++ The Murderers' Call - A Night Lords Community ++

[GreaterChickenofTzeentch]

So how is everyone doing, gamewise?

 

I've heard a lot of people say our new legion tactics are cool but i've not seen a single batrep!

 

Would love to hear your experiences as i build up my army.

Reece Robbins at Frontline Gaming plays a fair amount of Night Lords. He has a few batreps with NL up on their YouTube Channel.

[OnboardG1]

The commissar nerf certainly makes NL a lot nastier against guard gunlines. Forcing -5 or -6 Ld on Ld7 models is nasty. Against conscripts it's just rude.

[Panzer]

The commissar nerf certainly makes NL a lot nastier against guard gunlines. Forcing -5 or -6 Ld on Ld7 models is nasty. Against conscripts it's just rude.

It basically doubles the amount of damage you do to them. Never a bad thing against chaff. (also extremely fluffy)

[The Dude & His Rug]

How does one join the legion on the front page?

[Wicced]

How does one join the legion on the front page?

post your company's or warband's name and commander's name here and wait for one of the mods to put you up on the first page ;)

[Stargazer1st]

Evening all. I haven't played a proper game of warhammer for a fair while now and know little of 8th ed. I've been working on a small 30k night lords force for the past year and was hoping i could make use of them for 40k too. But as i know little of 8th and the new chaos 'dex what would you guys recommend as a good place to start?

[MyD4rkPassenger]

I would say definitely start with the codex, and if you have the time maybe watch some batreps online.  While everyone doesn't always get every rule right to the tee, its a good way to watch the game play out and get a feel for the new edition.  

 

Additionally I request help from all of you.   I have recently got the manic idea to create first claw for my shadow wars team out of the primaris models.  Anyone here have advice on bits?  Currently planning on starting with Talos, Cyrion, Uzas, and Mercutian, as their gear fits the starting point of 1000.  I'd like to try the primaris, as it truescales them for a more authentic experience in SW, but if the bits don't match well thems the brakes and I'll use the old models.  While their loadout has never been competitive for 40k, I figure this is the perfect opportunity for me to finally get them created and on the table.

[Demenzia]

Hi

Could you please add my Night Lords to the front page please?

 

76th Company: The Midnight Whisper

Commander: Dementor

Strength: Raptors units supported by Warp Talons and ground forces.

 

I will work in some fluff for my army

[Stargazer1st]

Finally mamaged to get a copy of the codex, time to look at some ideas XD.

 

I know i want a winged daemon prince as then i can put my Curze model on the table.

 

It looks like our legion trait is geared toward MSU style, but are squads of 10 still viable?

 

Also what are peoples thoughts on the exalted champion? His rules look really cool (and a good chance to model Talos XD), but i worry he'll be too slow.

[OnboardG1]

Also what are peoples thoughts on the exalted champion? His rules look really cool (and a good chance to model Talos XD), but i worry he'll be too slow.

 

Stick him in a Rhino with an assault-oriented squad and he has his uses. Unfortunately he's in a position where he allows re-rolled wounds but the mainstay assault threat you'd pair him with (that can be transported in a rhino) are Berzerkers, and those benefit more from RR hits rather than RR wounds in most cases. If he had a jetpack or bike option then he'd be a go-to for me because then he'd be able to relocate almost anywhere to support a charge.

[the emperor is scottish]

Hi Fellas and fellets

Has anyone here tried painting their night lords in alternative colour scheme?
Toying with the idea of not painting my night lords in midnight blue *gasp* right?
I was thinking of something that involved incubui darkness so although it would still be very dark it might have a green sheen to it. See how washing it down with a blue might work as to maybe throw the eye.  

If I do keep the classic scheme I think i'm going to try some green lighting bolts for more of a warp tainted effect.

[SyNidus]

Hi Fellas and fellets

 

Has anyone here tried painting their night lords in alternative colour scheme?

Toying with the idea of not painting my night lords in midnight blue *gasp* right?

I was thinking of something that involved incubui darkness so although it would still be very dark it might have a green sheen to it. See how washing it down with a blue might work as to maybe throw the eye.

 

If I do keep the classic scheme I think i'm going to try some green lighting bolts for more of a warp tainted effect.

