[ckcrawford]

I was wondering whether anyone thinks its pausible that traitor legions could actually produce something in the lines of a chapter. Obviously not intentional but could they totally throw away their shackles of their previous leaderships and call themselves down or be hunted down like dogs.

One reason I ask, was that I was looking through Lexicanum's list of traitors and renegades. The purge is originally from the Death Guard and apparently imperial armour 6-7 confirm this. Can anway varify this? Because that would be interesting.

 

[Bloodcuddler of Khorne]

Well, if you mean can groups of CSM break away from the original Legions to form their own chapters of CSM, yes, they actually do so pretty often from what I understand. Chaos Marines will generally follow anyone that is both stronger than them and whose interests align with their ambitions, so they would hardly be above ditching their old leaders for new ones. There are many listed in the codex that either imply or outright say that they are offshoots of other chapters, such as the Flawless Host showing "Emperor's Children gene-seed markers" or the Claws of Lorex being a "possible Astral Claws splinter group." The Black Legion now has more collected from various other chapters/legions than they have original Sons of Horus, which is how they have access to Cultist Marines.

If you mean can a Traitor Legion have some of its members break off and go back to the Loyalist side... probably not. At the absolute best they might become an army of Penitent Engines if they tried to do that, but odds are even that would be considered too merciful for them.

 

[Giant Fossil Penguin]

I imagine the World Eaters would be the greatest example of this. The Legion fractured into many warbands and each led by a great lord of Khorne, this could be analogous to Chapters forming from a larger formation. I would think that at least some of the WEs are of Chapter size.
Apart from the Chapters who have gone renegade since the HH, the only way for other groups of Astartes to have formed in the EoT would be for the traitor Legions to have split into smaller groups. Although doubtless, by 40k, the Dark Mech would have worked out a way to make more geneseed.

GFP

 

[yanlou]

well in chaos marines there isnt such a thing as chapters just warbands.
As said it happens all the time, groups of chaos marines splitting away from the parent legion to create their own warbands.
Even some of the biggest and well organized traitor legions arent safe from this, like The Sanctified are a splinter warband of the word bearers, Steel Brethren are splinter warband of the iron warriors, even black legion have splinter warbands, if i remember rightly, theres one in imperial armour 6 or 7 i think.
edit: this is the black legion splinter warband; Black Brethren of Eyreas.

 

[Child-of-the-Emperor]

As everyone has said, yes it happens all the time. Most of the Legions now are essentially coalitions of warbands held together by loyalties, primarchs/warlords, or the will of the gods.

Take the Black Legion for example. It is by far the most powerful and influential Legion, but ultimately it is just a rag-tag collection of numerous warbands all who owe allegience to Abaddon the Despoiler. Some warbands who once considered themselves Black Legion would have inevitably broken away and shunned allegience to the Despoiler though, something which I imagine Abaddon's intent on claiming vengeance for.

It is the same across all the Legions with perhaps the possible exception of the Word Bearers. They remain one of the most organised Legions, but are still split into seperate warbands (hosts) each led by a Dark Apostle. They remain unified primarily because of their dedication to Lorgar and their following of the same teachings. I believe there is only a minimal number of warbands known to have splintered from the Word Bearers, and its mentioned in the Word Bearers series that the Dark Council consider them the highest form of blasphemers and traitors, and seek to eradicate them.

 

[ckcrawford]

.
Even some of the biggest and well organized traitor legions arent safe from this, like The Sanctified are a splinter warband of the word bearers, Steel Brethren are splinter warband of the iron warriors, even black legion have splinter warbands, if i remember rightly, theres one in imperial armour 6 or 7 i think.
edit: this is the black legion splinter warband; Black Brethren of Eyreas.

I did not know that, I wish they had discussed that more in the Chaos Marine Codex. Theres one thing to go and form your seperate warband because the leadership in your organization sucks, but then theres one thing in disgracing a daemon prince primarch who you swore you alliegence to by painting your armor colors differently and identifying yourself as a entirely different chapter. But I guess those similarities make sense.