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The Warband Background Generator

50K views 31 replies 19 participants last post by  incinerator950 
#1 · (Edited)
After seeing Baron Spikey's awesome Chapter Background Generator I decided to make one for those of us who worship the Dark Gods, not the False Emperor! This will hopefully be a great aid in creating your Traitor Marine Warbands and Lost Legions.

It covers origins, demeanours, battle styles, Chaos affiliation and overall strength similar to Baron S's Loyalist Generator, but for this I have added in Mutations, new types of Warband Flaws and a whole new host of options to create your Warband.

If you have any questions, just ask and i'll explain as best I can. Also these options I have given are not set in stone, for example if you roll Legion-Born that means your Warband came from a Legion, it doesn't explain why. Maybe they were exiled, a failed coup, or perhaps they were sent to establish Chaos dominance in a new sector.

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Whether or not you use the dice is up to you, but here's the same link Baron S provides. Online Dice Roller.

Origins


How was the Warband Founded?
  • Legion Born (Formed as a splinter faction of a Traitor Legion.) Cannot have Imperial Chapter as Progenitor on Table 1.3.
  • Renegades (Created by the Imperium and broke away to become renegades.) Automatically has Imperial Chapter as Progenitor on Table 1.3.
  • Force of Personality (Formed by a Champion as warriors flocked to his cause.)
  • Spawned (Created by a Chaos Lord/Chaos Apothecary or Daemon in a twisted way for some nefarious purpose.)
Table 1.1 |

D10 Roll | Reason

1-3|Legion Born
4-7|Renegades
8-9|Force of Personality
10|Spawned


When was the Warband Founded?


Table 1.2 |

D100 Roll | Period New Warband Founded

1|31st Millennium
2-5|32nd Millennium
6-10|33rd Millennium
11-20|34th Millennium
21-30|35th Millennium
31-40|36th Millennium
41-50|37th Millennium
51-60|38th Millennium
61-70|39th Millennium
71-80|40th Millennium
81-95|41st Millennium
96-100|Unknown


Gene-Seed


Progenitor


Table 1.3 |

D100 Roll | Result

1-25|Imperial Chapter (Roll again on Table 1.3B)
26-50|Black Legion
51-65|World Eaters
66-80|Death Guard
81-85|Iron Warriors
86-90|Word Bearers
91-94|Emperor's Children
95-98|Thousand Sons
99|Night Lords
100|Alpha Legion


Table 1.3B |

D100 Roll | Result

1-50|Ultramarines
51-65|Blood Angels
66-80|Dark Angels
81-85|Imperial Fists
86-90|White Scars
91-94|Raven Guard
95-98|Iron Hands
99|Space Wolves
100|Salamanders


Gene-Stock Purity
While some Warbands are fortunate enough to carry the "pure" gene-seed of the Progenitors either through being a direct loyalist descendent or having enough untainted gene-stock, others end up with using tainted and lessened gene-seed of the same Legion.
  • Pure (Fortunate enough to possess pure gene-seed of its founding Legion, they will likely keep ties with their parent-legion but may just as easily despise them, especially if they are Renegades. If Legion Born/Force of Personality/Spawned then retain founding Legion Demeanour, if Renegade select a Renegade Demeanour from Table 1.5.)
  • A New Generation (These Traitor Marines have chosen to strike out on their own and make their own choices, they differ greatly from their progenitors and will have their own customs Instead of using the Progenitor's Legion Demeanour, choose or roll on Table 1.5 to select one of the Renegade Demeanours)
  • Warp-Touched (These marines have felt the touch of the Warp, either lightly or heavily. They show signs of mutation and may be shunned by certain Legions, or embraced by others. Follow the same Warband Demeanour as their Progenitor but roll on Table 1.7: Mutations)
  • Tainted (The Warband has adopted strange manners and customs that may cause hatred. Their ways will definitely affect how others interact with them. Have a 50/50 chance of their Progenitor's Warband Demeanour or a Renegade Demeanour from Table 1.5. In additon they must roll on Table 1.8: Warband Flaws)
Table 1.4 |
D10 Roll | Result
1-5|Pure
6-7|A New Generation
8-9|Warp-Touched
10|Tainted


Progenitor Demeanours
  • 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 marine can possess little or great solidarity with his brother-marines. Either way, treachery towards the Legion is not unthinkable to them.)
  • World Eaters: Blood and Skulls. Automatically has Khorne as devotion on Table 1.19.
    (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 Automatically has Nurgle as devotion on Table 1.19.
    (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.)
  • 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.)
  • 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.)
  • Emperor's Children: Pain and Pleasure Automatically has Slaanesh as devotion on Table 1.19.
    (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.)
  • Thousand Sons: Masters of the Warp Automatically has Tzeentch as devotion on Table 1.19.
    (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.)
  • 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.)
  • 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.)

