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Changes
From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
→Gene-seed
==Gene-seed==
The gene-seed of the Blood Angels (and its successors) is still capable of producing all nineteen organ implants that facilitate the transformation of a normal man into a Space Marine. It also has the unique quirk of vastly extending the lifespan of the Space Marines of the gene-line, and it is not unknown for a Blood Angel to live more than a milleniamillennium. The gene-line , however , is also affected by a dreadful flaw, which makes its brethren susceptible to the Black Rage and the Red Thirst<sup>4i</sup>.
===Black Rage===
===Red Thirst===
From the day of their Sanguination to their death on the battlefield the Blood Angels fight not only with countless foes but with a burning urge inside them. It is the Red Thirst, the legacy of their Primarch Sanguinius, that plagues many Blood Angels with visions of death. In battle Blood Angels can harness these visions to evoke a ferocity that gave the Blood Angels Chapter its reputation for unparalleled brutal assaults. Sometimes however the Red Thirst is so overwhelming that the Blood Angels forget their noble heritage and completely lose control over themselves. It is not unheard of that Blood Angels squads abandon advantageous positions to engage the enemy in hand -to -hand combat. More often than not , these assaults turn out to be so devastating that unprepared enemy forces are simply swept away.
The Red Thirst is one of the two genetic flaws in the geneseed of the Blood Angels and their successor Chapters. This causes warriors to suffer an unusual bloodlust, instilling them with a thirst for the blood of their enemies. Those who succumb to the Red Thirst or [[Blood Angels#Black Rage|Black Rage]] are either formed into the Death Company or locked away in the Tower of the Lost on Baal, until they change completely, going insane. These traits have also been passed on to their successor chapters, such as the [[Flesh Tearers]], [[Blood Drinkers]], and [[Angels Sanguine]]. One successor chapter, the [[Lamenters]], managed by unknown means to eliminate the flaws from Sanguinius' [[gene-seed]], but has been stricken by extraordinary bad luck in battle and as such has been nearly annihilated.<sub>4</sub>
