Daemon Princes are formally mortal champions of the Chaos Gods who, as a reward for their service and accomplishments, are granted power and immortality via conversion into a Warp Entity.
Overview[]
Most, if not all, servants of Chaos will compete for the favour of the Dark Gods. The most successful champions of Chaos may be rewarded for their devotion and achievements via 'ascension' to Daemonhood. If the individual possesses the strength and willpower to maintain their sanity in the midst of the extreme changes inflicted on them, they will become a Daemon Prince, an extremely powerful being often placed in command of an entire army or even rule over a Daemon World. However, if a Champion fails to meet the required standards for ascension, or if they fail in their endeavours, they may instead be punished via transformation into a mindless Chaos Spawn.
Daemon Princes boast extreme otherworldly power, often capable of laying waste to entire armies alone. However, the process involves the complete removal of the Daemon Prince's soul, permanently binding them to the service of the Chaos God who empowered them. They are also extremely rare, as the vast majority of aspirants are often doomed to failure in pursuing this state. The majority of Chaos worshippers who succeed in earning this ascension tend to be augmented in some way, such as Chaos Space Marines.
Due to being Warp Daemons, Daemon Princes are effectively immortal. Upon physical death, a Daemon Prince will simply return to the Warp, staying there until the Chaos Gods require their services in realspace once more.