IHF's Archive: Sketching the Heresy - The Manufactorum

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Hey folks, it's been a hot minute, but I've just finished my Masters thesis, so with transferring to full-time freelance, hopefully y'all will be seeing a lot more of my art.

I'm doing some new artwork of Lheor - some of you might remember I did a pic of him before, and uhhhh it wasn't exactly great, so I'm taking the opportunity to do some new art of him and make a template for the character art I'll be making if the relevant funding tier is reached.

Anyway, here's how the very first steps look:

Edited October 23, 2022 by Iron Hands Fanatic

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

It's ya boi, back in the happy days before a certain plasma cannon-related incident

It's also worth noting that as I'm transitioning to full-time freelance, I'm now available for commissions, including for character art like this!

[STC Logisengine]

Wow.  That's really good IHF. Very impressive indeed! 

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Wow.  That's really good IHF. Very impressive indeed! 

 

Thanks STC! As a style I'd been planning on attempting for a while, I'm pretty chuffed with how it turned out - especially compared to my attempt at depicting Lheor just a couple years back

[Majorbookworm]

That face you make when the loyalist scum think World Eaters can't shoot.

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

And in dizzying technicolour!

[TheHaplessHeretic]

Don't call him Firefist.

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

I don't plan on making a habit of posting commissions for AU 30k stuff on here, but thought I'd share a Legionary commission for BluntBlade (one of the Drowned from the BotL).

 

 

Edited October 23, 2022 by Iron Hands Fanatic

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

I’ve been wanting to re-work my Lheor portrait for a while ‘cause I wasn’t really happy with how his face turned out (one of the perils of colouring a painting done entirely in black & white), and I’ve finally set up a Twitter account exclusively for my Warhammer-related content, so I used that as an excuse to have another go at Lheor:

Here's the account:

https://twitter.com/TheManufactorum

[Charlo]

Followed on Twitter :)

[queen_annes_revenge]

Nice portrait. bit of CC though, I think his forehead/cranium is a touch too big. I'd say it probably wants to be reduced by about a third. If you did that you could make the nails a little more prominent too.

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Hey folks, another post that’s both a record of various ideas for me and an update for y’all

 

Legiones Astartes Expansion: Vehicle Upgrades:

 

* Skyreaper Cannon: Option that allows vehicles with the Tank type that can select a pintle-mounted havoc launcher to instead purchase a single-cannon version of the Skyreaper Battery, also allows Land Speeders to swap out their primary weapon for one. Fluff will revolve around the Heresy’s drain on resources necessitating modifications of existing wargear to operate in an Anti-Aircraft role rather than relying on dedicated support, and turning to a modified version of older equipment (Mastodon’s Skyreaper) to protect line vehicles.

* Predator Weaponry: Trio of new Predator turrets, Quad Heavy bolter (variant mothballed after extensive use against Orks in the GC, re-emerges on both sides to counter Imperial Army units), Graviton cannon (only widely used pre-Heresy by Iron Hands, but bounty of the weapons claimed by Traitors from the spoils of Isstvan V start more widespread deployment), Volkite Combustor (similar to use of bolters post-Unification, early variant that fell to the wayside when demand outstripped ability to repair/manufacture & when Imperium reached the ability to mass-produce, other Legion Tanks had superseded need)

* Contemptor Cyclone Missile Launchers: Option to replace havoc launchers on all Contemptor variants with cyclones, background being that field trials of the launcher on Tyrant & Fulmentarus Terminators had been widely successful, but chaos of the Heresy had waylaid approval for retrofit, with individual forces making impromptu modifications that spread from conflict to conflict.

* Land Raider Squadron Options: Options for individual tanks in LR Battle Squadrons in a similar vein to Explorator Augary Web, decreasing transport capacity in exchange for an upgrade (will vary depending on LR chassis). Examples include vox-mapping system for Achilles which reduces Quad-Mortar’s scatter & enhanced generators for the Phobos & Proteus that make their TL-Lascannon Heavy 2 on a turn in which they don’t move. Multiple tanks of the same type in the same squadron will have to possess the same upgrade, and lore will revolve around widespread deployment of Legion reserves being first major outstripping of LRs’ role as transports.

 

Legiones Astartes Expansion: Terminator Patterns:

 

* Indomitus TDA: I wanna put this option on par with Cataphractii & Tartaros as an option for ‘Terminator Armour’ equipped units, so I’m probably gonna draw from Termies’ ability in 40k to Deep Strike as a given. Initially I considered just giving them the ability, but thought it might be a bit much, so I’m leaning towards allowing them to only scatter D6 & re-roll on the Mishap table – so you’d only take it for units you’ve acquired Deep Strike for, but it does at least have a role, while retaining the feel of being less powerful than the ‘relic’ patterns as time goes on.

* Arkonak TDA: I’ve decided to draw from this art of TDA for Arkonak armour, which’ll have the base Terminator Armour rules, but will have some kind of integrated grenade harness variant as standard (representing the 4 cut-out segments at the top of the torso) – not 100% on how I’ll handle this, but there’s a variety of directions I could choose.

