STOP: This guide is out of date! You can now find up-to-date details on how to play this faction in our guide to playing Chaos Space Marines. Check out Start Competing: Chaos Space Marines here.

The Emperor’s Children are the primary Slaanesh-aligned faction of Chaos Space Marines, and potentially the strongest of the legions. Masters of martial perfection, they have a ton of great rules and Stratagems, plus they’re the only legion which can take Noise Marines as Troops.

Legion Overview

The Emperor’s Children vie with Creations of Bile for the title of “strongest traitor legion,” owing to a number of great rules and abilities that give them a ton of versatility. That said, a massive amount of their value just comes from being able to take Noise Marines as Troops.

Strengths

• Noise Marine Troops. Noise marines are an amazing unit, and definitely have a lot to offer over regular Chaos Space Marines. They’re even better for Emperor’s Children, where they’re both Troops and are able to use stratagems like Excruciating Frequencies to up their damage output.
• Versatility. The Emperor’s Children have a few ways to boost their shooting, melee, and mobility, and as a result there’s almost nothing they can’t do well. They have tricks for every situation, and in most cases can imitate what other legions do well enough.
• SLAANESH keyword tricks. Every unit in an Emperor’s Children army must have the SLAANESH keyword, allowing some units – most notably DAEMONKIN – to get it when they might not otherwise have been able to. This turns on some extra Stratagems and effects for them, most notably Delightful Agonies. Note that while they all get the Slaanesh keyword, only units that can get Marks get the Mark Of Slaanesh and thus the ability to fight first.
• Legion Trait. The Emperor’s Children’s Legion trait is a great rule to start building an army around. It increases their offensive output, their consistency, and their mobility since they don’t have to worry about Heavy weapon or Assault weapon penalties. 

Weaknesses

• Mark-locked. The mark of Slaanesh is arguably the strongest mark you can give to Chaos Space Marines, but being forced into it does have some fairly large downsides. You’re not able to take other Marks (or leave your unit as Undivided) when those might be a better choice, and you also have to pay for a Mark of Slaanesh (+15 points) on units you might not otherwise want to pay for it on. That means no Nurgle Daemon Princes, or Ul’o’cca Lords Discordant.
• Warlord Traits and Relics. While the Emperor’s Children have great Stratagems, their Warlord traits and Relics are just so-so, and don’t give you the kind of power boost you can get from other factions. You’ll often find yourself taking all of your relics and traits from the base CSM codex in an Emperor’s Children list.

Rules

Legion Trait: Flawless Perfection

• Each time a model with this trait makes an attack, you can ignore any or all hit roll, Weapon Skill, and Ballistic Skill modifiers.
• Each time a model with this trait makes an attack, on an unmodified wound roll of 6, improve the AP characteristic of that attack by 1.

This is one of the strongest Legion traits. It’s not necessarily the strongest in terms of raw power, but it’s very versatile and provides value in every matchup. The first is that you can just ignore your own modifiers – power fists, thunder hammers, and chainfists are all much better when you can swing them without taking -1 to hit, and Noise Marines are happy to walk around the table and shoot their Blastmasters without the Heavy weapon penalty. It’s also great for ignoring penalties your opponent might try and put on you by hiding in dense cover or with faction traits. Note that this won’t get around abilities that cause hit rolls to fail on a 1-3, or other similar abilities.

The second half of this is a nice bonus, and clearly built with all the high volume of firepower and attack units CSM can bring in mind. It’s just generally good whenever you can throw out a large number of attacks, and units like Possessed, Terminators, and Warp Talons and the big winners. A

 

Warlord Traits

The Emperor’s Children Warlord Traits aren’t great, and most successful lists don’t take them. They don’t offer much in the way of making better melee combat monsters, nor do they give you good force multiplier benefits.