Renegade Demeanours
(Pure Warbands don't need to roll in this section)
  • 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 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/warp-enhanced weaponry/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.)
Table 1.5 |

D10 Roll | Result

1|Brotherhood
2| Annihilation
3|Pitiless
4|Embrace Corruption
5|Warriors of the Warp
6|Mark of the Hunter
7|Aura of Madness
8|Human Dominance
9|Death to the False Emperor and All His Slaves
10|Will of the Gods


Mutations (Optional if not an Warp-Touched Warband.)

Mutation normally only arise after rolling on Table 1.4, but Table 1.6: Chance of Mutation exists to add further depth to your background if you so wish it- even a "pure" source such as the Night Lords could exhibit deficiencies due to external factors such as damage caused by the touch of the Warp, failed genetic manipulation, or even xenos influence.

Table 1.6 |

Progenitor | % Chance of Mutation

Alpha Legion|10%
Word Bearers|40%
Night Lords|10%
Iron Warriors|40%
Death Guard|40%
Emperor's Children|40%
World Eaters|50%
Black Legion|75%
Thousand Sons|90%
(Table 1.6 should only be used if you rolled anything other than Warp-Touched on Table 1.4)


Table 1.6B |

Progenitor | % chance of Deficiency

Ultramarines|20%
Blood Angels|75%
Dark Angels|20%
Imperial Fists|20%
White Scars|40%
Raven Guard|40%
Iron Hands|40%
Space Wolves|15%
Salamanders|90%

(Table 1.6B should only be used if you rolled Renegades on Table 1.1 or Imperial Chapter on Table 1.3)

If by using the above Table it's determined a mutation exists- by rolling a D100 and checking to see if you rolled within the Progenitor's chances [i.e because Iron Warriors are 40% only Pure/A New Generation/Tainted successor Warbands rolling 1-40 would result in a mutation for an Iron Warriors successor whereas 41-100 wouldn't]- then there is a 90% chance that the mutation will be exactly the same as the Progenitor's.

So for a Night Lords Successor to have a mutation that wasn't present in the Progenitor they would have to Roll 1-10 on a D100 (because they only have a mutation rate of 10%) and then a further 1-10 (or 91-100) on a D100 to be eligible to roll on Table 1.7: Mutations. (again because there's a 90% chance the mutation will be exactly the same as the Progenitor's)
  • Tomb Sealed (The touch of the Warp has made the Warband's armour 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 marine have become tainted. Now rather than see as normal men do they see strange things in place, such as souls/true spirit forms/warp signatures. A Warband 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 Sorcerers for the Warband, or more ticking time bombs of mutation just waiting to explode.)
  • Beastial Appendages (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 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.)
  • Merged Consciousness (The warriors of the Warband display a connection to each other's 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.)
  • 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. Warbands that live like this walk a dangerous line where a single mistake could mean extinction.)
  • Gene-Seed Damage (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.) Choose one or roll on Table 1.7B)
  • Warped 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.)

Table 1.7 |

D10 Roll | Result

1|Tomb Sealed
2|Warp Sight
3|Psyker Influx
4|Beastian Appendages
5|Voice of the Daemonic
6|Merged Consciousness
7|Doomed
8|Gene-Seed Damage (Roll on Table 1.7B)
9|Warped Reflexes
10|Esoteric Mutation


Warband Flaws
(Only Tainted Warbands need to roll here)

