The Aphotican Oath - Daemons & Chaos Marines

[A D-B]

Introduction - "Blah Blah Blah..."

With the recent collapse of my Horus Heresy Space Wolves due to a cataclysmic failure in getting a decent grey scheme to work, I ended up painting some Heresy-era Marines as Blood Angels instead. So as my Heresy army finally gets off the ground (albeit a lot redder and jump-packier than I'd initially planned...) on my blog's Tale of Five Heretics it's also time to go back to my 40K army, and bring that wayward beast to heel. Last time I played (many photos within that link), it was with 850 points of unpainted Chaos Marines, and that's not something I'm proud of - even if it's better, by a measure of some degree, than my old 4,000-point unpainted High Elf army. Man, that was a lot of bare-ass grey.

I play in a narrative campaign with about 15 people - currently at 1,500 points - and heavily optimised lists tend not to show up, usually in favour of whatever units people like the look of, like the background for and have ideas for how it matches their theme, or simply what they've got available at the moment. No special characters. Everyone creates their own HQs, and sticks with the Warlord Trait they rolled in the first session, unless they use another character as their Warlord in the future, natch.

However, one player does play Grey Knights (Captain, Librarian, three 5-man Terminators Squads, Land Raider Redeemer, Dreadknight), and even though his list isn't particularly nasty compared to what it could be, the simple fact that it's Grey Knights means several of us struggle a lot to do anything to him. At 850 points, my initial list had the problem of having next to nothing on the table that could bypass a 2+ save, and had to rely on massed bolter fire from my Chaos Marine Squads to do anything at all. So in some ways... lesson learned. But overall, there's a pretty decent spread of races and factions, despite a chunky MEQ presence on both sides of the campaign.

Since I started working on my Heresy army, my Chaos Marines slowly melted into "Chaos Marines with Daemons", and then into "Daemons with Chaos Marines". Part of it is because I don't want two pure power armour armies, part of it is that I had some cool ideas I wanted to write about for daemon army background, and part of it is that the new Chosen/Daemon Engine/Raptor aesthetic is so awesome that I'm not all that keen on my older/basic Chaos Marines any more. When I stand them next to, say, the Chosen from Dark Vengeance, I go into desperate hobby convulsions, and require urgent medical attention.

So it's Daemons with allied Chaos Marines now.

I am, however, aware that playing Daemons against Grey Knights is essentially handing over the keys to victory. I'd like to avoid that happening with a sense of crushing inevitability, if possible.

The Aphotican Oath

My Chaos Marines changed Legion a lot in the last 2 years, back in the "All of these test colour schemes look gash" phases between getting married, having a baby, and more deadlines than you can shake a hundred excuses at. These gentlemen went from being Black Legion to being Word Bearers; then from Word Bearers to the Brotherhood of Darkness; then there was a brief stop at the Alpha Legion with entirely rewritten background, before they slipped effortlessly back to the Brotherhood of Darkness, where all my best ideas were in the first place. I realised it was time to man up and learn to paint black. It's not going well, but I'm sick of changing my army background, so here we stay.

Plus, the campaign's under way now, and the Chaos side has its opening fiction written. No more changing, I say.

My army, the Aphotican Oath, is comprised of two elements. The first is a Chaos Marine warband, commanding a meagre two warships, who were once part of the Night Lords Legion. They have variously cordial / violent relations with their former brothers depending on which VIII Legion warbands they cross paths with. On the whole, no, they're not pals. The Oath are an altogether more Chaotically-tainted breed of Night Lord, and prefer to go their own way. In accordance with this, uh, 'lifestyle preference', they've sworn some very dangerous, very binding oaths with daemons.

The daemonic elements of the Aphotican Oath are fairly typical, formed of creatures from several pantheons, akin to many of the warbands found within the Eye of Terror - much like the Brazen Host, the Murderval, and the Soulmaw. Although the exact membership shifts with the aetheric tides, most of the core regiments are bound - at least temporarily - by pacts to one particular overlord. As I make progress, I'll post more background for them, but the direction I'm going is a little like this:

The Aphotican Oath's daemons are primarily born from human emotions of shame, guilt, deceit, and fear, and find common gound in this supernatural genesis, even when they find themselves warring against one another.

