as the Legion Wars ensued. This conflict marked the final collapse of unity between the Chaos-corrupted Space Marine Legions that had fought unified under the banner of Horus Lupercal during the Horus Heresy. In their despair the Sons of Horus gave themselves to the worship of one Chaos Power after another, and lost many of their number through possession and madness. The legion as a whole broke up after the events on Maeleum and now is largely fleet-based, with several bastions within the Eye. The Black Legion was formed shortly afterwards under the strong leadership of Abaddon the Despoiler, the First Captain of the Sons of Horus, who claimed Horus' mantle as the Warmaster of Chaos Undivided. Now all the leaders of the Black Legion warbands will, in varying degrees, answer to. As the Black Legion, the former Sons of Horus repainted their Legion colours to black in memory and permanent mourning of their fallen Primarch. The Black Legion is also known to recruit members from other Legions, bully them into alliances, demand tithes, and absorb renegades from newly formed chaos warbands. In this way, the Black Legion has become the largest ilk of Chaos Space Marines, and has reclaimed is status of primacy among them. Possessed, Chaos Terminators, and Chosen, have a strong presence in the legion, corroborating their elite disposition. Its hardened survivors lead warbands against the Imperium to this day, eager to expunge the bitter memory of Horus' defeat.

XVIIth Legion (Word Bearers)
Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers Legion, was a scrupulous and dedicated follower of the Imperial Cult, and in many ways was the founder of the religion of Emperor-worship called the Lectitio Divinitatus that would one day become the Adeptus Ministorum. He led his XVIIth Legion in the building of vast monuments and immense rituals during the Great Crusade to secure the faith of those that were conquered in the God-Emperor. The Emperor rejected Lorgar’s efforts however, telling him that he needed his Space Marines to fight, not worship and to serve the secular Imperial Truth which disdained all religion and superstition. Lorgar's disillusionment with the Emperor's impiety drove him to worship of the Chaos Powers during the Pilgrimage of Lorgar undertaken some 43 standard years before the start of the Horus Heresy, entities that truly demanded worship and sacrifice from their followers. When Horus raised his banner the Word Bearers, who had largely driven Horus into corruption by Chaos from behind the scenes, eagerly followed him into rebellion along with a thousand hidden Chaos Cults they had established on the worlds they had brought into Imperial Compliance in the last days of the Great Crusade. The Word Bearers' fanatical zealotry has become dedicated to the worship of Chaos in its purest form, unadulterated by the veneration of any particular Chaos Power over the others. In battle the Word Bearers are known to summon daemons en masse, using them as a horde of deadly effective infantry troops while their Chaos Space Marines execute specific objectives. They are the only Traitor Legion that still maintains the rank of Chaplain, the darkly twisted individuals holding this office now known as Dark Apostles, and leading their brethren in heretical prayers and insane catechisms. Immense cathedrals and rune-etched monuments still rise in the wake of the Word Bearer’s conquests, but now they are blasphemous dedications to the glory that is Chaos.

XXth Legion (Alpha Legion)
The Alpha Legion was the twentieth and final Legion created in the First Founding. During the Great Crusade the XXth Legion earned renown for its strict discipline and organization. The Alpha Legion strove hard to outshine its brethren in all things and prove their worthiness to be among the older Legions. The war-lust of the Alpha Legion easily led them into heresy when Horus declared himself against the Emperor, though some legends say that the Alpha Legion secretly remains loyal to the Emperor in perhaps the greatest of the many deceptions and ploys it has worked. Here at last was their chance to prove themselves against opponents just as tough, as battle hardened, and ferocious as themselves. The Alpha Legion did much to ravage the Eastern Fringe during the Heresy, pursuing their own set of objectives far from Terra. In the ten millennia since they have continued to strike from bases hidden all over the galaxy. Unusually the Alpha Legion actively cultivates Chaos Cultists and rebels, multiplying their impact many times over. The Inquisition holds a special loathing for the Alpha Legion for their part in spreading Chaos Cults and fanning the embers of heresy into the raging fires of outright rebellion.

The Black Crusades
Due to the fractious nature of the Dark Gods, the warbands in service to a particular Ruinous Power often view other Traitor Marine warbands who serve its patron's rival deity as even more appropriate targets for their wrath than the servants of the Emperor. With such an attitude prevailing among the corrupted Astartes, it has often proven impossible for the Traitor Legions to present a united front against the Imperium since the death of Horus, which is one reason why they have never enjoyed a similar series of military successes over the past ten millennia. The closest thing to unity that has appeared amongst the Traitor Legions and other Chaos Space Marines is when Abaddon the Despoiler, Warmaster of the Black Legion, launches one of his periodic Black Crusades into Imperial space under the banner of Chaos Undivided. These are temporary periods of unity amongst all the Forces of Chaos when they seek to overwhelm the Imperium's defenses surrounding the Eye of Terror and drive on Terra once more. Abaddon is the only Champion of Chaos since Horus himself who is able to command, however begrudgingly and briefly, the loyalty of all nine Traitor Legions, and he has led twelve Black Crusades out of the Eye of Terror against the Imperium of Man. The latest, the 13th Black Crusade, was launched in 999.M41 and has proven the most successful for the Forces of Chaos since the Horus Heresy. The Chaotic troops have been able to seize a foothold on the surface of the Fortress World of Cadia, though the Imperial Navy has so far managed to blockade Abaddon's Traitor Marines and the other Forces of Chaos from breaking out into the Cadian Gate, the only clear pathway through the Warp from the Eye of Terror into open Imperial space. Should the Chaotics manage to eventually break out of the Imperial Navy's stranglehold, the Chaos Space Marines may at last, after 10,000 years, bring down the realm of the Corpse Emperor and gain their vengeance for long millennia of exile. Then the galaxy will tremble as the servants of the Dark Gods at last throw down the Corpse Emperor and claim the souls of Mankind for their own.

Chaos Warbands
What is a Warband? Chaos Space Marines - lacking Traitor Legions, Chapters, and companies - are divided into armies of separate warbands, which is anathema to the regulated, traditional Space Marines of the Imperium. Warbands might be temporary or eternal, depending on the theme of unity, as well as the leader's strength and personality.

The way of Chaos is fraught with conflict and violence. Even the lowliest acolyte faces death with each passing moment. This is the way of things within the warp, where ambition runs high and power is the currency of trade. To survive the mutating eddies and rampant hostility of the warp is to embrace conflict for one's own gain. For beings of such unchecked aggression and rapacious greed, the vast expanse of real space offers little better conditions. Hunted as heretics and usurpers by the forces of mankind, the controlled space of the Imperium offers little succor to the hated devotees of Chaos. Likewise, though they are less numerous, the myriad cultures of the xenos races present an equally hostile opposition to the servants of the Dark Gods. The enemies of Chaos often attack in vast numbers -- howling zealots, skittering Hordes, and ranked warriors. Alone, such enemies would stand no chance against a Heretic. In large groups, however, they can pose an overwhelming threat. A Chaos Warband however, has the potential to harm Heretics by sheer weight of fire and numbers.

Chaos Space Marine armies are not organised by company, by Chapter, or by Legion. Loyalist Space Marines have companies and Chapters. Space Marines and Chaos Marines both used to have organised Legions. Not anymore. In the 10,000 years since the Horus Heresy, the Traitor Legions have almost entirely dissolved. While the Black Legion - led by Abaddon the Despoiler, the chosen one of the Chaos Gods - has grown immensely powerful, even they spent centuries (perhaps even longer) getting slaughtered by the other Traitor Legions for their failure. In the Eye of Terror, it's not an empire of peace and mutual respect. Chaos Space Marines are constantly killing each other when they're not out killing the people of the Imperium. The World Eaters are the other obvious example of a Legion that was reduced to scattered warbands, by the actions of Khârn the Betrayer during the Battle of Skalathrax. But in ten millennia, the reason the Black Legion is so powerful is because they are the largest, by far. The other Traitor Legions have disintegrated, breaking down through millennia of civil war, battles with the Imperium, wars with rival Chaos Space Marine forces, and internal rivalries.

Thankfully, Warbands appear to be relatively rare. While many of the Traitor Legions have fragmented into warbands or individual Grand Companies under a charismatic or particularly brutal Chaos Lord, most retain at least a nominal allegiance to their parent Legion. Alternatively, they may have cast off their past allegiances and forsaken their former brethren, moving onwards to their own ends. In some instances, such a warband might also include human renegades fallen from the Imperium and allied with the Ruinous Powers. Some may have attracted an army of human, xenos, or even daemonic followers. Others might travel the galaxy in isolation, working with others only reluctantly as a means to an end. Likewise, their goals can vary wildly, from the desire to avenge themselves on the Imperium and Emperor that betrayed them, to the thirst for power amongst their fellows, to the hunger for knowledge and arcane lore.

