Based on all of the material published about the fickle Chaos Powers in the GW universe, I felt it a little bizarre that BFG simply threw it out an airlock and allowed a ship to simultaneously be pledged to Khorne and Tzeentch. Therefore, when the time came to run a campaign for a bunch of people who are all enthusiastic fans of the W40k universe, I felt this matter had to be addressed. These followed.
In essence, these rules replace the existing “Marks of Chaos” as mentioned on page 128 of the printed Battlefleet Gothic rulebook. The reasoning behind these rules is to bring BFG back into line with the older Chaos fluff (from a time when it was less about “take whatever”, i.e. the previous codex) in which the Gods rarely work together, and certainly would not have a single unit or ship be pledged to more than one simultaneously.
I always saw a Mark of Chaos as the first step towards Daemon Prince-ness, a unique thing which identified someone to their favoured deity – rather than a simple brand or symbol which powers you up (as BFG wants to portray it as.) Once you’re Marked, your patron deity then bestows his power upon you rather than you seeking it from somewhere else at the same time.
Also, I’ve seen some great Plague Ship conversions which deserve a lot more than a simple “Mark of Nurgle – +1 Hit and Immune to Boarding,” especially in campaigns given the absurd superiority of the “Space Marines” appeals compared to the “Forces of Chaos” one.
Implementing these rules
Campaigns
Gifts of Chaos can only be taken if a ship is Marked with a certain god. Any subsequent “Marks” mentioned in the rulebook should be read as “Gifts” and a roll on the following tables made. In addition, Chaos fleets may now attempt to Mark a ship or bestow Gifts on a marked ship as an Appeal, with a difficulty of 6+.
Single Battles
Any Marked ship which would normally be allowed to take additional Marks should instead take Gifts of the relevant god at the prices below. Ships which take one Mark may also take a single Gift.
Chaos Gifts:
Khornate Gifts
- Berserkers: The ship’s crew are replaced with insane Khorne Berserkers. They receive a further +D6 to all Boarding Actions, and +1 to Teleport Attacks and Hit and Run attacks. (25 points)
- Bloodlust: The ship’s captain sees nothing but the enemy. The ship gains +1 Ld when not in a squadron, and may roll an additional D6 for All Ahead Full orders. (30 points)
- Brass Maw: The ship has its prow replaced with an effigy of the Blood God. Its front armour is increased by 1. (20 points)
- Unholy Speed: The ship’s ordnance is overcharged to allow its pilots to reach the front lines faster. All ordnance receives +D6cm movement. (25 points)
- Fire Frenzy: The ship’s gunners are at times possessed of the same madness which afflicts Chaos Dreadnoughts. If the vessel fails to go on Special Orders, it receives a left column shift for shooting but must fire every possible weapon at an available target, even if it is friendly. (15 points)
- Blood Pulse: The ship’s power conduits are filled with boiling blood and molten brass as a daemonic infestation reworks the vessel’s innards and turns power lines and systems into Obliterator-like biomechanical components. Add 2 to all rolls on the Catastrophic Damage table. However, the player may force his opponent to re-roll any rolls on the Critical Hits table for that ship. (20 points)
Nurglitch Gifts
- Cloud of Filth: The vessel is shrouded in a toxic cloud which seethes and changes, obscuring sensor contacts. Enemies wishing to fire at it take a rightwards column shift. (35 points)
- Toxic Atmosphere: The ship’s life support pumps fetid air and at times pure poisonous vapour through the passages, which does not burn so easily. The ship is immune to “Fire!” critical hits. (15 points)
- Shield of Flies: The ship is blessed with clouds of daemonic insects, which take hits for it. The vessel gains +1 Shield. (25 points)
- Tumorous Mass: The ship’s hull becomes made of a material more like flesh than steel, pustulent and resilient. Damage taken from ramming is halved. (10 points)
- I am The Ship: The captain’s body and the ship become one. The vessel gains one re-roll. (15 points)
