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In ''[[Warhammer 40,000]]'', the Immaterium, or Warp, is a parallel dimension where the thoughts, desires, and emotions of sentient creatures are made manifest in the form of psychic entities labeled Daemons. There was a time in the distant past when the Warp was a calm and even benign place, but eons of constant warfare have corrupted it into a twisted mirror that accentuates the negative - the gods of Bravery, Hope, Acceptance, and Love are also the gods of Rage, Mutation, Decay, and Lust. The Warp is a realm of primordial Chaos, where the laws of nature and causality do not apply, where dark thoughts congeal and evolve into diabolical gods. It is a nightmare realm that occasionally [[Negative Space Wedgie|spills forth]] into the Materium, leaving behind madness and desolation.
 
Humanity has an intimate relationship with Chaos - after all, their minds feed it. Chaos is the source of the mutation that wracks the Imperium, from inhuman monstrosities to the psychically-gifted Navigators. Chaos is [[Hyperspace Is a Scary Place|the key to interstellar travel]], as ships traveling through it move much faster than they would in a rational universe - assuming they are not lost to the storms and eddies of the Empyrean or devoured by daemons. And among humans, there are always those who turn to Chaos for various reasons: bored nobles looking for a new thrill by dabbling in the occult, radical daemonhunters hoping to turn the weapons of the enemy against him, ambitious individuals making [[Deal with the Devil|dark pacts]] in exchange for power, cults and cabals plotting to turn their homeworlds over to the dark gods, or bitter souls and traitors seeking revenge. Regardless of their motivations, very few of them end up as anything more than [[Unwitting Pawn|Unwitting Pawns]]s to the dark gods' plans, and horrific death is an all too common fate. Even those who manage to draw the attention of one or more of the Chaos gods may be turned into monstrous abominations called Chaos Spawn, twisted and mutated by their "blessings" and driven insane. Those that don't suffer these fates, however...[[Ascended to A Higher Plane of Existence|they can go up far]], becoming immortal and inhumanly powerful Daemon Princes.
 
Collectively, these followers are known as the Lost and the Damned: faithless traitors who have abandoned their humanity and forfeited their souls. Entire regiments of the Imperial Guard and whole Naval fleets have gone renegade, while disaffected mutants and abhumans sometimes turn to Chaos as well. But by far the worst Chaos threats are the Daemons themselves, and the heirs to a betrayal ten thousand years old that almost destroyed the human race...
 
{{tropelist|'''''TROPES FOR THE TROPE GOD! EXAMPLES FOR THE EXAMPLE THRONE!'''''}}
== '''General Chaos Tropes''' ==
 