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 Progenitor's Primarch, the stock from which they recruit, or some other inexplicable factor, or more usually the effects of Warp exposure.
The flaws presented in Table 1.8: Warband Flaws are a general foundation not the be all and end all list.
  • Faithless (These Traitor Marines prefer to keep Chaos at an arm's length. They do not worship the 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 Legion or Warband.)
  • Fickle in Faith (Loyalty to a God is an important thing. A Warband with this trait often switches its allegiance to another God, one that suits it more at the time than what they worshipped before. A Warband like this must be very careful, lest they lose warriors needlessly and draw the wrath of the Gods.)A Warband with this trait does not choose a permanent belief in Table 1.19.
  • 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 Warband has proven that it cannot be trusted even remotely and will turn on any ally it has whenever it feels like it.)
  • Imperial Ties (This Warband insists on maintaing ties to Imperial life. Either through holding their homeworld together in an Imperial fashion of order or simply pretending to continue their lives under the Imperium, but with Chaos as their master.)
Table 1.8 |

D10 Roll | Result

1-2|Faithless
3-4|Hated by All
5-6|Fickle in Faith
7-8|Traitors All
9-10|Imperial Ties


Damaged Gene-Seed


If Damaged Gene-Seed is rolled on Table 1.7, or Warp-Touched is rolled on Table 1.4 then there is the option to roll on Table 1.7B: Gene-Seed Damage to determine which organs are not functioning or are absent entirely.

  • 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 Space Marines to see in low light conditions has become overly sensitised, working exceptionally well in the dark but suffering in full light conditions)
  • Mutated Catalepsean Node (The implant that allows the Warrior 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 without effect. However, when sleep does come it is wont to last for days on end)
  • Oolitic Secretions (The Warband's Oolitic Kidney function is imbalanced in such a way that the Warrior's skin is turned an unusual colour due to it's secretions)
  • Endless Suspended Animation (Due to a malfunction in the Sus-an Membrane anytime that a Chaos Marine enters a suspended state they risk never coming out of it again, being trapped in a permanent coma, at least until the Warband's apothecaries kill them.)
  • Lost Zygote (One of the Warband's zygotes has ceased to function entirely. Choose one or roll on Table 1.9)
  • Melanochrome Deficiency (The Warband's Melanochromes have mutated or been damaged, they overproduce or underproduce melanin for the skin to protect against radiation, resulting in extremely dark skin or pale skin respectively.)
  • Multiple Instabilities (Roll D3 times on Table 1.7B, re-rolling any duplicate results including this one)
Table 1.7B |

D10 Roll | Result

1|Hyper-stimulated Omophagea
2|Oversensitive Occulobe
3|Mutated Catalepsean Node
4|Oolitic Secretions
5|Endless Suspended Animation
6-8|Lost Zygote
9|Melanochrome Deficiency
10|Multiple Instabilities


Table 1.9 |

Roll D100 | Result

1-8|Catalepsean Node
9-17|Preomnor
18-26|Omophagea
27-35|Occulobe
36-44|Lyman's Ear
45-53|Sus-an Membrane
54-62|Oolitic Kidney
63-71|Neuroglottis
72-80|Mucranoid
81-89|Betcher's Gland
90-98|Melanchromic Organ
99-100|Roll Twice On This Table
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Founding Fathers/Figures of Legend


Who are the Warband's heroes?

Every Warband has its founding fathers- the tyrants that founded them and kept them together. These might be warriors that came from a Traitor Legion, or a Renegade Space Marine from a loyalist Chapter, or they might be the warriors of the Warband itself.
  • Traitor Marine/Renegade (From a Traitor Legion or a Renegade from a loyalist Chapter who founded the Warband. Roll again on Table 1.10 to determine what type of warrior he was)
  • 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
  • Specialist (your choice- Acolyte, Dreadnought, Specialist Marine (Khorne Berzerkers, Plague Marines, Noise Marines, etc), driver, pilot, etc)
Table 1.10 |

D100 Roll | Result
1-20|Traitor Marine/Renegade
21-40|Chaos Lord
41-60|Chaos Sorcerer
61-70|Corrupted Techmarine
71-73|Void Master Chaos Lord
74|Corrupted Chaplain
75|Corrupted Apothecary
76-85|Chaos Champion
86-90|Chaos Chosen
91-99|Chaos Space Marine
100|Specialist
(To determine secondary figures- such as the hero's companions and peers, or later heroes- roll on the table again)

[Heresy's Space Marine Name Generator may be of use to you with this section]

Deeds of Legend

In addition to the question of who these heroes were is the question of why are they so venerated? Did they defeat a particular foe, did their deeds grant the Warband it's name, reputation, or glory from the Gods? All these possibilities provide the bedrock of the Warband's legends.
  • Ork's Bane (The figure is remembered as the bane of the Orks, to such an extent that his name is known to the barbarian 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, destroying the foe and killing their Chapter Master.)
  • Eldar Slayer (The figure led an action against an Eldar Craftworld, boarding it and inflicting grevious casualties before withdrawing. The souls 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 warband 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.)
Table 1.11 |
D100 Roll | Result
1-25|Ork's Bane
26-50|Scourge of the Imperium
51-70|Loyalist Destroyer
71-85|Eldar Slayer
86-90|Ascended
91-95|Unholy Crusader
96-100|Martyr

Home World


What type of planet is the Warband's Home World or Base of Operations?