1. Stimulated By Pain. Each time this Warlord loses a wound, it gets +1 attack (to a max of +3), and each time it regains a lost wound, it loses 1 Attack. When this Warlord is destroyed, if it’s within Engagement Range of any enemy units and hasn’t fought yet you can have it fight after that enemy unit finishes making its attacks. This trait has a weird quirk where you can drop 4+ wounds, gain 3 attacks, and then lose them before you make it back to full health, though thanks to the FAQ you can’t end up with fewer attacks than you started with. Fighting on Death is a pretty solid ability to pair with this as you’re likely to get +3 attacks whenever you’re fighting on death, so it goes best on a Lord Discordant or Daemon Prince. They’re not Infantry and can’t use the EC stratagem to fight on death, so this is their only access to that rule. C
2. Intoxicating Musk (Aura). While an enemy unit is within 3” of this Warlord, each time a model in that unit makes a melee attack, subtract 1 from that attacks’ hit roll. This is OK but there are better defensive buffs you can buy and it’s not nearly as good as reducing the number of attacks. C
3. Unbound Arrogance. This one is a fun mini game: When you fight with your Warlord, both you and your opponent pick a number between 1 and 3 on a dice, hiding it behind your hands. Reveal the numbers. If the numbers are different add the number you chose to your attacks. This is making you work really hard to get +D3 Attacks and there are just better ways to get more attacks that don’t require you frequently guessing “2” because it’s always in your opponent’s best interest to take away the “3” option. C
4. Faultless Duellist. Each time this Warlord makes a melee attack, you can re-roll the hit roll, and while an enemy model is within Engagement Range of the Warlord, subtract 1 from its Attacks characteristic. This is solid on units that want to fish for 6s and can help protect larger units like the Lord Discordant. That said, all your characters also hit on 2s and fight first, so the re-roll is only OK and your defensive plans will often be “just kill them first.” Finally note that the -1 Attacks is on a per model basis, and “which models can fight” is different from “being in Engagement Range.” B-
5. Glutton For Punishment. If the Warlord doesn’t have the VEHICLE keyword, reduce any damage inflicted on the Warlord by 1 (to a minimum of 1).Each time the Warlord would lose a wound as the result of a mortal wound, roll a D6 and on a 5+ that wound is not lost. This would have been great on a Lord Discordant, but as is, if you’re taking it you want to put it on a Daemon Prince. A decent durability boost. B+
6. Loathsome Grace. Add 2” to the Move characteristic of this Warlord and they can re-roll Advance and charge rolls. That’s a great mobility boost for units, and it’s good on both melee units like the Lord Discordant and units like the Master of Possession who just want to keep up with faster units like Possessed. A

Stratagems

Emperor’s Children get access to a very good set of Stratagems – some of the best of any legion, with lots of tools for making the most of their units in melee and moving around the board at will.

• Cruel Bladesmen (Battle Tactic, 2 CP). Use when you pick an Emperor’s Children unit to fight. Until the end of the phase, whenever a HERETIC ASTARTES model in that unit makes a melee attack, improve the AP of that attack by 1. Moving from AP2 to AP3 on Possessed or AP3 to AP4 on Terminators/Chosen is very good. It also combos very nicely with the legion trait to get some extra nasty hits pushed through. The issue is the 2 CP cost. You’ll rarely be able to prioritize this over other, better uses of your CP. Note that mathematically this is exactly as good as Veterans of the Long War in most cases. C
• Honour The Prince (Battle Tactic, 1 CP). Use this in your Movement or Charge phase, after you pick an EMPEROR”S CHILDREN CORE or DAEMONKIN unit to Advance or declare a charge. If you use it in the Movement phase, don’t roll for the advance, just add 6” to their Move characteristic. If you use it in the Charge phase, they charge D6+6” instead of 2D6. This is one of the best Stratagems in the entire game, giving you insane movement options and making it pretty reliable to make charges out of deep strike, where a 3+ on your single d6 will get you there in most cases and you can re-roll it if you fail. A+
• Excess Of Violence (Battle Tactic, 1 CP). Use in your Command phase, if your army is engaged in either Wanton Destruction or Wanton Massacre. Pick one EMPEROR’S CHILDREN INFANTRY unit from your army. Until the start of your next Command phase, they’re engaged in Wanton Slaughter instead. This is OK for early game charges, but most of the time it’s not the mode you want your units to be in. Still, it can also be helpful for getting more out of your Noise Marines with Sonic Blasters since Slaughter gives you extra hits on Assault weapons. B-
• Incessant Disdain (Strategic Ploy, 1 CP). Use in the Heroic Interventions step of your opponent’s Charge phase. Pick an Emperor’s Children CORE, DAEMONKIN, or CHARACTER unit from your army. Until the end of the phase, it can intervene as though it were a character unit. If it was already a CHARACTER, it can intervene if it is within 6” horizontally and 5” vertically of an enemy unit. Being able to intervene with non-characters is incredibly strong, and that’s pretty much 90% of the value you’ll get out of this. The other piece is interesting for movement shenanigans, but much more nuanced – an Intervention move is still 3” and this Stratagem technically doesn’t change that (even though a large amount of TOs are ruling that it works like a 6” Heroic Intervention). If your TO or local group rule that you can’t intervene the full distance, it’s really more for repositioning your characters (remember, you don’t have to end up in Engagement Range when you intervene) or helping them make that elusive 4” intervention where someone is outside of 3” but still reachable with a 3” move. B+
• Death Ecstasy (Strategic Ploy, 2 CP). Use in your Fight phase, when an EMPEROR’S CHILDREN INFANTRY unit from your army is picked as the target of a melee attack. Until the end of the phase, each time a model in that unit is destroyed by a melee attack, if that model hasn’t fought this phase, don’t remove it from play. That destroyed model can fight after the attacking model’s unit has finished making attacks, then you remove it from play. Fighting on death is very strong, and this is a good way to punish the crap out of an opponent for charging one of your units, or to ensure that your important trading pieces get to do their thing. A
• Soporific Gaze (Epic Deed, 2 CP). Use at the start of the Fight phase. Pick one EMPEROR’S CHILDREN CHARACTER model from your army, then one enemy unit within 3” of it. That enemy unit is not eligible to fight this phase until after all eligible units from your army have done so. This is also incredibly good; making a unit fight last is always a big effect, and it’s even better when you’ve got units that fight first, so you can use the effect to take away their charge benefits and have them fight with normal timing. 2 CP is steep enough you aren’t firing it off every turn, but it’s super nasty and a great way to ensure your opponent can’t punish you for making multiple charges or get the drop on you. A
• Combat Elixirs (Wargear, 2 CP). Use when an EMPEROR’S CHILDREN CORE or CHARACTER unit from your army is picked to fight. Until the end of the phase, they get +1 Strength and +1 to their Weapon Skill. This also whips ass, and will be something you primarily use on Terminators and Raptors (sadly, it won’t work on Warp Talons or Possessed, as they lack CORE). Note that because Noise Marines, Chosen, and Bikers can take Icons to always hit on a 2+ anyway, you’re never going to use it on those units. B+
• Excruciating Frequencies (1 CP). Use in the Shooting phase, when an EMPEROR’S CHILDREN unit is picked to shoot. Until the end of the phase, each time a model in that unit makes an attack with a Sonic weapon, an unmodified wound roll of 6 does a mortal wound in addition to the regular damage, to a maximum of 6 wounds per phase. Also, after you finish shooting, pick a unit hit by a sonic weapon in that unit and it can’t Overwatch or Set to Defend until your next turn. This is OK, and would be great if you could still take big enough units of Noise Marines to guarantee 6 mortal wounds. As-is, it’s a solid effect but most of the time you aren’t packing enough sonic weapons to make real use of it. B-