* [[Alien Geometries]] -- Try—Try not to look too hard at anything related to Chaos. [[Brown Note|Bad idea.]] Their writing is generally described as "Sanity-Blasting Sigils."
* [[Arch Enemy]] -- The—The Imperium actually calls Chaos the "Arch Enemy" or the "Great Enemy".
* [[Artifact of Death]] -- Most—Most Daemon weapons lead to their owner's doom eventually.
* [[As Long as There Is Evil]] -- The—The only way to truly defeat Chaos would be to destroy all the intelligent life that feeds it. [[Omnicidal Maniac|The Necrons]] and Tyranids would like to make that happen.
* [[Bad Powers, Bad People]]
* [[Berserk Button]] -- Don—Don't invoke the Emperor's name in the presence of a daemon or Chaos Space Marine. It won't end well.
* [[Better to Die Than Be Killed]]: This pops up for people who fall victim to Chaos. Annihilating your soul is just one of the options available, and not even the worst at that.
* [[Big Bad]]/[[Bigger Bad]] -- If—If something is causing the Imperium problems, it's usually Chaos. If it's not, they're just around the corner.
* [[Bizarrchitecture]] -- Common—Common on [[Eldritch Location|daemon worlds]], where the laws of physics are literally just another building material.
* [[Black Magic]]: As much as the Imperium would like to deny it, without Chaos it couldn't function. The Warp is the only means of faster-than-light travel available to humanity, and the Navigators that have the ability to guide vessels through the Warp can do this because of specific mutations created by Chaos.
* [[Bright Is Not Good]]: Followers of Slaanesh (Chaos god of hedonism and excess) are Sense Freaks who wear hideously garish clothing and choking perfumes at all times, being so blasé it's the only way they can feel anything. One Chaos Space Marine Legion devoted to Slaanesh wears pink and black armor for the same reason.
* [[Brown Note]] -- Common—Common side effects of looking at Chaos symbols are [[Vomit Indiscretion Shot|mild nausea]], [[Tears of Blood|slight bleeding]], and [[Go Mad From the Revelation|insanity]].
* [[Card-Carrying Villain]] -- Anyone—Anyone who's in deep with Chaos tends to wear this on their sleeve...or any other part of their body.
* [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]] - Chaos in general, but Tzeentch in particular.
* [[Colour-Coded for Your Convenience]]: Red and brass/bronze for Khorne; blue, and to a lesser extent yellow and every other colors for Tzeentch; sickly green for Nurgle; and purple and pink for Slaanesh. In addition, Malal was supposed to be black and white.
* [[The Corruption]] -- Both—Both mental and physical.
* [[The Dark Side]] -- Which—Which manages to be darker than what passes as the "Light" side in this setting, no mean feat.
* [[Deal with the Devil]] -- Pacts—Pacts with Chaos in general, and to specific Chaos Gods in particular.
* [[Death by Sex]] -- Slaanesh—Slaanesh is ''very'' tempting...
* [[Dream Land]] - The Warp is an exceedingly negative version.
* [[Drunk on the Dark Side]] -- Don—Don't stand too close to anyone powered by Chaos.
* [[Eldritch Location]] / [[Fisher King]]:
** Pretty much anywhere in the Eye of Terror or any place sufficiently tainted by Chaos.
** The domains of the Chaos Gods are like this, especially the ever-changing Maze of Tzeentch.
* [[Evil Is Deathly Cold]] -- The—The presence of Warp energy usually involves the temperature dropping several degrees.
* [[Evil Laugh]] -- Chaos—Chaos specializes in this; most Traitor Marines having been turned batshit insane over ten thousand years of war and slaughter, and the mind-warping effects of the Immaterium. ''[[Dawn of War]]'' has Chaos Marines randomly break down and cackle occasionally. Subverted by the [[The Stoic|Iron Warriors legion]] who seldom laughs, considering such displays beneath them.
* [[For the Evulz]] -- Many—Many followers of Chaos have actual hopes and ambitions, but [[Motive Decay|whether they'll keep them rather than being addicted to the horrors they inflict or driven insane from the gifts of Chaos is a different story...]]
* [[Genuine Human Hide]] -- A—A popular source of clothing for Chaos followers, particularly Slaaneshi followers. Also what many of the [[Tome of Eldritch Lore|Tomes of Eldritch Lore]] are made from. And last but not least, we at [[TV Tropes]] are contractually obligated to remind you that Chief Apothecary Fabius Bile of the Emperor's Children wears a lab coat made of ''human skin''. <ref>Okay, we're not really required to remind you. We just enjoy [[Nightmare Fetishist|spreading the horror]]</ref>.
* [[Haunted Technology]] -- Chaos—Chaos has a bad habit of corrupting, if not outright possessing, various bits of technology.
* [[Hearing Voices]] -- It—It's a good idea to ignore them.
* [[The Hedonist]] -- Slaanesh—Slaanesh and his/her followers are ultimately about seeking pleasureful sensations. This typically starts out with sex, torture, and/or murder, but inevitably degenerates into seeking out ''any'' sensation and learning to find it pleasurable and unique, up to and including [[Insane Troll Logic|fighting wars to see what losing is like]] and extreme self-mutilation as pleasure becomes confused with pain.
* [[Insane Equals Violent]] -- Generally—Generally the case with Chaos-inspired madness, though in most cases those afflicted were already violent.
* [[The Legions of Hell]] - [[Humans Are Bastardsthe Real Monsters|Fed by your every thought and emotion]].
* [[The Mad Hatter]] -- Occasionally—Occasionally seen as a symptom of corruption by Chaos, particularly by Tzeentch.
* [[Made of Evil]]
* [[Madness Mantra]]:
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** In the spinoff game ''[[Battlefleet Gothic]]'', an entire ''starship'' gets a [[Madness Mantra]]: the Chaos cruiser ''Killfrenzy'' is so named because, whenever it draws near, all that can be heard on every comms frequency is its captain endlessly screaming +++KILLFRENZY KILLFRENZY KILLFRENZY KILLFRENZY KILLFRENZY+++
** In the novel ''Titanicus'', Chaos Titans are depicted as constantly screaming their names in corrupted code language.
* [[Negative Space Wedgie]] -- They—They don't get more negative than the Eye of Terror, a tear in spacetime formed by the birth of Slaanesh which physically links the Milky Way to the Warp and has irredeemably corrupted every planet it touches, including the original Eldar homeworlds.
** There are also several minor Warp Rifts of a similar nature, like the Maelstrom or Screaming Vortex.
* [[Reality Is Out to Lunch]] -- In—In the Eye of Terror.
* [[Red Right Hand]] -- Marks—Marks of Chaos.
* [[Religion of Evil]] - Chaos Undivided, formed by Lorgar, Primarch of the Word Bearers, who was chastised by the Emperor for spending so much time building cathedrals rather than campaigning. In response, Lorgar began worshiping the Chaos Gods as a pantheon, and today his legion is known for being darkly devout. Chaos Undivided holds that worshiping all the Chaos Gods allows one to draw the strengths of all without any of the weaknesses (Khorne's all out hatred, Slaaneesh's need for sensation, Nurgle's corrupting influence, and Tzeentch's mutations). The fact that Chaos Undivided's greatest champion is [[General Failure|Abbadon]] makes this claim...questionable.
* [[Sense Loss Sadness]] -- The—The only way to effectively torture Slaaneshi cultists is to stick them in a sensory deprivation tank. One crafty Inquisitor figured this one out.
* [[Time Dilation]]: Time moves differently in the warp, both move faster ''and'' slower than the rest of space. Justified because the Warp sneers at such things "causality" and "logic".
* [[Warrior Heaven]] - The Warp... okay, so a Warrior Hell.
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{{quote|'''Great Boss Tuska''': Told yer I knew where da best fightin' woz.}}
 