The Lord of Change Kaur'vane Asta'Kresh holds cosmic, hellish sway over many of them, through infernal pacts and the weight of ancient debts, though on many occasions his lesser champions - those born of Tzeentch as well as those of Khorne and Slaanesh - have sought to usurp him.

As an example, one of his most-prized pacts is with the Bloodletter legion known as the Circle of Shame. These creatures are born from the times of shameful treachery whenever a man or woman abandons a wounded ally on the battlefield, or turns aside from a fallen companion when a single moment of courage might otherwise have saved a friend's life. Every time a human soldier gives in to rage over loyalty, or masks cowardice in anger, another Bloodletter is spawned in the Warp, destined to march with the Circle.

The Ragged Knight, rumoured in a dozen sequestered (and plainly fanciful) grimoires to be the daemon that swallowed the soul of the first man ever to commit murder, leads the Circle's forces among the Aphotican Oath.

The warband makes its home among the stormy winds of the Eye of Terror aboard the hollow and haunted remnants of Craftworld Ulrahaim - one of many eldar craftworlds that failed to escape the Fall. Kaur'vane and his minions lurk in the wraithbone ruins, drifting through Eyespace at the whims of the Warp's winds, tormenting the spectres of slaughtered eldar and waiting for their mortal allies to call. When the daemons are summoned, it's often to the surface of a planet already under siege, or in the bowels of the Brotherhood of Darkness warships beat of Persephone and Draugun.

As for models that aren't in the list, when it scales up to 2,000 points, I'll likely add some Chaos Marines if I can, to show both sides of the Oath's forces. I'm also thinking of adding a Heldrake (with a baleflamer), painted in blues and golds (and maybe with a Zombie Dragon skull-head), to represent a Doom Wing. Probably through the Allies rule when we escalate to 2,000, but we play very fast and loose with some rules, so no one in the campaign would really freak out if I used it in my 1,500 pure Daemons army, either.

Opinions on the list are welcome. My main issue right now is possibly changing the Soulgrinder and Decimator for a Skull Cannon or two, and the aforementioned Doom Wing. I feel like the three core units are too small given the fact they'll be assaulting 10-man Tactical Squads and 5-man Terminator Squads most of the time, and I'm not all that confident about the list's anti-tank capability.

Army List - 1,493pts.

(Warlord): Kaur'vane Asta'Kresh - Seer of Hollowhaven, Guardian of the Sixth Seal, The Carrion Lord of Craftworld Ulrahaim
- Lord of Change -
Options: Mastery level 3, Greater Rewards x2, Lesser Reward x1.
Points: 305

The Preceptor of the Incandescent Choir
- Herald of Tzeentch -
Options: Mastery level 3, Exalted Locus of Conjuration.
Points: 120

The White Mime
- Herald of Slaanesh -
Options: Greater Etherblade, Exalted Locus of Beguilement.
Points: 95

The Ragged Knight
- Herald of Khorne -
Options: Greater Etherblade, Greater Locus of Fury.
Points: 95


The Incandescent Choir
- 14 Pink Horrors of Tzeentch -
Options: Icon of Chaos upgraded to a blasted standard.
Points: 146

The Pale Mimicry
- 12 Daemonettes of Slaanesh (including an Alluress) -
Options: Etherblade, and an Icon of Chaos upgraded to a rapturous standard.
Points: 143

The Circle of Shame
- 12 Bloodletters of Khorne (including a Bloodreaper) -
Options: Etherblade, and an Icon of Chaos upgraded to a banner of blood.
Points: 155


The Forsworn
- Decimator Daemon Engine -
Options: Butcher cannons x2, searchlight, smoke launchers, and a Mark of Tzeentch.
Points: 264


The Graven Gift
- Soul Grinder -
Options: Mark of Tzeentch, phlegm bombardment.
Points: 170

[Ravenfeld]

Hey ADB,

 

I am loving the lore so far, definitely can appreciate someone who builds a force around fluff over application. That being said there is some gaps that (as you've already mentioned) will get exploited without too much trouble. You're troops are too small as you mentioned, and will likely get whittled down to a point where they won't have enough hitting power in an assault, need to beef them up somehow.

