Editing Warhammer 40,000/10th Edition Tactics/Chaos Space Marines (section)

===Characters===

*'''Chaos Lord:''' The typical leader of your Chaos Marines and a general powerhouse that can make a stratagem have no cost for his unit. 
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Leads: Chosen and Legionaries

In addition, once per game, he can increase the stats of his equipped melee weapons by 1 for the rest of the fighting phase; +1 attack, strength, armor piercing, and damage. Sadly he gives [[derp|no buffs to anyone he leads]] other than using a strat for 0 CP even if it's already been used, so grouping him with Legionnaires and Chosen only exists to add bodies between him and any enemy that isn't made for killing characters.
*Comes right out the gate with a mighty daemon hammer. Though you do still have other weapons, none of them really stack up - The power fist is the closest in stats, but it still gives up ''[Devastating Wounds]'' for a 2+ WS while the Accursed Weapon that now stands in for power weapons and the chainsword both see dropoffs in effectiveness for more attacks.
*While you can dual wield, there's not much point since it costs you the plasma pistol.
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Leads: Chaos Terminators

Alongside the basic buffs of a Terminator, this beast of a man halves any damage he takes rather than a once-per-game ability, making this model an indomitable ire upon your opponent. Of course he still has the same flaw of [[derp|the leader of the group having no actual buffs to anyone he leads]] other than stratagem support, and the gutting of combi weapons has rendered him useless to gunner armies, but at least he’s more durable this edition, [[List of 40K Cheese|right?]] [[Robin Cruddace|Right?]]
*If you're looking for more melee options, you're pretty much given only two options: The twin weapons that are essentially the heretical equivalent to twin claws and the power fist for something stronger (with the Chainfist being just that with ''[Anti-Vehicle 3+]''.
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*'''Dark Apostle:''' The evil chaplain is now stuck with his two lackeys. He retains all the big draws of a chaplain, giving +1 to wound for any pack of legionaries, chosen, cultists or accursed cultists he joins in melee while also having a single-use ability to cure a unit within 9" of battle-shock. However, he also has an ability to sacrifice one of his lackeys (and sadly nobody else) to make one enemy he's engaged with to suffer 1 MW on a 2+ or d3 MWs on a 6.
**Leads: Accursed Cultists, Chosen, Cultist Mobs, and Legionaries
**Simply put, the sacrifice isn't worth it unless you really want someone dead on that turn. MEQs are all W2 or higher and no hero worth their statline will be threatened by the loss of those wounds.
*'''Dark Commune:''' Not much they could do but go up, the Commune can join a mob of cultists or mutants to grant them a 5++ while the Demagogue is around. While all of them contain all manner of meager weapons, you do get a psyker and an Icon to get a re-roll when using Dark Pacts - Something you need with how puny they are. The demagogue also has a single-use ability to let the squad charge after advancing and adding +1 to hit and wound - maybe helpful for mutated cultists getting into the fray but nothing else. 
**Leads: Accursed Cultists and Cultist Mobs
**Any sniper or unit with ''[Precision]'' can easily kill the Demagogue and turn the entire unit useless, of course.
*'''Exalted Champion:''' What a sad day it is that the Exalted Champion, which lost practically everything in the previous edition, came to become the absolute necessity with the Chaos Lord being too obsessed with his own ego to help his men out. While his gear remains utterly anemic with a combi-weapon and exalted weapon, he now gives out the very handy +1 to hit to any squad he's a part of. Even better, he can now accompany any units occupied by another character so they can do all the heavy lifting.
**Leads: Chosen and Legionaries, and can pair with any other Leader except a second Exalted Champion.
*'''Heretic Astartes Daemon Prince:''' While beefed at T9 W10 with a 2+/4++ save with a one-use 3++, they can no longer hide behind the other heretics. Their Hellforged Weapons is pretty much an amalgamation of their old sword, axe and claws with a split profile, though their Strike only sees them able to take on other smaller monsters and tanks while their swipes make them only somewhat able to handle MEQs while their Infernal Cannon lets them shoot something.
**Of course, each god gives a bit of a boost on the prince. Khorne provides a hefty boost to the Strength of the melee weapons, Tzeentch only boosts the number of shots the cannon makes, Nurgle adds extra Toughness and Slaanesh adds to the Movement. What you don't get from any of this is any psychic power whatsoever.
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Bumped to T10 thanks to not needing to be aerodynamic, making him less likely to go down to meltas. Gains both a 6" bubble of ''[Stealth]'' to make heretics crowd around them as well as a re-roll to one hit and wound roll per phase.
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The boost in speed is also met with a boost in aggression. In addition to making enemies test for battle-shock when charged, you also roll a pool of d6s for each wound they have left, dealing a mortal wound for each 4+. While it won't make them any better at punching anything bigger, it does help make your intended prey go down much faster.
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*'''Lord Discordant on Helstalker:''' Your very tanky Leader choice, kinda like a go-between for the walking and winged daemon prince selections, and one that brings a some scary guns! Helstalker autocannon is stock and is pretty amazing (48" A3 BS2+ S9 AP-1 D3) which can be swapped out for the same baleflamer on the Hel-turkey for more (automatic) hits at the expense of the range, strength and damage of the autocannon. The only other ranged weapon option comes at the expense of its techno-virus injector and is the same magma cutter available on the Maulerfiend. This one definitely solves the AP issue of ranged weapons, but has such a short range that you might as well just be in close combat. Speaking of, the impaler chainglaive returns with the Lance USR while the bladed limbs and techno-virus injector get extra attacks. Anyway, the purpose of this model is to fuck up some vehicles and he has two fun rules to accelerate that on top of its weapons. First is ''Corrupt Machine Spirit'' which allows you to hack a vehicle unit once per turn within 12" by forcing it to take a Ld test - if passed, the unit gets -1 to hit with its attacks, which appear to apply to both shooting and fighting; if it fails, they can't shoot this turn. The other one, ''Spirit Thief,'' selects an enemy vehicle unit within 12" at the start of your shooting phase: attacks made against that vehicle from friendly Heretic Astartes units may re-roll a single to-wound of 1.
*'''Master of Executions:''' The duelist hero, as his super-axe both ''[Devastating Wounds]'' and ''[Precision]'' as well as the ability to grant CP for killing characters. The one reason you stick him onto a unit is because he can let them re-roll to hit when the enemy is missing models and re-rolls to wound when below half-strength.
**While this all sounds cool, he isn't anywhere near his loyalist brethren. The Primaris Champion lets his squad re-roll charges and gives free uses of Heroic Intervention while the Judiciar has an invulnerable save in melee and lets his units fight first. Simply put, they will run you down in a fight.
**Leads: Chosen and Legionaries
*'''Master of Possession:''' While not as powerful and as important as 9th edition, the buffs given to a unit he leads can get into the fray faster with a +1 to advance and charge, something that synergizes well with the Chosen’s ability to Advance and Charge. The 6+++ FNP isn’t the best thing in the world, but it gives extra durability to units he leads and makes failed tests from the Dark Pact survivable.
**Leads: Chosen, Legionaries, and Possessed (your ''only'' leader who can lead Possessed).
**He also comes with an ability to deal a mortal wound to his unit (something to use your FNP on) to improve his psychic attacks with a +1 to hit and wound. This is actually really good because it ensures he wounds MEQs and TEQs on a 2+ with '''[Precision]''' on his Rites of Possession so any leaders in your opponent’s unit aren’t safe. Psykers Beware.
*'''Sorcerer:''' The Sorcerer has become limited in power this edition, with his ''Infernal Gaze'' power being relegated to a 24" shooting attack, with a variable profile depending on how hard you want to stare at your target.  
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Leads: Chosen and Legionaries

