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Stranded Grey Knights


Justicar Cirekon

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when i started 40k a few years ago i was unsure on whether to go for the Grey Knights or Space Wolves, but eventually chose the mighty defenders against Chaos.

 

Recently however i was looking at the destruction of Cavlock in the codex, and thought, Some of the GK might of got stranded on a planet nearby as they attempted to teleport of the planet, This got me thinking what about feral GK?

 

the basic idea for my GK is a demi brotherhood that has been trapped on an icy and hostile planet for a long time, with various races attacking, perhaps including a warp gate. They have only survived by turning feral and using more hit and run like tactics, This led to ideas of special characters with wolf companions.

 

so anyway, this is only a theory and C&Cs are welcome however, don't be too harsh =p

 

Cirekon

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Being trapped somewhere for a long time is easy. Fighting off numerous, varied opponents... also easy. Turning feral... eh...

 

I would find it difficult to swallow a GK "turning feral". GK's are likely the Astartes with the highest degree of mental fortitude. They can withstand the direct mental assaults from Greater Daemons- "normal" external pressures like being cut off from their Brotherhood, lack of supplies, equipment maintenance, etc. seems very tame in comparison.

 

They don't need to turn feral to change their tactics, however. A wise commander in charge of the group would realize that they don't have the support necessary to maintain their normal operational procedures- which is usually "stand and fight, kill it until its dead because it is the Enemy." So they pick and choose their fights, ambush, hit and run, operate a lot like Scouts and Raven Guard. This is even easier if some of them were already equipped with Personal Teleporters.

 

Wolf companions aren't too far fetched, either. You could use the psychic might of even the weakest GK as a hook for local animal life to be friendly to them.

I would find it difficult to swallow a GK "turning feral". GK's are likely the Astartes with the highest degree of mental fortitude. They can withstand the direct mental assaults from Greater Daemons- "normal" external pressures like being cut off from their Brotherhood, lack of supplies, equipment maintenance, etc. seems very tame in comparison.

 

I see what you mean yes, i think feral might not be the right word for what I wanted, the idea that i was originally going for was GK with darker armour maybe fur to survive intense cold, and having to use the natural resources around them, for example the wolves, however they were still going to be completely loyal, and follow all the other rules and laws of the imperium.

 

However this idea seems like it will need a lot of work, oh well that's why i posted it here, to work out the kinks, so i will keep developing the idea, thanks for the comment :(

SW GK ..oh lord ..... :(

One of the recent ideas I had for my figures was to have C:SM, C:BA, C:SW, and C:GK all represent different Companies/castes in my DIY chapter.

 

But I scrapped that and sold my C:SW codex because of... some things I observed in the SW forum.

 

Point is, just because you don't like the idea doesn't mean its not a good one. :)

 

the idea that i was originally going for was GK with darker armour maybe fur to survive intense cold, and having to use the natural resources around them, for example the wolves, however they were still going to be completely loyal, and follow all the other rules and laws of the imperium.

That seems perfectly reasonable to me. They could darken their armor for a number of reasons- first is camouflage. Shining silver doesn't hide very well. They could also darken it as a measure of secrecy- Grey Knights aren't exactly known about widely in the Imperium, but keeping their identity hidden is important.

 

For fur to be practical, the planet would need to be exceptionally cold since Astartes can handle the lower temperatures better. But that's easy to do- *poof!* your planet is now an icy deathworld. EDIT: the fur doesn't need to be practical, though. In the absence of their normal trappings of honor, the stranded Grey Kngihts could turn to fur for banners and cloaks.

 

The wolves are already adapted to hunting on this world and can help provide the GK's with sustenance in the absence of normal food/rations- and here's a way that your GK's can be a little bit feral. They could watch and learn from the wolves, pick up on their hunting techniques.

 

Don't abandon your idea just because there's a little speed bump in the road ;)

Yea, I'm afraid I don't buy it either, sadly.

 

Their power armor is heated; the power supplies on them are mini-fusion reactors that (as their namesake suggests) are good for thousands of years. If their power armor fails them, their bodies are still super, super durable...but under the conditions you lay out there, I suspect they'd die for sure were their armor failing.

 

This also disregards routine maintenance for their armor from their techmarines and servitors.