 

Sadly that may mean cutting some Heralds from the pack to get some extra points or perhaps culling the whole of the Slaaneshi or Bloodletter units w/ heralds completely at this point level to boost up one or the other. Then at 2k you can reintroduce them without knee-capping yourself on bodies. My understanding (and it is loose being a loyalist marine first and a chaos marine second) is that daemons need numbers to have enough bodies left to make a difference when they get to assault.  I am by no means an expert on daemons when it comes to the table top though, so take that with a grain of salt.

 

I also notice Tzeentch is prominent in terms of marks, that is no doubt due to the Carrion Lord's presence. While not a bad thing by any stretch, Nurgle marks on your war machines tends to provide better bang for you're buck by making them notably more survivable... then again you seem to dislike Nurgle (boo! Hiss!) as I notice he has 0 presence in the Pact.

 

Just my two cents! Looking forward to seeing more fluff / models / ideas in the future!

Raven.

[Pavement Artist]

I'm really feeling that Bloodletter concept. I must admit, i've never found an appealing background based avenue for khorne troops up until now.

 

Let us know how the decimator works out for you, a mate of mine has one in his world eaters force and loves it to bits.

[Shuggnuggath]

I have played a few games with Tzeentch Daemons now.

 

I think the Lord of Change is an excellent all-rounder and I normally go for the Warp Staff for my Lesser Reward and 2 rolls on the Greater Reward chart. I take two Divination and one Tzeentch spell.

 

I don't think its worth it to make the Tzeentch Herald lvl 3, he only needs to get Prescience and Flickering Fire so lvl 2 is good enough. Locus of Conjuration is Excellent though.

 

I find a Soulgrinder with Phlegm and Daemon of Tzeentch is very useful, being able to Sweeping advance is great.

 

 

 

How well does the Decimator do? Its a heck of a lot of points.

[Midnightmare]

The fluff is great (as one would expect!), looking forward to seeing some dudes (and dudettes built/painted)

As far as your list is concerned (and I am by no means an expert on Daemons), I would say more troops. 6th ed is all about troops with so many objective based games. They need numbers, your assault Daemons, as they need to do the up close fighting/bleed your soul for fun thing and score at the end of the game. You don't want to get into assault with only a few left and have nothing to score afterwards. My own personal faves (after being on the receiving end of a few charges!) are the Daemonettes - they are so fast they always seem within range, yet they are a glass hammer so you need more of them especially when facing a lot of dakka. Just imho.

Anyways, pictures please!

[Vesper]

Hey,

Cool stuff so far, I guess you'll paint the Decimator to fit the Brotherhood of Darkness colour scheme... Which is something I would absolutly love to see. The Mark of Tzeentch on the Decimator feels pretty weird to me, I use mine with two butcher canons, just like yours, and Nurgle fits better. Because the Decimator is quite expensive, to say the least, and benefits greatly from more survivability (because once you've shot with those two butcher canons, people on the other side of the table ofter consider that it has done enough and don't want him to live for another turn).

[Kol Saresk]

The Aphotican Oath Rises! Again!

I'm no help on the army building but good luck with the painting!

[Obscura]

Good luck with your Aphotican Oath and allies.

 

What are your plans when it comes to painting and realizing color schemes? Will there be a tying element across the board or do you have something else in mind?

[Captain Semper]

Hmmm.... I see fluff and I see an army list... but where are the minis?

 

Do you plan of making a WIP thread here (and finally see a mini painted by ADB :o ) or do you want me to move the thread to the lists section?

