Power Armour - Chaos Power Armour: Power armour is the standard by which all other forms of Human protection in the galaxy are measured. The first forms of power armour were constructed in Humanity's distant past, during the Unification Wars, to reunite Mankind on its birthworld of Terra.However, by the time of the Great Crusade, the Emperor equipped His Space Marine Legions with the first known suits of power armour.At the time of the Horus Heresy in the early 31st Millennium, Mark II Crusade Power Armour had all but disappeared from the Space Marine Legions, replaced by the much improved Mark IV Maximus Pattern, with the exception of those Legions still fighting on the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy.Even so, during the fierce battles to come, both sides were forced to reinstate older marks of power armour to replace their losses as well as scavenging and cannibalising armour from the battlefields. When the Warmaster Horus rebelled and half the Legiones Astartes joined him, they took their power armour with them.The armour of the Traitor Legions that fled into the Eye of Terror still reflects these turbulent times, often featuring distinctive studded and rivetted plasteel plates rather than the smooth ceramite of the later designs. Exposed power cables that blend with sinew and vein remain a common feature of Chaos Power Armour and most Chaos Space Marines individualise their armour with crests, horns, skulls and chains. Additionally, many Chaos Space Marines still utilise the antique Great Crusade-era Anvilus Pattern backpack unit -- this variant has enhanced stabilising thruster vents to aid in void operations, but inferior rad-shielding from the backpack's reactor unit compared to more modern patterns.Quite often, a Chaos Space Marine's power armour will have been altered by long exposure to the Warp. It may have sprouted spines or bony ridges, be covered in a layer of scales, or flicker with arcane and corsucating energies. The competition for new or replacement armour parts is fierce amongst the Traitor Legions.Some Traitor Legionaries still have their original power armour suits, preserved through diligent effort or by the vagaries of the Warp. Others maintain newer marks of power armour -- looted from fallen foes or because the Heretic Astartes in question is a more recent convert to the Ruinous Powers.Chaos Space Marines who have only recently become Renegades may have armour that has changed hardly at all from their former Chapter's standard livery, except for the deliberate defilement or removal of badges or symbols of allegiance to the Emperor of Mankind. Some Chaos Space Marines thus possess suits of the advanced Mark VIII Errant Power Armour, which is much coveted by other Traitor Marines and can earn the wearer greater prestige among the forces of Chaos. Some others may even have mismatched suits, with pieces replaced piecemeal as they fail. However, the Traitor Legionaries are not the only servants of the Dark Gods who possess power armour.During the Great Crusade and in the 10,000 standard years since, suits of power armour have been constructed for baseline Human physiology. These "mortal" suits of power armour do not possess all of the complex subsystems of the original Space Marine Legion power armour, but they make normal Humans in service to Chaos formidable warriors nonetheless.Power armour is more than simply protective gear. It is also defined by its numerous sub-systems, a host of devices that augment the wearer's combat prowess until he is the consummate warrior. Some of these systems are shared across mortal and Legion power armour, while others are limited to the Heretic Astartes only.However, the forces of Chaos do not have access to the resources of the Imperium, including its massive foundries, forges, manufactoria, and supply depots. Many suits of power armour were originally Imperial in manufacture, having fallen into the hands of Renegades centuries or even millennia ago. Though they may have started with their systems entirely intact, standard years without proper maintenance and replacement parts means certain sub-systems may no longer be operable.Unique is the suit of power armour that survives a conflict unscathed. Through long Terran centuries of combat, hundreds of repairs, and the corruptive influence of the Warp, Chaos Power Armour can change radically in appearance over time.