Table 1.12 |
D100 Roll | Result
1-25|Space-Based
26-45|Feral World
46-60|Death World
61-70|Fleet-Based
71-80|Corrupted World
81-90|Uninhabited World
91-100|Daemon World
If your Chapter recruits from more worlds than just its home world, or its home world is uninhabited or the Chapter is fleet-based, roll again as many times as you like to determine what types of planets it uses. (Note: Space-Based means to have a base in space, rather than a fleet it could be a space station, asteroid or a hidden nebula/warp storm.)


Home World Predominant Terrain


Table 1.13 |
D100 Roll | Result
1-25|Jungle
26-50|Desert
51-60|Ice
61-65|Ocean
66-75|Wasteland
76-80|Urban
81-85|Mountainous
86-90|Airless
91-100|Dead
Note that whilst plenty of these category types can be combined with the categories in Table 1.12, some are mutually exclusive.

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 on it, the planet will become corrupt. The environment can be the same, it just needs a chaotic twist.


Relationship with Home World

How does the Warband govern it's home world? Chaos Space Marine Warbands with a home world are its ultimate masters, usually viewed as gods, with total control over the domain and any peoples living there. The Warband 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 Warbands 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.)
Table 1.14 |
D10 Roll | Result
1-2|Direct Rule
3-4|Stewardship
5-7|Distant Rule
8-10|Absent Rule


Organisation



What organisation does the Warband maintain?

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.)
  • Ordered Warband (A perfectly ordered Warband with a clear system of grand companies, companies, and squads of all different types. These Warbands are rare but are among the most devastating as the one thing they almost never have to fight is each other.)
Table 1.15 |
D10 Roll | Result
1-4|Disjointed Warband
5-8|Orderly Warband
9-10|Ordered Warband

Combat Doctrine


How does the Warband prefer to fight? Although the Adeptus Astartes are by definition the masters of every aspect of war, many Warbands 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 Warbands 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 Berzerkers, Plague Marines, Noise Marines and Rubric Marines, to devastating effect,.)
  • Infiltration (Chaos is a versatile tool that can acheive 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 temprementally suited to a type of war that is a unquie mix of science and murder. Breaking down defences and venting their murderous rage on the enemy is a speciality 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 thier foes, even above that they already invoke. Savouring every scream and cry for help the Warband harvests terror as much as souls, allowing the fear of their enemies to drive them into a frenzy.)

Table 1.17 |
D10 Roll | Result
1|Close Combat
2|Ranged Combat
3|Armoured Assault
4|Daemonic Assault
5|Specialist Attack
6|Infiltration
7|Sorcerous Might
8|Siege
9|Corruption
10|Terror

Special Equipment


One thing that sets a Warband apart from another are the individual pieces of equipment that the Warband prefers to carry into battle. Table 1.18 presents some ideas that the created Warband will favour.
  • 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 Warbands 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/Horus Heresy era weaponry and 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 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 Warband or forge of origin.)
Table 1.18 |
D100 | Result
1-10|Tainted Weapon
11-20|Corrupted Icons
21-30|Mutated Wargear
31-40|Beastial Companion
41-50|Ancient Weaponry
51-60|Chaos Artefacts
61-70|Daemonic Mount
71-80|Special Vehicle
81-90|Preferred Fighting Style
91-100|Modified Weaponry

Warband Devotion


Table 1.19 |
D100 Roll | Result
1-20|Chaos Undivided
21-35|Khorne
36-50|Nurgle
51-65|Slaanesh
66-80|Tzeentch
80-90|Patron Daemon
91-95|Daemon Prince
96-100|Malal
 
#3 · (Edited)
Current Status


What is the current status of your Warband?