Inspiration for a Warband
There are potentially many different reason how your Warband was founded or why it exists. Just because most Chaos Marines are broken into fractured warbands, it doesn't mean there should be no rules for a warband made up entirely of Astartes from the same Legion, still trying to remain together. Below are just a few ideas you could utilise in the creation of your Fanon Warband:


 * A struggling Black Legion champion who must turn to other - even weaker Chaos Undivided warbands - to unite them into a powerful raiding force.
 * A powerful Word Bearers Daemon Prince who draws his forces from the Word Bearers and a coven of Thousand Son Chaos Sorcerers who ally with him, bringing a small host of Rubric Marines.
 * An ambitious Night Lords commander who allies his Chaos Biker warband with the remnants of an Emperor's Children army they recently defeated, because the Emperor Children's commander pledged fealty rather than be destroyed.
 * Two Renegade Space Marine Chapters, whose numbers are sorely depleted, ban together to ensure their mutual survival and work with several Chaos Space Marines of the Obliterator Cult, who were drawn to the Renegades' updated and recent Imperial wargear.

Remember, there are limitless ideas and potential when coming up with your backstory for your Fanon Warband. Rather than writing about the same old boring Black Legion or Word Bearers themed warband, instead, you might want to try making it themed around two allied Chaos Lords uniting the remnants of their separate Emperor's Children and Night Lords forces into one unified warband. This would make your warband both unique and might inspire you when creating future lore. Would these two Chaos Lords turn on each other one day? Almost certainly. Chaos Space Marines always end up turning on one another. In the Eye of Terror, there's plenty of oath-breaking and they're always at war, and alliances tend to shift all the time. But this would make for both an interesting backstory and a very unique warband.

Keep in the mind, the published lore, almost overwhelmingly, says the Traitor Legions are broken up compared to their original incarnations. Yes, many warbands still maintain Legion-specific forces, and yes, several of the Legions still maintain vague ties of overall cohesion. But the majority of Chaos Space Marines are essentially divided, with varying degrees of loyalty and hatred to their leaders and one another. That's one of the things that makes it so dramatic and cool. They have difficulty even trusting their own brothers!

Again, there are nuances, here. The Traitor Legions aren't towering monolithic entities, anymore. Even the "unified" ones are splintered into warbands that make up the old Legion, and have their share of rivalries. It's not as clear cut as "Everyone is splintered" or "Everyone is still in the Legions." Some Traitor Legions, although fragmented compared to the way they were in the Horus Heresy, still maintain varying degrees of Legion unity. Therefore, many warbands will be made up entirely of Legion-specific Chaos Space Marines. This is already acknowledged, and doesn't go against the notion that most warbands are made up of Chaos Space Marines bound together by the worship of a particular Chaos God or a charismatic leader, rather than Legion allegiance.

Chaos Space Marine Warband Names
Every Chaos Space Marine Warband needs a name, a title by which its fell deeds are cursed in the annals of the Imperium and by its enemies know their doom is upon them. The name of a Renegade Chapter often describes it some way, linking to its corrupted Battle-Brothers' essential character or dark mission. There are many ways in which a new Chapter might be granted its title. Sometimes it is bestowed by the Inquisition, linking it to some bloody atrocity or infamous massacre committed by the Warband. In other cases the Warband may chose to keep their original name, to remind themselves that they are still loyal to the Emperor and not his corrupted Imperium.

Many people like to base their Fanon Warband on a real-life culture they are interested in. A name associated with a certain culture says to a reader that a particular theme is quite obvious. When inventing the name for your new Warband, the best source is the character of its parent Traitor Legion itself, although, a Warband could easily have an altogether different philosphy or demeanour than their parent Traitor Legion, so by no means, do you need to feel obligated to use their Legion's culture of origin as inspiration.

The two tables presented below provides some ideas for the various elements of the name should you need some inspiration. Most Chapter names have two such elements, broadly speaking an adjective and a noun, but a huge scope for variation exists. The simplest and most common names feature an attributive adjective, followed by the noun (such as "Brazen Beasts" or "Argent Hammers"). The adjective and noun can also be reversed (such as "Angels Crimson"). Plenty of Chapters use just a single word to sum up their identity (such as the "Invocators" or the "Violators") while others use a proper noun in their title, such as the "Damned Company of Lord Caustos" (Caustos being the Chaos Lord that leads this infamous Warband). When randomly generating a name, in all likelihood it will take a good few goes to produce something usable, so use the tables as a source of inspiration.

Chaos Space Marine Warband Name Adjectives

 * Angels of
 * Apocalypse
 * Apostles of
 * Argent
 * Ashen
 * Astral
 * Beasts
 * Berserkers of
 * Black
 * Blades
 * Bleeding
 * '''Blood
 * Bloody
 * Bronze
 * Brotherhood of
 * Children of
 * Chosen of
 * Claws of
 * Clerics of
 * Company of
 * Corpse
 * Corpus
 * Crimson
 * Crusaders of
 * Damned
 * Dark
 * Death
 * Dire
 * Disciples of
 * Dragon
 * Emperor's
 * Exquisite
 * Fire
 * Flame
 * Flawless
 * Foresworn
 * Furious
 * Graven
 * Grey
 * Hateful
 * Iron
 * Jealous
 * Killing
 * Knights of
 * Lords of
 * Luna
 * Monstrous
 * Night
 * Nightmare
 * Oracles of
 * Occult
 * Predator
 * Prodigal
 * Prophets of
 * Putrid
 * Red
 * Unquiet
 * Rotting
 * Savage
 * Screaming
 * Seekers
 * Serpents
 * Shadowed
 * Shining
 * Silver
 * Skull
 * Slaughter
 * Sons of
 * Steel
 * Swords of
 * Tainted
 * Twisted
 * Ulcerous
 * Venomous
 * Warband of
 * Warriors of
 * Wild
 * The name of the Warband's patron Chaos God
 * The name of the Warband's hero or Chaos Lord

Renegade Chapter Name Nouns

 * Angels
 * Axes
 * Beasts
 * Blades
 * Bloody
 * Brethren
 * Brothers
 * Brotherhood
 * Chosen
 * Claws
 * Corsairs
 * Creatures
 * Damnation
 * Death
 * Disciples
 * Drakes
 * Dragons
 * Exiles
 * Eyes
 * Fangs
 * Fists
 * Flame
 * Gorgons
 * Guard(s)
 * Hate
 * Host
 * Hounds
 * Insane
 * Jackals
 * Legion
 * Lords
 * Malice
 * Knights
 * Knives
 * Lords
 * Marauders
 * Mongers
 * Ones
 * Ravagers
 * Reapers
 * Reavers
 * Sabres
 * Shadows
 * Skulls
 * Slaughter
 * Sons
 * Stalkers
 * Swords
 * Tormentors
 * Takers
 * Terrors
 * Undead
 * Warriors
 * Wyverns
 * Zealous
 * '''The name of the Warband's home world
 * The name of a Warband's hero or Chaos Lord

When Was Your Warband Founded?
Not all Warbands are the descended from the original First Founding Space Marine Legions. Many might have been created centuries or even millennia later, after being driven from the Imperium of Man once they were declared Excommunicate Traitoris for some perceived misdeed or open worship of the Ruinous Powers.

Note - To determine when your Warband was created, either chose a date which most suits you (keeping within the canon dates provided), or look below on the chart provided. Note that because the exact dates of the twenty-six Foundings that have occurred are not known for certain (apart from the last Founding, which took place in 738.M41), only rough periods are given. No one knows the exact date of every Founding, or how many Chapters were created during each. It stands to reason that with each successive Founding the numbers of Chapters created will have increased, for successive generations of Successors will have provided more and more gene-stock with which to create new Chapters. However, the course of the Imperium's history has never run smoothly and it has been beset by galaxy-wide disasters on numerous occasions. Besides this, much of the Space Marines' genetic inheritance has been compromised by taint and corruption, only made worse by the passage of time. While it is known how many Chapters were created in the Second Founding, records of subsequent Foundings are incomplete or entirely hidden and accounts often contradictory.

Gene-Seed
Perhaps the single most important consideration in creating your own Fanon Warband is the source of its gene-stock, and how "pure" the warband's inheritance still is. Even a Warband created using the gene-seed of a Progenitor as pure as the Ultramarines may have developed deficiencies in its genetic inheritance, with some zygotes becoming irreparably unstable over the generations.