The lightweight sorcerer who can only join Legionaries and Chosen, which limits his admittedly useful abilities from being widely effective. Prescience grants the unit he's leading a -1 to be hit, Gift of Chaos makes any enemies he hits with a psychic weapon take a battle-shock test. If that test is failed, the enemy unit takes d3 mortal wounds on top of everything. A decidedly average model with average abilities, take him if he appeals to you.
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Leads: Chaos Terminators
The chunkiest wizard you can get, coming with the standard termie profile and packing some choice abilities. Attaching this guy to your Terminator squad will let them re-roll their advances and charges thanks to Warptime, and even better, Death Hex marks an enemy so anyone who hits them gets to a bump in AP. Seeing as how he's the only unit apart from the termie Lord and Abaddon that can attach to them and is the only guy that actually buffs them, you'll be taking him if you want to actually run Terminators and not a gaggle of meat shields.
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*'''Traitor Enforcer:''' An evil Commissar with a power fist paired with a Chaos Ogryn bodyguard whose only use is to join a pack of Traitor Guardsmen. He allows the guardsmen to use the Insane Bravery Strat for no CP, but it will cost you a model each time you use it. Consider it at your peril because you don't have someone to resurrect them.  The Ogryn grants the Commissar a 4+++. 
**Leads: Traitor Guardsmen
*'''Warpsmith:''' The evil techmarine, coming stock with two servos with a melta and flamer while wielding a plasma pistol and a powerful exalted weapon in place of any power weapons. If you really want him to dent tanks and paste MEQs, you can buy a daemon hammer. Despite being able to hide behind havocs, legionaries, and chosen, he gets ''Lone Operative'' when he's within 3" of a {{W40kKeyword|Vehicle}} while also being able to heal d3 wounds on one to give +1 to hit.
**Leads: Chosen, Havocs (your only leader who can), and Legionaries.
**While he can comfortably camp in the back with havocs and legionaries, there is an incentive to get him closer. His third ability forces an enemy {{W40kKeyword|Vehicle}} within 12" to make an instant Battle-shock test, which can help screw up things for the tank in question.