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 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 loyalist chapters, can use large amounts of 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 Warband concentrate their efforts in and around one region, whislt others keep bases in the Eye of Terror or real-space and send out companies to ravage the Imperium.
  • 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 ago, or has recently suffered heavy but not irrecoverable losses.)
  • Nominal (The Warband can field equivalent forces to a Space Marine Chapter of 1,000 Astartes.)
  • Over Strength (The Warband has surpassed its loyalist enemies and its on its way to reaching the status of the Traitor Legions and the Red Corsairs.)
Table 1.20 |
D10 Roll | Result
1|Endangered
2-4|Under Strength
5-9|Nominal
10|Over Strength

Friends and Enemies

While the Chaos Space Marines often despise one another, the long millennia of war have often brought about unlikely alliances and rivalries.

Table 1.21 | Friends D100 Roll | Result
1-15|Traitor Legions
16-30|Red Corsairs
31-45|Renegade Chapters
46-60|Other Warbands
61-70|Dark Mechanicus
71-80|Chaos Daemons
81-90|Chaos Cults
91-100|Daemon Prince
Table 1.22 | Enemies D100 Roll | Result
1-2|Roll On Table 1.21
3-25|Space Marines
26-32|The Tyranids
33-41|Adeptus Mechanicus
42-50|Adepta Sororitas
51-59|Inquisition
60-66|The Eldar
67-74|Imperial Guard
75-81|The Orks
82-88|Dark Eldar
89-97|The Tau
98-100|Other


--------------------------------------------------------------------------


A brief example Warband using a complete roll format, I rolled on every choice and went with the first choice for everything.


Origins​


How was the Warband Founded?
Renegades

The Blood Blades broke away from the Imperium after they were declared Excommunicate Traitoris, due to the Massacre of Ghenvil, the Kyvax Blooding and the Destruction of Senry V. The Chapter's "excesses" were declared corrupt and after being declared traitors they were assaulted by the Doom Heralds Chapter, who had been sent to destroy them. During the conflict the Chapter pledged itself to Chaos.


When was the Warband Founded?
41st Millennium

The Blood Blades were the most recent chapter created using Blood Angels gene-stock. They were created in 046.M41.


Gene-Seed​


Progenitor
Blood Angels

The Blood Angels are the progenitor for the Blood Blades. Since their conversion the Blood Angels have sworn an oath to destroy the Blades, and wipe them from recorded history.

Gene-Stock Purity
Tainted

The Blood Blades keep strange customs and do not associate with others.

Renegade Demeanours
Ghost Warriors

For a Blood Blade nothing is sweeter than the hunt. They live for hunting their prey in complicated cat and mouse scenarios, the greatest moment being when the trap is sprung and they pounce like a sabre-cat.

Mutations
Gene-Seed Damage

The Blood Blades have some gene-seed damage due to faulty stock.

Damaged Gene-Seed
Lost Zygote - Sus-an Membrane

The Blood Blades are missing the Sus-an Membrane. Without it they cannot enter a state of suspended animation. This has given them a streak of fatalism when they have suffered wounds that they know cannot be healed in the time they have, often these marines will die trying to take as many of the enemy as he can with him.

Warband Flaws
Hated by All

Due to the nature of the Black Rage and Red Thirst, still a part of their genes, and an unfortunate incident involving said defect and the Black Legion the Blood Blades are highly unpopular amongst Chaos legions, mainly for the fact that they cannot be controlled in battle by anyone but their own commanders, and even then it is tricky.


Founding Fathers/Figures of Legend​


Who are the Warband's heroes?
Chaos Lord

Helstrom Vipus, known as the Death Storm for his actions on Melatar, the former Blood Blades homeworld, is the Chaos Lord of the Blood Blades. He was their second Chapter Master and the one who converted the Chapter to Chaos. After several excesses in which millions of innocents died, Vipus and his Chapter were declared traitors.

Vipus wears ornate MK VIII armor covered in symbols of devotion to Chaos and iconography of blood and swords. His favoured weapon is an Executioner Chainblade called Gorelord that not only can he wield with one hand but can cut through a Predator's outer shell to slice at the bodies inside. He has also been noted for his uncanny resemblance to Sanguinius, apart from the obvious lack of wings, he has the statue-worthy face and long blonde hair of his gene-sire.