Relics

The Emperor’s Children have access to some OK relics, but the list lacks the kind of stand-out relic to make you stop and want to build around it.

• The Endless Grin. INFANTRY model only. Each time the bearer would lose a wound, roll a D6 and on a 6 that wound isn’t lost. Once per battle, when the bearer is destroyed, instead of using any other abilities that trigger, you can roll a D6, and on a 3+ set them back up at the end of the phase as close as possible to where they were but outside Engagement range with D3 wounds remaining. This is a solid trick, and getting back up on a 3+ is better than other effects tend to give you. The 6+ feel no pain isn’t too shabby, either. This is best on a Master Of Executions, who is likely to die and also a unit your opponent really does not want to see stand back up. C+
• Fatal Sonancy. At the end of your Movement phase pick an enemy unit within 12” and visible to the bearer and roll 6D6; for each 4+ that enemy takes a mortal wound. This is pretty great – it’ll net you 3 mortal wounds on average, which is a solid count for something you can get every turn for free. It’s great for helping burn through wound caps and it can target characters that are normally protected by Look out, Sir. B+
• Armour of Abhorrence. The bearer gains an aura ability – Armour of Abhorrence (Aura): Each time an enemy unit (excluding TITANIC) within 3” of the bearer is selected to fall back, roll a D6; on a 4+ that unit cannot Fall back this turn. What’s good about this particular relic is that it can go on a unit champion with Trophies of the Long War, making it a potential fit for a unit of Warp Talons or Possessed, where it can help them stay locked in combat with units that don’t want to be touched. It’s better on units that can multi-charge several targets, increasing the chances one of them can’t fall back. B+
• Remnant of the Maraviglia. PRIEST model only. Once per battle at the end of your Command phase, the bearer can use this Relic. If it does so, until the start of your next Command Phase, the bearer gains an aura – Remnant of the Maraviglia (Aura): While a friendly EMPEROR’S CHILDREN CORE or CHARACTER unit is within 6”, add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of models in that unit. A once per game +1 Attack aura that doesn’t even include Daemonkin is just not an ability you’re going to ever bring when you have so many better uses of CP. Still, it’s solid on a 10-model unit of terminators. C-
• Distortion. Replaces a Power,  Force Sword, or Accursed Weapon with one which has two profiles. The first is the elegant incision (sweep) mode, which has S:User, AP-2 and 1 damage, but doubles the number of attacks you make. And the other, inelegant slash, is Sx2, AP-4, 2 damage. That’s a nice little combo, where you get a power sword with a built-in power fist. This one can go on a squad champion with Trophies of the Long War as well. It’s OK, but not so good you’ll end up taking it in competitive lists. C+
• Raiment Revulsive. This can go on a CULTISTS model. A model with this relic gains the Raiment Revulsive (Aura) ability, which lets friendly Emperor’s Children units within 6” shoot while performing actions. It also prevents enemy units within 6” from performing actions. This is a pretty nifty little ability, and 6” is enough to cover an entire objective to prevent an opponent from controlling it to do an action if they steal it. Still, this is more nifty than worth spending CP on. B-

Secondary Objective: Adorn the Canvas Eclectic

No Mercy, No Respite

At the end of the battle round, score 1 VP for each of the following:

• You control more objective markers than the opponent
• More enemy units were destroyed by ranged attacks made by EMPEROR’S CHILDREN units from your army this battle round than vice versa
• More enemy units were destroyed by melee attacks made by EMPEROR’S CHILDREN units from your army this battle round than vice versa
• More enemy units were destroyed by attacks made by EMPEROR’S CHILDREN CHARACTER units from your army this battle round than vice versa

If you manage to qualify for all four at the end of a battle round, you score 1 bonus VP, to bring your total up to 5 per battle round.

