21st 'Cursed' Founding Mutation Ideas

[Brother Cambrius]

Greetings all!

So in line with the Chapter Inspiration Thread we have up and running nicely, I wanted to branch off and focus on one specifically to a very unique case that offers a whole variety of ideas and original traits that could be birthed for what is often one of the hardest Chapter Foundings to write about (believe me, I've only done in twice in 15 years, it's a real challenge).

 

Thus: The 21st 'Cursed' Founding. A source of untoward jiggery-pokery from the Magos Biologis etc (aka geneseed tampering, splicing, use of Traitor Geneseed(?)), which led to a number of unique mutations and traits within all known Chapters birthed in that time.

Be it the ill-fortune of the Lamenters, the bone-blade arms of the Black Dragons, suddenly catching fire like the purged Flame Falcons, or just being colossally large and practically unknown like the Sons of Antaeus and more, let's discuss what potential other mutations/traits/drawbacks/curses a Chapter could have from their 21st Founding origin.

Naturally, if you have created a Cursed Founding Chapter, please share it and I'll add them to this post alongside the ones we have in the Tabula Astartes (if you haven't checked that out, definitely do!)

 

Discuss! 

 

Cambrius

[Lysimachus]

One idea that I think(?) got discussed a long time ago was to have a Chapter that were similar to the Sons of Antaeus in being particularly big and strong... but being Cursed in that they become mentally less able than most Space Marines, even needing to be led and directed by non-Astartes officers (Chapter Serfs?) on the battlefield. Kind of like Ogryns in Power Armour! 

[Brother Cambrius]

1 hour ago, Lysimachus said:

One idea that I think(?) got discussed a long time ago was to have a Chapter that were similar to the Sons of Antaeus in being particularly big and strong... but being Cursed in that they become mentally less able than most Space Marines, even needing to be led and directed by non-Astartes officers (Chapter Serfs?) on the battlefield. Kind of like Ogryns in Power Armour! 

Now that certainly would be unique! Only thing that comes to mind is 'Why don't the =][= purge them for such an aberration?', or are they the single-minded lapdogs of a specific radical Inquisitor.

Would be interesting to see the differences in how they mirror Rubric Marines of the Thousand Sons and especially recruitment.

 

Cambrius

[Gamiel]

To restate what I wrote in the Chapter Inspiration Thread: I want to point out that while most of the known chapter of that founding have rather easily noted problem - Sons of Antaeus and Black Dragons with their physical mutations, the Minotaurs had some real psychological issues (they seems to have gotten better), and the Flame Falcons spontaneous immolation is something that's hard to not call unnatural even for 40k's pulpy understanding of science – do for example Fire Hawks and Lamenters lack any such tell, and the Lamenters did even for a long time not suffer from the Blood Angels Flaw (or did so in a notably weakened form), but instead they are both known for being notably unlucky (but at the same time, since both of them are still alive and not declared renegade could it be said that they are not as unlucky as those chapters that have been destroyed or declared Excommunicate Traitoris). With this presentation I’m trying to say that even if a chapter is from the Cursed Founding don’t it need to have something that rather easily say that there is a problem with its members. But on the other hand, if you want a chapter with some real mutations that would be hard to explain appearing “naturally” is being from the Cursed Founding one of the easiest ways to justify it since there was absolutely some kind of gene-seed experimentations going on with at least some of the chapters (if not all) from that founding.

 

I got this idé for a chapter from the Cursed Founding that doesn't have any known problems at all but know that they are from the Cursed Founding with what that usually entail. And to prevent the curse from affecting them do they constantly do warding and cleansing rituals and are bedecked with protecting markings and talismans.

 

Also, just wondering here but do we know anything about the pre-renegade Blood Gorgons and what it was that made the Imperium declar them Excommunicate Traitoris.

 

EDIT: Have found out that in White Dwarf 261 (UK) was the Cursed Foundings given rules, and as part of those rules are that a Cursed Founding chapters have gene-problems and can (among other things) field units where this problem is more or less obvious, called "Cursed Knights" and "Abominations". So some of my points above are now meaningless.

If anyboyd is interested can they read the rules here.

Edited April 21, 2023 by Gamiel

[Mazer Rackham]

12 minutes ago, Gamiel said:

...do for example Fire Hawks and Lamenters lack any such tell...