 

Space Wolves that do go feral do so due to a mishap in their gene seed; same for Blood Angels that "go feral" (succumb to the Rage). GK have no such documented defects; indeed, by any reckoning I've seen their gene seed is derived from the Emperor himself and is thus perfection. No way they'd lose their cool under any circumstances. Their epic resolve in the face of perfect insanity and annihilation from Chaos is the stuff of legends. They are virtually Unbreakable in spirit and mind. (There's a few things that can apparently affect them, some examples seem to be locked in Titan, but they are a big and rare exception.)

 

GK are not the chapter to use for this. Honestly, the SW legions are a great way to do this. Consider playing a Lost Company. :(

So, if you're saying "I want to paint my Grey Knights {NOT SILVER} and give them cool embelishments like fur cloaks and skulls and such (probably by kitbashing them with a Space Wolf Pack) and use wolf models as 'Counts As' Death Cultists, and pearching ravens/owls/hawks as ServoSkulls, etc..." my response would be: "Awesome! Make sure to post pics!"

 

And if you're saying "I want to kitbash Grey Knight kits into Space Wolf Packs and make a 'Power Armour Footslogging Wolfguard Counts As Long Lost Grey Knights led by {NOTLOGAN GRIMNAR}' army" my response would be "Awesome! Make sure to post pics!"

 

So basicly, if you want to make a cool, fully converted, thematic army based on one of the current codexes codices books, feel free. I've got your back! :lol:

Don't abandon your idea just because there's a little speed bump in the road

 

cheers, i'll keep at it, soon all the kinks will be worked out of it... hopefully =p

 

Their power armor is heated

 

well to be perfectly honest, i wanted the furs, more for the look, than the idea of being cold, would it be better if the were for camouflage instead?

 

This also disregards routine maintenance for their armor from their techmarines and servitors.

 

i was planning for there only to be maybe twenty GK and that's about it on this planet, they would be without techmarines or servitors, but i see what you mean yes.

 

 

here's a way that your GK's can be a little bit feral. They could watch and learn from the wolves, pick up on their hunting techniques.

 

that's a great idea :lol:

 

that's the kind of thing i think i was going for when i said feral, more in their way of adapting to the planet to survive and carry on the fight than going crazy.

 

once again thanks for all the comments

 

 

 

 

Cirekon

 

"Awesome! Make sure to post pics!"

 

So basicly, if you want to make a cool, fully converted, thematic army based on one of the current codexes codices books, feel free. I've got your back!

 

Cheers, i will make sure to post the pics of my army as soon as i can

I really dislike the fluff - its about as bad as Wards :) - how would these guys be supported? Psybolts, rad grenades and all the other specialized equipment only available to the GK aren't exactly commonplace in the universe, and can't really be salvaged from enemies. Then there is the whole 'training-wild-animals-to-fight' shtick, it just lacks credibility without some extra thought - beyond GKs really like fuzzy animals - and there already are a chapter based around feral marines with wolves.

 

-

 

Modelwise, just go crazy and do what you want, but mend the holes in your fluff, and do something unique instead of just doing Wolf Knights :)

The whole look of this sounds great, and I am a huge fan of combining models to be playable as other chapters (saves a lot of money and offers great conversions). Plus you paid for them so do whatever you like. With your fluff I think you are close. The darker armor is awesome, the furs/pelts will awesome on those models! Maybe to represent the stranded look make sure there is a lot of wear and battle damage, that will help.

 

The wolves running with them may be better served as "Servo Skulls" or something else since there isn't an equivalent unit to count as (just make sure you have a 25mm base on whatever base you use for the wolf for measuring purposes).

 

As for weapon choice, there is a good point above about the types they would have while stranded, so if you really want to commit to the theme I would limit the weaponry to the basics, maybe even only giving each squad one special gun (!) at most. No real special weapons/wargear at all...this would hamper your damage output but then you'd have spared some points to buy more models!

 

Keep going!

its about as bad as Wards

 

now that's just plain harsh

 

it just lacks credibility without some extra thought

 

so far these are just theories about my ideas, not an actual back story, also with the supplies, i was thinking their ship crashing would have supplies on it perhaps.