This is not a particularly good secondary. It’s something that tends to reward you for already being in a winning position, i.e. it’s a “win more” – you are only scoring this if you’re out-killing and out-holding your opponent. As a set of criteria, it’s largely killed by the “end of battle round” rider, which makes it a secondary that you really only want if you’re going second. If that first part about objective control was end of your turn, this’d be playable as something with a 5-point floor, but as-is it’s one of the lower-scoring secondary options available to Chaos Space Marines. Its only real advantage is that it’s a No Mercy, No Respite secondary, which means it isn’t up against stiff competition, and there are definitely situations where I’d rather have this than Grind Them Down.

 

Notable Units

Lucius the Eternal

The Emperor’s Children only have access to one character – Lucius the Eternal (Fabius Bile is a former member, but no longer has the keyword or the affiliation. He’s doing his own thing – check out Creations of Bile). Lucius is a Chaos Lord, with the re-roll 1s to hit aura for CORE units and a statline to match, but doubles as a Duellist character of sorts. He comes with a Doom Siren, the Mark of Slaanesh built in and a 2-damage power sword and his Duellist’s Pride ability gives him +3 Attacks (taking him up to 8) whenever he fights if there’s an enemy model with WS 3+ in Engagement Range. He’s also +1 damage against models with WS 3+ or better, turning him into a really nasty threat against enemy warlords and other marines – hell, even Crisis Suit Commanders have WS 3+ now. He compounds these melee abilities with the Lash of Torment, which lets him pick one enemy unit within 3” each Fight phase to fight last.

On the defensive side, Lucius as a 4+ invulnerable save but a special bonus from his Armour of Shrieking Souls: If Lucius is destroyed by an attack made by an enemy model, your opponent must roll 2D6 and if the result is less than their Ld characteristic, the unit takes D3 mortal wounds, otherwise they take D6 mortal wounds. This is such a wonderfully spiteful thing to do and killing an enemy with the last gasp is always satisfying. If you make Lucius your Warlord and give him a trait he has to take the Faultless Duellist Warlord Trait, which is fine, but not particularly great, either.

Lucius is a very solid character. He’s not the nasty melee blender you get from a Lord Discordant nor the flying beater that a Daemon Prince gives you, but he’s a nasty piece of work and he’s only 120 points, which is a really good price point for a Chaos Lord with the kinds of upgrades Lucius has, which includes coming with the Mark of Slaanesh already built in (+15 points, normally). Because of that, Lucius is just good enough to make his way into some competitive Emperor’s Children lists, where can occupy a role similar to how you might use a Master of Executions, only with more of a force multiplier angle. If you bring him, you’ll want to protect him by having him accompany some other unit, like your terminators.

Note that, since Lucius has the CHAOS LORD keyword, he can’t go in a detachment with Abaddon.

Noise Marines

While any Chaos Space Marine army that can take the Mark of Slaanesh can have Noise Marines, they’re especially potent in an Emperor’s Children army. For starters, they’re troops in an Emperor’s Children army, which means you can easily fill the Troop slots of a Patrol or Battalion detachment with some legitimately powerful units. Second, Emperor’s Children are the only legion in which Noise Marines actually get a legion trait, and boy do they love using the Emperor’s Children trait – being able to advance and shoot without penalty is great as is moving and shooting their Blastmasters without penalty, and being able to stay on the move without losing any offensive output makes the unit very nasty.

It helps of course that sonic weapons are very good. While only having AP-1 on Sonic Blasters isn’t as great in a post-Armour of Contempt world, being able to improve your damage by 1 at half range is huge, and Blastmasters are one of the best guns in the game, especially when they ignore penalties to BS and can score extra AP on their shots. 

At 21 points per model, a unit of 5 Noise Marines costs the same as a unit of Legionaries if you took the Mark of Slaanesh, which is already baked into their cost. In that sense, unless you start taking sonic weapons they look exactly like Chaos Marines, but without the option to take psychic powers. So you give them a blastmaster, one of the game’s best guns, and throw in a power fist on the champion for good measure since you get to ignore the hit modifier. In this format, the unit is shockingly effective at both melee and at range, and most successful competitive Emperor’s Children lists run 4-6 of these little 5-model squads sporting a Blastmaster, an Icon, and bolt pistol + chainsword, with a power fist on the champion. That gives you a 135-point unit that can fight alarmingly well (hitting on 2+) and on quick notice put out either 6 S5 AP-2 shots that are 2 damage at 18” or three S8 AP-3 shots that are 4 damage at 24”, with a good shot at getting extra AP on any of its attacks. Throw in some re-roll hit support from characters and the extra shots you can get out of Let the Galaxy Burn and you have a bunch of shockingly deadly and versatile Troops units.

