Legion of the Damned modelling, raven guard style

[m14xx1]

I like the legion of the damned capabilities and idea of them and I feel the playstyle is pretty Raven Guard, but there's something I don't like about fielding such a rare unit all the time. I guess its a fluff thing maybe.

 

Ive got this idea in my head of an uber special forces type Raven Guard unit. The delta force of the RG if you will. Masters of infiltration and their chosen weapons. Elite veterans of hundreds or thousands of battles, chosen to appear surreptitiously behind enemy lines and wreak havoc and fight to victory or death.

 

The only thing not really explainable is the invulnerable saves. Maybe their equipped those field generators? The name escapes me.

 

I would model them from Sternguard and tac squads, but make them stand out somehow, maybe more white and purity seals then most other units. I like the conversions people do with the running berserker legs for starters.

 

I'm looking to the fluff purists to see if this is viable and something that would be admired and accepted, as well as modeling ideas.

 

Thanks.

[Durus]

Shrike's Wing was a special unit of veterans trained by Shrike himself in the 4th edition codex and was essentially a spiced up version of the Ravenguard Command Squad from the Index Astartes article. As the unit doesn't exist in the new codex anymore and you can't even equip the vanguard to resemble them, you might as well just call the LOTD Shrike's Wing.

 

There is also the Weregeld. Some kind of mutated beasts similar to the Wulfen of the Space Wolves. Presumably also due to "a side effect of the accelerated gene-harvesting techniques employed many millenia ago" (Index Astartes reference to irreparably damaged gene-stock). The only reference to this I've read was in the IA so I don't really know much more about it, but they were said to be an unstoppable force, breaking fortifications the SW had besieged three months without getting through within hours.

 

Whatever you do it will probably be more fluffy than fielding a LOTD squad in every game.

 

(Did I mention I really don't like the new codex? :) )

[Hemal]

Shrike's Wing was a special unit of veterans trained by Shrike himself in the 4th edition codex and was essentially a spiced up version of the Ravenguard Command Squad from the Index Astartes article. As the unit doesn't exist in the new codex anymore and you can't even equip the vanguard to resemble them, you might as well just call the LOTD Shrike's Wing.

 

There is also the Weregeld. Some kind of mutated beasts similar to the Wulfen of the Space Wolves. Presumably also due to "a side effect of the accelerated gene-harvesting techniques employed many millenia ago" (Index Astartes reference to irreparably damaged gene-stock). The only reference to this I've read was in the IA so I don't really know much more about it, but they were said to be an unstoppable force, breaking fortifications the SW had besieged three months without getting through within hours.

 

Whatever you do it will probably be more fluffy than fielding a LOTD squad in every game.

 

(Did I mention I really don't like the new codex? :wub: )

 

 

The weregeld were, to my knowledge, wiped out to a man by Corax, after which he went and gone all mysterious and disappeary...

 

However, using the Legion of the Damend as a specialist heavy strike unit called down as an alternative to Terminators (why???) is feasible. Maybe this is a unit of Raven Guard Sternguard who specialise in teleport assaults?

[maverike_prime]

If you're talking about friendly games, talk to your opponents.

 

The Raven Guard were nearly wiped out during the Herasy. It why they developed such as they have, into small elite groups of solders better suited to hit and run behind the lines attack then to front end war fare.

 

The Wereguard were the result of the accelerated Gene stocking techniques Corax ordered used to replenish the ranks following the Istavan massacre. I recall something saying that for every 1,000 recruits that went through the accelerated process, something like 100 of them were viable solders and out of that 100 only 10 were actually Space Marines. The vast majority of the failure were deformed horrid monsters, mostly driven insane. They were herded together and used as storm squads for the purpose of storming heavily guarded possitions with little to no support. Even the Space Wolves, who suffer from the Curse of Wulfen, were somewhat taken back by the ferocity of the WereGuard's assaults. However following the Herasy, Corax personally delivered the Emperors mercy to every unfortunate soul who survived the assaults.

 

As for the more specific point of the Invulnerable save... hmm. perhaps say they're uber-adept at 'reading the battle field' so they are that much better at dodging attacks. Perhaps they has a latent psychic ability that allows to see 2-3 seconds into the future and thus react to something before it actually happens... Okay did I really just reference Phantom Menace there? Grrr... I'm tired. I'm going to bed.

[johnnywombat]

Shrike's Wing was a special unit of veterans trained by Shrike himself in the 4th edition codex and was essentially a spiced up version of the Ravenguard Command Squad from the Index Astartes article. As the unit doesn't exist in the new codex anymore and you can't even equip the vanguard to resemble them, you might as well just call the LOTD Shrike's Wing.

 

(Did I mention I really don't like the new codex? ^_^ )

 

Why cant you equip a vanguard squad to represent Shrikes Wing??

[Durus]

They were all equipped with twin lightning claws. Reading the entry of the "you may do this and that" armylist again it seems I stand corrected and you actually can do it.

Though, if you equip them all with two lightning claws you more than double the normal squads points costs and wouldn't even have bought the jumppacks yet. Shrike's Wing also had the infiltrate, scout and stealth special rules. So it might not be the best choice in terms of writing a balanced list, but it seems it is indeed possible.

 

I'm sorry should I have spread misinformation, but as I said I'm not really too fond of the new codex and after reading it once I put it back on the shelf and decided to wait for the next one. But that is an entirely different topic. :D

 

 

The basic idea though, to have a "YourCaptain'sNameHere" Wing as a special unit to represent the LOTD might still be viable in terms of finding a fluffy explanation for their unusual equipment and stats.

[Rider-75]

as far as i'd be concerned, as long as the unit was clearly identifiable on the table and was WYSIWYG'd then i would have no problem with them being a "counts as" LOTD squad.

 

as you've suggested from a fluff point, they could easily be a highly trained strike force. both adept at pinpoint teleport attacks and well protected with personal refractor field technology, they would be chosen for their steadfast courage and utter ruthlessness on the field of battle.

 

there you go. problem solved!

[johnnywombat]

I run a vanguard squad as Solari's wing, mainly in appoc games though cause they are very costly. With Solari "counts as Shrike", I aslo have a deathwatch squad counts as sternguard vets.