Below is listed a number of Progenitor Legions which might have provided your Warband with its genetic inheritance:

Gene-Stock Purity
Having determined which Fist Founding Legion provided the basis of your Warband's gene-stock, then one has to determine the gene-stock's purity. For example, a battle-brother from a Chapter that was created using the genetic inheritance of the Sons of Horus, would have the same demeanour and traditions as their Progenitors. However, not all those created after the original founding First Founding Legions follow their progenitor's traditions or share all of its genetic inheritance. While some Chapters are created using the "pure" gene-seed of the Progenitors, others are created using later generation Successors of the same Legion. Thus, a Chapter of the Twenty-Sixth Founding could actually have a "purer" genetic inheritance than one of the Sixth, for example, depending on which Progenitor or Successor provided the gene-stock. In writing terms, this is relevant because players may want to know how closely the new Chapter resembles its Progenitor. Below are four most common gene-stock purity types:
 * Pure - The newer Chapter is a direct descendant of its Progenitor. It is likely to have maintained close contact with its Progenitor and many brother Successors, and formerly followed the traditions of its peers closely. Battle-Brothers drawn from such Chapters usually followed all of the rules for those of their Progenitor. But after their fall to Chaos, have more than likely grown to despise them, especially if they become Renegade.
 * A New Generation - Attempts have been made to "breed out" real or perceived flaws in the Progenitor's gene-stock, introducing some divergence. Such Chapters often go on to define their own traditions and write their own histories, looking forward to the future more than back to the past. Some links might have been maintained with the Progenitor Chapter, but it is just as likely that the new Chapter struck out entirely on its own. Battle-brothers from this type of Chapter formerly followed all the same rules for those drawn from its Progenitor, but were not tied to the Progenitor's Chapter deameanour.
 * Altered Stock ("Chimeric") - For whatever reason, the Chapter's gene-seed has subtly altered, causing some zygotes to become deficient. While some links are maintained with the Progenitor, the Battle-Brothers of the Chapter may be shunned, for they appear subtly different to their brethren. Battle-brotherss drawn from this Chapter follow the normal rules for the Progenitor, but often possess gene-seed deficiencies.
 * Warp-Touched - The Chapter's gene-seed have felt the touch of the Warp, either subtly or overtly. They show signs of physical mutation and might be shunned by certain Traitor Legions, or embraced by others.
 * Tainted - A major flaw has been introduced, marking the Chapter apart from its brother Successors. Chapters suffering some kind of flaw are often forced to forge their own destiny, either embracing their fate or raging against it. Most of those affected by such flaws are consumed by it, burning brightly, if all too briefly. The Renegade Chapter had adopted strange and esoteric manners and customs that might cause hatred. Their ways definitely affect how others interact with them.

Renegade Demeanours
"I swear to make war on the Imperium and its people, and I will go to my grave attempting to tear down the walls of that benighted, decadent, and foolish empire. It is not I, at long last, who have betrayed the Imperium, it is the Imperium who has betrayed me. It is the Imperium who has betrayed us all."

- Commander Phineas Gage

The following Demeanours are intended to represent the characteristics that might be displayed by Renegade Chapters that have some measure of their own tradition and history, yet no longer maintains any links with their Progenitor and other Chapters. The Chapter may be several generations separated from its sire, and also have its home world many hundreds or thousands of light years away, the distance contributing to the divergence. It should be noted that these Demeanours are on the whole not as "extreme" or detailed as those presented as part of a full set of Chapter rules. This is largely because Chapters with such a set have been around for a long time or have something exceptional about them that sets them apart from the bulk of Chapters and calls for a set of unique rules. Secondly, writers should really be creating their own Chapter not to gain a suite of abstract advantages over other Chapters but to indulge their creative urges and foster more opportunities for rewarding imaginative writing.

Below are listed the most common types of Progenitor Demeanours found within Renegade Adeptus Astartes Chapters:

Renegade Demeanours

 * Brotherhood -Strangely enough this Warband shows little to no fracturing in its ranks. Its warriors fight side by side and work together to achieve victory, and stick together to survive in the unforgiving universe.
 * Annihilation - Warbands who display this trait believe that no trace of the weak should be allowed to survive. Going so far as to destroy worlds just to eradicate their enemy, Warbands such as these often favour weaponry that immolates, incinerates, or atomises their enemies, and those that their enemies protect.
 * Pitiless - Some Warbands become so addicted to murder that they will place the chance to slaughter masses of innocents and enemies above all else. This can cause wider tactical problems, especially when working with other more coordinated Renegade Chapters or Chaos Warbands.
 * Embrace Corruption - The Warband embraces the touch of Chaos and welcomes mutants, possessed and the deformed into their ranks. Hating purity they seek to remove themselves from their common human forms and become something unique, as every mutant is different.
 * Warriors of the Warp - Some Warbands favour using the Warp's powers more than they should. Warbands that have this trait will use sorcery and Warp-enhanced weaponry as well as Daemons in their battles and make frequent gratifying use of them.
 * Mark of the Hunter - The Warband enjoys nothing more than hunting their enemies across the battlefield, stalking them unseen but not unheard, then striking his target is at its weakest, without mercy or restraint.
 * Aura of Madness - The Warband has been touched by the Warp, but not of the flesh but the mind. Madness runs deep within the Warband and its members can shift moods within an instant. Traitor Marines are as quick to anger as they are to jest. They can be impatient but can either show remarkable initiative in the face of the enemy or make utterly horrible suggestions that make sense only to their broken minds.
 * Human Dominance - Chaos hates the alien just as strongly as the Imperium, but some Warbands have suffered heavily at the hands of ravening aliens, and harbour a special hatred for a particular xenos strain, or all aliens.
 * Death to the False Emperor and All His Slaves - The Warband holds more hatred than most for the False Emperor and his servants, taking every chance they can get to strike at the Imperium, no matter how small the target or how weak the gain will be. For them, just killing an Imperial dog is enough, be they a mighty loyalist Space Marine or just a simple Imperial civilian.
 * Will of the Gods - The Warband holds the word of the Dark Gods above all, and believe they will guide them in all things and eschew the use of stealthy tactics, preferring to make bold, frontal assaults and declare their allegiance immediately, so that the enemy knows the Dark Gods' servants have come for their souls.

Progenitor Demeanours (Warbands Only)

 * Black Legion: Death to the False Emperor! - The Black Legion are proud and believe highly in their own skills, and that of their Warmaster Abaddon. They do not tolerate insults towards themselves and will likely react with explosive anger. A Black Legion Chaos Space Marine can possess little or great solidarity with his brother-Astartes. Either way, treachery towards the Legion is not unthinkable to them.
 * Emperor's Children: Pain and Pleasure - The Emperor's Children have no limits in how far they will go for a new experience and no restraint in what they will try. Constantly desiring stimulation the Emperor's Children roam the galaxy hunting for new and exciting things to try, do and kill. But these never last and they will always grow bored. As a Legion the Emperor's Children are universally arrogant and preening. They look down their noses at other Legions and hold a colossal pride in themselves.
 * Iron Warriors: Iron Within, Iron Without - The Iron Warriors are the masters of siege warfare, no fortress, garrison or emplacement is too hard for them to crack open, and no defender strong enough to withstand their rage. An Iron Warrior is often cold and laconic, preferring to let actions speak louder than words, but when they do speak they are gruff and hard as the iron they take their name from.
 * Night Lords: Desire for Revenge - The Sons of Curze are a brooding and ill-tempered group. They roam space tearing at the Imperium in revenge for the murder of their Primarch thousands of years ago. For them the memory is fresh and they eke out a hard existence, working to destroy the very fabric of the Imperium. A Night Lord usually feels a good connection with his Legion, though they may still hate each other, they will often stick together, though this is not a universal rule.
 * World Eaters: Blood and Skulls - The hunger for blood never ends for a World Eater. They will take any chance for a fight that they can get, and during battle they lose themselves in the haze of blood and killing. A World Eaters warband favours close combat above all else and despises sorcery. World Eaters are often mentally damaged and feature strange cybernetic augmentations, sometimes unnecessary and always painful ones.
 * Death Guard: Pestilence and Plague - The Death Guard is a aloof and isolated legion. They do not speak where other legions would, and are often reserved around others. They despise the healthy and beautiful due to their own wrecked forms and enjoy nothing more than infecting things, bringing them down to their level. Their stubborn and implacable battle techniques win them many victories, with a slow cautious, but strong, advance on enemy lines being a simple tactic, but effective.
 * Thousand Sons: Masters of the Warp - The Sorcerers of the Thousand Sons prize knowledge above all else. They consider it their right to take what knowledge they want and hoard it for its own "safe-keeping". They hate those who decry learning and intellect, and who take a stand against sorcery. They will often use foresight as a method of choosing a target and use the powers of the warp as much, perhaps more, than their own weapons.
 * Word Bearers: Faith and Blood - The Word Bearers are the greatest zealots in the galaxy. To even consider questioning the will and word of the Dark Gods or their servants is unthinkable. A Word Bearer will always take pride in tearing down the symbols of false faiths and corrupting the innocent souls of the weak. Word Bearers are resolute in their faith and often have a litany or doxology of Chaos on their lips, scriptures on their skin and armor and hate for all things Imperial in their hearts.
 * Alpha Legion: Secrets Beyond Count - Shrouded in mystery, the Alpha Legion have been declared destroyed by the Imperium at least three times, only to reappear after each declaration. They work behind the scenes of war, favouring long game and strategies that involve manipulating others rather than going in guns blazing. Alpha Legionnaires are secretive and keep to themselves, using every tactic they can to confound the enemy.