 

I heard about Fire Hawks and got here as fast as I could.

 

Everything I've read in research demonstrates no outward signs of corruption at all, bar for longevity - like Old Man Stibor, who was 600-odd years old at the time of the Badab War. It appears that they were a stable product of the founding, and that being cursed was an endgame for the Chapter, not any kind of affliction in vivo.

 

The Lamenters do have a tell, but it's a subtle one. There's some prose about that relates a 'deep sense of dread' or a 'haunting sadness' about them, especially when they go into a rather spooky space hulk, and everyone sent in goes nuts, bar them.

 

Those are my pennies in the discussion jar.

[Gamiel]

11 hours ago, Brother Cambrius said:

Naturally, if you have created a Cursed Founding Chapter, please share it

Originally created for the Cawl's Folly- The Second Cursed Founding thread and posted there, so I guess they don't count (Ultima Foundinga nd all) but they may be of inspiration for people: 

 

Crimson Bulls

The Crimson Bulls are a Chapter of warrior-scholars, students not just of warfare and personal combat but of philosophy, mathematic and architecture. They have a focus on discipline, self-control, keeping calm and meditation. The interior of their fortress-monastery and ships are full with libraries, mediation chamber, sand mandala creation rooms, and geometric pattern that they use to centre themself, or just simple symbolism, which is sometime hidden - what many think of as simple decorations may in fact be an indication for the anointed that something hidden is behind it, as a battle-brother rises in rank he learns more and more about the real meaning of those symbols.

The labyrinth is a returning symbol for the Crimson Bulls and as a battle-brother joins a new company, or is given a rank of office he is let into a labyrinth that he has to traverse, one way or another. With each new labyrinth being harder to solve then the previous one. Many of the battle-brothers design labyrinths, or more practical buildings, in their free time (it's not unusually for a new brother to be given a dead brother's unfinished plans to work on) and some even begin to build them.

 

Their symbol is a crimson bull head on cream, and their armour is crimson and cream, often with bronze as spot colour. Horned helmets are common. [use Minoan, and Vedic period names]

 

The Crimson Bulls are a in most ways a Codex Chapter, even if they have an unusually large Librarium (larger than the Blood Ravens, themself known for their many Librarians, if reports are correct) and their Librarian are trained to ground themself, not unlike the Rune Priests and Stormseers of the Space Wolves and White Scars, even if the Bulls Librarians in most other ways are similar to the Codex standard. One of the other ways they are different are that it's not until the rank of Epistolary that the Librarian is expected to focus only on the Librarius discipline, and even as Epistolary, or even Chief Librarian, they are expected (and trained in) to only use the Fulmination discipline for wardings. They do this because they see the offensive use of psyker powers as something that a Librarian can easily lose himself into and draw to much of the Warp for his own good.

 

This caution has its reason in that when one of the Crimson Bulls' Librarians loses his control, even by a little, he uncontrollably mutates, this has also happened to battle-brothers with undiscovered psykick talent when they let their discipline slip (and therefor the Bulls regularly screen their members for any kind of growing talent so they can be taken to the Librarium for training). This is the Chapter's dark secret and something they have sullied their honour to protect. Thankfully the mutations more often than not are not so severe that they destroy the brother's armour, even if it often makes his body spasm around before stopping in a unnatural pose. But sometime the curse have led to the creation of what best can be described as a Chaos Spawn that survives the breaking of its former armour. It is also not unusual that as the change begin the Librarian loses control of his power and kill himself (and anybody near him) in a Warp explosion. This curse have also led the Bulls into highly investing in psy-focis and any kind of wardings they can get their hands on, be it esoteric markings on their armour or psy-dampening tech. All to often the Chapter find that they have more psykers than psy-tech, to help them control their powers, and at those times they have had to slay their own to prevent them from losing themselves to the Warp.

 

Maybe because of their curse, maybe because of their high amount of psykers, maybe something else, but many Chaos Sorcerers and daemons seems to find them naturally interesting and want to use them in rituals, for possession, or just eat them.

 

 

The Crimson Bulls are an attempt by Cawl to fix the gene-seed of the Thousand Sons so they don’t suffer from the flesh-change, he succeeded in a way but not fully. As for now he has secret agents among the Crimson Bulls that keep tabs on them and what they do, and have all their gene-seed tithe secretly shipped to him for further studies. He also tries to get his hands on fallen Bulls when he can and any brother that has fallen to the curse especially. All this is done for further studies so maybe the next version will be more successful.