- Plague: The ship’s very atmosphere is toxic, its crew infested with myriad illnesses. If an enemy ship is boarded and survives, it takes D3-1 “Fire!” critical hits as the crew succumb to the plague. (40 points)
Slaaneshi Gifts
- Pleasure and Pain: The ship’s crew are conditioned to take delight in pain. The ship gains an additional +1 leadership for each Blast Marker in contact with it. (15 points)
- Stimulants: The crew are given new energy by the drugs they have taken and do not feel the stress of extreme maneuvers. The ship can turn twice as far, but still only turn once. This can be combined with Come to New Heading orders to allow a ship to turn completely around. (25 points)
- Submission: Enemy ships that hear the voice of Slaanesh are stunned into inaction. If a ship is within 30cm of the unit with this Gift, it does not receive the +1 Ld for enemy ships on Special Orders. (10 points)
- Domination: The captain is able to influence enemy captains to a far greater degree. The player may force any enemy ship within 30cm to re-roll all passed Leadership tests for one turn instead of going on Special Orders. (30 points)
- Seduction: The Chaos Gods confuse anyone who wishes to target their favoured warriors. When using Brace for Impact special orders, if the Ld check is passed the ship may not be attacked by weapons batteries, lances or similar weapons (Pulsar Lances, Bombardment Cannons, etc.), but loses the normal 4+ save and its shielding for the duration of the orders. (35 points)
- Agony of Ecstasy: The ship can ignore hits which would kill untold numbers of crewmen on other ships. It must lose 2/3 of its hits to become Crippled (rounding up) instead of half. (25 points)
Tzeentch Gifts
- Silver Tower of Tzeentch: The ship’s prow is replaced with an arcane device in the form of an ancient weapon. It loses 1 point of prow armour and two Hits, along with any prow and dorsal weapons, and gains a Nova Cannon. (35 points)
- Wind of Change: The ship no longer moves in the physical realm. When using All Ahead Full orders, it may move in any direction, however it must remain pointing the same way. (25 points)
- Red Fire of Tzeentch: The ship’s shields become torrents of fire, capable of incinerating ordnance. The ship may add its current number of shields to its number of turrets. (40 points)
- Blue Fire of Tzeentch: The ship’s weapons are mutated into bolts of Chaotic energy. All weapon batteries are replaced by Lances, at a cost of 1 point of Lance strength for every 3 points of Weapon Battery strength (rounding down). The ship, however, loses one shield. (30 points)
- Chaotic Motion: The ship can make impossible manoeuvers. It may make any number of turns at any point in its move, and has no minimum move distance. However, it may no longer use Come to New Heading or Burn Retros orders. (25 points)
- Wave of Fire: Any Lances on the ship are replaced by Pulsar Lances, in accordance with the rules in the Eldar fleet (for each hit, you can roll another dice To Hit until you miss or Hit 3 times.) However, if a “1″ is rolled To Hit at any point, every shot fired by that lance battery misses. (40 points)
Undivided Gifts (roll 1d3)
- Chaos Blessing: The ship’s crew are blessed by the Chaos Gods. It gains +1 Leadership, which may increase its Leadership to 11.
- Anathema: The ship instils terror in all who behold it. Imperials see blasphemous visions, and Eldar are reminded of their past, while even the Orks and Tau see their own nightmares in its visage. Enemy ships must pass a Leadership test to attack this ship if there is an alternative target in range.
- Chaos Fortune: The ship has been granted uncanny luck as the eye of Chaos shines auspiciously on it — but Chaos is fickle. The player may choose to re-roll one d6 result of 1 rolled each turn, but must also re-roll the best dice roll of the same action. (For example, a player rolls 1,1,2,4,5,6 to resolve shooting. He re-rolls one of the 1′s, but must also re-roll the 6)
The Mark of Chaos Undivided: This Mark costs 15pts, and has no effect save bestowing one random Gift of Chaos Undivided on the ship. No further Gifts may be bestowed on that ship, but a fleet containing an Undivided ship may have any number of different Marked ships in it. However, Marked ships may not form squadrons with ships Marked by a different God (but may form Squadrons with Undivided ships.)