Mutations
"Twisted in flesh is twisted in soul."

- Abbess Sevencia of Sisk The Chaos Gods are generous but erratic with their favours. When blessing one of their followers, a Chaos God might make them stronger, tougher, faster, astonishingly attractive, hyper-intelligent or otherwise improve their lot in the world. Just as likely, the Chaos God may feel their loyal subject would benefit from their toes falling off, having an eye sprout in their navel or being transformed into a dribbling and imbecile mountain of flesh. Most Gifts of Chaos take the form of some physical mutation. The more of these gifts a champion receives, the more potentially disastrous their cumulative effects can be - even the body of a Chaos Space Marine can only withstand so many mutations before he passes the point of no return.

Any champion of Chaos, regardless of prestige, can find himself on the road to becoming a Chaos Spawn, for the Dark Gods are fickle. A champion who does not earn himself the ultimate reward of Daemonhood will surely become a Spawn, unless he dies by some other means first. Such is the lot of the Chaos champion - those that survive are destined either for everlasting, diabolical glory or an ignominious end as a slavering heap of limbs and protrusions.


 * Tomb Sealed - The touch of the Warp has made the armour of the Warband's Chaos Space Marines turn partially alive and seal itself permanently, with their occupants still inside. Trapped within their own armour has set these Chaos marines apart from others, and only increased their rage at the universe.
 * Warp-Sight - The eyes of each Chaos-corrupted Astartes have become tainted. Now rather than see as normal men do they see strange things in place, such as souls, true spirit forms and warp signatures. A Renegade Chapter with this mutation may also see visions of the future, but these can be erratic and hard to interpret.
 * Psyker Influx - The Warband has an unusual number of Psykers in its ranks. Whether from mutated gene-stock, gene-seed or just the touch of the Warp this translates into more Chaos Sorcerers for the Renegade Chapter, or more ticking time bombs of mutation just waiting to explode.
 * Beastial Appearance - The Warband's warriors are rapidly growing claws, fangs, pincers, wings and other strange parts that belong on beasts rather than men, but it doesn't have too be seen as all bad.
 * Voice of the Daemonic - Due to a mutation in the body, the Chaos Marines of this Warband may speak in strange tones like two voices at once or grinding tones like a machine, or in strange languages that nobody but them can understand.
 * Gestalt (Merged) Consciousness - The warriors of the Warband display a connection to each others' bodies and minds. They can feel the pain of certain brothers and their thoughts as well, this can be a boon or a curse depending on how it is seen and who receives it.
 * Gene-Seed Damaged - There is something seriously wrong with the Warband's gene-seed, either through warp damage or progenitor defects. This could result in a weakened or hyper-sensitive organ, or could be a lost organ entirely, or an organ replaced with something more sinister. (See chart for Damaged Gene-Seed below.)
 * Warp Reflexes - The Warband has shown extremely quick reflexes, in fact it is that the warriors have permanently entered an enhanced state and react far quicker than normal reactions would allow, even for a Space Marine. However the energy drain is much higher than normal and these marines would display much higher hunger and thirst than normal Space Marines.
 * Esoteric Mutation - The chaotic influence of the Warp has yielded a mutation that is truly unique amongst all. Make up your own mutation, but make it a good one and truly mind-boggling in its capability.

Gene-Seed Deficiencies
Even the most noble of Chapters with the most glorious of histories can suffer instabilities in their gene-seed. In some cases the gene-stock is of such antiquity that it is inevitable that some small degree of mutation has crept in over the millennia. In others, mutations come about as an unanticipated side effect of an attempt to rectify another issue.

Below, is listed the most common gene-seed deficiencies found within most Warbands:


 * Hyper-stimulated Omophagea - Having tasted the flesh of the foe once, the Warband's warriors develop an addiction to the processes allowed by the Omophagea.
 * Oversensitive Occulobe - The organ that allows the Space Marines to see in low light conditions has become overly sensitised, working exceptionally well in the dark but suffering in full light conditions. The character can see in total dark as if it were merely low light, and low light as if it were full light. However, should he remove his helmet in full light conditions he will suffer.
 * Mutated Catalepsean Node - The implant that allows the Battle-Brother to enter a half-sleep in which he can remain alert for danger has become dangerously mutated. The Space Marine is unable to sleep normally, and stays awake for days, even weeks on end without effect. However, when sleep does come, sometimes with little or no warning, it is wont to last for many days on end.
 * Oolitic Secretions - The Warband's oolitic kidney function is unbalanced in such a way that the Battle-Brother's skin is turned an unusual colour due to its secretions. The Carcharodons (for example) have grey skin, while the Salamanders' is the colour of volcanic rock. A whole range of other colours is possible, and the more extreme might be viewed by some as a seriously disturbing mutation.
 * Endless Suspended Animation - Due to a malfunction in the Sus-an Membrane anytime that a Chaos Space Marine enters a suspended state they risk never coming out of it again, being trapped in a permanent coma, at least until the Renegade Chapter's apothecaries put them out of their misery.
 * Disturbing Voice - Due to a malfunction in or related to the function of the Betcher's gland, the Chapter’s brethren exhibit unusual vocal characteristics. Some cannot speak above a sibilant whisper for example, while others have deep, booming voices or speak with an otherworldly cant. Allies might find the effect disturbing, while enemies are likely to find it truly terrifying.
 * Lost Zygote - One of the Warband's zygotes has entirely ceased to function. The benefits of this Implant no longer apply. (See Limited or Missing Zygotes below)
 * Doomed - The Warband's Black Carapace or Progenoids have become so tainted that they will not function anymore, without the former future generations of Chaos Space Marines will be unable to interface with their power armour and without the latter there will be no future generations and to compensate the Warband must raid loyalist or traitor sources for fresh supplies. Battle-Brothers with this mutation are unaffected themselves, but know that unless their Warband's Apothecaries can affect a cure, they are the very last of their line. Renegade Chapters that live like this walk a dangerous line where a single mistake could mean extinction.
 * Multiple Instabilities - Some Warbands will have the dual misfortune of possessing one or more of these gene-seed deficiencies. It is up to the individual writer to determine which instabilities their Warband possesses.

A Warband's Heroes
"When the traitor's hand strikes, it strikes with the strength of a legion."

- Attributed to Warmaster Horus Lupercal, Legiones Astartes Sons of Horus

Every Warband has its founding fathers - the tyrants that founded them and kept them together, who led their Warband on its dark and bloody path of glory and infamy. These are often the warriors that came from the original Traitor Legions themselves. In addition to the question of who these warriors were is the question of why are they so venerated? Did they defeat a particular foe, did their deeds grant the Warband its name, livery or home world? Were they the first to see through the lies and corruption within the bloated and corrupt carcass that is the Imperium of Man, or did they lead their Warband onto its dark path into service of the Ruinous Powers? All of these possibilities provide the bedrock of the Warband's legends, which a writer can draw on when it comes to writing about their own Fanon Chaos Space Marine Warband. Below is a chart that shows the most common figures of legend. First off, determine who the single greatest hero of the Warband is, then determine secondary figures (such as the hero's companions and peers, or later heroes):
 * Traitor Marine
 * Chaos Lord
 * Chaos Sorcerer
 * Corrupted Chaplain/Dark Apostle* (*Word Bearers only)
 * Corrupted Techmarine
 * Void Master Chaos Lord
 * Corrupted Apothecary
 * Chaos Champion
 * Chaos Chosen
 * Chaos Space Marine
 * A Specialist of your choice - You can determine this figure of legend by selecting an Acolyte, Dreadnought, Specialist Chaos Marine (Khorne Berzerkers, Plague Marines, Noise Marines, etc), driver, pilot, etc.)

