Chaos Space Fleet
| Fleets of the Galaxy : | Imperial Navy • Merchant Fleet • Space Marine Fleet • Adeptus Mechanicus Fleet • Chaos Fleet • Eldar Fleet • Dark Eldar Fleet • Ork Fleet • Tyranid Fleet • Necron Fleet • Tau Fleet • Tau Merchant Fleet • Leagues of Votann Fleet |
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Overview
The fleets of Chaos are primarily made of Human ships that have turned traitor over the millennia. As such, a Chaos fleet can appear like a damned parody of the Imperial Navy's history, full of ships that have long since left service and are now rarely seen outside of the service of the Dark Gods.[1][2][3] Chaos fleets often operate older vessels from a more enlightened time, resulting in their ships being of superior designs to their contemporary Imperial counterparts[7] which emphasize long-range Lance and Macrocannon firepower.[9] There are exceptions to this, of course. From the lowly Idolator Raider to the fearsome Planet Killer, Chaos has been known to make ships of its own, much to the detriment of Emperor's forces.[1][2]
Many Chaos vessels have had extended exposure to Warp Rifts, most notably the Eye of Terror. As a result, they are often heavily corrupted, twisted, and sometimes even quasi-sentient due to the presence of warp entities, a situation most prevalent with the Daemonship phenomena.[10] The crews/slaves of Chaos vessels are often completely mad and heavily mutated.[11b] Besides former Imperial vessels, twisted Space Hulks are also a common sight in the fleets of Chaos.[10]
Many Chaos space fleets typically use the same methods of FTL seen with the Imperium, such as the Warp Drives. Just as with their Imperial counterparts, they also frequently utilize captured/enslaved or corrupted Navigators in order to circumnavigate the Warp.[11a] Other warbands however will instead use Sorcerers or even Daemons for navigation.[11b] More religiously fanatical Chaos fleets such as those of the Word Bearers will even forego the use of Gellar Fields, seeing their deactivation as a method of direct communion with the Ruinous Powers.[12]
Just as Champions of Chaos may receive the twisted blessings of the Chaos Gods for notable service to them, vehicles and vessels in the service of Chaos will also receive the Mark of the gods. This often comes in the form of twisting mutation and alterations to the original ship design, reshaping it in the gods image. Sometimes this change will be enacted willingly by the crews of a Chaos vessel, who seek their honour their patron deities with rituals and modification that twist their ships into horrifying monstrosities. Such ships are often sanctuaries for Daemons, that dwell on these vessels even as they sail within the Materium. These beings often possess the ships systems, and may "slumber" within the guns of a Chaos warship until they are needed.[8]
Depending on which patron gods may put their mark upon a Chaos warship, they can display different abilities and traits:[8]
- Chaos warships with the Mark of Khorne are defined by their obsession for martial combat and obsessively desire to pursue constant battle. They may forgo "cowardly" long-range weaponry, its frenzied crews instead ramming the enemy or launching boarding operations so they may engage in bloody hand-to-hand combat. With little love for arcane technology, Khornate warships and their crews are often loathe to rely upon such tricks of teleportation.[8]
- Chaos warships with the Mark of Nurgle are diseased, decayed, but nonetheless heavily resilient. Many of these fleshy and quasi-organic pussing ships and their inhabitants were once victims of the Plague God himself before becoming lost in the Warp and re-emerging in the service of Chaos. These ships often roam the galaxy, spreading all manners of disease that dwell within their hulls.