Possessed, Warp Talons, and Obliterators

These units lack the CHAOS UNDIVIDED keyword, and so traditionally cannot get the SLAANESH keyword in other chaos legions, but get it automatically in Emperor’s Children. And while that doesn’t give them the Mark itself, what it does get them is access to several buffs and Stratagems. First, they can be targeted by Delightful Agonies, giving them a 5+ feel no pain roll, which is a huge boost in terms of durability. They can also benefit from the Murderous Perfection (change on hit, wound, or damage roll to a 6) and Excessive Cruelty (consolidate into an enemy unit after it falls back) Stratagems, both of which are very good to have.

Warp Talons also really like being able to charge out of deep strike with Honour the Prince.

Dreadclaw Drop Pods

Speaking of which, because you can reliably charge out of deep strike with Honour the Prince, Dreadclaw Drop Pods are particularly good in Emperor’s Children, since they give you a great chance for a turn 1 charge with any unit you put inside them.

Playing Emperor’s Children

There are three key things to know about playing Emperor’s Children:

1. If you’re taking Troops, take advantage of the Noise Marines. Your best advantage by far is that you have a strong option in the Troops slot that you actually want to take. Successful lists tend to take 4-6 5-man squads of noise marines, and many completely fill all of their available troop slots in the Battalion detachment. Getting value out of your Troops opens up strategic options for the army, and makes it easier to control or steal objectives and perform actions.
2. Take advantage of the ability to charge from Deep Strike (or just make any charge). Honour the Prince essentially guarantees a unit can reach enemies in a charge the turn it arrives from Deep Strike, requiring only that you have rolled a single 3+ on either of the dice for your charge roll. This means you can bank on making that turn 1 charge, and your CORE and CHARACTER units can advance and charge (getting help from Honour The Prince twice, if you wish) with the Blissful Devotion prayer.
3. Take advantage of the fact that you ignore penalties to hit. Power fists, chainfists, shooting both halves of a combi-weapon, Advancing and shooting Assault weapons… these are your bread and butter and being able to ignore those penalties for free is huge, making things just much more reliable.

Adding Daemons

Emperor’s Children can also supplement their ranks with a detachment of Chaos Daemons of up to 25% of their army’s total PL without losing their army-wide rules. While the rules in Codex: Chaos Space Marines and Codex: Daemons are not so clear on this, official GW event policy is that you can only take Slaanesh Daemons in that detachment if you’re playing an Emperor’s Children army, and so we’re going to stick to that interpretation, which makes sense anyways.

This unfortunately means no lists where Emperor’s Children are supported by Flamers, unless you want to give up the AGENTS OF CHAOS keyword and lose your faction rules, including your Legion trait. That said, there’s enough to consider in the Chaos Daemons rules if you stick to Slaanesh. For one, the Emperor’s Children lack the tools some other legions have to build big melee monsters, and that’s where a Keeper of Secrets can more than make up for the loss. Plus, Daemonettes are very nice, capable troops for a Patrol Detachment.

Some Lists

Emperor’s Children work fine as a standalone force, or when combined with Daemons, Abaddon, or Knights. They can bring a lot to the table as either the core of your army or a utility add-on.

Stephen Box’s List

Let’s kick things off by looking at a list that doesn’t have Abaddon. Stephen took this list to The Southampton Brawl in late October, finishing 2nd. The list is a great example of what a “pure” Emperor’s Children list can look like in a competitive setting.

++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Chaos – Chaos Space Marines) [98 PL, 2,000pts, 2CP] ++

Legion: Emperor’s Children

+ HQ [22 PL, 410pts, -2CP] +

Daemon Prince with Wings [11 PL, 180pts, -2CP]: 5. Glutton for Punishment, Hellforged sword [10pts], Intoxicating Elixir, Malefic talons, Mark of Slaanesh [1 PL, 15pts], Stratagem: Relic [-1CP], Stratagem: Warlord Trait [-1CP], Warlord, Warptime, Wings [2 PL, 35pts]

Dark Apostle [6 PL, 110pts]: Accursed crozius, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Illusory Supplication, Mark of Slaanesh [1 PL, 15pts]
. 2x Dark Disciple: 2x Close combat weapon

Lucius the Eternal [5 PL, 120pts]: Doom siren, Duellist’s sword, Frag & Krak grenades

+ Troops [37 PL, 825pts] +

Legionaries [7 PL, 150pts]: Chaos Icon [5pts], Mark of Slaanesh [1 PL, 15pts]
. Aspiring Champion [28pts]: Boltgun, Frag & Krak grenades, Power fist [10pts]
. 2x Marine w/ astartes chainsword [36pts]: 2x Astartes chainsword, 2x Bolt pistol, 2x Frag & Krak grenades
. Marine w/ balefire tome [38pts]: Balefire tome [20pts], Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Prescience
. Marine w/ heavy chainaxe [28pts]: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Heavy chainaxe [10pts]

Noise Marines [6 PL, 135pts]: Icon of Slaanesh [5pts]
. Marine w/ blastmaster [36pts]: Blastmaster [15pts], Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades
. 3x Marine w/ chainsword [63pts]: 3x Astartes chainsword, 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
. Noise Champion [31pts]: Frag & Krak grenades, Power fist [10pts]