 

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Bone Cutters

Symbol: in red, a knife and a bone crossed, [use Space Wolves’ Swift Claws transfers] usually on white, even if variations on other colours (usually green or green and white) do appear.

Colours: Helmet, left pauldron, and left arm (including hand) are white, the rest of the armour is green [sons of Medusa green more than Dark Angels green], with company colours on right shoulder plate rim. Any kinds of personal/honour/similar markings are often in red. Many of them decorate their armour with the scrimshawed bones of their fallen brothers.

 

Highly stoic and unemotional, as a Chapter they don't know how to read human faces, body language or emotions, and even have problem reading fellow space marines many times. This makes it hard for them to interact with non-transhumans and many baseline humans (even some transhumans) find them uncomfortable to be near and find them less human than servitors. The Cutters are cold and methodical, what they do they do because that’s what they have been created for - no hatred, pride, anger, or love motivates them of fire up their souls, they are as cold on the inside as they are on the outside. This makes many unwilling to work near them, and the Cutters find it easier to interact with allies over vox.

 

But this emotionlessness seems to have a point where it breaks. It has been observed by a few but during times of prolonged high stress situation (by astartes standard) have some of the battle-brothers snapped and either gone completely berserk – running toward the nearest enemy in a fury and then continued until the marine dies, either from wounds or from exhaustion – or just become completely apathic – just sitting or standing there doing nothing until they die or their brothers take them away.

 

The Bone Cutters are a Codex Chapter in all ways possible, and it have actually been noted by those that know astartes that they have little in the way of culture of their own: they do little but study, train, maintain and/or repair their wargear (including their ships) and do the ceremonies that are mentioned in the Codex. Beside their tendency to scrimshaw the bones of their fallen brothers (usually squad mates), and decorate their armour and arms with it so is their only one thing that others have found to be not of the Codex: when they are with others do the Cutters have a tradition of only eating the bones and marrow (they are not too picky if their some flesh left on the bones) of prey or cattle that they have slain, and give the real meat to those they are with.

 

 

The Bone Cutters are of Angron’s stock, manipulated by Cawl to lacking his rage and bloodlust but it come at the price of them being nearly without emotions. This is what makes them hard to read by others, and they themselves being unable to read others, and makes their decisions never blinded by emotions. It also makes it impossible for them to draw upon their hatred (or other emotions) to give themselves a boost when they need it. That some of them mentally crack under prolonged pression was something that was only discovered after Cawl had let them lose in the galaxy and the Bone Cutters chapter had served for decades. This interest Cawl, as the scientist he claims to be, and he have agents keeping him informed about how things are developing.

  

 

Edited March 11, 2023 by Gamiel

[Felix Antipodes]

From what I’ve read about the Cursed Founding over the years, it was an attempt to increase the effectiveness of the various geneseed rather than cure any of the flaws, which were largely unknown outside the Chapters themselves.  Most of the known ‘cursed’ Chapters can be explained this way (Black Dragons = ossmodula, Sons of Antaeus = ossmodula and/or biscopea, even Flame Falcons (haemastamen carrying too much oxygen in the blood).

In creating new members of this elite club I’d be looking at what the original zygotes were supposed to do and ramp that up to a problem level.  For instance, I was thinking of a Chapter with overactive omophagia that gives them a craving for flesh and/or the knowledge imparted, or an uncontrolled mucranoid gland that makes them hideous to humanity and so they never appear out of armour outside their fortress-monastery.

Food for thought.

[Gamiel]

From my own concept list of mutations, they are meant to be general and not speceficly for the cursed founding:

 

"There is a 50% chance that the whole Chapter is afflicted by the mutation, otherwise one in [1D10] of the Chapter’s battle-brothers are afflicted, if a 1 is rolled it means that only the Chapter’s Librarians are affected.

 

1. The brothers of the Chapter lack any hair.

2. The brothers of the Chapter never stop growing, even if at a slow phase, making veterans similar in size to ogryns

3. The brothers of the Chapter can only see in the infrared spectrum

4. The brothers of the Chapter skin changes into scale like appearance

5. The brothers of the Chapter grow fur

6. The brothers of the Chapter have strange muscles in their throat and neck that makes it possible to spit their acid saliva with greater force and power than normal Space Marines.