== '''Chaos Gods''' ==
 
{{quote|''With the thirty-seven keys of Tzeentch, we open the way for our brothers. With the thousand whispers of Slaanesh, we call to them. With the twelve plagues of Nurgle, we fell their enemies. And with the mighty axe of Khorne, we cut open the world for them.''}}
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Despite their labeling as beings of fathomless evil, the Chaos Gods represent the highest and most base aspects of sentient thought. The Great Powers personifying Rage, Scheming, Despair, and Lust, but also Bravery and Honour, Hope, Perseverance, and Love.
----
=== Tropes applying to the Chaos Gods as a whole: ===
 
* [[Animal Motifs]]: [[Big Badass Wolf]] for Khorne, [[Ravens and Crows]] for Tzeentch, and [[Flies Equals Evil]] for Nurgle (even his symbol is a stylized fly).
** These are just the most easily recognized motifs; background material, especially the older ones, note that many Chaos cults can be disguised as animal totemists because there are many possible animals that can be revered as befitting one or more of the Chaos Gods. For example, snakes can be seen as symbols of both Slaanesh and of Tzeentch, bulls as symbols of Slaanesh or Khorne, toads and slugs of Nurgle, etc.
* [[Bigger Bad]] -- While—While it's debatable whether or not the Chaos Gods are the [[Big Bad]], they are a textbook Bigger Bad.
* [[Blue and Orange Morality]]: All of them, being the embodiment of abstract concepts, are prone to this.
* [[Cosmic Plaything]] -- They—They view ''everything that has ever existed'' as this.
* [[Enemy Civil War]] -- Though—Though they have some interest in the Materium, the [[Forever War|Great Game]], the struggle for dominance in the Immaterium, is the main priority of the Chaos Gods. It's also [[Hopeless War|unwinnable]], because when one becomes stronger, the others gang up on him. And if one were to succeed, Chaos would ultimately stop being, well, Chaos.
* [[Exiled From Continuity]] - Malal, the Renegade God ([[Even Evil Has Standards|Yes, there is one that is considered worse than the other four]]) was dropped from continuity because no one could figure out who held the rights for him. Recent codexes have made mention of renegade Chaos followers who spend more time attacking other Chaos followers, which is Malal's ''modus operandi''.
* [[Four-Temperament Ensemble]]: Khorne corresponds to [[Hot-Blooded|Choleric]] and Slaanesh to [[The Hedonist|Sanguine]] pushed to their logical extremes, while Tzeentch and Nurgle respectively twist [[Byronic Hero|Melancholic]] and [[The Stoic|Phlegmatic]].
* [[God Is Evil]] -- And—And there's ''[[Four Is Death|four]]'' of them.
* [[Our Gods Are Greater]] -- Are—Are they ever.
* [[Gods Need Prayer Badly]] -- Chaos—Chaos feeds off the emotions of sentient races, but otherwise doesn't need it directed at them specifically.
* [[The Heartless]] - Even positive emotions such as Hope or Acceptance feed the Chaos gods.
* [[Mad God]] -- [[Four Is Death|All four]] fit the gold standard, but Tzeentch is especially... inexplicably illogical.
* [[The Omnipotent]]: Within their own planes of existence. Their influence in the materium, while still extremely palpable, is very limited by comparison.
* [[Pure Is Not Good]]
* [[Red Baron]] -- The—The Dark Gods, the Ruinous Powers. And that's what their own followers call them.
* [[Teeth-Clenched Teamwork]] -- Once—Once in a while, the Chaos Gods will stop their infighting and work together. Fortunately, it never lasts long.
* [[Top God]] -- What—What the Chaos Gods are constantly competing for. It's generally accepted that the top contenders are Khorne (given the [[Forever War|state of the galaxy]]) and Tzeentch (given that he has the least defeats).
** What's better than the least defeats? No defeats at all. Which goes squarely in Khorne's favor, as long as people fight and die and blood continues to flow, he will win from any engagement.
* [[Ultimate Evil]] -- The—The legions of Chaos contest this position with various other factions, which is not a good sign. But as individuals, the Chaos Gods are likely the most triumphant example of this trope in 40k
 
The major Chaos Gods are as follows:
 
=== '''[[Blood Knight|Khorne]]''' ===
[[File:Khorne_mark_6672.png|frame]]
 
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=== Notable tropes include: ===
 
