Brazen Beasts Renegade Marine Warband

Brazen Beasts Daemon Engines

There are many, many  Renegade Marine chapters that are not just pale copies of the Traitor legions but interesting warbands with unique properties.

One of these is the Brazen Beasts, who follow Khorne but are not World Eaters.

One there was a chapter of Space Marines called the Golden Blades. In M37, daemonic intrusion struck  the planet Ghahalla and its Golden Blades garrison force. Daemon engines spilled out of the warp. The Blades came up with a cunning plan, painting blood runes on the engines to bind the daemons therein and hence control the vile machines.

This gave the Blades a large daemon engine 'tank-park' for future use but, ah, blood runes!!! That's, um, chaos magic, innit? And we know what happens to those who use chaos magic. Yup, the Golden Blades became the Brazen Beasts.

Now it seems to me that you don't just suddenly in the middle of a battle decide to use chaos magic. Logic suggests there must have been a certain amount of preparation involved. You know, reading evil tomes bound in human skin, sacrificing chapter slaves and so on. It all looks like someone was corrupted way, way earlier and maybe, just maybe, the whole thing was a set up.

Maybe whoever bound the daemon engines had summoned them first? Just a thought.

Anyway, the USP of Brazen Beast Warbands is that they are led by Warpsmiths, the one above controls a Forgefiend, Hellbeast and and Venomcrawler. He also has a unit of Minor Engines (for which I use Kataphron Breacher rules).

Brazen Beast Warband Daemon Allies

Brazen Beast warbands are always daemon heavy, the concentration of engines weakening the barrier between the universe and the warp.

For some reason the original techmarine who corrupted the Blades' garrison favoured Khorne - hence magic runes rather than magic spells, I suppose.

So the daemon part of my warband has Bloodletters, a couple of  Chaos Spawn, and is led by a Khorne Daemon Prince....I think he's the original corrupting influence - or at least, one of them.

Brazen Beast Traitor Marines Led By An Exalted Champion

The Beasts operate in small sections of five warriors but are otherwise standard Khorne Berzerkers.

Small sections, because they have a manpower shortage.

On Vigilus, the Beasts were allied with Abbadon the Despoiler (no they're not very bright). They disabled laser batteries allowing Abbadon to bring ships in for a low orbit pass. Unfortunately, Abbadon sort of blasted the batteries before the beasts could exit the area. Friendly fire issues - always an issue. Anyway, hence the manpower shortage.

Khorne Beastmen Cultist Led By An Exalted Champion

Fortunately, manpower shortages can be somewhat alleviated by cannon fodder in the form of beastmen (using ordinary cultist rules).

Exalted champions are usually marines but they do not have to be. Unusually unpleasant and brutal 'commoners' can be upgraded by Khorne is they shed enough blood.

This army is about 75 power points as a straight Chaos Marine warband.

Throwing in a Helldrake, Breachers and megavolt Cultis brings it up to around 100.

And the army is finished, for the moment, but when the lockdown ends....I rather fancy a Lord of Discord riding a daemon engine.