Chaos Space Marines | Warhammer 40,000 Tactical Guide - Tabletop Tactics (2024)

The Warmaster himself, and he is quite rightly an absolute terror on the field. A CHAOS LORD with a ton of rules and Keywords, defensively he’s beefy as anything, with T6 9W and a 2+/4++, alongside only being able to take 3 Wounds per Phase, makes him incredibly difficult to shift, if not impossible for some armies. Offensively he has the Talon of Horus for some anti Marine firepower (24” Assault 4 Str 5 AP-1 D2), whilst up close he packs an eyewatering 8 Attacks at Str 6 Base, using either the Talon for horde clearance (Str User AP-4 D1 but double attacks) or Drach’nyen for basically anything else (+3 AP-4 Dmg3, with 6s to Wound doing an additional D3 Mortals). But that’s not all, as both these aspects are boosted with his Mark of Chaos Ascendant, giving him all four Marks of Chaos with their respective boosts (so making him +1 Str in the First Round of Combat, Fight First, -1 to Wound against Str 6 or Str 12+ attacks, and reducing the first failed Save each turn into Dmg 0), making him even more beastly. And he buffs too, giving all CHAOS CORE (yup, just flat CHAOS) units within 6” Reroll 1s to Hit and +1 to Charges, and has a Chapter Master esque ability in the Command Phase to give Reroll all Hits to an ASTARTES CORE or CHARACTER within 6”, bumping up to include reroll all Wounds as well if BLACK LEGION. Add on his Warlord Traits, and he gets even more boosting benefits (though the buffing ones only affect BLACK LEGION, so are only handy for himself), making him a fantastic all round choice. He must be your Warlord of course, but he becomes an AGENT OF CHAOS when he does, letting him be put into any army without removing their Trait (though not gaining his own, but he doesn’t really need it). Outside of Warp Strike, he is slow with a paltry 6” Mv, and at 300pts he’s pricey, but consider him a tidal wave- he’s coming for you from a distance, but when he gets close he can cause untold devastation, and is all but impossible to stop.

A BLACK LEGIONCHAOS LORD, and the only onewith a working Jump Pack it seems (urgh), Haarken is actually competent now. He packs a Chapter Master style ability for a unit within 6” to get full rerolls to Hit (and Wounds too if RAPTORS), and his Herald of the Apocalypse causes enemy units to lose 2 models on failed Morale when within 6” of him. With a Dmg 2 Lightning Claw he might have a chance of killing enemy CHARACTERS in Melee to activate his Head Taker rule, giving him +1 Attack and +6” to his Herald Aura whenever he does so, and at range the Helspear is only 12” Range and Assault 1, but does hit every unit under a line between him and the target for Str 7 -3 Dmg 3, giving him some niche anti-elite punch. He’s not that cheap at 150pts, but given his upgrades over the basic Lord, he’s actually a decent buy for his improved output and the extra utility he can offer.

A 140pt CHAOS LORDfor theRED CORSAIRS,with +1T and A, who carries an Exalted Power Axe, as well as the Tyrant’s Claw, giving him a Assault-Type Heavy Flamer for shooting, or a -2 D1 double Attack Melee option for thinning out lesser Infantry. He also offers a Chapter Master buff, and once per game can cast either a Smite or any power from the Dark Hereticus Discipline. He’s fairly costly, albeit with some decent buffs to his statline, his overall effectiveness is as a Jack of all trades leader, rather than as a straight dedicated melee beatstick.

A support style Character who can do an Action to make a CORE INFANTRY unit without a MARK within 3” meatier, running from end of Movement to end of Shooting, and giving them either +1 S, T or A on a D3, respectively. Fortunately, his Surgeon Acolyte assists him, letting you roll 2D3 and picking one whilst it’s alive. Otherwise Fabius has a Lord statline (though isn’t one in terms of Keywords), with +1Str. He doesn’t have an Invulnerable, but does heal D3 wounds in your Command Phase, and has a 5+++, so is still reasonably hard to shift. He can do a bit of work at range and up close, with his Xyclos Needler shooting at Pistol 3 18” Str 2 -2 D2, but always wounds non VEHICLES/TITANICS on a 2+, whilst up close he hits people with his Rod of Torment for -2 Dmg 3, and an additional 4A at Str 4 -1 D1 from his Chirurgeon. He’s not the hardest or killiest of HQs, but can make for some nasty units that wander about, and at only 90pts, as well as being an AGENT OF CHAOS, means he can be a good secondary Character for your army.

He’s still here, weirdly, acting as an AGENT OF CHAOS and packing his beefed up Bolt (+6” Range with 6 Shots and AP -1) and Plasma (+2 Shots and D2 without getting hot) Pistols. He has a Chaos Lord’s statline, with a 4++ and 1-3s to Hit failing on the defensive side. He can Fall Back and Advance and still shoot, so he’s always able to bring his guns to bear against a suitable foe, and for some extra utility he can go into Strategic Reserves once a game, at the end of the Shooting or Fight phase. Finally, whenever your opponent would gain a CP (outside of the Battle-forged Bonus), you can roll a D6, and on a 4+ they don’t get it, adding a nice bit of disruption to your force. He’s reasonably cheap at 90pts, but offers no direct buffs to your forces, and is completely lacking in Melee, so he’s not exactly an anchor for a battleline.

Take a Chaos Lord, and for a measly 30pts more (well, 15 given the Mark of Slaanesh), and make him terrifying. At first glance he only has 5 Attacks, but against anything with WS3 or 2, he makes 8A instead, as well as getting +1 Dmg to boot. He already attacks with what amounts to a Master-crafted Power Sword, so against anything elite he can absolutely tear through them. On top of that, his Lash of Torment picks an enemy within 3” at the start of the Fight Phase and makes them Fight Last, a great compliment to your existing Fight First, to ensure Lucius, or whoever he’s supporting nearby, will rarely go after a foe. Finally, should your opponent bring him down, they take D3 Mortal Wounds, or D6 if they roll equal or greater than their Ld on 2D6. That works at Range as well, making it especially funny if he’s out of position. He also brings a Doom Siren for some extra range punch on his way in. All round, Lucius is a fantastic upgrade for a base Lord in an Emperor’s Children army, and very cost efficient too.

The murder machine himself…sort of. A MARK OF KHORNELORDwith +2 Strength who ignores all Hit and WS modifiers, and Fights Twice, a powerful ability for extra output and Pile In/Consolidation prowess, though remember if you Charge you can still only fight what you declared. His Plasma Pistol is always overcharged, but only does 1 Mortal Wound to himself on a 1 to Hit now, whilst Gorechild hits at -4 D2, making him reasonable at killing heavier infantry, but not spectacular. Finally, he does 2 Mortal Wounds to one friendly unit of your choice within 3″ at the end of your Movement Phase on a 2+ for…reasons. Its a painfully annoying rule, but fine. Overall he is a fairly costly upgrade over a normal Lord that isgenerally worth it in terms of output, but he’s not the most cost efficient damage dealer, and being relatively flimsy makes him a prime target once he’s done his job.