The galaxy trembles under the shadow of titanic war machines, and Chaos Knights aren’t in the business of asking nicely.
With the new Crusade Rules from Codex: Chaos Knights, these towering engines of destruction can now bend lesser powers to their will—milking their allies for dark boons, upgrades, and devastating battlefield advantages. Power is earned through dominance, and this Crusade system rewards that mindset with a campaign progression dripping with infernal flavor.
Power Bases: Your Path to Dark Ascendancy
Fallen Nobles draw strength from three key Power Bases, each offering a unique route to supremacy. First, the Idolators—twisted sacristans of the Dark Mechanicum—provide grotesque enhancements to your Knight’s body, granting powerful upgrades to the head, torso, arms, and legs. Want your Knight to surge across the battlefield with unnatural speed? Equip Fleshmetal Servo-Tendons to boost Movement and reroll Advances. Craving brutal resilience? Damned Construction turns your armor into an indomitable wall, granting a 2+ save if your Idolator standing is high enough.
Second, the War Dogs. These expendable beasts are tools of domination, sent to die or distract while their masters claim glory. By cultivating control over your War Dogs, you unlock Hunting Packs—specialized groups that gain shared traits and deadly synergistic effects. Whether you favor ranged ambushers with Hidden Stalkers or brutal chargers with Brute Tactics, the right Hunt Tactic transforms your War Dogs from cannon fodder to pack hunters with teeth.
And finally, there are the Dark Gods themselves—beings of ruinous power eager to trade gifts for loyalty, obedience, and the occasional soul. You can form a Pact of Damnation, gaining powerful Boons at the cost of a self-inflicted Battle Scar. If your standing is only cautious, you might receive a Minor Boon like Wrathful Aura, which doubles your Objective Control. But align yourself fully, and you’ll gain access to Major Boons like Brazen Heart, a horrifying resurrection engine that allows your Knight to rise again with 7 wounds after its destruction.
Influence and Risk: A Balancing Act
Chaos Knights don’t rule by goodwill—they rule by fear and results. Your Influence over each Power Base rises as you win battles and complete Agendas, but it can just as easily slip away if you falter. You’ll need to carefully juggle your relationships with all three factions to maintain control, as a dip in standing can lock you out of key upgrades or tactical advantages. It’s a brutal high-wire act that rewards consistent performance—and punishes the weak.
Each Power Base offers custom Battle Traits that replace standard Crusade ones. Whether you’re grafting infernal machine parts onto your Knight or unlocking synergistic strike packs for your War Dogs, your path is uniquely flavored by who you serve—or subjugate. And with unique Requisitions, you can break pacts, bribe allies, or swap traits—if you’re willing to pay the cost.
Ascend Through the Carnage
Chaos Knights now have plenty of long-term incentives to forge their own narrative of devastation across your Crusade campaigns. Whether your warlord becomes a brutal autocrat, a master of daemon-tech augmentation, or a favored champion of the Dark Gods, you’ll develop a mechanical monstrosity that reflects your tabletop victories and bloody reputation.
And it’s not all rules and upgrades—there are Crusade Relics to loot and three new Crusade Badges to earn, giving you goals beyond mere destruction. They offer rewards and bragging rights to mark your Knight household’s rise from renegade warband to apocalyptic force of nature.
Ready to Begin?
The Codex: Chaos Knights goes up for pre-order this weekend, complete with everything you need to kick off your campaign of mechanical murder. Want to bulk out your War Dog packs to take full advantage of those Hunting Pack bonuses? Don’t miss the Houndpack Lance Battleforce, the perfect way to supercharge your Crusade and enforce your iron will across the stars.
This is a Crusade for tyrants. For monsters. For those who take. The galaxy won’t kneel itself.
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