Sounds pretty cool, although if you're not careful your night lords will start looking a lot like black legion ;)

 

Also fluff-wise, i'm sure there's some night lords out there who wanted to break off on their own.

 

If you go the classic colour scheme route, green lightning could be cool but i have a feeling it might clash with the overall colour scheme rather than enhance it.

 

Either way, try them out and post em here

[the emperor is scottish]

I was thinking that myself Sy but that got me thinking that I could make them a black legion war band (boo hiss, I know right?) but I think there in lies the golden nugget.
If I could make their armour really dark, almost black! but with a green/blue hue, something to throw the eye ever so slightly, then It would fit with the fluff I'm righting for them. Signing up with abaddon, using him almost for resources and gathering as much information as to Sevatars whereabouts.

 

I'm a firm believer our first captain is still around and its the filthy 1st that have him.

 

Its not fully fleshed yet but if and when I get this project started this thread will be my first port of call.
Don't hold your breath though, I've had a terrible run of luck the with the hobby.

I've moved house a few times over the past few years and each time things goes missing, as they usually do moving home. Problem is the first time a few bits and bobs you know the usual, a tshirt, a pair of her shoes, couple plates. Nothing spectacular.
Second time about 20 years worth of White dwarf magazines up and vanished along with a load of books, horus heresy books, 40k, fantasy as well as a load of david gemmel and other publications.

That was a real kick in the stones, honestly I was gutted!

Third time was bad as well but maybe not as bad a whole lot of my modelling gear went missing. Paints, a HUGE bits box and load of models. Older ones as well. The entire box of metal gaunts ghosts, the metal hell cannon, old metal shaggoth, inq cotez and retinue. Load of wee nick knacks.

There in lies the problem. I've gone from a wealth of bits to next to nothing. I've picked up and traded a few items but with a wedding coming up to pay for I'm struggling to see this project up and running. So don't hold your breath to see any pictures any time soon lol

Anyway sorry for the rant and apologies if you've read my pathetic sob story before as I'm sure I've cried on about it a few times in the past.
 

[OnboardG1]

Little belated but I added some air support to my NL for the Call of Chaos event:

 

http://i.imgur.com/16oD479.jpg

[Augustus b'Raass]

@ Onboard61: you better use boiling water or a hairdryer to heat those wing tips and straighten them, buddy!

[OnboardG1]

@ Onboard61: you better use boiling water or a hairdryer to heat those wing tips and straighten them, buddy!

I did notice that but I prefer the curve that the wings make at the end. Makes it more claw-like. I did spend a fair amount of time straightening them in the vertical axis though.

[Augustus b'Raass]

Finally doing some Night Lords again. AS a commission, but still. :)

 

 

More pictures here in my WIP log. 

[Wicced]

splendid work as usual mate :tu:

[Chainsword Cookie]

Hello Night Lords, 

 

I come before you seeking your wisdom. I have to participate to a year long narrative campaign taking place on the Eastern Fringe in a subsector we have homebrewed in my local gaming community. The first event is a Doubles game which would take place on the frontier world of Yure 4, a forgotten mudball under the yoke of a greedy Rogue Trader dynasty, led by an ineffectual planetary governor and most probably infiltrated with all manner of filthy xenos. The event will be made up from three missions form the new Chapter Approved book and it will be focused around acquiring, holding and escaping with a shipful of promethium. 

 

Since I have to work out a viable background for my army which has to include details about my warband, its goals, the story of my chaos lords and that of any of my characters and squads, I need your help to flesh it out. The background has to be sensible to the narrative and as grounded in lore as possible (consider it like historical fiction). 

 

I have written down some points on how do I see my warband and I would love to hear your thoughts on them, as well as your suggestions on how to improve it. 

 

 

1. My warband is the remnant of a Night Lords Line Company. Its standing in the legion is of minor import but they do have a valuable asset, a battleship which functioned as a hospital ship during the Great Crusade era and the following Heresy and Scouring. 

 

2. I would like to name my ship "Last Light" or Ultima Lux. It is a capital ship and its function was to act as a hospital ship during the many campaigns of the legion. It contains several decks of medicae facilities and a relatively complete forge which was used to craft replacement bionics and augmetics. What lacks in shipboard weaponry it supplements with a veritable labyrinth of barracks, troop holds and slave pens. 

