Mutations in Chaos Marines

[Carrack]

What are your thoughts on mutations in your Chaos Marines? Not necessarily game changing mutations that would classify a marine as possessed or spawn, but minor mutations that may not be readily noticeable. How prevalent are they? Are they more frequent in your veterans who have spent ages in the warp, or have your veterans survived by being more resistant to mutation?

 

How are mutations viewed by your warbands? I remember reading that Iron Warriors looked down on them and just amputated and replaced mutated limbs with augmetics. In the Night Lords trilogy Talos looked down on one of his claw for being a psychic vampire mutant, but then he looked down on most of his brothers for one reason or another. I could see a mutation as being seen as a gift of the gods, or at least garnering the attention of the gods.

[Forté]

Would depend a lot on the level of Chaos worship. My Divine Flayers are quite mutated and happily flaunt their gifts from Slaanesh.

[Prot]

In my crimson slaughter mutations are neither worshipped nor shunned... Just as long as they suit the goal of killing... And more kiling. That's all there is to it.!

[Carrack]

Would depend a lot on the level of Chaos worship. My Divine Flayers are quite mutated and happily flaunt their gifts from Slaanesh.

I guess its in a Slanneshi devotees nature to flaunt pretty much everything though :)

 

I could just picture a bunch of corrupted Astartes sitting at the mess table when the Aspiring Champion says, "Bob, your tentacles in the soup again, it's grossing me out, get control of that thing!"

 

In my self created background the Black Legion Astartes look at mutations as an inevitability and with a little trepidation, but if one forms and it isn't harmful, inconvienant or otherwise undesirable, they take it in stride. If it is beneficial or just plain scary, they flaunt it as proof of their favor with the gods. If it is annoying, harmful, or otherwise undesirable, they might seek some kind of remedy, like clone replacement / augmetics, or more esoteric recourse with a sorcerer or ritual. If they can't do anything about it they try to hide it so they are not perceived as cursed by the gods and lacking in faith.

[MaliGn]

I think that they probably start quite subtle, like blending with their armour, sprouting the odd horn or pustule, maybe an extra cluster of eyes. Gradually in cases of extreme trauma might be "healed" into a tentacle, or a lost eye replaced with a daemonic replacement, and so it would grow, weapons seldom relinquished would form symbiotic relationships with their bearers, eventually becoming one. No overt possession of a whole daemonic entity bound within, but mutated nonetheless.

[Aspiringchaoschampion]

My khorne "legion" the Blood Dragons have a weird thing. They dont seem to get most of the regular mutations a khorne follower would. My reason for this is while certain other groups of khorne followers have lost themselves to their rage and blood lust the Blood Dragons seek to master it and tap into it. Due to being honourable warriors (i mixed the old khorne with the new one) they care for their martial prowess so their mutation is they can turn a fury into a cold controllable rage which fuels there strength.

 

However the Bezerkets which are rare are basically those veterans who have fell off the psth and have become frenzudd warriors. As such they are generally picked as body guards for blood dragons captains and grandmasters

[Carrack]

On another note, I imagine that the mortal thralls of the chaos marines, without the benefit of Astartes physiology, yet equally exposed to the warp would be even more susceptible to mutations. In fact this may be one of many reasons the Chaos Warbands frequently engage in slave raids, as there thralls become increasingly more debilitated by the affects of the warp. That being said, it seems that one of the dangers of excessive mutation on the lore is the risk of spawndom. Would a mere mortal thrall ever become a spawn? I think not. Otherwise I could see canny Chaos warlords subject worthless thralls to conditions that may bring about spawndom, due to spawns use on the battlefield. Perhaps the mortal frame can't usually withstand the process of becoming a spawn.

[Carrack]

My khorne "legion" the Blood Dragons have a weird thing. They dont seem to get most of the regular mutations a khorne follower would. My reason for this is while certain other groups of khorne followers have lost themselves to their rage and blood lust the Blood Dragons seek to master it and tap into it. Due to being honourable warriors (i mixed the old khorne with the new one) they care for their martial prowess so their mutation is they can turn a fury into a cold controllable rage which fuels there strength.

 

However the Bezerkets which are rare are basically those veterans who have fell off the psth and have become frenzudd warriors. As such they are generally picked as body guards for blood dragons captains and grandmasters

I like this idea, you could say the mutation may be a flaw in your geneseed as it is possessed by many of the warriors in your warband.

[Warsmith Aznable]

Mutation is a taint outside of your control. Those who embrace mutation embrace their own slavery. Power comes from self mastery. The so-called gifts of the so-called gods are intoxicating fetters. When a lapse in will causes a corruption of the flesh, that corruption must be replaced with augmetics, the cold iron of mechanical appendages reflecting the cold iron in the mind and soul of he who would be truly free.

 

The creatures that inhabit the Warp who dare to call themselves gods and daemons are fit only to be bound into brass and adamantium, yours to command, and then annihilated when their usefulness has come to an end.

 

To trade the slavery of a False Emperor for the slavery of False Gods is a contemptible folly.

[Excessus]

As with any being that spends a great deal of time in the eye, my Alpha Legion warband has it's own share of mutated astartes. While they are resolute not to get marked by any being, the choice is not theirs to make. Any astartes found to be irrevocaly corrupted will be sent to "The Forsaken", a warband within the warband, filled with mutations, marks and devotees of the four.

[Warsmith Aznable]

Specifically in my warband, mutations are tended to by Apothecaries who also act as confessors (since mutations are seen as evidence of spiritual failures.) Augmetics replacement is strictly enforced. Veterans are often heavily augmented, and past a certain point a glorious death in combat is preferable, because as honoured as Dreadnoughts are, nobody really wants to be one when they grow up.