Noise Marines [6 PL, 135pts]: Icon of Slaanesh [5pts]
. Marine w/ blastmaster [36pts]: Blastmaster [15pts], Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades
. 3x Marine w/ chainsword [63pts]: 3x Astartes chainsword, 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
. Noise Champion [31pts]: Frag & Krak grenades, Power fist [10pts]

Noise Marines [6 PL, 135pts]: Icon of Slaanesh [5pts]
. Marine w/ blastmaster [36pts]: Blastmaster [15pts], Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades
. 3x Marine w/ chainsword [63pts]: 3x Astartes chainsword, 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
. Noise Champion [31pts]: Frag & Krak grenades, Power fist [10pts]

Noise Marines [6 PL, 135pts]: Icon of Slaanesh [5pts]
. Marine w/ blastmaster [36pts]: Blastmaster [15pts], Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades
. 3x Marine w/ chainsword [63pts]: 3x Astartes chainsword, 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
. Noise Champion [31pts]: Frag & Krak grenades, Power fist [10pts]

Noise Marines [6 PL, 135pts]: Icon of Slaanesh [5pts]
. Marine w/ blastmaster [36pts]: Blastmaster [15pts], Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades
. 3x Marine w/ chainsword [63pts]: 3x Astartes chainsword, 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
. Noise Champion [31pts]: Frag & Krak grenades, Power fist [10pts]

+ Elites [24 PL, 465pts, -2CP] +

Chaos Terminator Squad [19 PL, 385pts, -1CP]: Mark of Slaanesh [1 PL, 15pts]
. Chaos Terminator [43pts]: Combi-melta [5pts], Power fist [5pts]
. Chaos Terminator [33pts]: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator [33pts]: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator [33pts]: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator [33pts]: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator [33pts]: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator [38pts]: Combi-bolter, Power fist [5pts]
. Chaos Terminator [38pts]: Combi-bolter, Power fist [5pts]
. Chaos Terminator [43pts]: Combi-melta [5pts], Power fist [5pts]
. Terminator Champion [43pts, -1CP]: Black Rune of Damnation, Chainfist [5pts], Combi-melta [5pts], Trophies of the Long War [-1CP]

Master of Executions [5 PL, 80pts, -1CP]: Axe of dismemberment, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Gifts of Chaos [-1CP], Mantle of Traitors, Mark of Slaanesh [1 PL, 15pts]

+ Fast Attack [7 PL, 140pts] +

Warp Talons [7 PL, 140pts]
. 4x Warp Talon [112pts]: 4x Warp claws
. Warp Talon Champion [28pts]: Warp claws

+ Dedicated Transport [8 PL, 160pts] +

Chaos Rhino [4 PL, 80pts]: Combi-bolter

Chaos Rhino [4 PL, 80pts]: Combi-bolter

++ Total: [98 PL, 2CP, 2,000pts] ++

The Standout Features

• Lucius the Eternal
• A Daemon Prince with Intoxicating Elixir
• No Cultists!
• A pair of Rhino Transports
• No Possessed, either

Playing This List

Stephen’s List is the kind of list that angry faction purists always bother us over: It features the lone special character for the Emperor’s Children, includes no allies, has no cultists, and runs nothing from Forge World. There are five MSUs of Noise Marines here, plus a Legionaries unit with a Balefire Tome and Prescience to buff someone with +1 to hit. That’ll pretty much always be the Terminators, the Warp Talons, or the Legionaries themselves, since the Noise Marines all have icons. 

The list packs three combat monsters: A Master of Executions running the Mantle of Traitors for hit re-rolls and a free Soporific Gaze once per game, Lucius, and a Daemon Prince with Glutton for Punishment and the Intoxicating Elixir. This lets the Daemon Prince range forward and get into it with targets that might otherwise mulch him, then fight first in the following turn and finish them off. 

Where Stephen’s list really breaks from orthodoxy is its lack of Possessed – it runs a single unit of Warp Talons to act as a harassment unit but otherwise doesn’t have the same fast, hard punch that Possessed lists do, opting for a more methodical, durable playstyle with a pair of rhinos to transport Noise Marines. There’s likely an equally solid version of this list that dumps them for Possessed.

Mark Pilkington’s List

Mark took this list to a 3rd place finish at the Into the Hellstorm X GT in mid-November, sporting a Noise Marine-heavy force supported by Abaddon the Despoiler.

++ Battalion Detachment -3CP (Chaos – Chaos Space Marines) [88 PL, 1,700pts, -1CP] ++

Legion: Emperor’s Children

+ HQ +

Daemon Prince with Wings [11 PL, 180pts, -2CP]: 1. Flames of Spite, Aspiring Lord, Hellforged sword, Mantle of Traitors, Mark of Slaanesh, Stratagem: Relic, Warptime, Wings

Dark Apostle [6 PL, 110pts]: Illusory Supplication, Mark of Slaanesh
. 2x Dark Disciple: 2x Close combat weapon

Master of Possession [7 PL, 120pts, -1CP]: Gifts of Chaos, Liber Hereticus, Mark of Slaanesh, Mutated Invigoration, Pact of Flesh