* [[An Axe to Grind]]: As functionally the first real weapon of war created, the axe is symbolically very important to Khorne and his worshipers. He's often described as wielding a massive battleaxe, as well.
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** Khorne also hates Tzeentch because he considers sorcery and manipulation to be cowards' weapons.
* [[Atop a Mountain of Corpses]]: [[Nothing but Skulls|SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!]]
* [[Axe Crazy]]: Khorne is the living embodiment of hate and rage -- wordsrage—words don't '''exist''' to describe just how furious he is at any given moment of the day.
* [[The Berserker]]: Not only Khorne, but his daemons and followers.
* '''[[Badass]]''': Khorne and his followers are all supremely badass. Not only are his Champions often the mightiest warriors of Chaos and the deadliest fighters of the setting, Khorne himself is in fact the most powerful of all the Chaos Gods and is thus the most powerful being in all of Warhammer 40,000.
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* [[Flanderization]]: While he ''was'' the god of martial pride, with early editions of 40K and ''[[Warhammer Fantasy]]'' emphasizing that his followers would spare the weak or even non-combatants, he has slowly evolved into a god of mindless slaughter, who "cares not from where the blood flows, only that it flows."
** Technically, the martial pride and honour is still relevant. It's only there in a merciless way. His followers still hold a twisted code of ethics that emphasizes fighting fairly and fighting worthy opponents first. After that's done however, they'll make sure to do away with the defenseless.
*** Another part of the flanderization is the fixation on berserk fury and melee combat as the only way to honor Khorne. During the "Slaves to Darkness" era, Khorne was described as being honored by any form and methodology of killing, so Khorne cultists were as likely to be [[Cold Sniper|Cold Snipers]]s, icily professional assassins or heavy artillery experts as they were axe-swinging berserkers.
**** Well, actually, Khornate warbands still make fair use of artillery (and the World Eaters are the only legion to maintain a Titan legion) so...
* [[Flaming Sword]]: The weapons of the Bloodletters, his lesser daemons, carry this effect. Combined with their ability to suck the blood from anything they cut, and it's easy to see why they're called "Hellblades".
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* [[Unstoppable Rage]]
* [[War God]]: One of the best examples in all of fiction, really.
* [[Would Not Shoot a Civilian]]: Originally, his followers would not harm innocent civilians out of honor, but as time went on, it started to be more about ignoring civilians because they present no challenge, and Khorne desires worthy kills. ''After'' the [[Worthy Opponent|Worthy Opponents]]s are out of the way, all bets are off.
 
=== '''[[The Chessmaster|Tzeentch]]''' ===
[[File:100px-Tzeentch_mark_9487.png|frame]]
 
{{quote|''Do not ask which creature screams in the night. Do not question who waits for you in the shadow. It is my cry that wakes you in the night, and my body that crouches in the shadow. I am Tzeentch and you are the puppet that dances to my tune...''}}
 
The Changer of Ways, the Great Conspirator, the Architect of Fate, Tchar. The manipulative one, the Dark God who sees all things that may be and redirects the future to serve his own inscrutable whims and goals. Tzeentch is the lord of Change, and sometimes considered the most powerful of the Chaos Gods, for Change and Chaos are synonymous. Born as the collective embodiment of the galaxy's hope and envy, Tzeentch is the patron of all who would seek change, in any form -- butform—but they may get more then they desired. Tzeentch exhorts his followers to bring change, in any form, to anyone and everyone, and psykers/sorcerers owe him particular allegiance.
 
Tzeentch is rarely described, but they tend to vary, which is fitting for the Lord of Change. One ancient portrayal is as a ghastly, dwarfish thing, with horns arcing up from either shoulder over a head sunken into his neck and many whispering mouths crawling over his body. Another is a serpentine figure with bird like features. His sacred number is 9, and his associated Chaos Marine Legion is the Thousand Sons.
 
----
=== Notable tropes include: ===
 
* [[Arch Enemy]]: Of Nurgle. Nurgle is the god of cycles, despair, rot and stagnation. Tzeentch is the lord of change, hope, mutation and optimism. The two are fundamentally opposed because they want the opposite thing (endless stagnation into despair and rot vs. constant evolution).
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* [[For the Lulz]]: Tzeentch cannot be foiled, simply because he doesn't actually have a plan ''to'' foil. If Tzeentch ever actually "won", then he would probably cease to exist, because that would mean that nothing would ever be able to change any more.
* [[Great Gazoo]]: A villainous exemple.
* [[Hopeless War]]: One could theorize that thanks to his inherent self-defeating disorder and the fact that he is the most Magnificent of all [[Magnificent Bastard|Magnificent Bastards]]s, because of him the cause of Chaos is [[Evil Will Fail|doomed to fail]] because he can never allow it to succeed. Instead it is in his interest and integral to his nature to maintain a [[Forever War]]. Still, that is small comfort for the Imperium, especially since they aren't the only ones fighting Chaos and some other horrid race could easily replace him.
* [[Jackass Genie]]: ''Beware'' his [[It Amused Me|sick sense oh humor]].
* [[The Library of Babel]]: The Hidden Library of Tzeentch. It holds every magical spell, every prophecy, every piece of knowledge one could hope to find. The only problem is the books are alive, and they're pure evil.
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* [[Mobile Maze]]: The Maze of Tzeentch, which shifts and contorts to trap any who enter it.
* [[Odd Job Gods]]: Tzeentch's portfolio covers Hope, Envy, Treachery, Transformation, Change, and Magic/Psionics.
** Tzeentch is basically the patron god of anyone who hopes to pull off a [[Xanatos Gambit]], [[Xanatos Roulette]], [[Thanatos Gambit]], [[Last Plan Standing]], [[Take a Third Option]] or [[Xanatos Speed Chess]]. ''However'', he's ''also'' the patron god of [[Gambit Pileup|Gambit Pileups]]s, anyone who is a [[Spanner in the Works]] or [[Unwitting Instigator of Doom]], and ensuring you [[Didn't See That Coming]].
* [[The Omniscient]]: It comes with being the god of knowledge.
* [[Red Baron]]: The Architect of Fate, the Changer of Ways, the Great Mutator, the Lord of Change.
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** Tzeentch is pulling this constantly against ''himself''.
 