 

The Apothecaries of the Iron Hounds, along with a cadre of specialists called Tutors, also perform executions of marines whose mutations outpace their ability to replace them. Those marines in danger of degenerating into either spawn or daemon princes are killed as soon as it is apparent the mutations are out of control, or that the marine in question has turned his back on the principles of the warband and is embracing his change. Those spawn or daemon princes who escape execution are reviled and hunted, with their originating squad under censure and suspicion until the apostate is brought to judgment.

[Dammeron]

My Severed Angels regard mutations as sacred; they are consumed by the philosophy of transcendence through transgression in all things. Mutations represent transgression of biology and proscribed form, thus they are not only mutated but extensively altered through various surgeries etc.

[hushrong]

The mutated within my Sons of Malice warband are the result of horrid rituals. Living veteran astartes are bound with the souls of those slain before them. Those spirits often roam the warp and become parasitic to that immaterial essence by draining energy to grow in strength. Once bound to flesh they wrought warp-charged change within their host. It is not uncommon for the host to perish as the mutations ravages the body but this has become viewed as a "weeding out" process where only the strong survive. Such changes always enhance the combat prowess of the host and result in an even more fearsome killing machine.

 

Few within the Inquisition suspect those that live long enough spirit-bound eventually reach a level that rivals the Daemon Princes of Chaos' Pantheon. Allowing Malal another means to build powerful warriors for some unseen confrontation.

[Aspiringchaoschampion]

 

My khorne "legion" the Blood Dragons have a weird thing. They dont seem to get most of the regular mutations a khorne follower would. My reason for this is while certain other groups of khorne followers have lost themselves to their rage and blood lust the Blood Dragons seek to master it and tap into it. Due to being honourable warriors (i mixed the old khorne with the new one) they care for their martial prowess so their mutation is they can turn a fury into a cold controllable rage which fuels there strength.

 

However the Bezerkets which are rare are basically those veterans who have fell off the psth and have become frenzudd warriors. As such they are generally picked as body guards for blood dragons captains and grandmasters

I like this idea, you could say the mutation may be a flaw in your geneseed as it is possessed by many of the warriors in your warband.

Tbf thats pretty much what it is

[Chaeron]

I love the mutations sprue but it is showing its age. I'm in the 'less is more' camp definitely.

[MaliGn]

Aye the mutation sprue is a bit weak compared to more recent sculpts like the possessed and even the fantast forsaken in terms of mutations.

[Excessus]

I love the mutations sprue but it is showing its age. I'm in the 'less is more' camp definitely.

Is that sprue still with us? How long is that now?

[MaliGn]

Direct only, but still there, god knows how old.

[Chaeron]

From memory, 2002-3? Was the Chaos Space Marine new box for Codex release and Eye of Terror campaign.

[Captain Tezdal]

Didn't it used to come included in the regular box set? I remember having a few of the mutation sprues way back when but never actually buying them.

[Chaeron]

Yup, that's correct.

[Kierdale]

My Psychopomps embrace their mutations like the blessings of Slaanesh that they are.

Tentacles, tongues of Steeds, breasts...and I hope to add some Daemonette claws eventually.

For the mutations which can't be seen so easily I mark their armour with the Dark Tongue runes from The Lost and The Damned.

[Sception]

Frequent, and unavoidable for those living in the eye, where real space and the warp overlap. Physical reality in such an environment responds not just to natural laws, but to laws of emotion, intent, and symbolism. A weapon used for killing becomes possessed by minor spirits of aggression and cruelty and grows horns and teeth and claws. Weapon sights and sensors meant to see become eyes. Armor fuses, grows bony plates, thorns, and muscles. A warrior's arms and armor become an extension of their physical form literally, swords fusing with arms, armor melding with the body and becoming a living exoskeleton, ammo belt feeds growing into a warrior's body, which then produces bullets by eating metal. Mad warpsmiths do not forge war engines so much as grow them, drawing materials together with ritual and intent into impossible forms that could never have been created in the natural universe.

 

For those that live in the eye and other persistent warp stormes, mutations, like the will of the gods, are a matter of physical reality, not faith or worship. One need not dedicate themselves to the gods to be blessed and cursed by the warp in body and mind, one need only be exposed to it.

[Akylas]

Among the majority of the Hands of Fate warband mutations are seen as a blessing, even the worthless or harmful ones. After all, Tzeentch has his reasons that may be hidden to mere mortals...

[Tenebris]

My warband, or rather my warband concepts, consider the mutations simply as an event which should be analyzed when it happens, if happens. Is a mutation beneficial, then it is considered a boon for the warrior, is the mutation detrimental, then it is a hazard for a warrior hence it should be removed or dispelled. Is a mutation required to save or restore a wounded warrior (read daemonic prosthesis), then by all means it should be employed. The question is which is the origin of the mutation, if it is divine it is considered a curse or a blessing, if it is due to environmental factors, then something went wrong in the preparation phase of the campaign and should be considered for future reference, healed if possible.

 

In the end it is a clean, pragmatic approach which neither discredits or supports the mutation as an aspect of life in the Eye. It all comes down to the real effect on the warrior in question and thus it is interpreted on a case by case basis. It should be mentioned that if a mutation is indeed of divine origin then caution is advised, for if it is a blessing than the warrior has a future ahead of him, a manifest destiny, but if the mutation is a curse, then the said warrior should be considered a dangerous member and potentially an ill omen for the warband, hence either executed or destroyed in the most beneficial way for the warband (forlorn hope).