Chaos Cultists

Provided below are the house rules we use for Chaos Cultists gangs.

A Chaos Cult is a group of people worshiping the Ruinous Powers, either selectively or as a unified power. Cults are often comprised of a large mess of people who for various reasons are under the sway of a demagogue, who is the spiritual and sometime martial leader of the Cult.

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The goal of each Cult varies wildly, from overthrowing governments, to providing aid to other heretical organizations, to sowing chaos and destruction, to undermining the hegemony of the Imperium, to just simple nihilistic urges to see a world burn. Mere survival is also an important secondary motivation on many Imperial worlds, where Chaos worship is the greatest of heresies and Inquisitors are always vigilant and ready to wipe out any taint of Chaos. On planets of that sort Cults are generally clandestine in nature, as discovery could bring with it attention from dangerous foes ranging from local Enforcers, to Arbites, or all the way up to members of the Inquisition. Many Cults are adept at hiding in plain sight; some do so behind the front of some form of legitimate organization in their attempt to accumulate local or planetary power, such as trade unions, charitable organizations, accepted religious groups and even local variants of the Imperial Cult. Other Cults take up residence at the fringes of society, anywhere the authorities don't normally go serving as an ideal breeding ground for their subversive heresy to take root.

At first glance many Chaos Cultists are indistinguishable from normal men, but under the clothes of most of them the flesh is tattooed or branded with sigils or riddled by mutations that reveal their true allegience. However, in areas where Imperial oversight is weaker Cultists can be wildly distinctive in appearance, sporting bizarre clothing, hairstyle, and outright daemonic mutations announcing their true nature for all to see.

Gang Composition

A Chaos Cultists squad must follow these rules when it is founded, and when new fighters are added to the gang.

  • If the Leader is killed you must promote the Disciple with the highest Leadership to become the Leader. If there is no Disciple, promote the Helot with the highest Leadership to become the Leader. If there is no Helot, promote the Initiate with the highest Leadership to become the Leader. If there are no eligible new Leaders, the gang disbands.
  • There can be no more than two Champions, plus one for every full 10 Reputation the gang has.
  • The gang may start with a Chaos Spawn but may not hire one after play starts. During campaign play Leaders, Champions, and Specialists that would be killed have a chance to become a Chaos Spawn instead of being killed; there is no limit to how many Chaos Spawn the gang may gain via this method.
  • The total combined number of Specialists, Gangers, and Juves in the gang must be equal to or higher than the total number of other fighters in the gang, not counting Chaos Spawn, Hangers On, or Hive Scum.
  • When a starting gang is founded up to one Ganger may be promoted to become a Specialist. A Specialist picks a Primary Skill and their Rating is increased by +10. Additionally, Specialists may carry a Special Weapon. During campaign play, additional Gangers and Juves may become Specialists as they gain advances.
  • A fighter may be equipped with a maximum of three weapons. Weapons with the Unweildy trait take up the space of two weapons.
  • A fighter does not start with Armor and the cost of Armor is not included in their profile.
  • A fighter allowed Armor may be equipped with no more than one kind of Armor.
  • A fighter allowed Grenades may be equipped with no more than two different kinds of Grenades.
  • A fighter allowed Wargear can carry any amount of Wargear.
  • A Chaos Cult gang may not hire Mercs.
  • A Chaos Cult gang may only hire certain Hangers-on (detailed below).
  • A Chaos Cult gang may hire any number of Hired Scum.

Allegiance

When making a Chaos Cultists gang, a player must select one of the following Chaos Gods to be devoted to, or alternately the notion of Chaos Undivided representing anything from a syncretic worship of Chaos in the abstract to some more mundane idealogy that has been corrupted by the influence of the Warp and / or the entities that reside within it. All the fighters in the gang must serve the same Chaos God, and thus this choice affects the makeup of the entire gang. The selected Chaos God cannot be changed after the gang's creation.

In addition to providing guidance for the modeling and flavor of a gang, most of the types of fighters in the gang gain one or more specific benefits as well as have their Skill and Equipment Access modified, depending upon which Chaos God the gang serves. Finally, access to different types of Hangers-ons is also based upon this choice.