=== '''[[Plaguemaster|Nurgle]]''' ===
[[File:Nurgle_mark_3375.png|frame]]
 
{{quote|''There, feel the glory of necrosis, and rejoice! Nurgle loves you all!''}}
 
The Fly Lord, Neigel. Portrayed as a being horrifically bloated and deformed by the ravages of disease and decay, pustular guts falling through his torn skin, pus and blood and bile and other filth oozing from every pore, Nurgle is the eldest of the Chaos Gods, and may be the most disgusting and terrifying of them. Ironically, he's also one of the nicest, maintaining a caring and loving manner. Nurgle claims to love ''all'' creatures -- thatcreatures—that just happens to include viruses, bacteria, fungi and other disease-causing organisms. Nurgle's followers spread disease and decay across the galaxy, forced to sing the songs of gratitude to the "Grandfather Nurgle". He is is born from the galaxy's fear, despair, fortitude and the will to live no matter what.
 
Nurgle's sacred number is 7, and his associated Chaos Marine Legion is the Death Guard.
 
----
=== Notable tropes include: ===
 
* [[Abhorrent Admirer]]: Nurgle saved the Eldar goddess of life, Isha, from being eaten by Slaanesh because he is in love with her and he wants to marry her. Not only is Nurgle physically repellent in all the worst possible ways, his idea of expressing love is to keep her chained up in his kitchen/lab and force-feed her the latest plagues and diseases he has brewed to test their effectiveness; she heals herself, eventually, but she still suffers them. He does, however, apparently make no efforts to notice that she whispers cures to the diseases he has created to mortal kind.
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* [[Zombie Apocalypse]] - More than a few worlds have suffered one due to one of Nurgle's diseases.
 
=== '''[[Sex Is Evil|Slaanesh]]''' ===
[[File:125px-Slaanesh_mark_3677.png|frame]]
 
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=== Notable tropes include: ===
 
* [[The Ace]]: One could make the case. Slaanesh is the God of Pleasure, so anything that one derives pleasure from falls under its domain, and it encourages you to find pleasure in absolutely anything, and in turn Slaanesh itself enjoys cultivating new skills and experiences. This includes ''losing''.
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** More generally, Slaanesh is viewed as the [[Arch Enemy]] by the entire Eldar race, even the Dark Eldar in a somewhat perverse way. Their entire lives are devoted pretty much to staving off death because they know that upon that death, they belong to Her.
* [[Beauty Equals Goodness]]: Subverted. Slaanesh is perhaps the cruelest, most callous and most self-centered of all the Dark Gods.
* [[Charm Person]]: Those who gaze upon Slaanesh can do nothing but fall down and worship its inhuman beauty. This extends to its daemons, though a powerful mind can resist their presence. With Slaanesh itself, however, it doesn't matter how powerful your mind is -- unlessis—unless you are a god or something equally powerful, you will falter and fall before it.
* [[The Dreaded]]: Apparently, even saying his/her/its name constitutes as the equivalent of profanity among the Eldar. They typically refer to Slannesh as "The Great Enemy" or "She Who Thirsts".
* [[Depraved Bisexual]]: There a fewer more depraved.
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== '''Daemons Of Chaos''' ==
 
[[File:Daemons_6843.png|frame]]
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=== Notable Daemonic tropes include: ===
 
