The Lost and the Damned

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the table-top wargame Warhammer 40,000, The Lost and the Damned are part of the forces of Chaos.

They consist of the scum of the Galaxy - traitors, heretics, cultists, mutants and other horrors too numerous to comprehend, such as the insane Chaos Spawn. Often it is traitor units of the Imperial Guard that make up the bulk of the Lost and the Damned, providing the firepower and led into battle by mighty Aspiring Champions - Space Marines who turned traitor millennia ago during the Horus Heresy.

Often entire companies of Guardsmen turn to Chaos, and take with them their vehicles, such as the Basilisk and Leman Russ. Mutants also make up the bulk of their armies, with many disturbing and disgusting mutations adorning their once-human bodies. Chaos Space Marines lead them into battle, and accompanied by the monstrous Defiler, the Lost and the Damned are a deadly foe to face, particularly when the Aspiring Champions may also call upon Daemons from the warp to do their bidding. Also at the forefront of many heresies and devastating treason are the Arch Heretics, who range from Rogue Psykers seeking revenge against an oppressive Imperium, or bribed and corrupted Cardinals and Planetary Governors seeking more personal wealth and glory by defying the Emperor's divine will. While not as dangerous on their own as a Chaos Space Marine, these individuals are far more numerous than the power-armoured heathens and, in concert, can wreak havoc upon the Imperium's control of whole planetary systems.

Lost and the Damned refers to all followers of Chaos that are not Chaos Space Marines, and are usually renegades and degenerate traitors that have fled Imperial rule, and lack discipline and heavy weapons. However in several instances there have been entire armies raised on Daemon worlds to serve the dark powers. Most infamous of these are the Blood Pact, formed and controlled by the Chaos Lord Urlock Gaur, and which was a key factor in Chaos overrunning the Sabbat Worlds. Blood Pact forces are disciplined and highly motivated, and as such are more than a match for many Imperial Guard regiments. Another force that has been mentioned is the Sons of Sek - a force similar in many respects to the Blood Pact, but sworn to the Chaos Lord Anakwanar Sek, and not Gaur. It is units such as this that give Imperial Strategists nightmares, as it shows that Chaos is now employing dedicated soldiers and not just ravening mobs of ill-trained fanatics.

The most recent army list for the Lost and the Damned appears on the games workshop website

Contents 1 Army Overview 1.1 Chaos Spawn 1.2 Daemons 1.3 Mutants 1.4 Traitors 2 References

[edit] Army Overview

Many Chaos Space Marines have fled to daemon worlds in the Eye of Terror. These marines are treated as champions amongst the vile mutants that inhabit the daemon worlds. Often only small warbands, led by champions, are found in Lost and Damned armies. Although there are entire fleets that have joined the ranks of the Lost and the Damned. Chaos space marines often unite with mutants and traitors when they need support.

[edit] Chaos Spawn

Entire units of chaos spawn are fieldable in a Lost and the Damned army. Amongst the mutants are many aspiring champions. Those who fail their gods are cursed and became an overmutated chaos spawn. On the daemon worlds chaos spawns are much more common than in chaos space marine legions. Chaos Spawn are mindless and destined to die: either on the battlefield or from being torn apart by further mutations. They have lost all rational thought and sanity in their mutations and are akin to animals

[edit] Daemons

Like the closely-allied Chaos Space Marine army, the Lost and the Damned can include daemons. There are countless different types of these hideous beings, but the most commonly spotted are the Chaos Furies, the Bloodletters and Flesh Hounds of the Chaos god Khorne, the alluring Daemonettes of Slaanesh, the bizarre Horrors, Flamers and Screamers of the Chaos God Tzeentch and the ugly Plaguebearers and Nurglings of the Chaos god Nurgle. There are also larger and more powerful appearances of these things known as Greater Daemons. Daemons can also link themselves onto a living organism (usually to the servants of Chaos) by possessing them or turning their servants into amazingly powerful Daemon Princes. The lesser daemons have to be summoned onto the battlefield by traitors, mutants, chaos space marines or a greater daemon of that particular god of which the daemons are aligned to.

[edit] Mutants

The bulk of a Lost and the Damned army is usually composed of mutants. Mutants are similar to Orks in abilities, however but to a lesser degree. They are capable of carrying long-range,but volatile, weapons called 'Firearms' or short range pistols. They can be placed into brood types: Normal, Bloated (Better chance of survival), Brawny (Stronger), Hypnotic and brightly coloured (Scarier) or multi-limbed/flying (Faster). They are normally considered as expendable, but in large numbers they can easily swamp most units in the game.

[edit] Traitors

The Lost and the Damned army can include units of traitors to represent renegade Imperial Guardsmen that have joined the forces of Chaos. Along with squads of infantry, other Imperial Guard units can also be fielded, such as Rough Riders, Sentinels, Basilisks and Leman Russ battle tanks. They are described as being tainted by chaos, but haven't descended so far into madness that their skills are lost. Unlike their loyalist counterparts, they are not fielded in platoons, but have a larger squad size. They can also be equipped for close combat and are able to use their treachery to infiltrate themselves into a better position before the battle begins

[edit] References

• Chambers, Andy; Hoare, Andy, and Kelly, Phil (2003). Warhammer 40,000 Codex: Eye of Terror. Nottingham: Games Workshop. ISBN 1-84154-398-5.