Deeds of Infamy
Next, you should determine why this figure of infamous legend is venerated by your Renegade Chapter. Below is a list of some of the most common deeds of infamy accomplished by your Renegade Chapter's most venerated heroes:
 * Bane of Orks - The figure is remembered as the bane of the Orks, to such an extent that his name is known to the vile greenskins even to this day.
 * Scourge of the Imperium - The individual was a prominent warrior in the Eternal War and destroyed an Imperial planet/system or inflicted spectacular damage to the Imperium in another way.
 * Loyalist Destroyer - The hero led a glorious campaign against a loyalist Space Marine Chapter, defeating the foe and killing their Chapter Master.
 * Eldar Slayer - The figure led an action against an Eldar craftworld, boarding it and inflicting grievous casualties before withdrawing. He and his Renegade Chapter are especially hated by the pernicious Eldar, for whom the event is still fresh and raw. The soul stones gathered that day earned him Slaanesh's favour.
 * Ascended - The hero gained so much favour that he earned the ultimate reward - eternity. Granted Daemonhood by the Chaos Gods he either continued to lead his Renegade Chapter or left for the Warp and parts unknown and unimaginable.
 * Unholy Crusader - The hero led a crusade against an entire planetary system and through attrition and faith, was able to convert the populace to the worship of Chaos. His name is still remembered there by the servants of Chaos.
 * Martyr - The hero led his Warband in many glorious campaigns, slaying hundreds of the enemy's greatest champions. In the end he was brought down by a champion of the enemy, slain before his greatest victory. He is still remembered as a hero of the Eternal War and many still invoke his name.

Warband Flaws
Some Warbands are afflicted by a flaw that transcends mere zygote mutation and comes to totally define them. Sometimes the flaw is linked to a nigh-catastrophic genetic malfunction, but just as often it is tied to the essential nature of the Progenitor's Primarch, the stock from which they recruit or prolonged exposure to the Warp. Many such flaws are two-edged swords, providing unheard of benefits balanced against terrible drawbacks.

Below are listed the most common types of Warband flaws:
 * Faithless - The Warband prefers to keep Chaos at arm's length. They do not worship the Chaos Gods but they do acknowledge them. These Warbands are shunned by most and hated by quite a few.
 * Hated by All -While all Warbands dislike each other some are hated by all equally, and hate all back equally. A Warband with this trait works alone and does not associate with any other Renegade Chapter, Traitor Legion or Warband.
 * Fickle in Faith - Loyalty to a Chaos God is an important thing. A Warband with this trait often switches its allegiance to one of the other Chaos Gods - one that suits it more at the time than the one they previously worshiped before. A Warband like this must be very careful, lest they lose warriors needlessly and draw the wrath of the Dark Gods.
 * Traitors All - All Chaos Space Marines are traitors, but there is some loyalty in them and the knowledge that they will never betray Chaos. This Renegade Chapter has proven that it cannot even be remotely trusted, and will turn on any ally it has whenever it feels like it.
 * Imperial Ties - This Warband insists on maintaining ties to their former Imperial life. Either through holding their home world together in an Imperial fashion of order or simply pretending to continue their lives under the Imperium, but with Chaos as their master instead of the False Emperor.

Warband Size
Unlike Loyalist Space Marine Chapters the size of a Warband is not restricted to the usual number of 1,000 Astartes, and tends to fluctuate in strength quite often, sometimes drastically. Through the passing of the centuries since the Horus Heresy, the Forces of Chaos have been further swelled by those Space Marines who have turned from service to the Emperor of Mankind to pursue their own agendas. Freed from the Imperial dogma and traditions of their Chapter, these so-called Renegade Space Marines fully indulge the needs of their superhuman bodies and their militant minds. They most often become corsairs, pirates and mercenaries, using their unparalleled combat skills to garner wealth and power for themselves, rising as tyrannical masters of pirate fleets and the masters of desolate frontier worlds. As they explore their new freedom from the discipline and strict purpose of the Adeptus Astartes, these Space Marines inevitably turn at some point to the Chaos Gods to gain more power to do as they will.

Though never equal in size or power to the original Legiones Astartes, a modern Space Marine Chapter is a potent military force in its own right and when an entire Chapter turns Renegade it presents a grave threat to the Imperium. With all the resources of a Space Marine Chapter at their disposal, the Renegades of Chaos destroy Imperial armies, conquer Imperial worlds and despoil whole sectors of the Imperium. Such events warrant an extreme response from the Imperial forces, not to mention the other, Loyalist Space Marine Chapters. But despite possessing the might of 1,000 Astartes at their disposal, one must keep in mind that a Renegade Chapter's survival becomes much more difficult. Without the logistical support of the Adeptus Mechanicus as well as the gene-stocks received from the Magos Bioligis on Terra, the Renegade Chapter is forced to find other means to obtain gene-seed for potential Aspirants. Also keep in mind, that the longer a Renegade Chapter takes refuge within the Warp, their gene-seed will slowly become tainted by Chaos. This makes it much more difficult for the Chapter's Apothecaries to convert a regular human subject into a transhuman Astartes, than it would be with an untainted source of gene-seed. Therefore, a Renegade Chapter is forced to make difficult decision - find a source of pure gene-seed or risk extinction. In order to survive they must raid loyalist Space Marine ships/facilities (which can result in a substantial loss of battle-brothers' lives) as well as other Renegade Chapters or Traitor Legion Warbands roving throughout the Eye of Terror or preying about the material realm. They must also scour battlefields for the bodies of slain Astartes (both Traitor and loyalist alike) in order to obtain the necessary progenoids harvested from the fallen, to ensure their Chapter's survival.

Cut off from all support, a Renegade Chapter must fight for their very survival. Attrition rates might force them to strike a devil's bargain with a fallen Apothecary or a Dark Mechanicus Hell-Forge, in order to gain access to their master fleshcrafters, in order to obtain the necessary gene-seed they so desperately need. There are no guarantees within the Eye of Terror, as oaths and promises are broken all the time. Therefore, it is not unusual for the number of Chaos Space Marines within a Renegade Chapter to fluctuate from near-extinction levels to Warband size (which can number to Legion-sized - into the thousands). As such, most Renegade Chapters usually fall well below Codex-acceptable strength. However, these losses are offset by the formidable gifts and mutations granted to them by their patron Chaos God, and through the temporal fluctuations of the Warp, their lifespans are often greatly increased, giving a Renegade Chapter centuries, or perhaps, even millennia of fighting experience, over their younger, loyalist counterparts. As such, a formidable Chaos Lord or Chaos Champion of a Renegade Chapter who possesses the charisma, drive, force of will and martial prowess, gradually swell in size, becoming a mighty Warband that posseses well above the usual Chapter norms in regards to the number of its warriors, through the assimilation of other Chaos Warbands.

Feral World
Feral Worlds are those planets colonised eons ago, long before the Age of Imperium, which subsequently regressed to atavistic barbarism due to extended periods of isolation or other, less predictable factors. In a galaxy-spanning empire that harnesses the most powerful of technologies, the spear and the axe remain perhaps the most common weapon, for masses of worlds fall into this category, perhaps even more than any other type. With resources focused on key strategic worlds, there is no reason to spare the effort to "civilise" the natives of the numerous Feral worlds. In many cases doing so would deprive the Imperium of a truly invaluable asset, for Feral worlders are by definition amongst the toughest and most accomplished it is possible to recruit. As a result, many Space Marine Chapters make their homes on such worlds, close to the source of its recruits.

A Warband based on a Feral world is likely to maintain a distance from the populace, with its Fortress-Monastery located on a distant and inaccessible island or high atop a mountain range. One Warband's keep might be located on one of its home world's moons, while another might utilise a starfort in orbit high above. In most cases, the savagery of the tribes from which the Warband recruits is tempered by the training, indoctrination and psycho-conditioning imposed on its Neophytes, but in some cases the Warband is very much shaped by the character of the population, inheriting not only its warlike qualities but many of its unique cultural mores.

Death World
Death Worlds are planets so inimitable to life that unless they harboured some essential resource Mankind would have no reason to set foot on them at all. Though no single terrain type defines this class of world, many are swathed in jungles populated by carnivorous plants as dangerous as any predatory beast, where even the air itself is poisonous. Most Death Worlds are impossible to settle, for every single living thing in them appears motivated to expel any intruders as if ruled by some overarching and utterly malicious intelligence. A tiny proportion have been settled, but life there is a daily, even hourly struggle for survival where one false step spells death at the slavering maw of some hideous Death World predator. The sort of cultures that spawn people able to reach maturity in such a place are amongst the most valuable recruiting grounds for the Space Marines, for the mere fact of surviving to adolescence marks an Aspirant as amongst the toughest Humanity is capable of producing.

Those Warbands that call a Death World their home are likely to be experts in fighting in the particular type of terrain it features. To do is not simply a matter of making the best use of the environment, but of surviving the very worst that environment can throw at the Battle-Brothers and even turning it against the foe. In occupying a Death World, a Warband will be forced to defend itself constantly against the world itself, a fact that tests the Battle-Brothers continuously even when they are not fighting the enemies of Chaos. While some locate their Fortress-Monasteries in orbit, others prefer to reside amidst the very worst of the Death World's environs, honing their skills even beyond those of the already legendary abilities of the Adeptus Astartes.