* [[Alien Geometries]]: The shapes and forms of daemons typically take these.
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* [[The Dreaded]]: Angrath, Khorne's most favoured Bloodthirster. So much so, that even the mightiest of the ''Grey Knights'' can only timidly whisper his name.
* [[Eldritch Abomination]] - With a 5+ Invulnerable save.
* [[Energy Beings]] -- Daemons—Daemons are these in the Warp, where they [[Hyperspace Is a Scary Place|attempt to break into spaceships traveling through it and devour the souls of everyone inside.]]
* [[Evil Makes You Monstrous]] -- Daemon—Daemon Princes.
* [[Fat Bastard]] -- Great—Great Unclean Ones, the Greater Daemons of Nurgle, are bloated, putrid beings.
* [[Feathered Fiend]] -- Lords—Lords of Change, the Greater Daemons of Tzeentch, are often depicted with beaks and large, vibrant wings.
* [[Fighting a Shadow]] -- You—You can defeat a Daemon, but only by imprisoning it in something or sending it back to the Warp.
* [[Hell Hound]] -- The—The Flesh Hounds of Khorne, sent to chase down foes too cowardly to face Khorne in battle, particularly psykers.
* [[Hellish Horse]] -- Daemonic—Daemonic mounts. Generally... somewhat less than pleasant.
* [[I Know Your True Name]] -- Daemons—Daemons and the Grimoire of True Names.
* [[Insubstantial Ingredients]] - Swords of hate, or delusion, or the like.
* [[The Juggernaut]] - Of particular note are the Khornate daemons ''called'' Juggernauts, which resemble flaming, metallic rhinos. Used as mounts, they aren't particularly fast, but hit with the impact of a flaming freight train.
* [[Leave No Witnesses]] - Aetaos'Rau'Keres, an ancient daemon of Tzeentch with a terrible case of [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder]]. He's murdered everybody, mortal and demon alike, who knows anything about his [[I Know Your True Name|true nature]]. The only reason he's still "loyal" is because Tzeentch is the only person left in the universe who could sell out his secret.
* [[Multi-Armed and Dangerous]] - Keepers of Secrets, the Greater Daemons of Slaanesh, possess two regular arms and two pincher arms.
* [[Nipple-and-Dimed]] - The 4th Edition models for [[Horny Devils|Slaaneshi Daemonettes]] aroused... controversy by eschewing the previous versions' [[Chainmail Bikini|Chainmail Bikinis]]s. Some models even featured three sets of breasts (this is ''Chaos'', after all), including Steeds of Slaanesh, which are nonhumanoid serpent-like creatures. As of 5th Edition, however, the Daemonettes have been retooled as more androgynous, and either have corsets or don't need them.
* [[Papa Wolf]] -- Some—Some greater daemons of Nurgle will flip out if you try to harm the little nurglings.
* [[Rain of Blood]] -- Khorne—Khorne, through the actions of his champions. Also sometimes literally, if the Daemons section of the 5e rulebook is to be believed. There were apparently exploding, shrieking skulls in there, too.
* [[Red Oni, Blue Oni]] -- Pink—Pink Horrors are energetic and happy, Blue Horrors are grumpy.
* [[World of Chaos]] - Daemon Worlds, natch.
 
== '''Chaos Space Marines''' ==
 
[[File:ChaosMarine_1343.jpg|frame]]
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=== Notable Chaos Space Marine tropes include: ===
 