  • Khorne: the Blood God, Lord of Rage, Taker of Skulls. Dedication to Khorne takes many forms, including unknowing service or worship to some other aspect of this fell entity, as well as the implicit tribute found in the acts of those who simply enjoy killing. Consciously or not, all cultures that wage war or violence pay Khorne homage with their acts of murder and destruction. Strange blood cults, ghoulish cannibals, and depraved savages are even more common than overtly Khornate followers...but whether they do so knowingly or not they serve the bloody mandate of Khorne.
  • Nurgle: the Rotfather, Plague Lord, Papa Pestilentia, Master of Certitude. Dedication to Nurgle is surprisingly more common than one might expect given the revolting nature of this entity and its servants, for of the Ruinous Powers Nurgle is the one most involved with the plight of mortals and few escape the touch of illness or disease upon them within their lifetime. Mortals fear of death and disease is the source of Nurgles greatest power, and their unconscious desperation to cling to life no matter what the cost gives Nurgle an opening into their souls. Nurgle welcomes all to his foetid folds, and is a welcoming and generous god; it is said the Embracing Grandfather encourages his followers to defy the doom of mortal corruption and instead use it as a source of strength and inspiration. And to spread his pungent gifts to others, of course.
  • Slaanesh: the Dark Prince of Pleasure, the Lord of Excess, She Who Thirsts, Great Enemy of the Aeldari. Dedication to Slaanesh shows itself whereever there is hedonistic decadence, extreme pleasure-seeking, or deranged sensual pursuits. Poets and artists are drawn into serivice to Slaanesh by the promise of inspiration and fame, as are those who seek adulation or undue social influence. Politicians, populists, priests, and prostitutes alike might end up enthralled to the exultation of Slaanesh. Sex, drugs, power are the usual corruptive influences of this Ruinous Power, and though cults dedicated to Slaanesh might be more subtle than those of the other Chaos Gods they are no less corrupt or vile.
  • Tzeentch: the Changer of the Ways, Architect of Fate, Master of Fortune. Dedication to Tzeentch is found amongst those who seek knowledge and possess the will to apply it to alter the course of events. Many a philosopher or academic started a journey of discovery that ultimately ended with them in thrall to the Great Conspirator for noble reasons, seeking answers or attempting to better their understanding of some subject or other. The schemes of Tzeentch are innumerable, and those who devotedly venerate Tzeentch as well as those who are merely ensnared in his machinations can find themselves embroiled in conceivably any situation or undertaking imaginable...often without full awareness of what part they are playing in the larger plans of the Corruptor of Good Intentions.
  • Chaos Undivided: some venerate the force of Chaos itself in its purest form. They can interpret the meaning of Chaos in a variety of ways including as a single god, or as a pantheon with the four major Chaos Gods to be worshipped equally as different emanations of the same universal force, or in some cases via even more esoteric or existential points of view. Others don't consciously serve Chaos as a first order concept but are instead merely unfortunates touched by the Warp, untrained natural Psykers influenced and (eventually) corrupted by incursions from one or more malefic sentiences inhabiting the Immaterium. The goals of individual cults touched by chaos vary greatly and in many cases such groups have no higher purpose, engaging in the same mundane pursuits and concerns of the material world as anyone else but with the advantage of access to the power of the Warp. Anything from an overtly Esoteric Order to a previously loyal House gang might become perverted by the seductive lure of Psychic empowerment.

Fighters

A starting Chaos Cultists gang is made up of the following fighters.

Leader

A new Chaos Cultists gang is led by a Demagogue. If this fighter is killed or retired, a new Leader will emerge from among the other members of the gang.

Demagogue (1)
150 credits

Demagogues lead a flock of fellow travelers on the path to darkness in their ill-advised service to the unclean entities of the Void. Though one may question their sanity or morality, underestimating their resolve and depravity would be a grave mistake.

Champions

Some Chaos Cultists gangs are supported by sinister Disciples.

Disciple (0-2); + 1 per 10 Reputation (rounded down)
100 credits

Disciples have risen to the top of their brethren by displaying superior adherence to whichever Chaos God the cult worships or by impressing the cult's leader with their accomplishments. Many are guilty of innumerable transgressions and sins. All are irredeemably lost to the dark powers.

Gang Fighters

The backbone of a Chaos Cultist gang is made up of Specialists, Gangers, and Juves. Each type of fighter offers pros and cons, and cater to different play styles and strategies.

Chaos Cultist Specialist (0-1); + unlimited via Promotion
45 credits

Specialists have made a name for themselves and may one day ascend to the upper echelons of their cult.

Chaos Cultist Helot (unlimited)
35 credits

Helots are the backbone of most cults, who do the often unglamorous but necessary work to advance their leader's schemes.

Chaos Cultist Initiate (0-3)
15 credits

Initiates are young cult members struggling to find acceptance and make a name for themselves.

Special

A new Chaos Cultist gang may hire a Chaos Spawn during gang creation, but Chaos Spawn may not be hired after gang creation. During campaign play Leaders, Champions, and Specialists that would be killed have a chance to become a Chaos Spawn instead of being killed; there is no limit to how many Chaos Spawn the gang may gain via this method.

