The Black Legion and Khorne

[Piousservant]

So I’d like to create a Khorne worshipping Black Legion warband, but I’m a bit stuck on how they should be painted. Obviously there will be some squads of Berserkers, but there will have to be other units as well (with “icons” of Khorne of course). But the problem is how to tie it all together into a scheme which is both sufficiently Black Legion-y and Khornate. I don’t want the Berserkers to be red and the rest in black because that splits the berserkers from the rest of the warband and they’re all khorne-worshippers, but conversely I can’t really paint the whole army red as it won’t look even remotely Black Legion any more… Anyone have a good idea on how to make this work?

[Kraull the Rampager]

Check the Chaos Codex. It shows you how Black Legion Berzerkers are painted. I'd recommend something along those lines.

[Brother Nihm]

I say go for the classic, black with red shoulderpads and/or helmets.

[Khestra the Unbeheld]

I say go for the classic, black with red shoulderpads and/or helmets.

 

That's how I made my Khornate Black Legionnaires. One red shoulderpad, red bunny ears, the rest black.

[Dammeron]

Or you could go for something different: create black legionnaries in the usual black legion colour scheme, but which all have distinctive iconography that mark them out as Khornate (maybe bone son their armour, or bits and pieces of Chaos Warrior armour and weaponry). Alternatively, you could go for a Black Legion Khorne warband that are all possessed by daemons of Khorne: gove them Bloodletter heads, Bloodletter arms, Beastman heads or legs etc. Or perhaps you could give them a more martial feeling; give them shields and swords, or massive axes etc. There is enormous scope here for individualising a warband far and beyond its colour scheme.

[Warsmith Aznable]

I thought the Black Legion Berserkers were painted the way they were in the codex because they were originally World Eaters who joined up with the Black Legion?

 

You could just do regular Black Legion colors drenched in blood, too. Red Gore looks like very nice stippled on Chaos Black (or whatever they call those colors these days).

[Piousservant]

Thanks guys - but I suppose I should have said I don't like the "one red shoulder pad" type approach (sounds like something from the Codex Astartes...), I think it looks too "clean", especially for berserkers.

 

Dammeron - thanks, some nice ideas there. I'll have to have a look at the Fantasy Chaos range for some bitz to mix in, I think that would look quite good.

 

Max - That's a neat idea, I'd had an idea in my head to do them as if drenched in blood, but I really haven't a clue how to make that work. Stippling is straightforward enough, but would that be enough to work by itself? I'm not sure my painting skills would make it look very good.

[Warsmith Aznable]

I really haven't a clue how to make that work. Stippling is straightforward enough, but would that be enough to work by itself? I'm not sure my painting skills would make it look very good.

 

I had the same reservations before I tried it, so I feel you there. But blood effect turns out not to be terribly complicated to make look decent. I'll gob it on the main part I want to be bloody, like a sword blade or a fist or whatever, and then draw out the extra as if it was running. Then I'll go back with just a little paint on the brush and stipple blood spatters and sort of dry brush on smears here and there.

 

Here's a basic dry-brush type thing of Red Gore on a chain blade bayonet.

 

Here's a Power Fist with a similar effect.

 

Here's a Khârn I did with the stippling idea.

 

And here's an Abaddon I did where I sort of went nuts with it.

 

The way I do it isn't fancy, but it gets the point across.

[Kol Saresk]

Hmm, suggestion. Maybe do something similar to the Claws of Lorek's or the Red Corsairs' red and black color schemes?

[minigun762]

If the shoulder as the red item is too uniform, consider painting a random armor piece red for each berserker. Hands here, leg there, helmet on this guy.

[Hyaenidae]

personally, I'd apply Occam's Razor here....you want Khornate Black Legionairres? Paint 'em like Black Legionares, but cover them in Khornate symbols and a large amount of trophy racks/ skulls / helms. Simplistic answers usually provide the best results.