Uninhabited World
There are plenty of Warbands that prefer to maintain their secrecy and isolate themselves from nearby populations. Fortunately, there is no shortage of barren or otherwise uninhabited worlds for such Warbands to utilise as bases of operation. The fact that even an apparently desolate, airless rock might harbour one of the greatest military forces in Humanity's arsenal is deterrent enough for many would-be invaders, and who knows how many itinerant outcasts have stumbled across a fully operational Fortress-Monastery whilst exploring some isolated world, and never lived long enough to tell the tale?

Warbands utilising isolated, unpopulated planets as their home worlds have to look farther afield for sources of recruitment, but they are rarely far from worlds they are entitled to recruit upon. Such Chapters may recruit from a variety of nearby planets, drawing their recruits from Feral World tribes, Hive world gangs or any other source. Mixing several sources in a single intake of Neophytes provides its own set of challenges, but ultimately, produces a wide range of skills and qualities that serve the Warband well wherever it serves.

Fleet-Based
Fleet-based Warbands makes their homes on vast space-going vessels. Often these are unique artefacts predating the Age of Imperium. Many of these Warbands travel the galaxy in vast circuits, taking centuries to pass through a single segmentum - reigning death and destruction upon their former domains.

Fleet-based Warbands recruit from a wide range of planets. Sometimes they hold the exclusive rights to recruit at particular worlds, although the populations of those worlds may know nothing of any such arrangement. Others make a point of seeking out new societies to recruit from, ever vigilant for promising recruits. Should an exceptional source be discovered, some Warbands establish small facilities in order to watch over the population and test Aspirants. Upon discovering a singularly valuable recruiting source, some Fleet-based Warbands may even abandon their itinerant existence, claim the world and establish a Fortress-Monastery.

Because they tend to recruit from a variety of sources, Fleet-based Warbands are more unlikely than any other type to inherit the ways of the communities it recruits from. In addition, the size and status of the Renegade Space Marine Warband's fleet should also be considered.

Daemonic World
"To say that a planet that has been lost to the Warp is horrifying is a severe understatement. It is every sin, fear, and desire of the human psyche made real."

- Confessor Berenice Chartrand, Manifestations of the Fallen

A Daemon World is where the laws of nature and reason have been completely usurped by the whims of the Chaos Powers. Here daemons roam freely and are constantly nourished by twisting winds of magic and mortals become their playthings with a value only as champions or slaves. Daemon Worlds are a sanctuary for the worshippers of Chaos with the means and courage to flee to them. The Inquisition never rests in its efforts to eliminate the devotees of the Ruinous Powers, but a Daemon World defies even their shadowy reach. No one knows the exact number of Daemon Worlds in the galaxy, nor whether all of them could truly be said to even exist within the galaxy any more. Imperial Navigators have reported worlds in the deep tides of the Immaterium light years away from any star systems and severe warp storms are said to have shifted entire planets across time and space. Certainly the greatest concentration of Daemon Worlds appears to be in the region called the Eye of Terror, the birthing grounds of the Chaos Power Slaanesh, but many other Daemon Worlds are spoken of in myth and legend in different parts of the galaxy. Some hold that every major warp storm has one or more Daemon Worlds at its heart, the source of all the dangerous torrents of warp energy that sustain it.

Untold billions of mortals exist on Daemon Worlds, their lives utterly subject to the Ruinous Powers and their bodies marked by Chaos. Many are destined to form warbands battling for the amusement of their masters, hurling themselves against one another while screaming praises to their dark gods. Others are arranged into shuffling prayer gangs that trace the path of vast runes visible only from space; others might sift, weigh, and catalogue grains of sand in vast deserts or endlessly build and then destroy monuments that defy sanity and science. The activities pursued with such vitality and fervour on Daemon Worlds are often nonsensical and contradictory by nature - and apt to change at a moment's notice.

A few Daemon Worlds are dominated by the remnants of the Traitor Legions that once followed Horus. They have become training grounds, forges, and armouries for the Legions' continuing prosecution of the Long War. Entire regiments are raised and destroyed under their brutal regimes, the veteran survivors reformed and hurled into battle again and again to forge them in the crucible of war. On these hellish worlds anyone is capable climbing up from slave cannon fodder through hardened veteran to valued elite with sufficient skill and élan. The hardiest and most dedicated may some day win a place in the Legion and have their body broken by dark chirurgeons to be remade as something greater than human.

Although the Eye of Terror seethes with almost perceptual war, not every mortal creature is necessarily harnessed to battle. Only those who are brave enough to fight their way to freedom from the slave-pits, prayer gangs, and black factories may fight in the name of Chaos and so draw power from it. The remainder serve through work and worship. Slaves are rewarded in the bitter way of Chaos, learning to love the lash. They become frenzied with pleasure as they approach extremes of self-sacrifice, trying to outdo their neighbours in their efforts to please their overlords. Many populations labour not in the daemonic foundries, but in planet-sized prayer-hordes. Countless millions are whipped into a fervour of devotion, the warp resounding to their frenzied prayers while the Ruinous Powers growing all the more powerful through their sacrifice.

The Traitor Legions teach their slaves to hate the Imperium and to despise the Emperor with an unholy passion. Time runs differently on Demon Worlds and veteran Space Marines that stood beside Horus still live on a hundred centuries later in the Eye of Terror and other benighted places. They bitterly remember their defeat before the Imperial palace and have sworn to have their vengeance against the False Emperor on the Golden Throne. Incalculable woe has been unleashed on the Imperium by the Traitor Legions over the millennia since the Horus Heresy. These so-called "Black Crusades" have ravaged the regions around the Eye of Terror and destabilised huge areas elsewhere in the Imperium.

Even once the Imperium rallies its vast resources to reconquer territory lost to a Black Crusade, the indelible taint of Chaos is left behind. On recaptured worlds the incidence of psykers and mutations in the liberated populations leaps sharply and cultist cells are always particularly active. The Traitor Legions attempt to erode Imperial power whenever they can and some specialise in utilising renegade and underground elements as parts of a larger conspiracy. Imperial Inquisitors are particularly alert for signs that cult or pirate activity may presage a larger invasion by the Traitor Legions, but with a million worlds to protect their task is a nigh impossible one.

Predominant Terrain
What is the predominant terrain type of the Warband's home world? Though each world is categorised by function, each class may feature a wide variety of terrain types, or indeed be dominated by one single type. A Hive World, for example, may be an ash-blasted wasteland — or its rearing spires might form islands of plasteel amidst an endless sea of jungle. Death Worlds are often thought of as deadly jungles, but might just as easily be ocean-bound planets. The type of terrain in which a Renegade Chapter builds its Fortress-Monastery might have little bearing on its character, but may have plenty, especially if that terrain has shaped the qualities of the peoples from which it recruits. If you would like to determine what sort of terrain dominates the Renegade Chapter's home world, chose or randomise from amongst the following possibilities.

Note that while plenty of these terrain types can be combined with the categories previously described, some are mutually exclusive. Others might seem so at first glance, but with a little imagination can be combined. For example, an urban Death World seems contradictory, but what if the planet's malevolent ecosystem has risen against its population, and the once-populace cities are now reduced to post-apocalyptic ruins smothered in choking vines? An ocean Hive-World might feature air-sealed hives at the bottom of the sea, or afloat on great man-made islands. In the 41st Millennium, almost anything is possible!


 * Note: All worlds that Chaos takes a direct hand in are corrupt, but with a distant or absent rule the world can maintain its purity and have a normal environment. But if your world is directly used by Chaos, i.e., they land on it for long periods and worship the Ruinous Powers, the planet will become corrupt. The environment can be the same, it just needs a chaotic twist.

Jungle
The world is swathed in all-but-impenetrable jungle. Settlement is generally limited to coastal regions or higher ground where the vegetation grows less thick. Jungle Worlds are often perilous environments, where the slightest scratch can result in lethal bacteriological infection and predatory life forms hunt the unwary. Despite the difficulty in establishing settlements in such places, jungle worlds are valuable for the products that can be synthesised from the myriad of plant forms, from highly effective medicines to elicit narcotics. Subsets of this category involve worlds that have large regions dominated by swamps, moors, and fens. Many worlds with thick forest growth also qualify.

Desert
Desert worlds are dry, arid, and generally devoid of life. Some are composed of relatively harmless silica particulates, yet others are the result of the erosion of more exotic materials. Depending on the source material from which the deserts have been formed, they can be any colour imaginable, such as the deep red of the iron-rich deserts of Mars, the striking blue lazulite dune-seas of Nova Lemuria, and the choking sulphur wastes of Urquhart IV. Such worlds are rarely highly populated, unless hives have been built to house a workforce, and even then, vast tracts of the surface is left untouched and unexplored by all but hardy desert nomads, mutant clans or those who wish to avoid unwanted attention.