 

3. They were tasked by the legion lords (?) to engage the imperial forces in the subsector in order to tie in as many reinforcements as possible heading toward the bitter battles in the Ultramar sector. 

 

4. The ship was forced to enact an emergency egress in the subsector where the campaign will take place due to the far raging effects of the Shadow in the Warp (we have several Tyranind players taking place in the campaign) resulting in vast swathes of the Empyrean becalmed by the alien phenomena. 

 

5. The current status of the warband is below strength. The dire journey to the Eastern Fringe costed them dearly and now they find themselves under inhospitable stars, amidst a gathering of imperial forces and in dire need of supplies, slaves and materiel. 

 

6. My Chaos Lord wears Terminator Armor. I see him as a disgruntled but loyal member of the VIII legion. He is former Nostraman nobility but it is the only one of "blue blood" in the warband (which counts then for naught). He is a reliable line officer but envious of the charisma and influence of his peers in the legion. He wants to be someone, he just does not know how to go about it. I wonder what his skill/talent could be?

 

7. My warband will slowly grow as the painting challenge moves one, month by month. Essentially they are a former line company. They have troopers and some access to heavier gear. They do have several Helbrutes but lack tanks. They have a capital ship but its potential is unfulfilled due to lack of maintenance, supplies and the technical know how slowly in decline. 

 

8. My herring is the following. Will my warband trade their independence and embrace Chaos to its fullest in order to survive in this gruesome campaign, or will they find a way to survive on their cunning and martial merit (dubious as it is) alone?

 

I am not good with names, numbers and general NL lore. As I have said, every imput you can provide would be much much welcome. 

 

Thanks

 

Have fun. 

Edited December 20, 2017 by Chainsword Cookie

[Augustus b'Raass]

Welcome to the skinning pits, Chainsword Cookie. I'm going to call you Cookie. 

 

Sounds like a fun little campaign, and one that will inspire and push you to build and paint a sizable force! Here's my comments -mostly questions that come to mind, which if answered will further flesh things out for you. I'm also going to rock up the chronology of your points, as I think any warband should start with their leader - after all, he is the one making the big decisions, so he will have the biggest say in how the band operates.

 

6. My Chaos Lord wears Terminator Armor. I see him as a disgruntled but loyal member of the VIII legion. He is former Nostraman nobility but it is the only one of "blue blood" in the warband (which counts then for naught). He is a reliable line officer but envious of the charisma and influence of his peers in the legion. He wants to be someone, he just does not know how to go about it. I wonder what his skill/talent could be?

To be brutally honest, your Chaos Lord sounds like a wimp. How the hell did a dull, disgruntled line officer -who doesn't even know how to be somebody- with no charisma or influence become a Chaos Lord? That sounds enormously dubious. For starters, Night Lords chew through and spit out line officers for breakfast, especially those 'loyal to the Legion'. There is no more Legion, so anyone still clinging to that concept will be culled for incompetency or at least lack of practicality. Second, the Nostramans long ago culled their nobility from their ranks, as they hated them. Bluebloods are looked at with scorn, and so any former social elite looking to be in any kind of leadership role would have to be outrageously competent - which point three and four will show, your guy -as he is now - is definitely not. Third, if he's envious of the charisma and influence of others, he probably doesn't have enough of those traits to be accepted as a leader by his troops. In other words, the brothers he's jealous of are more likely to be the leaders of your warband. Fourth, why is he disgruntled? Is it because he's such a wimp? Or perhaps because he doesn't like to be greeted with "What's up, doc" by everyone and their dog? But seriously, if he 'wants to be someone but doesn't know how to go about it', then he can't be anybody right now. This guy is no leader and there would be no way he'd have risen to the position of Chaos Lord. Not even to that of Claw sergeant. If any Night Lord for any kind of reason would even sniff a hint of that uncertainty on him, he'd be attacked and killed. It's a dog eat dog world among the Lords of the Night, after all.

You really need to rewrite this character to make him a believable Chaos Lord, because as he is now, I can only see reasons for him not to be the leader of your warband. 

 

1. My warband is the remnant of a Night Lords Line Company. Its standing in the legion is of minor import but they do have a valuable asset, a battleship which functioned as a hospital ship during the Great Crusade era and the following Heresy and Scouring. 