7. The brothers of the Chapter all have a gaunt and corpselike appearance

8. The brothers of the Chapter look physical wrinkled and old, giving each brother the appearance of an old man, even if their physical powers are not affected

9. The brothers of the Chapter ages faster than a normal Astartes

10. The brothers of the Chapter can open their mouths extremely wide and have strong biting muscles, giving them a bite attack

11. The brothers of the Chapter all turn into albinos

12. The brothers of the Chapter have extremely thick skin, giving them a light natural-armour but also an unnatural appearance.

13. The brothers of the Chapter have mutated vocal cords, making it impossible to speak any human language

14. The brothers of the Chapter have inhuman visages

15. The brothers of the Chapter have mutated vocal cords, giving them a close-range scream attack.

16. The brothers of the Chapter develop claws.

17. The brothers of the Chapter develop fangs.

18. The brothers of the Chapter develop claws and fangs.

19. The brothers of the Chapter have mutated vocal cords that make it possible, together with their Lyman’s ear implant, to echolocate when helmetless.

20. Loss of a sense, role a D5 for which: 1) sight; 2) hearing; 3) touch; 4) smell; 5) taste.

21. The Catalespean node never shuts off, so the battle-brothers can never natural sleep and even a Space Marine’s transhuman body/mind can’t handle that stress forever. They possibly use some kind of specialised drug or the Librarians put them in a psycho-trances to be able to fall asleep.

22. A slow but steady deterioration has occurred in some of the implants. Although the Occulobe, Larraman’s Organ and Omophagea perform well in new initiates, over time they lose their effectiveness.

23. The Sus-an Membrane have malfunctioned, instead of going into a healing coma when critically injured, the Marine enters a hyper-active frenzy state instead, turning them into powerful but short-lived berserkers.

24. A flaw of the Catalepsean Node makes it only possible to fall asleep under certain (possibly ritualistic) circumstances and then the sleep is so deep that only notable injuries and drugs can awaken the Marine before his time.

25. A slow but steady loss of a sense, role a D6 for which: 1) sight; 2) hearing; 3) touch; 4) smell; 5) taste; 6 roll again twice.

26. Bumpy skin. Likely looks like it’s covered by warts.

27. The Sus-an Membrane is hyperactive, making the Marine going into a healing coma not just when critically injured but also when “just” gravely injured.

28. Unnaturally dry skin.

29. Mucus covered skin.

30. Due to a mutation of the Chapter's Omophagea do they suffer a literal blood-lust.

31. Of some reason battle-brothers who are not deployed to battle for around [1T10+2] months develop a psychological need for battle. As the need grows stronger the lust for battle overtakes them and they berserk, attacking friend and foe alike.

32. Their skin is covered in a vax-like substance.

33. The brothers are completely hairless.

34. There is something wrong with the Chapter’s gene-seed, making them rot while alive. The battle-brothers are likely under constant medical check-up when not in battle and are followed by a smell of the grave. The use of stasis-coffins is possible.

35. The compatibility for the chapter’s gene-seed is very low and they have to go through three to five times as many boys to just find people that will accept their gene-seed without any complications.

36. The Astartes creation process take a very long time (comparably speaking).

37. Around one in [ 10 / 20 / 50 / 100 / more ] of Chapter’s members begin to mutate into a degenerated combat-form (maybe physically resembling crypt ghouls, strigoi or yhetees) before they reach Veteran status.

 

Edited March 12, 2023 by Gamiel

[Mazer Rackham]

18 hours ago, Felix Antipodes said:

In creating new members of this elite club I’d be looking at what the original zygotes were supposed to do and ramp that up to a problem level.  For instance, I was thinking of a Chapter with overactive omophagia that gives them a craving for flesh and/or the knowledge imparted, or an uncontrolled mucranoid gland that makes them hideous to humanity and so they never appear out of armour outside their fortress-monastery.

Food for thought.

 

This got me thinking in conjunction with the posts above, about some kind of tinkering with the Catalepsean Node. Continuous sleeplessness dulls fear, heightens aggression.