Ice
A combination of low temperature and high amounts of liquid has swathed the world in ice. Though many such worlds are covered in harmless frozen water, many others feature far more exotic, often highly-toxic chemicals. Human life on such worlds is either brutal, basic and short, or relies on sealed enviro-systems to maintain a high enough temperature to live in. Ice-bound Fenris, the home world of the Space Wolves Chapter, is a frozen waste riddled with active volcanoes, and produces some of the hardiest Aspirants in the Imperium.

Ocean
Very little of the world's surface is above sea level, and what landmass does exist takes the form of hundreds of thousands of tiny islands, or of a single, larger continent. While many ocean worlds are dominated by bodies of water teeming with life, many others feature seas of far more exotic and potentially dangerous substances. Most elements have a melting point either so high or so low that life is simply not possible in oceans featuring a predominance of such elements, so in the main, planets used by the Space Marines as home worlds are capable of supporting life and generally of less toxic composition. Even if the environment is capable of supporting life, the character of that life varies greatly from one world to the next. Many ocean worlds are also codified as Death Worlds, their seas teeming with predatory life forms.

Wasteland
Many planets classed as Hive worlds feature a predominance of polluted wastes, the result of millennia of mining and industrial processing. Other planets might have been transformed into wastelands by war, accident, stellar phenomena or deliberate policy. Where human life exists in such an environment the peoples are often tough and resourceful, and ideal for recruitment into a Renegade Chapter. Furthermore, wind-scoured wastes make ideal locations for the Space Marine Fortress-Monasteries, the harshness and inaccessibility of the environment only serving to bolster the Renegade Chapter's defences.

Urban
Habitable worlds are a scarce resource in the galaxy, and Mankind is not the only race to have called many worlds home over the aeons. Countless races have erected settlements that have in some cases grown to encompass entire continents. While some cities remain viable, others fail, and eventually fall to destitution and ruin. Some planets are dominated by a mass of post-apocalyptic ruins, slowly crumbling away as the environment reclaims the land. While most Renegade Chapters avoid establishing their Fortress-Monasteries too close to an extant, functioning urban sprawl, several have made their home amongst the ruins of fallen cities, and become peerless experts in every aspect of warfare in such an environment.

Dead
Dead worlds are those that millennia ago harboured signs of life, but which have long since become lifeless, arid rocks. Such places are steeped in dread and enshrouded by cosmic horror, such that only Space Marines, or those capable of becoming one, can survive there without succumbing to gibbering insanity. What caused such worlds to fall so far from glory is often a matter of supreme mystery, and often a cause for concern to the higher echelons of the Imperium's leadership. Some Dead Worlds serve as Space Marine home worlds, either due to their strategic location, relative isolation or because the Renegade Chapter is tasked with guarding against the return of the ancient threat that brought about the world's fate in the first place.

Airless
Airless worlds are simple barren lumps of rock and ice, and it is rare indeed for them to support life. Occasionally a Space Marine Chapter will establish its Fortress-Monastery in such a place, often due to its position or because the Chapter wishes to maintain its privacy and isolation. This has both its advantage and disadvantages—enemies find it extremely hard to assault a fortress in such an environment, but the Renegade Chapter will most likely have to look farther afield for recruits.

Warband's Relationship with Home World
How does a Warband govern it's home world? Chaos Space Marines with a home world are its ultimate masters, usually viewed as gods, with total control over the domain and any peoples living there. The Renegade Chapter holds the same powers as a god, few will ever question their will and those who do question it will not survive long. Whilst most Renegade Chapters take little part in the affairs of the population of their home world, preferring to just make annual sweeps for recruits, some involve themselves to varying degrees.

Direct Rule
The Warband lords over its home world and subject peoples directly, and its leaders are regarded by them as living gods, or they may be perfectly aware of what their masters are and worship them as true servants of Chaos.

Stewardship
Some Warbands appear only before selected individuals, like a ruling class drawn from the populace, issuing broad commands but maintaining their distance.

Distant Rule
Many Warbands lay claim to a particular home world, yet are rulers in name only. In practice, they take no hand in the affairs of their subjects and allow them to run themselves, only appearing when they must.

Absent Rule
Some Warbands choose not to affect a world at all, but rather to make some kind of presence known and establish a recruitment method to weed out the weak. They come only to collect the recruits and could care less if the entire world burned.

Warband Organisation
The vast majority of Chaos Space Marine Warbands are disjointed groups and have little organisation except for the Chaos Lord, individual champions and those who follow them, however some choose to maintain the system of companies/grand companies and ordered squads to keep the Warband together. Some Warbands choose to maintain order but deviate in some areas, altering numbers in companies and squads to suit them, or to show divine devotion. Finally, there are a small number of Warbands who hold strict regiments and follow the same organisation they did as Imperials.

Disjointed Warband
The Warband has virtually no organisation except for the clear indication of who is in charge and who is not.

Orderly Warband
An orderly Warband is one that keeps a clear system in use for its organisation. Squads and their leaders are kept active and some may use a system of grand companies to organize large numbers of troops. Though some may follow a more Chaos-oriented path than an Imperial version, such as the Word Bearers large numbers of Possessed Marines.

Perfectly Ordered Warband
A perfectly ordered Warband with a clear system of grand companies, companies, and squads of all different types. These Renegade Chapter are rare but are among the most devastating as the one thing they almost never have to fight is each other.

Combat Doctrine
How does the Warband prefer to fight? Although the Adeptus Astartes are by definition the masters of every aspect of war, many Renegade Chapter come to favour one style of combat over another. Every Warband is unique and they will favour methods of combat over the other based on what their Chaos Lord prefers, what they have at their disposal and what Chaos Gods they favour.


 * Close Combat - The Warband favours assault troops and tactics to win the battle. Such Renegade Chapters love to spill blood up close and will try to win every battle with a final slaughter of melee combat, for them the grinding of chainblades and spray of blood is the best method of victory.
 * Ranged Combat - The opposite of the Close Combat doctrine, some Warbands prefer to gun down their enemies with overwhelming firepower. For these Warbands the roar of gunfire and the sight of enemies being blown apart by bolters, scorched by plasma weaponry and charred by heat weaponry is their eternal goal in battle, aside from victory.
 * Massed Cultists - Some Warbands field incredibly large numbers of Chaos Cultists, using them as meat-shields, slave armies or onslaught troops. They are mainly used to draw the enemy's fire while taking as many of the enemy as they can with them, while the Chaos Space Marines handle the more important tasks, and reap the greater glory of battle.
 * Daemonic Assault - Some Warbands who have enough power in the Warp favour an all out assault utilizing mass numbers of Daemons. With cackling Daemonettes prancing through the enemy while roaring Bloodletters hack through them, many enemies drop their weapons and flee rather than face such horrors.
 * Specialist Attack - Most devoted Warbands have a large number of troops who devote themselves to a Chaos God and receive his blessings. These Warbands use these Aligned Warriors, Khorne Berserkers, Plague Marines, Noise Marines and Rubric Marines, to devastating effect,.
 * Infiltration - Chaos is a versatile tool that can achieve victory without warfare. Some Warbands prefer to utilize it that way and infiltrate planets and societies, corrupting them slowly with Chaos until they have achieved complete domination. Some go overt after this but some prefer to remain in the shadows and weave a complicated web of corruption.
 * Sorcerous Might - A sorcerous assault involves utilizing large amounts of sorcery to achieve incredible results on a battlefield, large amounts of Sorcerers are needed but very few can stand against the full force of the Warp.
 * Siege - Some Warbands have historically excelled at siege tactics, or are temperamentally suited to a type of war that is a unique mix of science and murder. Breaking down defences and venting their murderous rage on the enemy is a specialty of many Warbands, though some use Daemons behind the scenes of the main siege.
 * Corruption - Rather than bloody themselves in protracted conflicts, some Warbands prefer to convert their enemy or the indigenous populace to their cause through indoctrination or prolonged exposure to Chaos. This provides them with a heavy slave army that they can expend against the enemy while their own warriors perform the more important tasks and significantly lessens casualties amongst the Chaos Space Marines.
 * Terror - Some Warbands build their tactics around the notion of inspiring fear in their foes, even above that they already invoke. Savouring every scream and cry for help the Warbands harvests terror as much as souls, allowing the fear of their enemies to drive them into a frenzy.

Special Equipment
"Come. My axe thirsts."