Chaos Spawn (0-1); + unlimited via Promotion
230 credits

Chaos Spawn are daemonsouled servants of the Warp, mutated beyond recognition, nearly mindless, terrible to behold. These twisted and insane abominations are kept corralled, until it is time use them as living weapons against enemies of the cult.

Chaos Cultists Hangers-on

A Chaos Cultists gang may only hire Hangers-ons from the below list, dependent upon which Chaos God they worship.

Chaos Cults dedicated to a specific Chaos God can hire one of the Hangers-on of their chosen Chaos God when the gang is at 0 or more Reputation (including at gang creation), and one more per 10 full Reputation the gang has up to four total Hangers-ons, and they may not hire Hangers-on associated with any of the other Chaos Gods. For instance, a Chaos Cult dedicated to Khorne can hire a Khornate Berserker at 0 Reputation, and may hire another Khornate Berserker at 10 Reputation and another at 20 Reputation, and one more at 30 Reputation, but cannot hire a Slaaneshi Poisoner, or a Tzeetchian Sorcerer, or a Nurgling Lardass.

Those who worship Chaos Undivided on the other hand don't have access to Chaos God specific Hangers-On, but instead have access to a variety of less specialized fighters. A Chaos Undivided gang has two Hangers-On slot at 0 Reputation, and gains another slot for each full 5 Reputation the gang has. Thus a Chaos Undivided gang with 10 Reputation has 4 total Hangers-On slots.

Khorne

Exclusive Hangers-on

Khornate Berserker (0-4)
150 credits

If a gang has a Khornate Berserker who is not in Recovery or Captured, the gang's player gains a Thundering Charge Tactics Card to use in the battle in addition to any other Tactics Cards available to them. If the Khornate Berserker takes part in the battle, this Tactics Card can and must be played on the Khornate Berserker.

Nurgle

Exclusive Hangers-on

Nurgling Lardass (0-4)
150 credits

If a gang has a Nurgling Lardass who is not in Recovery or Captured, the gang's player gains a Perseverance Tactics Card to use in the battle in addition to any other Tactics Cards available to them. If the Nurgling Lardass takes part in the battle, this Tactics Card can and must be played on the Nurgling Lardass.

Slaanesh

Exclusive Hangers-on

Slaaneshi Poisoner (0-4)
150 credits

If a gang has a Slaaneshi Poisoner who is not in Recovery or Captured, the gang's player gains a Battle Madness Tactics Card to use in the battle in addition to any other Tactics Cards available to them.

Tzeentch

Exclusive Hangers-on

Tzeentchian Sorcerer (0-4)
150 credits

If a gang has a Tzeentchian Sorcerer who is not in Recovery or Captured, the gang's player gains a Seize the Initiative Tactics Card to use in the battle in addition to any other Tactics Cards available to them.

Undivided

Exclusive Hangers-on

Warp Witch (0-2)
50 credits

If a gang has a Warp Witch who is not in Recovery or Captured, the gang's player gains a Blessed Visions Tactics Card to use in the battle in addition to any other Tactics Cards available to them. If the Warp Witch takes part in the battle, this Tactics Card can and must be played on the Warp Witch.

Zealous Convert (unlimited)
50 credits

If a gang has a Zealous Convert who is not in Recovery or Captured, the gang's player gains a Last Gasp Tactics Card to use in the battle in addition to any other Tactics Cards available to them. If the Zealous Convert takes part in the battle, this Tactics Card can and must be played on the Zealous Convert.

Standard Hangers-on

Acquirer (0-1)
50 credits

If a gang has an Acquirer who is not in Recovery or Captured, the gang's player may purchase an item of up to 2D6 Rarity from the Trading Post and add it to the card of an eligible fighter in the gang's Crew.

Bullet Farmer (0-1)
50 credits

If a gang has a Bullet Farmer who is not in Recovery or Captured, the gang's player may gain an Extra Ammo Wargear item and add it to the card of a fighter in the gang's Crew.

Informant (0-2)
50 credits

Informants are snitches who dig up and sell information to interested parties, blending in with the general populace or employing stealth to get in and out of places to acquire valuable secrets and objects. If a gang has an Informant on their roster who is not in Recovery or Captured, the gang's player gains a Seize the Initiative Tactics Card to use in the battle in addition to any other Tactics Cards available to them. This benefit is gained even if the Informant is not part of the gang's Crew for the battle.

Tactics Cards

A Chaos Cultist gang may select Tactics Cards from the list specific to their Allegiance by default, though campaign and / or scenario specific guidelines may modify this.

Campaign

Chaos Cultist gangs are available on a case by case basis depending upon the type of campaign, and campaign specific rules might apply. Consult the Arbitrator or campaign write up to determine if a player may run a Chaos Cultist gang and what restrictions, exceptions, or guidelines might apply.