[A D-B]

Hey ADB,

I am loving the lore so far, definitely can appreciate someone who builds a force around fluff over application. That being said there is some gaps that (as you've already mentioned) will get exploited without too much trouble. You're troops are too small as you mentioned, and will likely get whittled down to a point where they won't have enough hitting power in an assault, need to beef them up somehow.

I think it'll be the Decimator that has to go. It's a beautiful model, but for its cost I can bulk up all three core squads, and take a Skull Cannon, some Screamers, or some Seekers - all of which I'd really love to paint and/or use.

I love pretty much every single one of the new chariots, too. At first I felt they were too Fantasy, but thinking about it in terms of THE ARMIES OF FREAKING HELL, it all started to change around in my head, and I absolutely love them now - especially the Burning Chariot and the Skull Cannon.

Sadly that may mean cutting some Heralds from the pack to get some extra points or perhaps culling the whole of the Slaaneshi or Bloodletter units w/ heralds completely at this point level to boost up one or the other. Then at 2k you can reintroduce them without knee-capping yourself on bodies. My understanding (and it is loose being a loyalist marine first and a chaos marine second) is that daemons need numbers to have enough bodies left to make a difference when they get to assault. I am by no means an expert on daemons when it comes to the table top though, so take that with a grain of salt.

I also notice Tzeentch is prominent in terms of marks, that is no doubt due to the Carrion Lord's presence. While not a bad thing by any stretch, Nurgle marks on your war machines tends to provide better bang for you're buck by making them notably more survivable... then again you seem to dislike Nurgle (boo! Hiss!) as I notice he has 0 presence in the Pact.

Nurgle has more of a presence in the Chaos Marine side of the Oath, where there's a relatively even distribution of god-sworn warriors. I'm trying to get my Daemons done first, but the eventual idea is to be able switch between Marines & Daemon Allies, and Daemons & Marine Allies, depending on the battle.

I'm really feeling that Bloodletter concept. I must admit, i've never found an appealing background based avenue for khorne troops up until now.

Let us know how the decimator works out for you, a mate of mine has one in his world eaters force and loves it to bits.

I think I know what you mean. Daemons can initially seem pretty limiting in terms of unique army background at first (much like a faceless, nameless horde of Tyranids), but once you start to muse on what the Warp really is - and delve into what various cultures have always believed "real" demons are - it can get a lot cooler. I mean, there's no way the Ragged Knight is actually called the Ragged Knight, and there's no way he was the Daemon to swallow the soul of the first murderer (which I guess mythologically speaking, would be the Biblical character Cain).

But when you imagine it in terms of ancient, faded grimoires and daemon-summoning scrolls, with dusty images of a Bloodletter next to flowing, faint script describing his deeds and twisted nobility... Well, I just really dig the idea that there's a wide difference between what a Daemon actually is, and what ignorant mortals write about him in ritual spellbooks. Ignorance is what makes 40K go 'round.

I have played a few games with Tzeentch Daemons now.

I think the Lord of Change is an excellent all-rounder and I normally go for the Warp Staff for my Lesser Reward and 2 rolls on the Greater Reward chart. I take two Divination and one Tzeentch spell.

I think I'll do the same. It's traditional, but looks like a lot of fun.

In terms of army background, I'd like to be able to field two Lords of Change (maybe at higher points, they might even show up at the same time), with one painted in traditional blues to represent Kaur'vane, and the other painted as a ragged crow/raven, to represent his more prophetically-gifted but weaker underling Vhal'kamah.

I don't think its worth it to make the Tzeentch Herald lvl 3, he only needs to get Prescience and Flickering Fire so lvl 2 is good enough. Locus of Conjuration is Excellent though.

As I'm really, really desperate to save points to spend elsewhere, that's a great idea. Thanks, dude.

How well does the Decimator do? Its a heck of a lot of points.

Never fielded one, yet. And the points put me off, I admit.

