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Had an idea for a small CSM force with a twist and wanted to run it by you all to see if it breaks any canon. First of I don’t have any CSM dex, I normally play SM or IG so not sure about what it could count as.

The idea is a Nurgle or Slaanesh commander (needs fluff) uses a form of the zombie plague plus forbidden mind control tech on captured (as in near or just dead) space marines. The plague corrupts, making them undead and leaves their minds susceptible to mind control.

Imagine a group of captured Ultra Marines, their skin shriveled, oozing vile puss. Their armor flaking, dirty and ruptured by the mutation, just recognizable. They move with a slow but steady shuffle. As they get closer you see their eyes rolled up into their skulls, mouths open slack-jawed, mind control implants fused into their skulls.
They are not so much CSM as loyal marines enslaved. Maybe the ones captured near death still have their consciousness trapped within. They are able to see all the horrors they do. This would have a huge psychological affect on and SM army they face.

What do you all think?
Am I breaking any canon here?
Does anyone know of any existing examples of this?

Cheers Vim 

Never heard of it being done before...
Not sure if it breaks fluff since... well since i have no idea how marines react to the zombie plague... poorly i would imagine.

There was a bit of fluff in one of the old Space Marine boxes, might have been Deathwing? Not sure, but basically they came across a load of ancient marines long dead on a space hulk, from around the time of the heresy. They where loyalist marines, who basically got up and started attacking after someone touched the wrong thing.

It was a cool piece, and sorta gives an example of what your after.

I've seen Zombie Marines before. If you really feel you need fluff to justify it, then I have found no reason to justify Space Marines being immune to the Zombie Plague. Even if they were, surgical removal of their Oolitic Kidney could conceivably remove said immunity. Be prepared for a lot of groans and eye rolls, though. Also, I would suggest maybe changing it to a different Chapter. Zombie Plague zombies can be directly controlled by any psyker. I would assume that a more powerful psyker would win if two of them are contesting a group of zombies, and nameless Chaos psyker X is no match for Tigurius.

My CSM force has 'enslaved' Flesh Tearers Marines in it (I modeled Slaanesh-like collars around their necks) so I see no reason why you couldn't take your idea and run with it.

Try ummm lets see ...Plague Marines lol....

There was one in one of the Soul Drinker novels, don't remember which one. He punches through the ceiling and kills some interrogator, before a sister kills it.

LordWynne wrote:Try ummm lets see ...Plague Marines lol....

Plague Marines aren't mind controlled zombie ultramarines. In fact, they are very far from that.

Also, if you like that idea, use it. It isn't breaking any canon as far as I'm aware of. Maybe they should be bound to serving a specific pysker who gave them the infection but beyond that your idea doesn't need any changes. The only people who might be bothered by your idea are Ultramarine fanboys.

Nicholas wrote:There was one in one of the Soul Drinker novels, don't remember which one. He punches through the ceiling and kills some interrogator, before a sister kills it.

Yeah i remember that bit...
Though he was dead long before the virus took hold. So maybe it just takes longer...

Read Flight of the Eisenstien - a bunch of death guard are killed on a ship from a leaking virus bomb. When the ship enters the warp, Pappa Nurgle reanimates the corpses.

These are probably the first Death Guard Plague Marines - but this scenario would readily fit your proposed fluff.