====Epic Heroes====
*'''Abaddon the Despoiler:''' One of the very few to have lost out in tankiness, being nerfed to T5 with the same W9 and 2+/4++. Dark Destiny at least makes using Dark Pacts a good idea as passing the associated Leadership test lets him roll another d6 and win 1 CP. The Warmaster lets him pick from one of three different 6" buff auras: Paragon of Hatred lets friendly units re-roll to hit, Mark of Chaos Ascendant shares his 4++ save with friendly {{W40kKeyword|Infantry}} and {{W40kKeyword|Mounted}} units, Lord of the Chaos Legions lets friendly units re-roll Leadership and Battle-shock tests.
**His combat loadout remains quite the threat and then some. The Talon of Horus remains plenty terrifying with a barrage of S7 AP-3 with '''''Devastating Wounds''''' while the strapped-on Combi-Bolter remaining S5 AP-1 D2 with ''Sustained Hits 1''. Drach'nyen, however, got an absolutely monstrous buff, now being upped to Strength ''FOURTEEN'' AP-4 D3, also with ''Devastating Wounds'' - and all without any drawbacks that come with being a Daemon Weapon.
**Abby's not only got every mark known to man so he can enjoy any of their benefits, he can also attach himself to both Terminators and Legionaries, both of whom still benefit from his bubbles.
*'''Cypher:''' The John Wu (or Wick) of 40K, his pistols have the Assault, Pistol and Sustained Hits 1 USRs. What's more is that his bolt pistol has 6 attacks and AP-1 while the plasma pistol gets 3 shots and is always overcharged without being hazardous - very nice! However, you're gonna want to keep him out of close combat as that fancy looking sword on his model is a purely decorative close combat weapon. He can also make one stratagem your opponent uses cost an extra CP once per battle and if anyone shoots a friendly unit within 3" of him, he gets to shoot back at him as if it were his shooting phase. Sadly he's a lone operative that can't join any units so watch out for anything that gets close enough to single him out.
*'''Haarken Worldclaimer:''' Benefited a lot from the edition change. For starters, he's learned how to throw his spear, which can be fired on the move thanks to ''[Assault]'', and also gets ''[Sustained Hits d3]'' as well, in case you roll a 6. Thanks to his {{W40kKeyword|Chaos Undivided}} mark, he'll be able to fish for that 6. In addition, his ''Head Taker'' ability gives his attached unit (just Raptors) a Hammer of Wrath-like ability, causing whatever they charge to take a mortal wound on a 4+ for every model that charged into engagement range. Because he hangs around with other scary guys, he forces units within 6" to take a battle-shock test if they're below starting strength, and thanks to the Raptors he's likely leading, those units take that test at a -1. His melee capability hasn't suffered, either, with his claw getting precision with 6 attacks on 2+, so he'll definitely nail anything lighter than a Marine captain in combat. He can also swing his spear in combat thanks to ''[Extra Attacks]'', and it keeps the ''[Sustained Hits d3]'' and gains ''[Lance]''. All of this on a platform that can deep strike as well as rocking a 12" move and 4++, he'll definitely earn his keep if you're going all in on Raptors.
*'''Huron Blackheart:''' His weapons aren't anything to write home about, effectively packing a heavy flamer/lightning claw combo (Tyrant's claw) and an exalted weapon although that said claw does have 10 attacks in CC. He gives the Chosen or Legionnaire squad he leads +1 OC, gives you 3 additional units to add to your strategic reserves and can move the unit he's with D6" if an enemy unit gets within 9" of his, but not within engagement range. That last one seems very situational, the sort of thing you would do to setup a charge or overwatch.
*'''Fabius Bile:''' The pimp master himself, carries some decent weapons but you're not taking Bile for his gear - you're here for the fun stuff! As long as he has his acolyte with him he can negate damage from an attack once per turn and can respawn on a 2+ the first time he gets killed - with full wounds! But the real fun stuff is that he can enhance the Chosen or Legionnaire squad he leads, granting them +1T and their CC attacks +1S.
*'''Lucius the Eternal:''' If he is your {{W40Kkeyword|warlord}}, Noise Marines become {{W40Kkeyword|Battleline}}. That is, in addition to his strong close combat attacks and the fact that he and the unit he leads get to fight first. He also has a somewhat slim chance to respawn on the table if he goes down and kill people in the process.
*'''Vashtorr the Arkifane:''' A sort of combination of a winged Daemon prince and a warpsmith, his attacks are let down by their weak AP values, anti-vehicle 4+ notwithstanding on his hammer. He does however grant +1S to weapons carried by Daemon vehicles within 6" and can halve the movement and grant -1A to the weapons of an enemy vehicle unit at the end of the movement phase.