+ Troops +

Cultists Mob [2 PL, 50pts]
. 9x Chaos Cultist w/ cultist firearm: 9x Cultist firearm, 9x Frag & Krak grenades
. Cultist Champion
. . Autopistol and brutal assault weapon

Noise Marines [6 PL, 120pts]
. Marine w/ blastmaster: Blastmaster
. 3x Marine w/ chainsword: 3x Astartes chainsword, 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
. Noise Champion: Astartes chainsword, Astartes chainsword

Noise Marines [6 PL, 120pts]
. Marine w/ blastmaster: Blastmaster
. 3x Marine w/ chainsword: 3x Astartes chainsword, 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
. Noise Champion: Astartes chainsword, Astartes chainsword

Noise Marines [6 PL, 120pts]
. Marine w/ blastmaster: Blastmaster
. 3x Marine w/ chainsword: 3x Astartes chainsword, 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
. Noise Champion: Astartes chainsword, Astartes chainsword

Noise Marines [6 PL, 120pts]
. Marine w/ blastmaster: Blastmaster
. 3x Marine w/ chainsword: 3x Astartes chainsword, 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
. Noise Champion: Astartes chainsword, Astartes chainsword

Noise Marines [6 PL, 120pts]
. Marine w/ blastmaster: Blastmaster
. 3x Marine w/ chainsword: 3x Astartes chainsword, 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
. Noise Champion: Astartes chainsword, Astartes chainsword

+ Elites +

Chaos Terminator Squad [19 PL, 395pts, -1CP]: Mark of Slaanesh
. Chaos Terminator: Chainfist, Combi-melta
. Chaos Terminator: Combi-melta, Power fist
. Chaos Terminator: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator: Combi-melta, Power fist
. Chaos Terminator: Combi-bolter, Power fist
. Chaos Terminator: Combi-bolter, Power fist
. Terminator Champion: Black Rune of Damnation, Chainfist, Combi-melta, Trophies of the Long War

Possessed [7 PL, 140pts]: Possessed Champion
. 4x Possessed: 4x Hideous mutations

+ Fast Attack +

Venomcrawler [6 PL, 105pts]

++ Supreme Command Detachment +3CP (Chaos – Chaos Space Marines) [15 PL, 300pts, 3CP] ++

Legion: Black Legion

+ Primarch | Daemon Primarch | Supreme Commander +

Abaddon the Despoiler [15 PL, 300pts]

++ Total: [103 PL, 2CP, 2,000pts] ++

The Standout Features

• Five units of Noise Marines – and five Blastmasters – to cause problems
• Abaddon
• A Flames of Spite/Mantle of Traitors Daemon Prince
• A Dark Apostle with Illusory Supplication

Playing This List

This list shows off the tactic that a large number of Emperor’s Children lists take, running a bunch of Noise Marine units which can range around the board and be aggressive in melee versus lightly armored targets, while also throwing out a few 4-damage shots with their Blastmaster at heavier targets. The Daemon Prince is an interesting add here – the Mantle of Traitors gives him a free use of Soporific Gaze once per game and lets him just drop his re-roll 1s to hit aura on one unit per turn regardless of how far away he is. It makes him more of a force multiplier than a melee beater, but re-rolling all hits and wounds and doing extra mortals on 6s to wound is a pretty damn good setup and helps prevent him from being his usual disappointing self.

The Master of Possession here sports the Liber Hereticus and has basically been kitted out to sit on the middle of the table and work with the Apostle and Terminators to create a little death star, buffing them to T5 and a 5+ feel no pain while bringing models back. The Venomcrawler can help here, giving him additional support with +1 to cast. The Apostle likewise helps by giving them Illusory Supplication. 

Joseph Blackett’s Daemon Soup List

Joseph piloted this list to 4th place at the Boltercon 2022 Invitational GT in mid November, using a mix of Emperor’s Children and a Slaanesh Daemons detachment.

++ Patrol Detachment -2CP (Chaos – Daemons) [25 PL, 500pts, -2CP] ++

Chaos Allegiance: Slaanesh

+ No Force Org Slot [4 PL, 80pts] +

Infernal Enrapturess [4 PL, 80pts]: Heartstring Lyre, Ravaging claws

+ HQ [15 PL, 300pts] +

Keeper of Secrets [15 PL, 300pts]: Insatiable Onslaught [1 PL, 20pts], Shining aegis, Smite, Snapping claws, Witstealer sword

+ Troops [6 PL, 120pts] +

Daemonettes [6 PL, 120pts]: Daemonic icon, Instrument of Chaos
. Alluress: Piercing claws
. 9x Daemonette: 9x Piercing claws

++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Chaos – Chaos Space Marines) [79 PL, 1,500pts, 2CP] ++

Legion: Emperor’s Children

+ HQ [23 PL, 420pts, -2CP] +

Dark Apostle [6 PL, 110pts]: Accursed crozius, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Illusory Supplication, Mark of Slaanesh [1 PL, 15pts], Warlord
. 2x Dark Disciple: 2x Close combat weapon