 

The darker armor is awesome, the furs/pelts will awesome on those models! Maybe to represent the stranded look make sure there is a lot of wear and battle damage, that will help.

 

cheers, i always thought they were grey knights not silver, and i'll definitely try to do the battle damage, that's a great idea thanks

 

also i was mainly thinking basic kit so that's fine

QUOTE (Justicar Cirekon @ Oct 14 2011, 08:05 PM)

also i was mainly thinking basic kit so that's fine

 

"cough cough what about those rad grenades cough"

 

well they are fairly basic when you think about it, radioactive grenades, i mean we have them already =p

your best bet would be to have a company of wolves or a few WG get initiated into the GK, and bring their feral attitude with them. Making them the scorn of the GK, but their battle prowess and undying devotion to The Emperor keeps them in their place. You could even create some crazyness and say Russ is a GM and leads his band of Knight Wolves. He earned GM status while fighting alongside The Knights in the warp. He is just keeping his identity hidden till The Wolftime

Just a thought.. what if the Grey Knights were fighting alongside some Space Wolves.. and they got cut off.. and the Space Wolves didn't make it...

 

Armor needs patched, ammo needs to be used.. and while their brothers in arms didn't make it, they need to borrow a few things here and there. The Grey Knight Apothecaries can save the geneseed of the fallen wolves until such a time they can return it to the Space Wolves themselves.. but until then...

 

I can and will use your bolters, ammo, and whatever grenades you have Brother... For the Emperor!

 

Just sayin... :P

Loving the basic idea :cuss

 

The fur-cammo thing seems like a good idea, especially if they are going to be hunting with wolves and the likes.

 

And I'm with Vulkan about a very distinct lack of rad-grenades in your Army lists :cuss

 

Keep it going, sounds like it could become some very good fluff.

 

PS: when do you think you can get some pics up?

Basically, I have an aversion against people writing fluff for their army in a vacuum.

 

Why?

 

Because if your Wolf Knights are stranded on the ice planet X, how are they supposed to fight my tyranids devouring planet Y - in jungle terrain :) I prefer the fluff being relevant to the battle/scenario, as this is the one thing both armies have in common.

 

Nothing wrong in having a past though, even though your degenerate furries would probably be re-educated with holy promethium, should they be found again - they've just lost their purity from making emotional attachments to these wolves, and uncompromising purity is what being a Grey Knight is all about. Who cares if the Imperium burns, as long as it remains 'pure'.

Basically, I have an aversion against people writing fluff for their army in a vacuum.

 

it isn't in a vacuum, if you look at my first post, then i tie it in to fluff that already exists, (the destruction of Cavlock 905.M41) so in my theory they had been there almost 100 years,

 

Also all of this is theory, i knew there were plot holes in it, that's why i posted it here, to fix that. None of this is finished yet.

 

 

On a different note, i have got the darker armour done quite well (in my opinion) but i am struggling with the weathering and the battle damage, any tips?

 

Thanks again

 

Cirekon

The weathering battle damage thing I do is very easily achievable. Simply dry-brush a small amount of black/ dark brown paint onto some of the armour plates and hey presto you have a model with mud stains and/or laser damage/general battle damage.

 

The general battle damage I do is likewise easy to do for plastic models, when building your models simply clip small amounts off the edges of your armour plates and use plastic clippers to make indents in them which will then look like they were attacked by clawed xenos or sword/axe weilding traitors. Obviously I wouldn't recommend this for your really expensive classic metal models :)

 

Also, i would like to put it out that I personally think DIY fluff is better than most of the stuff GW come up with and it actually makes it easier to have fluff for the battle.

 

Hope you find this helpful ;)

For weathering try out painting a patch of black (generally on the edges of the armour) and make it quite 'spiky' and then fill it in with your choice of colour (boltgun or chainmail work well) and then give a wash of Badab black). Have another look at my blog for examples.

 

Also, i would like to put it out that I personally think DIY fluff is better than most of the stuff GW come up with and it actually makes it easier to have fluff for the battle.

 

Read anything not done by Mat Ward, such as the Imperial Armour books or Black Library stuff and I think you may change your opinion. Personally I think most GW stuff is actually better than most fan made stuff

 

 

Vulkan

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