Marks of Chaos
The followers of Chaos that serve their dread masters well may receive a Mark of Chaos as a reward. There are five Marks in all: one each for Khorne, Nurgle, Tzeentch and Slaanesh as well as the Mark of Chaos Undivided. The effects of the Marks are detailed in the Books of Chaos. Marks of Chaos can be applied where specified in the army list.
- No model may have more than one Mark of Chaos.
- Members of a unit must all have the same Mark or none at all.
Errata — Chapter Approved: Codex: Chaos Space Marines Q&A (v3.0): All Marks of Chaos should be asterisked in the Armoury listing, since they can be used by models in Terminator armour. Any model with the Mark of Tzeentch automatically passes any Psychic tests it takes (no roll needed), and all models bearing the Mark of Tzeentch are Fearless.
The Books of Chaos
The Books of Chaos detail the Marks and Gifts of each of the Chaos powers. Each Book follows a similar format.
- The ethos of the Chaos God and his worshippers.
- The Mark of the Chaos God and its effects.
- The gifts that can be bestowed on models bearing the Mark of the Chaos God, in addition to those in the basic Chaos Armoury. Remember that Gifts of the Gods count towards a character's wargear limit.
- Psychic powers peculiar to the Chaos God.
- Weaponry variations for the followers of the Chaos God.
Applying Chaos Marks
Each of the Chaos Powers favours a particular style of fighting and this influences which unit types can bear their Mark. The table below summarises which Marks can be granted to which models.
Vehicles can be dedicated to one of the four Chaos powers but this is not really the same thing as bearing a Mark. Instead the vehicle has an upgrade peculiar to the God it is dedicated to. Transport vehicles which do not occupy force organisation chart selections (such as the Rhino) may only be dedicated to a God if the unit they were purchased for bears the Mark of the same god.
| Undivided | Khorne | Nurgle | Slaanesh | Tzeentch | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lords or Lieutenants | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Chosen | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Possessed Chaos Space Marines | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Chaos Space Marines | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Chaos Bikes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Chaos Raptors | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Chaos Havocs | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
Ancient Enemies
For millennia, the Chaos gods have vied and competed amongst each other for power over the mortal realms, and great rivalries and hatreds have formed between followers of gods with opposite aims. For this reason, an army led by a character with the Mark of Khorne cannot contain any units or characters with the Mark of Slaanesh, Daemons of Slaanesh, or vehicles dedicated to Slaanesh; likewise an army led by a Slaaneshi character cannot have any Khornate units. Similarly, an army led by a character with the Mark of Tzeentch cannot contain units, daemons of vehicles marked by Nurgle, nor can a Nurgle-led army contain any Tzeentch units. An army led by a character with the Mark of Chaos Undivided, or no mark at all, has less cause to fear the wrath of an angry patron, so may field any units of any alignment in the army. An independent character with any mark except the Mark of Chaos Undivided may not join a unit with a different mark.
Favoured Units
Each Chaos God has a sacred number. These are 9 for Tzeentch, 8 for Khorne, 7 for Nurgle and 6 for Slaanesh.
Retinues, squads and packs that bear the Mark of one of these deities and contain at the start of the battle the same number of models as that deity's sacred number (or an exact multiple of it) are said to be Favoured by the Gods. Note that Independent Characters leading retinues are counted for this purpose but Followers are not.
The Force Organisation Chart
If a unit which normally occupies a Troop, Fast Attack or Heavy Support choice on the force organisation chart is given a Mark of Chaos other than Chaos Undivided then it will become an Elite choice instead. If the Mark they bear is the same as the army's commander they will continue to occupy the same force organisation choice they did before. The commander will be the Chaos Lord if there is one, otherwise the Chaos Lieutenant who costs the most points. If neither of these are present then an Aspiring Champion acting as host for a Greater Daemon commands, or rather passes on the Greater Daemon's wishes.
What Counts as a Daemon
For any effect that has extra or no effect specifically against Daemons, the following count as Daemons: Greater Daemons, Daemon Packs, Daemonic Beasts, Nurglings, Possessed Chaos Space Marines, a Chaos Lord with Daemonic Stature, and/or a model with 51 or more points of Daemonic Gifts.
The Mark of Chaos Undivided
The Mark of Chaos Undivided costs +5 points for an independent character or +1 point per model in a unit and allows the character/unit to re-roll all failed Morale checks. Only one re-roll can be made and the new result is final. To benefit from the re-roll, all members of the unit that is testing must have the Mark of Chaos Undivided or be Followers or Steeds of a model that has.