 

The experiments provide Marines with constant watchfulness, total alertness for days, maybe even weeks without need for rest or recuperation other than victuals. Yet after many years of this, the node begins to degrade, or perhaps after a few generations of recipients, the degradation intensifies, so that older Marines, say 200 or so, start to suffer from mental regression as their brain begins to disintegrate in specific areas around the Node.

 

Perhaps it begins to work backwards, making them fully cognisant, but so lethargic, they need to be told what to do because they are literally too tired to think. You could even give them memory problems as their minds begin to collapse - like the Crestfallen Merchant in Dark Souls. (He's slowly losing his mind and is struggling to count to 5.

 

You could tie this in to the Biscopea, which goes in at the brain stem IIRC, and the strain on that organ makes them rather big lads.

 

The =][= doesn't really see it, because the problem only occurs in the latter stages, and by that time, they're used as reserves (if the Chapter is understrength) or herded together as last-ditch roadblocks in sieges (Death Company, Wulfen, Raven Guard Werefolks).

 

1 hour ago, Gamiel said:

37. Around one in [ 10 / 20 / 50 / 100 / more ] of Chapter’s members begin to mutate into a degenerated combat-form (maybe physically resembling crypt ghouls, strigoi or yhetees) before they reach Veteran status.

Edited March 12, 2023 by Mazer Rackham

[Felix Antipodes]

6 hours ago, Mazer Rackham said:

 

This got me thinking in conjunction with the posts above, about some kind of tinkering with the Catalepsean Node. Continuous sleeplessness dulls fear, heightens aggression.

 

The experiments provide Marines with constant watchfulness, total alertness for days, maybe even weeks without need for rest or recuperation other than victuals. Yet after many years of this, the node begins to degrade, or perhaps after a few generations of recipients, the degradation intensifies, so that older Marines, say 200 or so, start to suffer from mental regression as their brain begins to disintegrate in specific areas around the Node.

 

Perhaps it begins to work backwards, making them fully cognisant, but so lethargic, they need to be told what to do because they are literally too tired to think. You could even give them memory problems as their minds begin to collapse - like the Crestfallen Merchant in Dark Souls. (He's slowly losing his mind and is struggling to count to 5.

 

You could tie this in to the Biscopea, which goes in at the brain stem IIRC, and the strain on that organ makes them rather big lads.

 

The =][= doesn't really see it, because the problem only occurs in the latter stages, and by that time, they're used as reserves (if the Chapter is understrength) or herded together as last-ditch roadblocks in sieges (Death Company, Wulfen, Raven Guard Werefolks).

 

They would definitely form some sort of equivalent of the Death Company just to keep the =][= and other troublesome/nosey types from causing them grief imho.

Could the lack of sleep, over time, lead to heightened paranoia?  Another reason to dispose of the worst afflicted before they turn on their brothers?

[Mazer Rackham]

Paranoia of course would be a simple side-effect to drop in, but it would depend on what their state was during lucidity, if you wanted to go down this path, it would be worth researching narcolepsy and brain disorders like Dementia, Hyperthyroidism? A Doctor can correct me. 

[Gamiel]

We don't really know why the gene-seed of the chapters created during the Cursed Founding was manipulated, or even if all the chapters created was created with manipulated gene-seed. So I would like to suggest some possible reasons:

* the whole thing was ground research, by radical AdMeks with the blessing of the  =][= and/or High Lords of Terra, for a project to create a new Primarch/ demi-Primarch that could lead the Imperial forces.

* the whole thing was ground research, by radical AdMeks with the blessing of the  =][= and/or High Lords of Terra, for a Thorian project to create a body worthy/powerful enough for the Emperor to incarnate/reincarnate in.

 

[Codex Grey]

Quote

* the whole thing was ground research, by radical AdMeks with the blessing of the  =][= and/or High Lords of Terra, for a project to create a new Primarch/ demi-Primarch that could lead the Imperial forces.

* the whole thing was ground research, by radical AdMeks with the blessing of the  =][= and/or High Lords of Terra, for a Thorian project to create a body worthy/powerful enough for the Emperor to incarnate/reincarnate in.

 

Then there's the theory that the founding was somehow orchestrated or heavily influenced by Cawl, to test out some of the things he'd been working on for the Primaris project.

 

 

Quote

Paranoia of course would be a simple side-effect to drop in

I think I got the idea from someone else on the forum, but I was considering developing a 21st founding Chapter, whose curse was not a mutation.