Sounds cool! How do they view the rest of the Legion? It doesn't matter what their standing is in the rest of the legion, as the NL are basically a shattered legion anyway. However, if you establish what they think of their own Legion, it will make it easier to establish how they identify themselves, and will make it easier to answer later questions. What did they think of Curze? Are they mostly Nostramans or is there still a large percentage of Terrans among them? How does that influence the way they saw their Primarch and his decision to commit suicide by cop? Etc. 

 

2. I would like to name my ship "Last Light" or Ultima Lux. It is a capital ship and its function was to act as a hospital ship during the many campaigns of the legion. It contains several decks of medicae facilities and a relatively complete forge which was used to craft replacement bionics and augmetics. What lacks in shipboard weaponry it supplements with a veritable labyrinth of barracks, troop holds and slave pens. 

Alright, that's an interesting decision. Why did you decide that their capital ship is a medical ship? Also, what has happened that led to a valuable asset like a battleship to be recommissioned as a lowly medical ship? It's a pretty big decision to make such a powerful offensive ship into something that will not contribute anything to the damage output of a fleet -as medical ships don't run in the thick of battle for obvious reasons. As such, their main cannons will most likely have been recommissioned and be placed on other ships. This means that the ship is hot on defense, but cold as frozen crap in offence. What influence does this have on the way the warband operates? Do they sell their facility and expertise to other Night Lords (or chaos) warbands? Does this make them wealthy (and thus well-equiped) or are they barely scraping by? What other ships are there in the fleet? Are those mostly escorts for the medical ship, or are there some cruisers as well?

 

3. They were tasked by the legion lords (?) to engage the imperial forces in the subsector in order to tie in as many reinforcements as possible heading toward the bitter battles in the Ultramar sector. 

I don't understand. Why would a valuable, but weak asset like a medical ship be given such an important, dangerous assignment? This doesn't make sense to me. If this is your main justification for your warband's inclusion in the campaign, I would drop the 'medical ship' part.. Just let the capitol ship be a battleship! Also, forget about any 'Legion Lords'. There aren't any. You're thinking of either the Death Guard or the Word Bearers, which are still somewhat recognizable as Legions, with an intact hierarchy and organization. The Night Lords have none of that left: they are pretty much a shattered Legion, with individual warbands operating independently of each other. sometimes they act as sellswords to larger chaos lords, so this might have been the case if you really want to stick to  this part of your fluff. But then the question remains: why would this warband accept a mission that will risk their only asset and which will most likely leave them with none?

 

4. The ship was forced to enact an emergency egress in the subsector where the campaign will take place due to the far raging effects of the Shadow in the Warp (we have several Tyranind players taking place in the campaign) resulting in vast swathes of the Empyrean becalmed by the alien phenomena. 

OK, so basically they were forced into this fight by forces beyong their control. That's a far better justification! How does that effect your warband's morale or the way they view their involvement in the subsector? Being pushed into a situation is a completely different deal than being in that situation by choice.

 

5. The current status of the warband is below strength. The dire journey to the Eastern Fringe costed them dearly and now they find themselves under inhospitable stars, amidst a gathering of imperial forces and in dire need of supplies, slaves and materiel. 

Which warband isn't below strength? How did their journey cost them dearly? Did they loose ships? Officers? Equipment? Or was a large swathe of the brothers-of-the-line lost in some accident? How does this affect morale, and the inner politiking in the warband? For example, if they lost some well-respected mid-level officer, that could have huge consequences for the power balance within the warband. Perhaps there's now a conflict between rivals who vie for the same opened-up spot in the hierarchy, and they are trying to each gain influence among the men. How does this affect your warlord, and how does he deal with this? Does he let them fight it out -risking his force to be torn apart by conflicting loyalties- or does he chose a side -risking alienating the supporters of his choice's rivals? How does this affect how they deal with being amongst 'inhospitable stars' (whatever that means - any star system is inhospitable to the Night Lords, or any chaos faction)?   

 

8. My herring is the following. Will my warband trade their independence and embrace Chaos to its fullest in order to survive in this gruesome campaign, or will they find a way to survive on their cunning and martial merit (dubious as it is) alone?

That's a great question! Perhaps if they do fall to chaos, you could introduce more and more corrupted units into your warband, like possessed, cult marines etc. Sounds like a great way to integrate cult troops into your force  I'd love to see some Khornate Night Lords!