Deeds of Legend
Loyalist Destroyer

Vipus is famed for the destruction of the Doom Heralds Chapter when they were sent to wipe out the supposedly understrength Blood Blades. Upon their arrival their fleet was assaulted by the orbital batteries on Melatar, bringing down a Strike Cruiser and two Destroyer ships. The entire Chapter, sans 5th Company which had died in the lost Strike Cruiser, landed on Melatar and were faced with an onslaught by the Chapter's Assault Marines and their Death Company. Their 3rd Company was annihilated and both 2nd and 4th were mauled badly, though they exacted a harsh price. The 1st Companies of both Chapters fought each other as Vipus fought the Doom Heralds Chapter Master Sinon Paidar after cutting down five Terminators. After a length fight Vipus won and dragged the corpse of the enemy's master through a Warp Portal that had erected itself during the fight.

The entire Blood Blades Chapter, having lost 40% of their marines, fled into the Warp. The Doom Heralds however were wiped out completely when the chain reaction Vipus set up before the battle kicked in and annihilated the planet's core, causing a complete destruction of the planet. There were no survivors.



Home World​


What type of planet is the Warband's Home World or Base of Operations?
Feral World

The Blood Blades new homeworld is named Wyverok. It is inhabited by roaming bands of barbarian warriors who wage bloody warfare with each other over land, resources and slaves. The Blood Blades recruit from these tribesman.

Home World Predominant Terrain
Wasteland

Wyverok is a desolate wasteland with few resources, however the Blood Blades occasionally drop in supplies to force the tribes into conflict over them. Sometimes a grassy oasis can be found but competition for even a few months there is vicious even by Wyverok standards.

Relationship with Home World
Stewardship

The Blood Blades interact with the Wyveroks by appearing every generation at their holy site, the Umber Mountain. The Wyverok youth compete to see who will go with the "Sky Lords" to have a chance at becoming gods in their own right. Other then this the Blood Blades do not interact with their world.


Organisation​


What organisation does the Warband maintain?
Orderly Warband

The Blood Blades hold, albeit with difficulty, to their Chapter organisation. Their companies still exist though membership in one is now largely informal, with new marines merely choosing who to join. They maintain at least 10 Companies at all times, though they now intend to increase this now that they are not bound to the Codex Astartes.

Combat Doctrine
Specialist Attack

The Blood Blades favour an onslaught attack using their Death Company, which is fairly large, as a powerful hammer to smash their foes, while Assault Squads harry the sides and flank and Tactical Marines backed up by Devastator Marines unleash heavy fire on the enemy to prevent them counter-attacking the Death Company.

Special Equipment
Modified Weaponry

The Blood Blades manufacture the Shard Grenades exclusively. These grenades utilize a rare crystal found on Wyverok that can tear through power armor when launched at a high velocity. The grenades explode and send the shards hurtling into the enemy, devastating regular infantry and inflicting a good amount of damage on power armored troops.

Chapter Beliefs
Chaos Undivided

The Blood Blades worship Chaos as a whole, thanking it for saving them at Melatar and for their good fortune since. They do not pay homage to any god alone, believing Chaos to be a pantheon of deities that cannot exist without each other.


Current Status

Name
Blood Blades

What is the current status of your Warband?
Nominal

The Blood Blades are back to their former full strength of 1,000 Marines and are currently working to build themselves even higher.

Friends
Red Corsairs

The Blood Blades maintain good relations with the Red Corsairs, as the Warband often makes raids into Imperial territory and gain rich rewards, they trade openly with Blackheart's renegades and have a good trading relationship. The Corsairs have even sold the Blood Blades several ships at a reduced cost in exchange for mercenary services. The Corsairs are among the very few groups that will work with the Blood Blades.

Enemies
Space Marines

The Blood Blades hold a special hatred for their loyalist cousins. They have declared they will destroy the Blood Angels and all their genetic brothers. The Doom Heralds Chapter is only the first Chapter to die before the Blood Blades, only time will tell if more will join them in death.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------


Process takes less than twenty minutes and your new Warband is nearly completed, all that remains it to decide on a Livery & Heraldry and your new Warband is ready!

Hope that this generator is helpful to you when creating your Chaos Space Marines. Enjoy, and Baron S, please don't sue me for copyright. Oh and if this turns out to be popular/useful and gets stickied that'd be awesome :grin:.

Death to the False Emperor!