That said, I've seen one fielded with dual butcher cannons, and against Marines and Guard it was absolutely, punishingly, unbelievably vicious. But our campaign isn't the best standard to go by in terms of competitiveness - we ad hoc a lot of missions when Alan Bligh or John French come up with ideas on the spot ("Everyone, just charge the Mechanicum's Aegis Line... Go!"), and stuff that's immensely popular with the gang isn't always all that popular in normal army lists. F'rex, after the last meetup, practically every Chaos player added a Maulerfiend to their Christmas Lists because of how the Alpha Legion's one made hilarious work of Katie's Shadow Wolf Marines and Jon's Imperial Guard.

The fluff is great (as one would expect!), looking forward to seeing some dudes (and dudettes built/painted)

I spent last night making Bloodletters, in preparation to start painting tonight, but they're taking an age of scraping mold lines and liquid-green-stuffing gaps. Maybe I'm not used to organic models, or something, but they take a lot more prep work than any of my Chaos Marines or HH Blood Angels.

As far as your list is concerned (and I am by no means an expert on Daemons), I would say more troops. 6th ed is all about troops with so many objective based games. They need numbers, your assault Daemons, as they need to do the up close fighting/bleed your soul for fun thing and score at the end of the game. You don't want to get into assault with only a few left and have nothing to score afterwards. My own personal faves (after being on the receiving end of a few charges!) are the Daemonettes - they are so fast they always seem within range, yet they are a glass hammer so you need more of them especially when facing a lot of dakka. Just imho.

This is unpleasant wisdom, but I'll heed it. Really does look like the Decimator will need to wait for more points.

Hey,
Cool stuff so far, I guess you'll paint the Decimator to fit the Brotherhood of Darkness colour scheme... Which is something I would absolutly love to see. The Mark of Tzeentch on the Decimator feels pretty weird to me, I use mine with two butcher canons, just like yours, and Nurgle fits better. Because the Decimator is quite expensive, to say the least, and benefits greatly from more survivability (because once you've shot with those two butcher canons, people on the other side of the table ofter consider that it has done enough and don't want him to live for another turn).

I roll a lot of 1s, Vesp.

I know you're right, but I feel like I'm cheating if I slap the Mark of Nurgle on something without modelling it appropriately. And I can't model Nurgle. However, yep, if I use a Dessy, it'll be in the Brotherhood's colours.

The Aphotican Oath Rises! Again!

I'm no help on the army building but good luck with the painting!

They rise for real, this time. I mean, not just because they've already seen action, but because we're all a lot more motivated with painting now.

Good luck with your Aphotican Oath and allies.

What are your plans when it comes to painting and realizing color schemes? Will there be a tying element across the board or do you have something else in mind?

One of the things I love most about Daemons is how colourful and varied they are on the tabletop, and I value that variety even more now that I'm learning how to paint 20-man Blood Angel Legion Assault Squads, because that gets tedious pretty fast.

I'd like Kaur'vane's Pink Horrors to be more... vibrant? ...than Vhal'kamah's, because Kaur'vane is a traditionally-strong Lord of Change, and Vhal'kamah is more of a crow-like, weaker breed - so the former's Horrors are pinker and 'stronger', and the latter's are paler, more 'anaemic'.

I'd really love a unifying element among the Bloodletters of the Circle of Shame, but I'm not sure what that could be. Definitely open to any suggestions.

[A D-B]

Hmmm.... I see fluff and I see an army list... but where are the minis?

Do you plan of making a WIP thread here (and finally see a mini painted by ADB ) or do you want me to move the thread to the lists section?

Sadly, it's a real WIP thread. Gimme a few days.

[Captain Semper]

Look forward to it! :)

[apologist]

 

I'd like Kaur'vane's Pink Horrors to be more... vibrant? ...than Vhal'kamah's, because Kaur'vane is a traditionally-strong Lord of Change, and Vhal'kamah is more of a crow-like, weaker breed - so the former's Horrors are pinker and 'stronger', and the latter's are paler, more 'anaemic'.