 

7. My warband will slowly grow as the painting challenge moves one, month by month. Essentially they are a former line company. They have troopers and some access to heavier gear. They do have several Helbrutes but lack tanks. They have a capital ship but its potential is unfulfilled due to lack of maintenance, supplies and the technical know how slowly in decline. 

Why no tanks? If this is a typical line company, they should have some, as tanks are integral in the way line companies work. Were they lost? How come they were lost and not the dreadnoughts? (if you're using helbrutes, that implies that your warband has already fallen to chaos pretty hard, and their dreadnoughts have been corrupted so thoroughly by chaos that they've become mutated - and become helbrutes) 

 

If you need any help with names, I'll be happy to help you. 

 

Also, please check out the Nostraman writing, scriptures, and numeral systems in this thread. The first post has it all!

Edited December 21, 2017 by Augustus b'Raass

[Wicced]

I agree with Auggie and since he explained all his points so elaborate I don't have much to add, but here goes:

 

- your Warlord indeed sounds like he would've been killed by a brother in a murder duel shortly after taking command for being weak. The Warlord is the most or at least one of the most important characters in the Warband, so you really need a good background for him. For a Night Lord there is no problem in being hated by your own, as long as you're strong enough to not be murdered by your kin. for me it helps to start to model the character in question and picking some unique bitz to create his story around. e.g. maybe a Custodes' helmet for his trophy rack to show his prowess in combat or a special weapon like Talos with Aurum in ADBs series.

 

- not sure about the medical ship either, sounds to vulnerable to me to be of any use to a warband. almost every other Legion remnant or Renegade would want to get his hands on it and defending it would be a real chore. All the barracks in the world won't help you if you're constantly being boarded due to a lack of own firepower or escort fleet.

Maybe change it to a heavily damaged Battleship, lot's of battle damage from previous engagements (maybe even the siege of terra) and maybe not enough crew to operate at peak effeciency, but still a battleship with enough power and resilience to deal with most enemies. paired with the constant need to keep it operational and repair or replace damaged components and lost crew.

 

But it's your warband after all, so whatever floats your boat goes ;)

 

like Augustus said, check out this thread and maybe some of our resident Night Lords' threads for more inspiration.

Edited December 21, 2017 by Wicced

[Panzer]

Also how will the Warband grow?

Sure getting Cultists and other Renegades to follow you should be easy enough but finding other Chaos Marines to join your ranks in such a remote area of the galaxy could be a problem without a good explanation.

[helterskelter]

You make the slaves breed. It's a medical ship, so I would imagine it has the capacity to store Geneseed in some fashion. Then it's a case of stealing armour and blue paint.

[Panzer]

Yeah but creating Marines is not exactly a fast procedure...or safe to survive even. It'll depend on how much in-universe time passes during that campaign whether that's a good way to let your warband grow or not.

[Chainsword Cookie]

Let's see if this lord is better: 

 

My Chaos Lord likes silence, to him it is the ultimate testament of control over a people. A silent people do not cry for his attention, a silent people obey, a silent people behave and this is all my lord demands, their silence. 

 

The warband fights in utter silence and the warriors go to great lengths to ensure that nothing troubles the peace of their lord. They act with contempt for their enemies and the cries and the pleas of their foes fall on deaf ears and hollow souls. For example, a SM captain proclaiming the righteousness of his cause is quickly gunned down lest he "disturbs" their lord's quiet. 

 

This means that the warband is very disciplined and their slaves live in nerve breaking horror. To speak is to die and the ability to speak before the astartes is one of the higher rewards the warband bestows on their followers. Even mighty veterans of millennia of war dare not to disturb their lord or they will find themselves in one of his "choirs" where their master carves from their flesh screams in a pitch which even transhuman lungs struggle for.

 

As for my lord, he is a classic. At the end of the day he likes nothing more than to sit in his chair and write the chronicle of the ages on sheets made from human skin tanned to perfection. It is an exacting work and one needs silence... especially when you try to describe in Nostraman verse how the late Captain Savanis of the Subjugators cried his last at the Siege of Pontia... such perfect pitch, such clarion voice... 

Edited December 21, 2017 by Chainsword Cookie