 

Basically a Chapter meant to be the control group of the experiment. Initially, they would show no signs of mutations or curse, but as the 21st founding developed its dark reputation the Chapter would develop an extreme paranoia that they were somehow cursed. They would then go to great lengths to ensure and prove their genetic purity, martial discipline, codex adherence, etc. They would then be cursed, but not really, maybe with some clues that indicate that they might actually be cursed, to them and the reader, just to really sell the concept of paranoia.

 

 

Quote

Hyperthyroidism

I have the opposite. Hypothyroidism. Usually characterized by lack of energy, cold intolerance and eventually muscle and joint pain. Thinking about it, it would be kinda funny seeing a Chapter cursed with lack of energy, doing the bare minimum to keep up appearances to the larger Imperium 

Edited March 14, 2023 by Codex Grey

[Gamiel]

Of the more "curse" variant:

* have repeatedly lost their first company and their library have repeatedly been damaged if not outright lost. 

- this would create some real problems if the chapter is among the Unforgiven.

 

Psychological problems, people remember the "Primarch's Curse":s from the Deathwatch RPG, right? You could have that your Cursed Founding chapter's stage 1 of their "Primarch's Curse" is their Progenitor chapter's stage 3, with your chapter's stage 2 n 3 being even worse. 

Edited March 15, 2023 by Gamiel

[Gamiel]

21 hours ago, Gamiel said:

Psychological problems, people remember the "Primarch's Curse":s from the Deathwatch RPG, right? You could have that your Cursed Founding chapter's stage 1 of their "Primarch's Curse" is their Progenitor chapter's stage 3, with your chapter's stage 2 n 3 being even worse. 

alternative version to this: the chapter suffer from what in rules would be multiple "Primarch's Curse":s, maybe the same as their Progenitor and then one (or two or three) more.

[Xenith]

On 3/14/2023 at 8:25 AM, Codex Grey said:

Basically a Chapter meant to be the control group of the experiment. Initially, they would show no signs of mutations or curse, but as the 21st founding developed its dark reputation the Chapter would develop an extreme paranoia that they were somehow cursed. They would then go to great lengths to ensure and prove their genetic purity,

 

This is a really neat idea, kind of like an enhancement to vigilance that has manifested itself of uncertainty and paranoia, they fear devolution like the others from the founding so develop a reputation for purity and rejection of variance or the unusual - 'different' brothers are shunned by the legion, any trace of taint on recruiting worlds is met with extreme predjudice, and they develop a reputation for being unrelentingly psychotic.

 

Betcher's gland seems a good one, seeing as it's dormant/dead in the fists - maybe to reactivate it, they produced a variant that continually weeps acid instead of producing and storing it, so marines have acid scarred faces or develop a way to weaponise the saliva?

[Gamiel]

Some physical and mental mutations stolen from the list of Fire Deviations from Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades: Wuxia Roleplaying 

 

- No teeth

- Irrational hatred for a unusually specific thing

- Strong obsession with an activity such as gambling, buying expensive clothing, or collecting objects

- Black, veiny lines cover their skin

- Cruel and find it amusing to kill innocent

- Chivalrous and honour bound to a fault, never backing down from a fight, never allowing anyone to take honour from them, always attempting to right any wrong they encounter.

- Teeth become razor sharp.

 

On 3/16/2023 at 10:14 AM, Xenith said:

Betcher's gland seems a good one, seeing as it's dormant/dead in the fists - maybe to reactivate it, they produced a variant that continually weeps acid instead of producing and storing it, so marines have acid scarred faces or develop a way to weaponise the saliva?

Or maybe it's like the Lamentors, they seems to lack the problems of their founding chapter but have some kind of problem like really bad fortune,* or something psychological or spiritual. 

 

* Since the Lamentors are still around while many other chapters have died out would I say that their fortune is not that bad.

 

---------

 

Also here is the WH40khomebrew-wikin's list of 21st Founding fan-chapters. For inspirtion and such. 

[Felix Antipodes]

I quite like the trophy collecting to excess idea.  Could be how the Fire Claws became the Relictors?  There is only a minor gap between their given Founding date (circa M36) and the Cursed Founding in 991.M35.  Plenty of wiggle room for me.

