To reach the end game in Black Crusade. a Heretic achieves his or her Apotheosis when they obtain 100 Corruption Points and possess an Infamy score of 100. The default assumption in Black crusade is that a player must retire his character when the Heretic reaches 100 Corruption Points. However, the Tome of Decay gives the option that a Heretic who meets the requirements can ascend to the mantle of Daemon Prince and continue play as such a potent entity. Becoming a Daemon Prince is not simply a matter of absorbing the corrupting power of the Warp; it requires the intervention of the gods. Unless one of the Chaos Gods has selected the Heretic for his great honor, meeting the CP and Infamy requirements is not enough. Only the will of a Chaos God can elevate a mortal to the status of a Daemon. Without it, a mortal so imbued with the power of the Warp is destined for an end as a mewling Chaos Spawn. And, while the gods can sometimes set aside their never- ending power struggle in pursuit of common goals, they are far too jealous to share their champions. Consequently, Apotheosis requires a patron deity. Only a Heretic who is Aligned to one of the Gods of Chaos and has the corresponding Mark of Chaos can become a Daemon Prince. An individual so infused with the power of the Warp who lacks the guiding hand of a patron god would undergo the terrible transformation to a Chaos Spawn. However, some individuals, while not having devoted themselves to a single god, have accomplished such feats as to catch the eyes of the Four. Such mighty and fated individuals might find themselves in a delicate balancing act, attempting to maintain the favour of the gods, lest their body succumb to limitless mutation. An Unaligned character who reaches 100 CP after reaching the required Infamy remains a normal character for the time being. If the Heretic becomes Aligned to a Chaos God and gains that god’s Mark of Chaos, he becomes a Daemon Prince. However, if the Heretic slips below the Infamy threshold at any time before meeting these criteria, he immediately becomes a Chaos Spawn. Even the smallest slip in the eyes of the ruinous ones is fatal. Under most circumstances, the transformation into a Daemon Prince should occur at the end of a game session or during a suitable period of downtime. Such an event is a dramatic and momentous occasion, but also one that requires some considerable modifications to the Heretic’s character sheet. Rather than delay the action while making the changes during the session, it is best to wait until after. However, the Apotheosis of a Heretic is a rare and important event, a defining moment in any character’s arc. However it occurs, the GM and player should work together to describe narratively the transformation, whether it be on the middle of the battlefield surrounded by enemies and allies, or alone before a private altar. Chaos is never predictable, and the transformation into a Daemon Prince could happen instantaneously in a pillar of dark flame, or it might happen slowly, over many agonizing hours, days, or longer. A Heretic might even vanish, sucked into the Warp without warning, only to reappear days, years, or centuries later at the head of a Daemonic legion bent on chaos and destruction. DAEMONIC PRINCEDOM Daemon Princes continue to gain and spend experience points just like any other Heretic. However, as Daemons, Daemon Princes consist of the very essence of their patron Chaos God. Therefore, Daemon Princes are always Aligned to their patron deity. Daemon Princes do not check Alignment, nor can their Alignment ever change, regardless of how many Advances they have purchased along any path of Devotion. The xp cost for Advances is calculated as normal, based on the Daemon Prince’s Alignment. FAVOR As Daemons, Daemon Princes are creatures of the Warp— walking embodiments of Corruption. Consequently, Daemon Princes no longer gain Corruption, nor can they decrease it; their Corruption is permanently fixed at 100. Instead, Daemon Princes gain Favor, representing their position in the eyes of their god, which translates into increased power over the Warp and mastery of their own Daemonic abilities. Like a Characteristic, Favor is measured on a scale of 0 to 100. Unlike Infamy or Corruption, when a Daemon Prince leverages his Favour to obtain new abilities, it decreases his current Favor total. Unlike Corruption, which can be gained as a reward or as a punishment for a failing, Favor is always a positive thing. However, a Daemon Prince who fails his patron can lose Favour, as his god takes back a measure of the power and authority over the Warp previously granted to the Daemon Prince. Daemon Princes continue to gain—and lose—Infamy as normal, representing their reputation in the eyes of both mortals and their fellow Daemons. However, as befits their new status, the expectations on Daemon Princes, both in the eyes of mortals and the gods, are higher. Consequently, Daemon Princes must generally accomplish suitably more impressive feats than a mortal in order to gain the same amount of Infamy.