[chillin]

Yeah I like heathens idea. Also you could combine csm and brzrkr bits to make the models. since u dont like red shld pads, How about bodies painted as BL but w red helmets. I did the random red arm, red leg, red body / blk arm, blk, leg, blk body, for my BL brzrkrs and in the end I didnt like how it came out. If I had it to do again I"d do BL bodies and red helms (minus the bunny ears). Also use proper brzrkrs, not csm's w IoK, brzrkrs are WAY better, and a khorne worshipping BL army would be full of them. For your special weopons squads, just use IoCG or no icon, w their bp+ccw, reg csm hav plenty enough attacks to represent k worshipping csm's that havnt gone total brzrk yet properly.

Good Luck

[Dammeron]

A good starting point may be to start with a narrative or aesthetic concept. Is there a particular ethos you want your Khornate warriors to evoke? Maybe they are dedicated to a very particular aspect of the Blood God, or some preconception of him that is distinct from how his worship more commonly manifests. For example, maybe they serve Khorne in his aspect of The Great Hound, which is the aspect of Khorne that reflects vengeance (VERY Black Legion), relentlessness and sheer single minded purpose. In that regard, perhaps you could fashion your warriors to be Chaos Space Marine "hunters" of a sorts; foregoing the usual axes and bludgeoning instruments for hunting apparel. You could even model some to have mutations that reflect wolf or dog like features, or have the Chaos Space Marines accompanied by daemonic or mutant hounds.

 

Alternatively, maybe they are more classically fetishistic, collecting certain "trophies" from their enemies to heap before the Blood God's throne. In that instance, their armour could be bone coloured in places (perhaps the trim), or set and hung with various bone trophies. Or perhaps they themselves are "cursed" by Khorne for some perceived slight or misdeed, their flesh boiled and blood boiled away, leaving behind only shrieking, bleached-clean skeletons beneath their power armour.

 

Damn, I almost want to start a Khorne army now, and I'm a Slaanesh worshipper!

[Artein]

Black armor.

Brass trim and stuff.

Khorne symbols and stuff of course.

Add some skulls and blood effect and voila!

[the jeske]

black and brass doesnt look well . most of the time the models look unfinished + black is the hardest color to do .

[Warsmith Aznable]

I don't have any experience with brass, but I'm a big fan of Burnished Gold. It's not too bright, but it's still gold and it still shines. Plus you can touch it up with Shining Gold where you want to give it a little oomph.

[Khestra the Unbeheld]

Brass is kind of weak, I'd go with whatever they're calling Dwarven Bronze now if you don't want to go with the Gold schtick.

[chillin]

Thats why my BL has the origional chrome/silver trim. Gold/bronze trime is for jonny-come-lately BL players (probably only seen 1 black crusaide at best, fng).

But jeske is right, u gotta do highlights w a couple kinds of grey then cover w watered down black to get black to look "interesting" .

 

 

black and brass doesnt look well . most of the time the models look unfinished + black is the hardest color to do .

[Excessus]

Paint them as Black Legionnaires, add blood to them...done! :D

 

Well, a few more things might be required, but a nice amount of blood is never wrong when it comes to Berzerkers!

[Artein]

Brass may be weak but it's the colour of Khorne.

[the jeske]

Funny thing is that actualy awesome black models are not painted with black paint at all . you do more grey/white shading on purple models at least that what my wife always does for single models .

 

black painted models [as in with black paint actualy used] look good[for me] when they have beetle like looks . eyes striking gloss , bug type highlights makes stuff look realy nice. +it works well with bright[bronze/gold] metalics , best with copper weathering effect added near any studs/chains etc.

[Piousservant]

Hmm, thanks guys I've got lots of ideas to think about now! I think I need to develop the theme I want a bit more and then work up some test models and see which way of modelling/painting I like best. Thanks for the help! :)

[totgeboren]

I would paint them black with gold trimming and large red Khorne icons on their shoulders.

[Trevak Dal]

Thats why my BL has the origional chrome/silver trim. Gold/bronze trime is for jonny-come-lately BL players (probably only seen 1 black crusaide at best, fng).

But jeske is right, u gotta do highlights w a couple kinds of grey then cover w watered down black to get black to look "interesting" .

 

 

black and brass doesnt look well . most of the time the models look unfinished + black is the hardest color to do .

 

I've seen interesting Black Legion models with "highlighting" using Necron Abyss, it makes for a blue-black that's colder than the void.