[Gamiel]

Concept: a BA successor that similar to the Lamenters seems to lack the BA's Flaws, something that have made the other BA chapters consider them wrong or question their gene-line, but have during the last millenium begun to have members falling into the Black Rage, something they see as a blessing as it shows that they are true sons of Sanguinius and he has not forsaken them. 

[Gamiel]

On 3/14/2023 at 10:51 AM, Gamiel said:

Of the more "curse" variant:

* one of the greater chaos beings - a greater daemon of the big four, Be'lakor, one of the "lesser" Chaos gods (Hashut, Horned Rat, Malice, etc.), or similar - find the chapter really interesting and have worked throughout the ages to convert them to its service. Why it finds them interesting could be: that it knows that the chapter will at some pointe play an important role for one of its plans and then wants it on its side; something about the chapter really fits with the daemons style (like how nobody is really surpriced that the World Eaters fell to Khorne); its doing it for the personal entertaiment of working the chapter; whatever esoteric sorcery-science was used in the creation of the chapter bound the daemon in a way to them and it can't help but focusing at least some of its working toward the chapter, even when it has more pressing/important things to do; 

 

Unless you want this as the backstory for your Chaos warband do I suggest that the chapter have throughout its history lost members to the daemons workings, and have had many instances where others nearly turned.

 

A possible "sideeffect" of the daemons interest for the chapter could be that it also function as a kind of dark protector of chapter since it don't want its toys to be destroyed or taken from them, leading to the deamon working against forces that would have destroyed the chapter. 

 

 

An alternative version could be that the chaos beings interest is as a destroyer and have repeatedly tried to have it destroyed, either personally or by using minions. Likely it has nearly succesded many times with only the time needed to create new webs of influence after it has been banished and the Warps non-linear time giving the chapter breathing room. Like above could a the daemon function as a kind of dark protector of the chapter, in this case because it don’t want anybody but itself to be the chapter’s doom.

 

[Gamiel]

Some short concepts:

 

Ravens Argant - suffer from berserker rage tendencies and impulses to feast on the flesh of their freshly fallen foes. They try to hinder this from coming out by focusing on range and vehicle combat.

 

Khopeshs of Corax - Righteous in demeanour but mercurial in action. For every report of exemplary action there are two complaining about their strange tactics or problematic interaction with fellow forces, if not both.

 

Samurais of Vega - claim decency from the Soul Drinkers. Their overactive omophagea organ speak for this but unlike the Soul Drinkers, or most other sons of Dorn, do their Betcher's Gland and Sus-an Membrane work.

Edited March 23, 2023 by Gamiel

[Brother Cambrius]

Some great ideas and discussion going on!

 

One thing that I oft consider with 21st Founding Chapters is the effect on specific implants that help define or direct how a Cursed Chsoter function.

 

I touched on one with my Death Casters that could lead to a fall or certainly lower numbers with a curse, focusing on the Black Carapace:

 

The carapace fuses with the armour of the Astartes, letting them feel the pain of armour impacts from combat as if it were their own skin, but allowing greatly superior motion and strength at this cost.

 

With things like the Betcher's Gland, it could be we have a chapter where it is overactive, causing thrm to have bionic mouths/grilles as the acid beaks through their jaws, or fight helmetless akin to the Space Wolves.

 

Cambrius

[Gamiel]

On 3/22/2023 at 9:43 AM, Gamiel said:

Some short concepts:

 

Ravens Argant - suffer from berserker rage tendencies and impulses to feast on the flesh of their freshly fallen foes. They try to hinder this from coming out by focusing on range and vehicle combat.

 

Khopeshs of Corax - Righteous in demeanour but mercurial in action. For every report of exemplary action there are two complaining about their strange tactics or problematic interaction with fellow forces, if not both.

 

Samurais of Vega - claim decency from the Soul Drinkers. Their overactive omophagea organ speak for this but unlike the Soul Drinkers, or most other sons of Dorn, do their Betcher's Gland and Sus-an Membrane work.

Brothers of Baal - Closer to the sons of Sanguinius then their fellow Unforgiven, and follow the Blood Angels heraldic system. Have repeatedly lost their full First company.

 

Void Mantas - Noble in bearing and speech, but tainted by reports of a cruelty that goes beyond callousness or tactical pragmatism. 

 

Crimson Serpents - Barbaric savagery tempered by animalistic cunning. To stave off them turning into little more than techno-beasts do they study the primarchs' writings and do the rituals of civilisation.

