Tzeentch, in Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes is a god of Chaos who represents the vitality and volatility of change. Tzeentch is represented by a greater daemon known as the Lord of Change. Tzeentch is closely associated with sorcery and magic, as well as dynamic mutation, and grand, convoluted schemes. It is said that Tzeentch knows the fate of everything, and all events transpire according to some great plan beyond mortal reckoning. As such Tzeentch is arguably the most powerful Chaos god, as Tzeentch is capable of controlling the others to some degree as exampled when all alliances between the Chaos Gods are forged by Tzeentch. The mortal champions of Tzeentch are especially dangerous, as they wield awesome sorcerous power on top of their considerable physical prowess.

Tzeentch's sacred number is nine.

As with all the Chaos gods, Tzeentch is derived from a passionate part of the human psyche, in this case, the drive for Power, as well as the needs to change and evolve. The desire to accumulate forbidden lore, change and manipulate our surroundings, as well as intrigue, evolution, and sorcery; these are the tools used to enact change, benevolent or malevolent. Through subtle manipulation and the use of sorcery, Tzeentch's followers further the aims of their patron. His diametric opposition is Nurgle. Where Tzeentch uses evolution and change to achieve his goals, it is Nurgle who disrupts Tzeentch's plans through his random diseases, decay and entropy.

Tzeentch is often visualised as the serpent that writhes and twists to represent constant change. Realms of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned (Priestley and Ansell, 1990) describes the god as a giant with a puckered face set low into his chest with no visible neck, with horns springing from his head/shoulders. His skin is filled with thousands of smaller faces that constantly change and move. Some of these smaller faces echo whatever the main face says, but distort the message slightly (or speak a different commentary completely) to confuse the listener. Illustrations also add a pair of tentacle-like arms rising from his head/shoulders as well.

Warhammer 40,000 background story

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In the Warhammer 40,000 universe, the Thousand Sons Chaos Space Marine legion serves Tzeentch exclusively. During the Great Crusade the Thousand Sons leader Magnus the Red started to practice sorcery, which was later forbidden by the Emperor. Despite this prohibition, Magnus continued his practices. Using sorcery, Magnus uncovered the betrayal Horus was about to commit and used it to warn the Emperor of Horus' treachery. Unfortunately, this only resulted in the Emperor believing that it was Magnus who had fallen to Chaos and sent the Space Wolves to wipe out the Thousand Sons. After a titanic battle, Leman Russ defeated Magnus in single combat. With the help of their powers, Magnus and the Thousand Sons escaped, only to find Tzeentch waiting for them. With no other option left, Magnus and what remained of his legion swore loyalty to the god of sorcery and became minions to the very power they sought to control. Given the nature of the machinations of Tzeentch it is probable that it was Tzeentch who had plotted this outcome all along.

Tzeentch granted Magnus and his legion a new homeworld from where they could continue their practices and launch attacks on their enemies. Unfortunately, Tzeentch is the god of change and his minions are subject to strange and random mutations. In order to control the mutations that were running rampant throughout the legion, Magnus' chief librarian Ahriman and his cabal of sorcerers devised the Rubic of Ahriman to control the genetic instability that was crippling the legion. However, something went very wrong. Following the completion of the Rubric of Ahriman, all of the Thousand Sons with little or no sorcerous powers were reduced to dust and their souls trapped in their sealed armour, reducing them to mindless automatons. This spell destroyed the legion and preserved it at the same time.

The favored colors of Tzeentch are royal blue and gold.

Tzeentch's daemons

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Tzeentchian daemons tend to be bird-like in nature, or mutated to the point of unrecognizability.

• Horrors are the most prolific Daemon, an ever-shifting mass of flesh, limbs, and flame-spewing orifices. Original Horrors are described as short neckless creature with long, multi-jointed arms. Realms of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned originally had two types of horrors, Pink and Blue variants. Pink Horrors were jovial and childish, and when slain they would split into two smaller Blue Horrors, which were angry and sullen spirited. The most recent version of Warhammer ended the "splitting" mechanism and no longer has a distinction between Blue and Pink Horrors, instead simply referring to the ability to split in their background fiction and providing each model with two "Wound Points" in the game.
• Flamers are slightly more powerful, with numerous gaping maws that produce the searing flames which give these daemons their unsubtle name. Realms of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned described them as inverted mushrooms, with a trunk that split into two arms.
• Screamers are Ray-like creatures that swoop down on foes and cut them apart with their sharp tusks, but prefer to emit an unholy scream, that damages and terrifies most mortals. These daemons are new (2002) additions to the Warhammer chaos bestiary.
• Lords of Change are the most powerful Tzeentchian Daemon, typically an Avian-like winged humanoid Daemon of vast intelligence and massive magical and psychic power. They are described as large winged bipedal creatures with snake-like necks and avian heads. The creatures often are multi-colored (especially their wings).
• Discs of Tzeentch are melds of magic, metal, and daemon, and are often used as transports for mortal champions. Various descriptions and models have been created, varying from metal surfboard looking creatures for Warhammer 40,000, to the spiked, flaming organic-steel variants of today. In the most recent editions of their background fiction, it is implied that Discs and Screamers are the same "species" of Daemon- Discs are simply the largest, strongest and fiercest Screamers.
• Changebringers are Flamers mounted on Discs of Tzeentch.
• Chariots of Tzeentch are composed of two Flamers on flying chariots, pulled by two Screamers of Tzeentch.

References

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Warhammer Fantasy | Warhammer 40,000 gods | Fictional deities | Tzeentch