Lord of the Night
 
#6 ·
I kneel before you for doing what I'd always wanted! Giving me a Warband Generator!

You sir are a god amongst men for this. There are some parts that hang me up and confuse me quite a bit.

I think a little more elboration could be done on the part of Renegade Warbands -- those once loyal to the Emperor. Also the mutation rates for them aren't listed, and while its nothing to simply click over to Baron S' thread and look, one would assume corruption and mutation rates would be higher since their fall to Chaos.

Also, and this is more personal than technical, I've never heard an instance where a Warband has been spawned, its very interesting to think about. Do you happen to know where there is information relating to anybody other than the Imperium 'spawning' Astartes? I'd like to read up more on it.

Regardless, this is the generator I've been waiting for!
 
#7 ·
Hehe your welcome.

As for Spawning I was thinking of Fabius Bile and his New Man when I wrote that. The ability to create a Chaos Space Marine on their own, one that was never mortal but was born an Astartes. The rate of failure is high but it can succeed, and has in the lore.

As for the mutation rates i'll add those in, thats my bad. I'll alter them appropriately.


Lord of the Night
 
#9 ·
A minor technicality Lord of the Night. Your Combat Doctrines are very good, but the box in which you look to see which number gives you what, there is some miswording. Such as Aerial Assault being in the box, while Infiltration is the choice written out.

Anyone with common sense would know which one its mean to be, but just for beautification sake.

Once more, being the inquisitive little scamp that I am, I have another question. In devotion it states Patron Demon. I don't quite understand, I'm sure some chapter's follow demons in particular, but are we talking about Demons like Doombreed or a Changer of Ways?
 
#10 ·
Fixed the issue.

And a Patron Daemon is just that. A Daemon that a Warband pays homage to as they would a Chaos God. They kill in its name, sacrifice to it and it grants them rewards. Any Daemon can be a Patron though obviously weak ones like a Bloodletter won't, but they don't have to be Greater Daemons or even an affiliated Daemon. Just a Daemon of Chaos Undivided can be a Patron.


Lord of the Night
 
#12 ·
Apologies for the double post, here' a Warband that I made up quickly.

The Shadow Blades
Spawned
35th Millennium
Death Guard
A New Generation
Mark of the Hunter
Chaos Champion Venerari Justinian
Scourge of the Imperium
Corrupted Techmarine Jacobus Castus
Unholy Crusader
Fleet-Based
Orderly Warband
Armoured Assault
Chaos Artefacts
Chaos Undivided
 
#14 ·
Origins

How was the Warband founded?

While investigating a war-ravaged world, Chaos corrupted the mind of it's 1st Company captain, thus taking hold of the entire company. The company massacred it's opposition, and many of the remaining Crusaders flocked to their cause.

When was the warband founded?
40th Millenium

The Malevolent Crusaders have been renegades for a millenia now.

Gene-Seed

Progenitor
Salamanders

The Malevolent Crusaders are a complex, yet extremely stable conversion from the Salamanders. While still Imperial, they looked up to their original chapter. Now the Salamanders are pious in exterminating the Crusaders threat, and vice versa.

Gene-Stock Purity
A New Generation

Unlike their Progenitor, the Crusaders are highly influenced by the Chapters psychers. Being some of the most powerful in the Chapter, the novices and veterans alike look up to them for guidance. This is one of the suspected reasons they turned renegade.

Renegade Demeanours
Warriors of the Warp

The Crusaders are pious in their cause, and intend to use any power available to exterminate their enemies. They harbor sorcery and use it without restraint.

Mutations
Psyker Influx

Due to the Crusaders lust for the influence of psykers, they accept many psykers within their ranks. Because of this, many of the Marines practice with the psykers in an attempt to gain some sort of power.

Damaged Gene-Seed
Oversensitive Occulobe

The organ that allows Space Marines to see in low light conditions has become overly sensitised, working exceptionally well in the dark but suffering in full light conditions. Many consider this to be the reason for the exceptionally bright, red eyes. Even compared to the Salamanders standards.

I'm going to work on the Founding Fathers and heroes soon.
 
#15 ·
Looks Good. Really nice.

Just out of curiosity,
Born of a Legion such as the Thousand Sons, surely their chance of mutation would be extremely low given the Rubric of Ahriman turned most of them to dust, or protected them from further mutation?
 
#21 ·
So I was browsing through this and must ask about table 1.3, geneseed origins.