 

[Karhedron]

The Fire Scorpions

 

A Chapter based on the Imperial Fists geneseed, modified to try and correct the missing Betcher's gland. Unfortunately the reintroduced gland was prone to hyperactivity and the worst affected Marines uncontrollably drool venom. The Chapter has adapted to this grouping the worst affected Brothers into "Stinger" squads who coat their weapons with their own acidic secretions resulting in powerful toxic attacks.

[Gamiel]

On 3/12/2023 at 8:12 PM, Gamiel said:

From my own concept list of mutations, they are meant to be general and not speceficly for the cursed founding:

 

"There is a 50% chance that the whole Chapter is afflicted by the mutation, otherwise one in [1D10] of the Chapter’s battle-brothers are afflicted, if a 1 is rolled it means that only the Chapter’s Librarians are affected.s.

 

A gene-line specefic one for the Blood Angels:

1. Begin at stage [1D3] of the BA ‘Primarch’s Curse’.

2. Skin becomes pale and takes a crystal like quality, it sparkles in strong light. [ref. Twilight]

3. Sudden flashes of visions of the future.

4. Take physical damage from strong light. [ref. vampires]

5. Flesh Teares’ ‘Primarch’s Curse’.

6. Begin at stage [1D3] of the Flesh Teares’ ‘Primarch’s Curse’.

7. Feathers for hair.

8. Around one in ten of Chapter’s members begin to mutate into a degenerated combat-form (maybe physically resembling crypt ghouls, strigoi, yhetees or wulfen) before they reach Veteran status.

9. Are slowly growing the foundation for wings.

10. Translucent skin, making the Marines’ appear flayed.

11. Orlock-like appearance.

12. Small, useless wings.

13. Sometime fall into a “holy trance” in which they produced stigmata, copying the wounds of Sanguinius.

14. Unnaturally long fingers [ref. Count Orlocks hands]

15. Their faces are bat-like. [ref. vampires]

16. Skin so pale, that their veins are visible. [ref. the Sable Brotherhood’s gene-seed deviancy]

17. Each member has bright white hair [ref. the Red Wings’ gene-seed deviancy]

18. Prominent glowering mien. [ref. the Red Knights’ gene-seed deviancy]

19. Unusually ruddy skin [ref. the Angels Sanguine’s gene-seed deviancy]

20. Unusually ruddy skin and coarse angelic features [ref. the Angels Sanguine’s gene-seed deviancy]

21. Long eye teeth. [ref. the Charnel Guard’s gene-seed deviancy]

22. Long, fang-like front teeth, not unlike a vampire bat’s. [ref. vampires]

23. Scavenger animals are drawn toward them and seem to subconsciously follow the battle-brothers’ need. [ref. vampires]

24. Angelic aura. [ref. angels]

25. Unnaturally dry skin. [ref. the Blood Drinkers’ gene-seed deviancy]

26. Claws.

27. Have an perpetual air of aridity. [ref. the Blood Drinkers’ gene-seed deviancy]

28. Black eyes with red irises.

29. White skin. [ref. vampires]

30. Pale skin and beautiful, sharp features. [ref. vampires]

31. Pale skin and notably red lips. [ref. living-vampire Captain Marvel from Earth-19919]

32. Red eyes, without any visible irises, and slit pupils. [ref. living-vampire Captain Marvel from Earth-19919]

33. Red hair. [ref. the Children of Judas from folklore]

34. Red hair with black bangs. [ref. 2000AD’s Durham Red]

35. They are required to have Aspirants with a genetic make-up compatible with the people of the Blood Angels' Homeworld of Baal. [ref. vampires]

36. Only a relatively few Battle Brothers that fall into the Black Rage.

37. Only a relatively few Battle Brothers that fall into the Black Rage but the Red Thirst is unusually strong.

38. Suffers highly from Battle Brothers falling into the Black Rage but the curse of the Red Thirst is unusually week.

39. The Red Thirst is unusually week.

40. Don’t have any expandable fangs, unlike many of Sanguinius’ gene-sons.

41. Unnaturally beautiful. [ref. Angels & vampires]

42. Glowing eyes. [ref. angels]

43. Glowing skin. [ref. angels]

Edited March 25, 2023 by Gamiel