The Devastation of Baal is covered in superb detail in Guy Haley’s aptly-named The Devastation of Baal , which we’d recommend heartily if you’re a fan of the Blood Angels, or despise them and want to read about a lot of them getting eaten by xenos. The Devastation of Baal is one of the most exciting events in the recent history of Warhammer 40,000, a massive conflict that saw Hive Fleet Leviathan launch a full-scale assault on Baal following the destruction of the Cryptus System shield worlds. Had it not been for the unlikely arrival of the Indomitus Crusade and Roboute Guilliman (not to mention a somewhat vexed Ka-Bandha , who really has his heart set on being the one to destroy the Blood Angels ), the Chapter would have almost certainly been annihilated. Indeed, it was the combined efforts of two of the Blood Angels’ more sinister successors – the Knights of Blood and the Flesh Tearers – which allowed them to hold out as long as they did. It is too early to tell if Seth's strategy will ultimately bear fruit, if the Flesh Tearers can regain their place amongst the Imperium's pantheon of honoured defenders even with the arrival of Primaris Marines amongst their ranks. Despite his intentions, Seth has done little to dispel the mistrust of his staunchest critics, in whom the memory of plans frustrated by the Flesh Tearers' impetuous assault forces lies too fresh. Such things are of little concern to the Flesh Tearers Chapter Master, for, in his heart, Seth has never truly abandoned hope that the Flesh Tearers can be spared from ultimate oblivion. What fate ultimately lies in store for the Flesh Tearers and their Chapter Master, only time will tell. During this time, these Space Marines remained constantly on crusade, destroying any Heretics whose path they crossed. Those they encountered, they defeated. Those they defeated, they utterly annihilated, leaving no stone left unturned and no living beings to continue any heresy. This means that any Space Marine army can choose to use these Detachments should they see fit, provided they abide by their restrictions – no matter how much you love Librarians, you won’t be taking Space Marine psykers in a Righteous Crusaders Detachment. The main one you’ll need to worry about is that you can’t mix in units with a different Chapter’s keywords, so no non-Space Wolves named characters or Deathwing Terminators in the Champions of Russ Detachment, for example Dark Angels

When your Primarch dies and it leaves a psychic echo that scars your geneseed for the ages, there isn’t much you can do about it. You’ve got a cursed legacy that typically ends in bloodshed. Some chapters fight against the curse, others embrace it. These are the Chapters that have managed to make a name for themselves and it’s not because they avoid their bloodlust. Flesh Tearers The Flesh Tearers is a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter and the smallest Second Founding successor of the Blood Angels, once numbering only four full companies of Astartes at their nadir before the Devastation of Baal. Indeed, it was only through the intervention of the Blood Angels' High Chaplain Astorath at the trial of the Carmine Court, when the Flesh Tearers' Chapter Master Gabriel Seth stood before Dante and every other Chapter Master of the successors, that the Flesh Tearers were prevented from being cast out and destroyed.It is not a reflection other scions of Sanguinius can look upon without fearful shame. Worse still is the attention that the Flesh Tearers have drawn from the wider Imperium. Continued animosity between the Flesh Tearers and members of the Inquisition have drawn the eye of judgement to the descendants of the Angel and the genetic flaw in their blood.

These five Chapters are the stars of our penultimate Faction Focus, and with so much to get through, we can only skim their surface. Rest assured, there’ll be plenty more to see when their datasheets arrive later this month. Overview While it’s tempting to go all-out and play this battle as an Apocalypse game, we think it’s more fun (and a lot faster!) to treat the battle on the tabletop as the smallest and most important section of a larger conflict.

Da Red Gobbo Goes Sneaky…

Part of a grand alliance of the Blood Angels' Successor Chapters, the Flesh Tearers had taken their place in a thin crimson line standing against the Tyranids. The Chapter sought redemption for its many past misdeeds, and Chapter Master Gabriel Seth hoped that he might yet bring honour to his dying Chapter, tempering its Red Thirst in the blood of its enemies. Their ability lets them choose at the start of the battle to fight on whatever terms best suit their game plan, but let’s not fool ourselves – whichever vow they swear, the end results will be dished out with a chainsword. The Lord Commander warned Seth that anger and despair had seen the end of Nassir. Seth sighed, sobered by Dante's words. Nassir Amit had been the first of the Flesh Tearers' Chapter Masters. A brutal, vicious warrior, his deeds were great and many. He had fought in the Great Crusade and conquered Cretacia, the world Seth now called home. Amit had been the best of them before his thirst for blood and violence had consumed him. Seth explained to the council that he had stood consumed by darkness and led an army of monsters in defence of the light. He had done what must be done to ensure the future of his Chapter.

But beneath their boisterous behaviour and irrepressible wildness, the Space Wolves are as valiant as any other Space Marines, despite their disdain for the dictates of the Codex Astartes. Instead of Guilliman-approved battle formations, they form their warriors into specialist units like Wolf Guard and Blood Claws, even in the age of Cawl’s Primaris Space Marines. Secondly, you may want to ignore failed Morale tests for the Blood Angels in this mission – after all, there’s nowhere left to run, and these warriors are fighting for the fate of their Chapter! Many Chapters have become wary of the Flesh Tearers, with their dire reputation for unrestrained carnage and their excesses of violence. However, to Dante the Flesh Tearers were still his brothers, born of the blood of Sanguinius, and worthy allies in the war against the Hive Mind. The fact that Seth led the Flesh Tearers to the Cryptus System in such strength speaks volumes about the bond between his Chapter and the Blood Angels. Zargo claimed that Flesh Tearers Chaplain Appollus had forced his hand at Stromark. The Chapter Master accused the Flesh Tearers of killing millions with needless haste and callous disregard. Seth countered that Appollus had done what was needed, accusing Zargo of negligence as he would have bled Astra Militarum regiments for solar months before committing to battle. Seth claimed that it was better to slaughter those too weak to have thrown off their oppressors than throw away the lives of those who would at least try.I have come here in sacrifice alone. You may damn me. You may swallow up my name in secrecy and remove my deeds from the histories of the Imperium. But -- you will spare my Chapter." Though Seth knew that in the wake of the Indomitus Crusade the Flesh Tearers would be reinforced with Primaris Space Marines of Sanguinius' lineage who were not as susceptible to the Flaw and the Flesh Tearers' mutant version of it, Seth was not very satisfied at the prospect of seeing the Flesh Tearers' numbers swell once more. He believed that Roboute Guilliman's gift of the Primaris Astartes would transform the Flesh Tearers and the other Successor Chapters of the Blood Angels into further copies of his own Ultramarines who just wore variants of crimson armour rather than blue. Seth was convinced that without their inherent fury, his Space Marines would lose what had made them true scions of Sanguinius and become something else in time, something less. The Flesh Tearers generally make use of the tactical organisation pioneered by the Blood Angels, though they favour close combat over ranged warfare and most Flesh Tearer Space Marines are skilled with melee weapons like chainswords or Power Swords and bear them into battle.