How did you come up with the choices that you did? Why is renegade geneseed on the table with traitor legion geneseed?

I understand that some of the legions have taken in renegades, but why was that not made into a separate thing like mutations and geneseed defects were?


In regards to the rolls that would be needed:
Black Legion are the largest legion and take in anyone, why is the roll range for them the equivalent of the World Eaters who are one of the legions that recruit the least, if at all?

Why do the Alpha Legion and Word Bearers have such low ranges? After the Black Legion they are either the most numerous or the most spread out (increasing the likelyhood of more members.) The four dedicated legions, the Death Guard, World Eaters, Emperor's Children, and Thousand Sons should have the small slots. (The Thousand Sons don't recruit new marines last I remember, the Emperor's Children and World Eaters are shattered and have no reason to do so, leaving you the Death Guard to get the highest range of the four.)


I'm not going to say this is bad, because a fair bit of it is a copy/paste of what Spikey has provided us with with slight name changes, but there are a few things that could do with either some reworking or a bit more thought.
 
#22 ·
In regards to the rolls that would be needed:
Black Legion are the largest legion and take in anyone, why is the roll range for them the equivalent of the World Eaters who are one of the legions that recruit the least, if at all?
The Black Legion is numerically the largest legion but the percentage of Legionnaires who carry Horus' geneseed is actually rather low.

Why do the Alpha Legion and Word Bearers have such low ranges? After the Black Legion they are either the most numerous or the most spread out (increasing the likelyhood of more members.) The four dedicated legions, the Death Guard, World Eaters, Emperor's Children, and Thousand Sons should have the small slots. (The Thousand Sons don't recruit new marines last I remember, the Emperor's Children and World Eaters are shattered and have no reason to do so, leaving you the Death Guard to get the highest range of the four.)
From what I gather the Geneseed table infers that the Warband you're creating would be a splinter of that Legion- rather than new members joining the Legion. In which case the ranges for the World Eaters and Emperor's Children would seem to be accurate.

The Word Bearers are known to percecute any attempted secession from the Legion ruthlessly, possibly accounting for the slight chance of an independent Warband being of their blood. I agree though that the Thousand Sons and Death Guard ranges don't make a fantastic amount of sense, but hey ho.
 
#24 ·
On the rarity of the Thousand Sons and Emperor's Children, I was going by how rare those warbands actually are. Emperor's Children are very few in number so their warbands are a, thankfully for Imperials, rare sight. Same for the Thousand Sons.

As for the Alpha Legion I see their Warbands as being companies of the Legion, which I don't think has broken after the Heresy. So hence why actual splinter groups of the Alpha Legion are so rare. But of course we know so little about them I could be completely wrong.


LotN
 
#26 ·
Heralds for my money. Prophets say "it's coming" heralds say "it has arrived"
 
#28 ·
I must say Lord of Night I have been messing around with your generator for awhile but the release of the latest Chaos Codex has seen to it that I make my own warband to play on table top.

Just want to ask, as I saw someone else ask earlier, what would be a better name for my warband. The Wreathing/Wreathed Flame, The Warp Dragons or The Fire Daemons.

Warband short background, with some lucky rolls I landed a Salamanders founding, warp touched gene seed and a unique mutation. Naturally I went with something involving flame, mainly the warbands marines have the ability to wreath themselves in Warp fires that do not burn them, only their enemies, this playing into my modified weapons roll which allows them to focus their flames into a flamer. Added to the fact I kept the Salamander look of pure black skin and red eyes the mutation conjures a terrifying image in my mind.
 
#30 ·
damn! i just can't stop loving this generator!:grin:
I've had a nurgle CSM thing going on for a while (its an on/off thing) and i was anxious to flesh them out, but being pre-made warband i encountered some problems along the way eg. eldar slayer (i don't wan't to please slaanesh god-dammit!:angry:) or combat doctrine-armored assault (almost all nurgle vehicles are out of service...) and so i desperately need a question answered, are these generators made to be a set of strictly followed procedures or is there room for manipulation?

P.S someone enlighten me as to what a 'Void Master Chaos Lord' is?:shok::dunno:
 
#31 ·
Really fun, this generator, one thing I noticed though was that at Combat Doctrine it says for the third "Massed Cultists", but on table 1.17 it is instead "Armoured Assault" as the third one. Which one is right?
 
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