 

 

I can't really offer much help on the gaming or list sides of things, but I love the background, and the painting scheme sounds like it could be really diverse, which can be a lot of fun. I like your take on giving the different groups of daemons more character by delving into the reason for their 'creation'; and the idea of differentiating between the Horrors subservient to the different Lords of Change really resonates with me – I reckon there's a great deal to be explored here.

 

In terms of concrete suggestions, you might consider using blue or purple washes over Vhal'kamah's Horrors. Blue Horrors were traditionally grumbly, moaning and weaker than the giggly, more vibrant pink horrors, so hinting at that by making Vhal'kamah's Horrors slightly purple or lilac in tone would be one way to differentiate the two groups. If you want to maintain them as definitely Pink Horrors, then consider adding white to the pink you use for Vhal'kamah's Horrors. This'll make them a pastel shade that will be less eye-catching than Kaur'vane's but will still tone nicely.

 

Both schemes should work in terms of an overall scheme; as pale pinks and lilacs should complement the Slaanesh contingent (assuming you use fairly traditional colours here). Talking of the daemonettes, have you considered using various different pastel shades? Pale yellows, pinks and blues for daemonettes go back all the way to Realm of Chaos, and I've always thought they looked more Slaaneshi than the fairly muted, more uniform colours scheme thats now standard.

 

If you haven't built both units of Horrors yet, you might consider picking and choosing the models for the different groups. Regardless of the era of the models you buy, there were quite a few pink horrors that are beaked, or have feathery details. Grouping these all together would help match them to one or the other Lords of Change.

 

I'd really love a unifying element among the Bloodletters of the Circle of Shame, but I'm not sure what that could be. Definitely open to any suggestions.

The one thing that all the daemon models share is areas that can be painted in metallic colours, so this is one way to introduce a unifying element across the army. I personally think gold is a bit too flamboyant, and brass will look too Khornate. Silver will go very well with both the pinks and pastels of the Tzeentch/Slaanesh contigents and the reds of the Khornate models, so it'll help to tie things together. It's also a less bold or martial colour than gold or brass, which helps to suggest the slightly sneaky nature of the Lords of Change and the mortals of the Aphotican Oath. You note that the marines are ex-Night Lords, so silver could be used on them too.

 

Alternatively, one thing I've wanted to try for a long time is painting the daemon models more naturalistically; with various human skintones. I think this would add a really sinister and distinctive appearance to the army and help tie it all together visually. It would  work beautifully with the core elements behind the army – 'human emotions of shame, guilt, deceit, and fear' – all of which suggest things that might be hidden. Using naturalistic skintones here would suggest vulnerability and nakedness; elements which are grotesquely contrasted with the nature of the daemons. Again, this would provide a great contrast with the heavily plated and masked Astartes of the Oath.

 

Anyway, pontification over – I hope it's useful! Good luck with the painting :)

[Valkyrion]

Too many words and not enough pictures, as per...

[Shuggnuggath]

Personally I would use the Decimator in larger points games -1750 Plus. Its a cool looking model and it would be a shame not to field it.

Using the points saved on some fast stuff like flesh hounds or seeker cavalry and maybe a khorne cannon to help out your assault elements seems like a sensible approach.

 

Since the army is lead by a Lord of Change I think the lack of a Nurgle unit makes a lot of sense from a fluff angle.

 

Good luck with the project :)

[Noctus Cornix]

so, the Aphotican Oath rises again, eh? I do hope the Blind Lord you described in a previous piece of this army's rendition will be making a comeback.

 

When it comes to your daemons, I got admit, you aim to inspire man. The part about what daemons actually are and what mortals ignorantly think they know about this is an interesting concept that can help you get away with alot of things that normally people would flag you down for. That and the circle of shame. Priceless idea. I'll have to keep these notes in mind when I begin work on my daemon allies for the Chapter of the Ruined King.

 

Good luck on your project, man.