* [[An Axe to Grind]] - Many a follower of Khorne favors Chainaxes. Angron wielded two Chainaxes called "Gorefather" and "Gorechild", and later gave Gorechild to Kharn.
* [[Animated Armor]] - Almost all Thousand Sons marines have had their bodies rendered to dust by a spell, the only thing holding their soul to the mortal realm is [[Soul Jar|their armor]], which moves according to their will.
* [[Anti-Villain]] -- Magnus—Magnus the Red is revealed to be one in an exceptionally tragic way.
** Possibly also Alpharius/Omegon. Or not. It's confusing.
** Lorgar far more so than any other in the setting.
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* [[Cain and Abel]] - The Primarchs versus the Traitor Primarchs, loyalist Marines vs Chaos Marines.
* [[Catch Phrase]] - Khorne's followers are well known for their [[Battle Cry]] ''"BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!"''. Kharn himself has a thing for the phrase '' '''"KILL! MAIM! BURN! KILL! MAIM! BURN!"''' ''
** They also double as [[Madness Mantra|Madness Mantras]]s
** Another notable warcry is ''"Let the Galaxy Burn!"''
* [[The Chessmaster]] - Tzeentch's followers have some degree of foresight on their side, while the Alpha Legion is known for elaborate covert campaigns, misdirection, and propaganda.
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** The Emperor's Children are strikingly beautiful and have unusually refined aesthetic sensibilities, like the Blood Angels.
* [[Evil Is Hammy]] - [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-gSJW3sHXE Khornates especially].
* [[Evil Overlord]] -- Chaos—Chaos Lords. None more so than Abaddon.
* [[The Evil Prince]] -- Horus—Horus, the first and most favored son of the Emperor and the aptly named Daemon Princes, who vie for the favor of the Dark Gods and control of the various Daemon Worlds.
* [[Evil Sorcerer]] - Chaos Sorcerers, naturally enough. The most famous of their number is Ahzek Ahriman of the Thousand Sons, a formidable psyker who was exiled for accidentally turning most of the legion into [[Animated Armor|walking suits]] of [[Power Armor]].
* [[Face Heel Turn]] -- The—The biggest example would be Horus. The brightest hope of all humanity since the Emperor, beloved by all of mankind, a peerless warrior and sublime statesman. The very best that humanity could ever be...is almost killed and shown Scrooge-like visions of a future where he is forgotten and his Father is worshipped as a God across a million worlds. Cue instant patricidal hatred, and the beginnings of a rebellion that would eventually damn the Galaxy into a slow decay of labyrinthine bureaucracy, never ending bloodshed, and, perhaps most tragically, no future for mankind. In other words...[[Self-Fulfilling Prophecy|exactly what he saw]].)
** He hasn't quite been forgotten, even by the Imperial Guard; a character in the [[Ciaphas Cain]] ('''HERO OF THE IMPERIUM!''') book ''Caves of Ice'' describes a recently-shot Ork as being "deader than Horus". Also, officers with the rank of "Warmaster" (Horus's old title) often change it to something else to avoid the unpleasant associations with the title.
** His name also appears to be a curse in some circles; in ''[[Damnatus]]'' Wodan comments angrily "Where the Horus are we now?", and one of the [[Ciaphas Cain|Cain]] books uses the phrase "and Horus take the hindmost" in the same way one might use hell or the devil.
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* [[Gladiator Revolt]] - Angron's backstory has him leading one, and he was found by the Emperor the day they were going to make their [[Last Stand]]. Instead of joining his father, Angron decided to fight and die with his comrades. The Emperor departed... then teleported Angron away right as they were about to be slaughtered. Angron had issues with that.
* [[Haunted Technology]] - Chaos is capable of [[Demonic Possession|possessing or warping weapons, armor, even vehicles]]. The Defiler is essentially a [[Humongous Mecha|walking tank]] with a demon spirit sealed inside.
* [[Head Desk]] -- Done—Done in one battle report; a Chaos Space Marine leader wallbanged his metal forehead against the inner wall of a bunker, in response to his units' abysmal accuracy.
* [[A Hero to His Hometown]]: Kharn is admired by Khorne Berserkers of the World Eaters and Khornate worshipers in general...but no one else.
** Well, he's feared and loathed by all others. He probably thinks that's better than being admired.
* [[Heroic BSOD]] -- Horus—Horus's BSOD was so epic, it ended up destroying the galaxy-wide empire he'd fought so hard to build in the first place.
* [[I Am Spartacus]] - The Alpha Legion's members shape their appearance to that of their Primarch and adopt his identity. This combined with the fact that Alpharius had an identical twin brother casts doubts on the Imperium's claims of killing him.
* [[I Ate What?]] -- Most—Most Chaos Marines are [[Clingy Costume|fused into their power armor,]] which recycles the Space Marine's waste into a bland, tasteless nutrient paste.
* [[Instrument of Murder]] -- Noise—Noise Marines.
* [[Irony]]: ''They will be untouched by plague or disease, no sickness will blight them.'' Tell that to the Death Guard.
* [[Killed Off for Real]] -- Chaos—Chaos Space Marines can sometimes avert this if they impress their patron God or daemon, but Horus is dead in every way possible. When the Emperor finally stopped holding back (and perhaps by exploiting a small crack in Horus' armour as a result of Sanguinius' [[Heroic Sacrifice]] depending on which rendition you read), he didn't just kill Horus; he destroyed his mind and soul, preventing the Chaos Gods from ever resurrecting him. The Emperor's Children reclaimed his body and Fabius Bile tried to clone him, but Abaddon destroyed the clone and Horus's body.
* [[Leeroy Jenkins]]: Khornates again.
{{quote|'''Kharn''': Attack is the only order worth remembering.}}
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* [[Mecha-Mooks]] - The Thousand Sons legion was suffering from high levels of mutation, leading one sorcerer to cast a spell to remove the problem. It succeeded too well, for now the rank-and-file are little more than animate suits of [[Powered Armor|power armor]] containing a bit of dust and the [[Soul Jar|trapped souls]] of their wearers.
