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Hi all, I’m looking to start a GSC army. I love the models, I think there really nice and I love Genestealers (more so from Space Hulk). However, the one main thing I don’t like about their lore is the cult is effectively wiped out when a Hive Fleet consumes the planet the GSC are on.

So my question is, is there a way to build a Genestealer Cult that is based on a space vessel? My Idea comes from Space Hulk Deathwing.

Thanks

There's one cult that didn't get wiped out, not yet up to task on my GSC lore?
Also it's part of the grimdark nature of them as a faction.

Yup.

One of the larger cults (Four Armed Emperor) has spread far and wide from its point of origin.

Pretty much any Cult can do this, provided the planet they started on has sufficient intro-system traffic,

If memory serves, each splinter heads off with a Purestrain in tow (at least one), which will grow to be a new Patriarch, but ultimately subservient to the original (that last bit I may have imagined.)

This is actually a better way for the Cults to fulfil their purpose to the Hive Mind, as it’s a head start. Instead of it starting with a single Purestrain and a mere handful of infected? You’re hitting the ground ready to go, especially if you’ve 4th Gen which can work their way into society all the faster.

When you think about this, a Cult not splintering off in such a manner is a waste of effort for the Hive Mind. It takes generations to get the necessary people in place, let alone sufficient Hybrids to carry off a coup.

There’s also the issue of the Hive Fleets not responding immediately to the beacon, because they can’t. So it makes sense to send any excess mass off elsewhere to continue the cult and its nefarious purpose wherever they can.

Perhaps your Cult infected a Rogue Trader’s fleer, the Magus being born to the direct descendant, and eventually Captaining the Fleet. Certainly in terms of position, a Cult could do a helluva lot worse.

A prime vector, willing, able and authorised to go and do pretty much whatever they want, whenever they want. Just need to leave a few surprise “colonists” before you move on....

To a degree your dudes, you can do whatever.

I think an Imperial Cruiser potentially has a crew of around 100k. If a Genestealer got aboard its not impossible you could produce a cult amongst that. Although it would be comparatively small compared to the planet-scale infestations.

But hey, if you got an enterprising, well advised Rogue Trader who got one ship, and then another and then another...

All of this is fluff. And you are free to make up your own stuff.

There are at least 2 cults that have not gotten eaten: On one planet the tyranid arrived on the plannet, but for some fluke it did not eat the cultists. Now they are flying rings around the tyranid ships with much excitement. No one know quite how this went about.

There was one patriarch that activly sabotaged the arrival of a tyranid fleet. Once they arrive the patriarch get brainwashed by the tyranids. However this patriarch had a personal vendetta with somebody and wanted to settle the score before he ritered. Those two incidents are written in one of the books and is cannon.

Also, the tyraids of Bahamut(?) are putting up some big beakon on one plannet. Sentient beeings are drawn to the plannet. Anybody who put their feet on the planet joins the cult. A further example of nids and cult working in a non-common manner.

Also, it seems like an assumtion that a cult is trapped on one planet. While this is often the case, the big cults in the cult codex have taken over whole systems. Four Armed emperor has the best workforce in the galaxy and is activly recruitet all over. The twisted helix one are top notch doctors with this awsome wonderserum. Spreading the cult through medisin instead of regular infection. These two have spread far and wide. Bladed cog has a beef with mechanicus. Rusted claw are nomads traveling around. Presumably from planet to planet as well. Hivecult are deep rotet in a particular secor and have infiktrated the imperial guard.

Anyway, make up what ever you want. Maybe the patrirach has become a nihilist and has desided his own survival is more important then beeing absorved in the biomass as the star gods demands. Just because god has a plan for you does not mean you need to agree with that plan.

Regarding one based in space vessels it is very possible. It is also very likly four armed emperor and twisted helix are onboard nomadic or transport spaceships already. A space hulk... well, there is not much action on a space hulk. Perhaps they are stranded there? In-game the rules often represent a long time enfestation, but what ever you want.

I think a ship based Genestealer Cult is very workable. Now that you bring it up, I am kinda surprised the closest thing that I know to exist like it is the video game Space Hulk: Deathwing.

I could see a ship, or even a fleet of ships, that become a Genestealer Cult that are less about prepping worlds for the inevitable Tyranid feast, but rather, ones that seed worlds with franchise cults. Kinda like the Johnny Appleseed of 40k. Except instead of apples it's biomatter for the hivefleets that find them. As for the cult, the more human portion are the face of the crew when interacting with planets, imperial navy or anyone else they might have to. The obvious hybrids could be used for lower deck manpower and the pure-strains themselves hide in the shadowy bowels of the ship awaiting their chance to pioneer the next planet and become a Patriarch themselves.

As for a hive fleet consuming the cult, remember that Genestealer Cults often take several generations (easily could be several centuries) to even make a planet ready before attempting to send a signal lure more Tyranids. Particularly battle ravaged planets could take even longer. Such as one that is locked in combat with a significant Ork presence. The Cult may in fact have the humans under their complete control, but the Patriarch could believe that the Orks present too much of a danger to attempt to summon the Hive Fleet. So the cult basically takes the place on IoM battling the Orks enough to quell them before sending out the psychic dinner bell.

It is also entirely possible that a world is made ready by the Genestealer Cult and something happens to the tendril of the Hive Fleet being unable to answer. Maybe the Hive Fleet was defeated or maybe there just isn't a fleet anywhere close. It could even be that the Tyranids are keeping this particular full of biomatter for reasons not yet known as they have already demonstrated they do.

I don't think it is all that far outside the realm of possibly that a Patriarch and its cult fall under the corrupting sway of the Chaos gods. If you want to bring back the idea of Chaos Genestealer Cults. In this particular case, the Patriarch, like Chaos Space Marines, learns to become selfish and form its own hive mind with it being the single entity that rules over all. The Patriarch no longer content to be a servant of the Tyranids only to be rewarded of being a small part of a huge organism; rather becomes the big fish in a small pond far more preferable with scores and fanatically loyal mind slaves.

It is a big galaxy and a lot of strange and bizarre things can, and have, happen(ed) well beyond what the more dogmatically minded often say.

I think a ship based Genestealer Cult is very workable. Now that you bring it up, I am kinda surprised the closest thing that I know to exist like it is the video game Space Hulk: Deathwing.

Ship based (particularly Space Hulk) GSC have been a thing since the original space hulk supplement that introduced hybrids.

They've had fluff mention from time to time. For example, there's some in one of the Cain novels, where he's stuck with the not-Iron Hands chapter.

There's a cult that actually fell to Nurgle, called Cult Tenebrous, who now roam around in their ships, looking to infect others.