Lord Discordant on Helstalker [10 PL, 190pts, -2CP]: 1. Flames of Spite, Aspiring Lord [-1CP], Bladed limbs, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Helstalker autocannon, Impaler chainglaive, Mantle of Traitors, Mark of Slaanesh [1 PL, 15pts], Mechatendrils, Stratagem: Relic [-1CP], Techno-virus injector

Master of Possession [7 PL, 120pts]: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Mark of Slaanesh [1 PL, 15pts], Mutated Invigoration, Pact of Flesh, Smite, Staff of Possession

+ Troops [22 PL, 440pts] +

Accursed Cultists [3 PL, 75pts]
. 5x Mutant [30pts]: 5x Blasphemous appendages
. 3x Torment [45pts]: 3x Hideous mutations

Legionaries [7 PL, 105pts]: Mark of Slaanesh [1 PL, 15pts]
. Aspiring Champion [18pts]: Bolt pistol, Boltgun, Frag & Krak grenades
. 4x Marine w/ boltgun [72pts]: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Boltgun, 4x Frag & Krak grenades

Noise Marines [6 PL, 130pts]
. Marine w/ blastmaster [36pts]: Blastmaster [15pts], Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades
. 3x Marine w/ chainsword [63pts]: 3x Astartes chainsword, 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
. Noise Champion [31pts]: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Power fist [10pts]

Noise Marines [6 PL, 130pts]
. Marine w/ blastmaster [36pts]: Blastmaster [15pts], Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades
. 3x Marine w/ chainsword [63pts]: 3x Astartes chainsword, 3x Bolt pistol, 3x Frag & Krak grenades
. Noise Champion [31pts]: Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Power fist [10pts]

+ Elites [24 PL, 455pts, -2CP] +

Chaos Terminator Squad [19 PL, 375pts, -1CP]: Mark of Slaanesh [1 PL, 15pts]
. Chaos Terminator [38pts]: Combi-bolter, Power fist [5pts]
. Chaos Terminator [38pts]: Combi-bolter, Power fist [5pts]
. Chaos Terminator [38pts]: Combi-bolter, Power fist [5pts]
. Chaos Terminator [38pts]: Chainfist [5pts], Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator [38pts]: Combi-bolter, Power fist [5pts]
. Chaos Terminator [33pts]: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator [33pts]: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator [33pts]: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Chaos Terminator [33pts]: Accursed weapon, Combi-bolter
. Terminator Champion [38pts, -1CP]: Black Rune of Damnation, Chainfist [5pts], Combi-bolter, Trophies of the Long War [-1CP]

Master of Executions [5 PL, 80pts, -1CP]: Axe of dismemberment, Bolt pistol, Frag & Krak grenades, Gifts of Chaos [-1CP], Mark of Slaanesh [1 PL, 15pts], The Warp’s Malice

+ Fast Attack [6 PL, 105pts] +

Venomcrawler [6 PL, 105pts]: 2x Excruciator cannon, Soulflayer tendrils and claws

+ Dedicated Transport [4 PL, 80pts] +

Chaos Rhino [4 PL, 80pts]: Combi-bolter

++ Total: [104 PL, 2,000pts] ++

The Standout Features

• An Exalted Keeper of Secrets with extra movement from Insatiable Onslaught, and an Infernal Enrapturess with Warp Locus to bring that Keeper in close to the enemy
• A Lord Discordant with the Mantle of Traitors and Flames of Spite
• A Venomcrawler for psychic buffs
• Master of Executions with Warp’s Malice

Playing This List

Joseph’s list makes a number of fun tricks to build something that’s versatile. It runs light on the MSU Blastmaster Noise Marine Squads – there are only two here – but goes heavier on large melee threats, packing a Keeper of Secrets, a Lord Discordant, and a Master of Executions. The Lord Discordant here still packs Flames of Spite, but is a bit more of a Swiss army knife in that it re-rolls hit rolls and can use one Epic Deed Stratagem free per game. There’s only one option for this – Soporific Gaze, which saves you 2 CP when you make an enemy fight last.

The Master of Executions here packs Warp’s Malice, a relic bolt pistol that does 2 mortal wounds when the bearer rolls an unmodified hit roll of 6. The play with this is to go for your hit rolls, then use Murderous Perfection to change one to a 6, guaranteeing you’ll net at least two mortal wounds. 

The Keeper of Secrets is an interesting model here – it’s got the speed to crash into enemy lines early, but it’s hard to protect with 20 wounds. With a 16” move and +2 to Advance and charge rolls thanks to Insatiable Onslaught, it can move 16” on the first turn then likely charge another 9”, making first turn charges a possibility, but also potentially opening itself up to bad trades in the process if you get too aggressive. For that reason, it was probably placed into deepstrike almost every game, using the WARP LOCUS keyword of either the Master Of Possession or the Infernal Enrapturess to come in a mere 6” from the enemy… meaning it needs just a 4” charge with its innate +2” to charge. And once its down on the table, it’s -1 to Hit from Mesmerising Form and it’s 4+ Daemon Save against shooting will help keep it alive. 

Where to Read More

Click here to return to our larger guide on Chaos Space Marines. If you have any questions or feedback, shoot us an email at contact@goonhammer.com.