* [[Musical Assassin]] - Some servants of Slaanesh become Noise Marines, who have overindulged their senses so much that only extreme cacophony has any effect on them. In battle they wield deadly sonic weapons that in earlier editions resembled [[The Power of Rock|electric guitars]].
* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]] -- Magnus—Magnus the Red uses sorcery to try to warn the Emperor of Horus' rebellion. The Emperor, angry at Magnus both for using sorcery and for making such an accusation at his favorite Primarch, orders Leman Russ to go arrest him. Cue an entire Space Marine legion turning to Chaos.
* [[Offscreen Villain Dark Matter]] - Ten thousand years later, the Traitor Legions have yet to run out of boltgun rounds. Justified with Chaos forge worlds, supply raids, and the fact that the Warp sneers at concepts such as "causality" and "logic."
* [[Omnicidal Maniac]]:
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** Reflected on the tabletop, Chaos Space Marines tend to get some really good bonuses from Chaos Marks. Berzerkers, for example, tend to be among the best assault units in the game, if not ''the'' best. Chaos Spawn however, are often seen as [[Joke Character|joke units]].
* [[Orcus on His Throne]] - Of the surviving Traitor Primarchs, only Angron of the World Eaters has actually left his Daemon World to wage war on the Imperium.
* [[The Paragon Always Rebels]] -- Horus—Horus.
** Fulgrim too, to a lesser degree.
* [[Parental Issues]] - A possible [[Freudian Excuse|explanation]] for some of the Primarch's falls from grace. All were [[Parental Abandonment|scattered by the Chaos gods across the galaxy as infants]], leaving some of them to [[Raised by Wolves|effectively raise themselves]]. Horus was the first Primarch recovered and always [[Parental Favoritism|his favorite]], and some of the later Primarchs barely spent any time with their father at all, especially the last one to be found, [[The Unfavorite|Alpharius of the Alpha Legion]].
* [[The Pig Pen]] - Painting guides for Nurgle's Plague Marines involve tips on how to make shiny pustules and exposed organs, or achieve a proper filth-encrusted look through layers of washes and inks.
* [[Plaguemaster]] -- The—The Death Guard Legion in a nutshell.
* [[Powered Armor]] - Festooned with [[Spikes of Villainy|spikes]], [[Nothing but Skulls|trophies]], and sometimes [[Demonic Possession|daemonically-possessed to boot]].
* [[Proud Warrior Race Guy]]: They have all the warrior pride of their loyalist counterparts, and Worshipers of Khorne in general take it to massive extremes that even both Traitor and Loyalists are in awe of.
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* [[Retcon]] - The Chaos god Malal, representing Chaos' tendency to defeat itself, was quietly put on a shelf since Games Workshop was unsure who owned the copyright for him. The previous edition of the Chaos Codex, however, [[Continuity Nod|hints that he has not been entirely forgotten]]. Sadly, the current edition does not.
** Also with the Fallen. Members of the Dark Angels who rebelled against Lion El'Jonnson after the Horus Heresy, they were originally said to have fallen to Chaos, yet recent stories have shown that not all of them follow Chaos.
* [[Self-Fulfilling Prophecy]] -- Horus—Horus rebelled against the Emperor because he had a vision of a dystopic future where the Emperor is venerated as a god. His rebellion resulted exactly in that.
* [[Sense Loss Sadness]] -- While—While the Slaaneshis may be the most famous, this is ultimately why Chaos Space Marines hate to become Chaos Dreadnoughts. Deprived of the sensations of battle, Chaos Dreadnoughts succumb to built up psychosis (more than the average follower of Chaos will display) and attack both friend and foe in a blind rage. To keep them from destroying their Warband, most Chaos Dreadnoughts are restrained in chains (which have been blessed by the Chaos Gods to prevent them from being broken). For a Chaos Dreadnought to retain a sense of sanity is a major act of willpower on their part.
* [[Sex Is Violence]] -- To—To the Emperor's Children. While they would take offense at the idea that they are as [[Blood Lust|bloodthirsty]] as Khorne's followers, they do take an almost sexual joy in engaging in combat. To them, war is like a beautiful symphony, a heart-rending ballad, and a stirring validation of themselves, and see it as one of the highest pleasures that they can experience.
* [[Shapeshifter Weapon]] -- Chaos—Chaos Obliterators combine this with [[Arm Cannon]] in an interesting way.
* [[Space Pirates]] - Some of the Traitor Legions turn to piracy as a way to acquire vital supplies and/or cause mayhem.
* [[Spider Tank]] - Defilers are spider-like walking tanks crewed by a bound daemon, a Soul Grinder is an ''un''bound daemon fused with Defiler bits, while the Brass Scorpions of Khorne are mecha with a "sting" that can vaporize entire squads of infantry with a hail of bullets.
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* [[The Unfettered]] - For all their superhuman power, Space Marines live in strict self-denial. When one goes renegade and gives in to his selfish, baser urges, the results can be terrifying.
* [[Unwitting Pawn]]: Poor Fulgrim.
* [[White-Haired Pretty Boy]] -- Fulgrim—Fulgrim, Primarch of the Emperor's Children, according to the lore.
* [[Wicked Cultured]] -- Pre—Pre-heresy, the Emperor's Children were taught that things like art, literature, poetry, and music represented the height of humanity's excellence, and to safeguard them was to safeguard what was best in humanity. Post-heresy, their ideas of what constitutes beauty, truth, and brilliance have become so warped that no one else would recognize what they appreciate as "culture".
* [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity]] - "Sanity is for the ''weak!''"
* [[You Have Failed Me]] - An actual rule for Abaddon in ''[[Battlefleet Gothic]]''. If a friendly ship fails a command test, his flagship will fire upon it.
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''See also [[Night Lords]], [[Word Bearers]], [[Iron Warriors]], [[Black Legion]] ''
 
== '''The Lost And The Damned''' ==
 
[[File:Traitor_Guardsmen_1116.jpg|frame]]
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=== Notable Lost and the Damned tropes include: ===
 
* [[Army of Thieves and Whores]]
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