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Hey guys,

I haven't been able to find reference to this, so here it is: How long is the lifespan of a Chaos Cultist?

Because it's not unreasonable to assume that they don't live any longer than the (relatively) average human, but at the same time it's also not unreasonable to assume that their alignment with the Ruinous Powers might afford them some sort of extended lifespan.

Cheers guys

Depends on the Cultist. If he's favored by the Gods, then he'll likely be blessed with a longer life. If not, then it depends on the Cults. Some cults might be not-so-extreme, and thus have a normal lifespan, while others might be insane BDSM murder assassins that indulge in extremely violent sex and mutilate their bodies - likely resulting in a shorter lifespan.

If its a cultist in the warp then a long friggin time. If its a cultist the materium then I would say about the average of a human being (getting their head blown off aside). I feel like the powers of Chaos are not naturally only a positive attribute. To actually receive positive effects from it you need to earn it in the eyes of the chaos gods.

On average for the generic Chaos Cultist? There's no hard numbers but most of the time it is very short. They are used as cannon fodder by those who are led or cultivated by CSM warbands and often do so in a frenzy of violence. Even in the cases where they aren't killed in combat by the enemy they are often used as willing sacrifices to summon daemons from beyond or killed for getting in the way of their betters. There's obviously some exceptions to the rule but I wouldn't consider them ordinary cultists, they're the apostate cardinals or renegade military commanders that control the rabble.

Depends on the warband/Legion. The Iron Warriors are known for using them as cannon fodder, whereas the Alpha Legion have highly trained insurgents, who are sometimes given implants or the like to improve their utility.

Most Cultists don't live very long though.

 Grimskul wrote:
On average for the generic Chaos Cultist? There's no hard numbers but most of the time it is very short. They are used as cannon fodder by those who are led or cultivated by CSM warbands and often do so in a frenzy of violence. Even in the cases where they aren't killed in combat by the enemy they are often used as willing sacrifices to summon daemons from beyond or killed for getting in the way of their betters. There's obviously some exceptions to the rule but I wouldn't consider them ordinary cultists, they're the apostate cardinals or renegade military commanders that control the rabble.

A Chaos Cultist isn't just a fighter. He/she can just be a normal civilian living a "normal" life.

 LethalShade wrote:

 Grimskul wrote:
On average for the generic Chaos Cultist? There's no hard numbers but most of the time it is very short. They are used as cannon fodder by those who are led or cultivated by CSM warbands and often do so in a frenzy of violence. Even in the cases where they aren't killed in combat by the enemy they are often used as willing sacrifices to summon daemons from beyond or killed for getting in the way of their betters. There's obviously some exceptions to the rule but I wouldn't consider them ordinary cultists, they're the apostate cardinals or renegade military commanders that control the rabble.

A Chaos Cultist isn't just a fighter. He/she can just be a normal civilian living a "normal" life.

I think most cultists fall under this category. I'm not sure if violent marauders born and raised in the pit of a chaos world really count as 'cultist'.

I imagine most cultists lead fairly ordinary lives, but when some chaos marines (or whatever) come to instigate an insurrection things go to hell (fairly literally) and they have a life expectancy of maybe a few months at that point (if they are lucky, if they are unlucky it might be an eternity serving on a daemon infested ship).

like everyone else says it all depends on the chaos cult/legion in question

As long as a fruit fly.