[Xenith]

 

 

I'd like Kaur'vane's Pink Horrors to be more... vibrant? ...than Vhal'kamah's, because Kaur'vane is a traditionally-strong Lord of Change, and Vhal'kamah is more of a crow-like, weaker breed - so the former's Horrors are pinker and 'stronger', and the latter's are paler, more 'anaemic'.

 

One method I have found to get get...ethereal looking, yet still vibrant models is to prime white, then simply wash them with your chosen (bright) colour. One wash will leve a lot of the white showing, and you'll get a pastelly weaker shade. Build up the washes in multiple layers to increase the vibrancy. It works well with the old GW wash.

 

I tested it on an old harlequin, and the model looks...like it's not quite there. And was super quick to do. 

[Chaeron]

Really excited to see this develop - going to be very cool!

[reckoning]

I cant provide any help to your list, but Im nevertheless excited about seeing The Aphotican Oath rise.

 

Even if they are a bunch of demons and traitors...

[Obscura]

One of the things I love most about Daemons is how colourful and varied they are on the tabletop, and I value that variety even more now that I'm learning how to paint 20-man Blood Angel Legion Assault Squads, because that gets tedious pretty fast.

 

I'd like Kaur'vane's Pink Horrors to be more... vibrant? ...than Vhal'kamah's, because Kaur'vane is a traditionally-strong Lord of Change, and Vhal'kamah is more of a crow-like, weaker breed - so the former's Horrors are pinker and 'stronger', and the latter's are paler, more 'anaemic'.

 

I'd really love a unifying element among the Bloodletters of the Circle of Shame, but I'm not sure what that could be. Definitely open to any suggestions.

From my own recent and time tested painting experience ( I've been playing/painting Xenos lately, Orks and Eldar. Given their predilections for bright, almost garish colors I'm almost an expert in coloring shenanigans. ). A khaki base coat on Kaur'vane's Pink Horrors with a build up of various pinks in progressively lighter shades and inks will do nicely to blend any discrepancies together. For Vhal'kamah's I would coat them in white and skip the first dark shade/coat of pink and build up from there, adding inks to draw the layers together. From this you'll be able to have two units that are clearly Pink Horrors but their color variance will draw them into two separate and distinct units given your requirements.

 

Bloodletters of the Circle of Shame can be drawn together by utilizing glow effects on their swords since their bodies are generally seen in various states of dark reds centering from their torso outward into darker shades of red/black. Teeth, eyes and spikes are usually given a dab of off white and tied in. Given the aforementioned information tying their weaponry together would be your best bet. If you're going to use a Red/Black variation for their bodies, perhaps coloring/glowing their blades in shades of blue would be the best bet?

[MagicMan]

Most replies without a picture, ever?

 

 

Probably, lol.

[Kol Saresk]

No, there's another WIP thread I know of that can top it lol.

[Dragonkin Arenis]

Most replies without a picture, ever?

 

 

Probably, lol.

 

It's A.D.B. Why not?

 

Honestly, all I can suggest is to greenstuff something special on the members of the Circle of Shame, like some armour plates in brass. I haven't seen anything like it on Bloodletters before, so it would be unique as far as I am aware. The same individual armour plates don't need to be all across the unit, either - vambraces, chestplates, shinguards... Hell, even skullcaps might look good on those guys.

 

Other than that, I can't think of anything that would look good besides painting them in an unusual way, as mentioned in several posts above.

[Hyaenidae]

The Ragged Knight, rumoured in a dozen sequestered (and plainly fanciful) grimoires to be the daemon that swallowed the soul of the first man ever to commit murder, leads the Circle's forces among the Aphotican Oath.

Oh, son of a . Last week, I came up with the same damn name for the leader of my Word Bearer warband. I was all proud of myself too, sounding it out loud with a slight smile on my face, coming up with a history on how he came to be named as such, how to integrate the image into my mini. God, I hate you so much right now. So, so much. My victory is now ash in my mouth, my heart hollow.

Hello. My name is One Thousand Heathens. You killed my idea. Prepare to die.

[Kol Saresk]

Just call him "The Spaniard" Heathens ;)