Daemons

The term daemon has an incredibly broad range. Covering everything from nurglings that are a threat only to the unaware and unarmed, to Exalted demons who can shatter armies and irrecoverably taint worlds with their mere presence. While demons tend to vary massively, there are general power categories that can give at least a rough idea of the magnitude of the threat.

## **Imps**

Nurglings or other similar sized demons, usually very small not that bright and lacking much in the way of unique powers. Nurglings are the only imp commonly used as an independent formation, deployed in vast swarms relying on numbers and plagues to down foes. Mostly imps are encountered serving as a familiar or spear-carrier for a sorcerer. Individually imps are almost a nonthreat but are usually encountered in great numbers or in service to something more deadly.

## **Lesser demons.**

Rank and file foot soldiers, lesser demons are the kind that are summoned en mass or may slip through a small warp portal. In general, as the name implies lesser demons are not an independently major threat in open combat, but usually are called in large numbers. On par with elite soldiers such as the Helltroopers, and leaving anyone who they encounter at risk of being tainted, demons are a significant threat en masse. Capable of facing most regular troops at a numerical disadvantage and prevail. More crafty may set up minor cults, or attempt to infiltrate behind the lines. In general, lesser demons are just a step below chaos Astartes in terms of threat.

## **Demonic beasts**

While lesser demons are mad and often unused to reality, beasts are fully non-sapient animalistic monsters. They are, however, usually stronger and faster than lesser demons, even if they are not as skilled. Hulking beats of brass, great rotting toads, or hulking things in the shape of servitors, beasts are strong but simple. Typically durable enough to need at least light anti-tank weapons, and fast enough to be difficult to hit Demonic beasts are a significant monstrous threat, worse they often serve as steeds combining a lesser demon's tactical ability with the monster's brute power.

## **Heralds**

Lesser demos who have started to claw their way up the hierarchy, though deeds or schemes or dumb luck. Typically leading small hordes or squads, heralds are the most dangerous form of lesser demon. As this is the point where damons start differentiating themselves notably, heralds have a fairly broad range of threat and can be thought of as similar to Astartes Sergeant. There is a fairly consistent cap on how skilled and dangerous a herald is, as those above it typically are raised to the status of a greater demon. Though the few exceptions to this tend to be uniquely deadly and dangerous demons, such as Skulltaker or The Masque.

## **Greater demons**

Champions and commanders of demonic armies, greater demons are to a one capable of slaying mortals by the thousands if left to their own devices. While at first glance they can appear similar, there are in general 4 “grades” of greater Daemon with roughly similar power. Each Daemon is more than a champion, with almost all of them having courts of their lessers bound to their service, even those themselves bound. This often results in the mightiest of demons commanding vast armies and dozens of weaker greater demons. It is worth noting that ironically, the sheer lethality of demons has to a degree worked against them. Their omnipresent threat has made Daemonbane traits, techniques, and relics extremely common, ensuring that the heroes who confront them often have an edge.

Due to the ubiquity of Daemons, non-chaotic warp entities are often measured on the same scale, with minor gods being compared to the weight class of Daemon they can match. While some such creatures consider this insulting, the nomenclature has largely stuck.

### **Aspiring**

The most common and least potent form of greater demon, they are still capable of butchering entire Regiments. Each one is a master of their area of focus and has the power of a Beta psyker behind them. Unless confronted with a hero, an aspiring demon is capable of matching a maniple of Knights, wrecking armored brigades, or breaching a fortress gate. While dangerous, they are by no means unstoppable, especially upon Avernus where they can find themselves facing psykers who match or even exceed their raw power. While the least of the Greater Daemons, they are still not easily called forth, requiring thousands of sacrifices and hours of ritual, however most Chaos armies of significant size will posses the sorcerous resources to call at least a few forth. Off the battlefield, Aspiring Daemons often rule single worlds, or hives of their patron's world if they are a member of another Daemon's court.

### **Favored**

Daemon that have earned the attention of their patron, or claimed a significant amount of power for themselves. Each is at least grandmaster in their area of focus and possess powers in the alpha range to back up their skills. Often Favored Daemon will have a court of Aspiring Daemon pressed into their service, in addition to their own significant might. Assisted by their court, a Favored Daemon is a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, able to shatter maniples courts of knight titans and fight even titan maniples on even ground. Only Paragons of skill or the very best Daemon hunters can match these monsters, and even then victory is far from certain. Calling such monsters into reality is difficult; during the Abomination Crusade, calling forth a Third Sphere Archangyl and his army required a ritual which took five days and over a hundred million sacrifices. Most often chaos armies will only call forth favored Daemon they have pre-made arrangements with, lest their own monster turns on them. Typically Favored Daemon will rule over entire sub-sectors of worshipers or hold dominion over Damon worlds on behalf of their masters.

### **Honoured**

Some of the mightest of demons known to exist, each honored demon is an ancient and storied monster. Paragons within their area of focus as often as not, and able to match an alpha+ psyker in sheer power, Honored Daemon can define the shape of a campaign through their personal might alone. Able to obliterate entire armies, crush titan legions or shatter a fortress hives gate with a touch. Even upon Avernus, armies die and cities fall where these abominations walk, barrages from Psychic Cannons being the only known way for mortal weapons to truly hurt one. Honored Daemons are rarely summoned save by their own design, or the design of the very greatest of chaos’s slaves. Banishing such a force of corruption back to the warp requires a staggering concentration of force, often bands of legendary and storied heroes supported by the heaviest firepower available. Mercifully, calling such a monster forth is staggeringly difficult, taking sacrifices in the high millions and days or more of painstaking ritual work. When not at war, Honored demons rule entire sectors, or hold important Damon worlds against all comers at the behest of their dark masters.

### **Exalted**

The absolute Apex of Daemon kind, the greatest monster the Dark gods have been able to create, each one representing a full hundredth of the power of a Great God. Against such might mortal arms simply fail, army groups, Titan legions, sector fleets, all mere annoyances to these dark exemplars. Almost without exception, they are paragons of multiple disciplines and back their immense skill with the raw power of an Apex psykers. A single Exalted Daemon of the abomination was able to tear through dis in mere hours, despite the presence of Saint Lin and the majority of Avernus’s military seeking to stop it. Only the primarchs, or the very best of the Old races can hope to slay such creatures. Mercifully, calling forth such power is neigh impossible, taking countless millions of sacrifices and a week or longer to allow such horrors into reality; during the Abomination Crusade, a billion soldiers were sacrificed merely as the final part of the price to bring one forth. Even Dread Abaddon takes care when treating with such creatures, calling them only when in dire need or through pre-arranged bargains, for none save the dark gods themselves can command the might of the Exalted Daemons. When not at war an Exalted Daemon would rule over a vast empire of dozens of sectors, or hold a key daemon world under the direct command of the chaos gods themselves.

### **Forces of Tjapa**

 Among the forces of Tjapa, the terminology used for Greater Deamons is different. The Greater Daemons, known as Archangyls, are divided into five ranks, called Circles or Spheres. 1st Circle corresponds to Exalted, 2nd Circle to the upper end of Honoured, 3rd circle to low Honoured/high Favoured, 4th circle to low Favoured/high Aspiring and 5th circle are mid to low Aspiring. Seraphim and Cherubim are the Herald analogues, while the regular forces are called Malachim, or simply Angyls.