- Chaos warships with the Mark of Tzeentch are often the most heavily mutated and home to all kinds of twisted monstrosities from the Warp. These Warp-corrupted vessels rely on sorcery and arcane arts for both their operation and combat.[8]
- Chaos warships with the Mark of Slaanesh are floating palaces of debauchery and decadence. They are often the most delicately crafted and most finely ornamented, with every inch of their deck embedded with precious metals and glittering gems. Inside, one may find galleries of twisted art and dens of hedonism. Vessels nearing these ships may find their comm-links bombarded by cacophonies of giggles, screams, moans, and other horrifying yet ecstatic sounds. Slaanesh-affiliated ships often focus on capturing enemy crews as opposed to obliterating their vessels, so that they may take further slaves for their own twisted purposes.[8]
Vessels
Battleships
| Battleships | ||
| Name | Images | Notable Vessels |
| Despoiler Class |  |
Merciless Death, Fortress of Agony, Damnation's Fury, Sword of Sacrilege |
| Desolator Class |  |
Eternity of Pain, Torment, The Ninth Eye |
| Desecrator Class |  |
The Treacherous |
| Battle Barge |  |
Infidus Imperator[6], Incarnadine, Scion of Prospero, Wage of Sin, Destiny's Hand, Longinus, Umbrea Insidior, Stonebreaker, Alpha |
| Gloriana Class Battleship |  |
Vengeful Spirit, Conqueror, Harbinger of Doom, Endurance |
| Planet Killer |  |
Single Vessel |
| Terminus Est |  |
Single Vessel |
| Carrion-class Battleship | ||
| Juggernaut Battleship | ||
| Unknown Class Battleships | Agonising Death, Stormbeast | |
Grand Cruisers
| Grand Cruisers | ||
| Name | Images | Notable Vessels |
| Retaliator Class |  |
Foebane |
| Repulsive Class |  |
Bloodied Sword, Bringer of Despair, Foe-Reaper |
| Executor Class |  |
Blood Royale |
| Furious Class |  |
|
Heavy Cruisers
| Heavy Cruisers | ||
| Name | Images | Notable Vessels |
| Acheron Heavy Cruiser |  |
Chaos Eternus |
| Hades Class |  |
Injustice, Warmaker, Malignus Maximus, Contagion |
| Hellfire Class |  |
|
| Styx Class |  |
Darkblood, Heartless Destroyer, Horrific |
| Hecate Class |  |
|
Cruisers
Escorts
Attack Craft
| Attack Craft | |
| Name | Images |
| Swiftdeath Fighter |  |
| Hag Interceptor | |
| Doomfire Bomber |  |
| Thunderhawk |  |
| Stormbird |  |
| Heldrake |  |
| Fire Lord |  |
| Stormcrow Assault Boat | |
| Dreadclaw |  |
| Kharybdis Assault Claw |  |
Support & Orbitals
| Support & Orbitals | |
| Name | Images |
| Soulcage Slaveship |  |
| Blackstone Fortress |  |
| Chaos Space Hulk | |
Weapons Systems
| Weapons Systems | ||
| Name | Notes | |
| Bombardment Cannon | ||
| Weapons Batteries | ||
| Torpedo | ||
| Lance | ||
| Nova Cannon | ||
| Macrocannon | ||
| Atlas (Warhead) | ||
| Naval Mine | ||
| Virus Bomb | ||
See also
Sources
- 1: Battlefleet Gothic Resources: Ships of the Gothic Sector (accessed 2010.11.19)
- 2: Battlefleet Gothic Resources: Traitor Fleets (accessed 2010.11.19)
- 3: Battlefleet Gothic Resources: Imperial Fleets p29 (accessed 2010.11.19)
- 4: Dark Apostle (Novel),
[Help], pg. 2 - 5: Soul Hunter (Novel), [Help], pg. 43
- 6: Index Astartes IV, [Help]
- 7: Dark Imperium (Novel), Chapter 6
- 8: Fanatic Magazine Issue 7, The Powers of Chaos
- 9: Planet Killer Issue 1, pg. 7
- 10: Battlefleet Gothic: Armada (Book), pgs. 38-44
- 11: Soul Hunter (Novel)
- 12: Dark Apostle (Novel) - Chapter 17
- 13: Arks of Omen: Angron, pg. 24-25