- Warlord Crox

One thing that sets a Warband apart from another are the individual pieces of equipment that the Chapter prefers to carry into battle. Over the millennia, the energies of the Immaterium have worked their strange and transformative effects on both the living flesh of the Chaos Space Marines of a Renegade Chapter as well as their armour and weapons. Unbound by the restraints of the Ordos and the Adepta, the followers of the Chaos Gods often modify, subvert, or alter their weapons, sometimes even passing on the taint of Chaos to them.

Below is listed the most common special equipment utilised by the various Warbands:
 * Tainted Weapons - The Warband favours weapons tainted by the Warp, enhanced with their power. Choose a particular type of tainted weapon to fill this role.
 * Corrupting Icons - The Warband enjoys using symbols of the Warp and the Dark Gods to cause various disorienting effects on the enemy.
 * Mutated Gear - Many Warbands specialise in using wargear that has mutated, such as weapons contaminated with the Obliterator virus or Jump-packs that have developed real wings in place of metallic ones.
 * Beastial Companion - More common from those Warbands who recruit from feral worlds, some of these corrupted Chapters enjoy using monsters to hunt down enemies, the more dangerous the monster the better. Some even use Warp predators like the Khymera or the more beastial Daemons.
 * Ancient Weaponry - Whether through luck or sheer age, the Warband has access to many stores of potent Great Crusade or Horus Heresy era weaponry and power armor.
 * Chaos Artefacts - Many Warbands have collected large amounts of Chaos Artefacts over their centuries of experience. These artefacts can be wielded by those with the knowledge for great power, even greater reward, and even greater risk.
 * Daemonic Mount - Many Warband Chaos Champions and Chaos Lords use Daemonic Mounts, earned as a symbol of favour. However this Warband uses them in large scale, enough that most Champions and Chosen have one, and many others are close to getting one of their own.
 * Special Vehicle - Due to their connection to the Traitor Legions many Warbands have vehicles not used in the Imperium for ages, or their own unique vehicle variant created through experimentation or the warping influence of Chaos.
 * Preferred Fighting Style - The Warband has a specific way in which it goes about massacring the enemy in the name of the Dark Gods of Chaos.
 * Modified Weaponry - When the Warband's corrupted forges produce a weapon, they produce them in a style that is specific to their parent Traitor Legion or forge fane of origin.

Devotion
Every Warband has its own Chaos cult, the body of beliefs and practices unique to itself. The specifics of the cult develop over the millennia, so that two Warbands sired by the same Progenitor during the same Founding may, after several centuries, exhibit radically divergent religious practices. Some Warbands inherit a great deal of the rites and traditions of the culture from which they recruit, while many more are so steeped in their own history and tradition that they are quite unique. With their fall to the Ruinous Powers, their beliefs diverge even further, depending on which Chaos God they take to worshiping.

Chaos Undivided
The Warband venerates Chaos itself in the form of Chaos Undivided, seeing the four major Chaos Gods as a single pantheon to be worshipped equally as different emanations of the same universal force. Of all the worshippers of Chaos they follow Chaos in its purest form. They can interpret the meaning of Chaos in a variety of ways, including as a single God, worship the four major Chaos Gods equally, or favour one slightly over the others. The Chaos Lords and Daemon Princes of Chaos Undivided are at an advantage in their ability to unite any of the Forces of Chaos under their leadership, even if they would normally worship opposing Gods like Khorne and Slaanesh, so the Renegade Chapters of Chaos Undivided are always the most diverse.

Khorne
A Warband of a more martial bent tends to take to worshipping the angry and murderous Blood God Khorne, whose bellows of limitless rage echo throughout the corridors of time and space. Khorne embodies mindless and absolute violence, destroying everyone and everything within reach, shedding the blood of friend and foe alike. The followers of Khorne are always ferocious warriors and never make use of psychic powers, for the Blood God abhors the trickery of magic and cowardly sorcerers, particularly the servants of Tzeentch. Men turn to Khorne for the power to conquer, to defeat their enemies in battle, to wreak bloody vengeance and to attain unmatched martial prowess against all comers. The most fanatical and dedicated of his followers, those whose souls are trapped fully within his bloody embrace, know that he truly desires only constant and wild slaughter for its own sake.

Nurgle
The Warband has taken to worshiping the mighty Lord of Decay who presides over all physical corruption and morbidity. Disease and putrefaction, the inevitable entropic decline of all things, are the favours he bestows upon the universe. It is to free themselves from despair -- the eternal mortal dread of disease, starvation and death -- that a Warband will often turn to the Plague Lord. The fear of death can be found in the hearts of all the sentient beings of the universe, and so there is no shortage of mortals willing to sacrifice their immortal souls in return for the corrupted preservation of their physical bodies for all time.

Slaanesh
The Warband has taken to worshipping the God of Pleasure. Mortals that seek charisma and fellowship turn to Slaanesh, for his gifts can make one popular and inspiring. Poets and artists are drawn into his gaze by the promise of inspiration and fame, while even the hardiest warriors might seek the adulation of the masses and the ironclad loyalty of their followers. Yet as one continues in the service of Slaanesh, such pleasures soon grow stale and his servants are driven on to search for ever greater sensations and ever more self-fulfillment until only the most decadent and debased of acts can stir their emotions or provide the pleasure they have come to crave.

Tzeentch
The Warband has taken to worshiping the Changer of the Ways. He is the Great Sorcerer, the God of Sorcery and Change and master of the mutable stream of destiny and time. Plotters and schemers find themselves drawn to Tzeentch, especially those who crave psychic or sorcerous power to achieve their goals. Politicians and leaders, magisters and Chaos Cultists, all find themselves drawn along the convoluted paths of fate, using Tzeentch to achieve their dreams and aspirations, though ultimately all are led to play their part in Tzeentch's own eternal schemes.

Malice (Malal)
The Warband has taken to worshiping the Outcast God, Malice - bent upon shedding the blood of other Chaotic creatures. As such, Malice is both feared and hated by the other Chaos Gods. Malice's worshippers, too, are loathed by other followers of the Ruinous Powers; they are outcasts beloved by neither the friends nor enemies of Chaos, dependent upon the least whim of their patron deity. Few men worship such a God; fewer still live long in his service. The bonds that tie master and servant ever drain upon the soul of the warrior, and it is a rare man that can loosen the bonds of Malice once forged.

Patron Daemon
The Warband has taken to worshiping and devoting themselves to a patron Greater Daemon, an incarnation of their chosen Chaos God - the living embodiment of everything Chaos represents. They are the guardians of their God's realm and the executors of his will. Often the Greater Daemons lead incursions into the mortal world, and act as the heralds of the Ruinous Powers of Chaos to Champions of Chaos and Chaos Sorcerers.

Daemon Prince
The Warband has taken to worshiping and serving a Daemon Prince - a formerly human Chaos Champion of Chaos that has been elevated to daemonhood as a reward for their actions on behalf of the one of the major Chaos Gods. Daemon Princes have chosen to trade their humanity for the god-like power and immortality of a creature of the Warp. A Daemon Prince is a living extension of the force of Chaos. To ascend to the rank of Daemon Prince is the ultimate goal of the most powerful followers of Chaos, as it gives them immortality and power beyond the reckoning of mortals.

Current Status
Throughout the ten thousand year history of the Imperium, many Warbands have risen to glory but many more are destroyed in obscurity. Some burn brightly with Chaotic fervour, but are consumed in the fires of their own victories, while others are struck down by the fickle hand of fate, or some through the wrath of the Dark Gods.

All Warbands differ in strength but most strive to maintain a large force that is on par or surpasses a typical Space Marine Chapter of 1,000 Astartes, plus additional officers and specialists, but the tides of war and disaster rarely allow such a luxury. In the aftermath of an arduous campaign a Warband may be well below half-strength and require several years or even decades to fully recover. Warbands, unlike their loyalist counterparts, can also augment their forces by utilising large numbers of Chaos Cultists in their forces. So while their force may vastly outnumber a Chapter, their overall strength may be similar.

A related point to consider is how the Warband is deployed across the galaxy. Some Warbands concentrate their efforts in and around one region, whilst others keep permanent bases within the Eye of Terror or somewhere within realspace, and send out individual companies to ravage the Imperium.

Below is a chart for the various sizes found within a Warband:


 * Endangered - The Warband's numbers are dangerously low having suffered devastating losses in combat, accident, or dramatic genetic instability, or heavy mutation rates.
 * Under-Strength - The Warband is recovering from a defeat or accident that occurred several decades earlier, or has recently suffered heavy but not irrecoverable losses.
 * Nominal - The Warband can field equivalent forces to a loyalist Space Marine Chapter (approximately 1,000 Astartes).
 * Over-Strength - The Warband has surpassed its loyalist counterparts and approaches the size of a Space Marine Legion of old, and is well on its way to reaching the exalted status of one of the Traitor Legions and the Red Corsairs.