* Aegis/Grey Knight TDA: I’ll decide on a different name for this, and I’ll make sure to explain its *not* Grey Knight armour, but a prototype developed on Terra just before the Heresy, using advances from across the developed patterns of TDA. As the 40k Custodes’ Allarus Terminators have a vague resemblance to the Grey Knights’ more open cowls, I’m tempted to give them Hammer of Wrath, as that’s one of the things that sets 30k’s Aquillon TDA apart rules-wise.

* Saturnine TDA: While the other 3 would be presented as options for any unit equipped with Terminator Armour, this’d only be an upgrade for 0-1 Legion Terminator Squads per Detachment (possibly with the restriction being removed with a Forge Lord Consul) and available on certain Legion-specific unit’s I’m writing (IW Archons & Salamanders’ Pyre Wardens). I’ve already made rules for them, so I’ll probably stick with them.

 

Mechanicum Expansion: Titan Defensive Upgrades:

 

* Warhound Head Weapons: As showcased on the cover to Betrayer, this’d give the option for Warhounds to gain a twin-linked head weapon – obvious option would b TL heavy bolter, but I’m also leaning towards a TL mauler bolt cannon given their use on the Warlord, and also the option to swap for a TL heavy flamer (mainly ‘cause the visual of a fire-breathing Warhound is fun).

* Warhound Shoulder Defenses: Mounted on top of the Warhound’s ‘shoulder’ pivots, this’d give the Titan some AA capacity with either two Icarus Lascannon or a tbd missile system

* Reaver Head Weapons: This’d place a more significant defensive weapon mounted ‘in’ the Reaver’s head, in place of one of the ‘eyes’ (although further to the outside edge, to allow for crew room) – either an avenger bolt cannon or laser destroyer

* Reaver Anti-Aircraft Options: Options to give the Reaver some AA punch, as either an upgrade to a carapace mega bolter, or an additional cluster missile type for the apocalypse launcher

* Reaver Defensive Turret: Basically, transplanting the Warbringer’s aft mauler bolt cannon turret to the same place on the Reaver, just below the large vents

 

Specific Legion Expansions:

 

* Designed for each of the Legions, these’d include 5 new Legion units, a specific new Consul type, new exclusive wargear options and probably a new Rite of War – I’ve already posted unit entries for some Legions here, but some could basically be replaced with wargear options for certain units, allowing for more interesting takes on each Legion.

 

Legion Auxilia Army Lists:

 

* Probably the most ambitious expansion, these would integrate entirely new units with modified Legion / Solar Auxilia / Imperialis Militia units to create a specific army list for each Legion’s Auxiliary forces. Might also justify a separate ‘generic’ Legion Auxilia list to allow me to collate vehicle variants specifically designed / allocated for Legion Auxilia.

 

Knight Yeomanry List:

 

* One I’ve pontificated on before, this’d basically be a list to represent the retainer forces various Knight Houses would maintain, with some interesting archaeotech and very modular unit entries to allow for the diversity of Knight world societies. Might also include Armigers, as a unit I’d originally envisioned for the list turned out to be weirdly similar to the mini-knights…   Would also have a special Allied Detachment FoC only useable with the Questoris Knight Army List.

 

Sub-Faction Lists:

 

* These’d be lists for smaller armies, some covered by existing ranges, so kinda in a similar vein to the Ordo Reductor list – examples include a Secutarii List, with additional units to the existing Hoplites & Peltasts (I’ve got designs brewing for variants on a few 40k AdMech units – Ruststalker-based Melee units that cling to Titans and drop on assaulting infantry anyone?). Another would be a Titan Legion list that uses the Leviathan FoC, and has Legio / Princeps upgrades, with Legio Cybernetica / the aforementioned Secutarii list the only available Allied detatchments.

 

Smaller Faction Unit Compilations:

 

* While the Legions & Mechanicum provide scope for essentially limitless new designs, smaller factions like the Talons of the Emperor or Questoris Knight list can’t really support as much expansion without resorting to redundant or derivative designs, so once I’d reached a point where I wouldn’t be able to justify further designs, I’d compile the units into single documents, maybe with some stuff to tie them into nice little packages (Warlord Traits, Relics, etc.).

 

Larger Faction Unit Compilations:

 

* Similar to above, but for lists like the Mechanicum & Legions with broader scope, I’d ideally release small compilations of similarly themed units (Legion Aircraft or Mechanicum Explorator forces for example), again with a bonus like a relevant Rite of War or new Magos variant to tie them all together.

 

Age of Darkness Themes:

 

 

* The introduction of Themes in Book 6 really piqued my interest, as introducing a level of variability ‘above’ Detachments adds some fascinating modularity. These have the potential to be really varied, and I’ve got a handful of ideas, but one that really sticks out is a Theme that could represent the resurrection technology of the Keys of Hel – the same Book’s ‘Xana Incursion’ Chapter mentioned that it effected vehicles, Legionaries and Cybernetica so having a theme that could effect multiple detachments / units outside the scope of a Rite of War seems a really fun approach.

 

 

On 3/11/2019 at 9:39 AM, queen_annes_revenge said:

Nice portrait. bit of CC though, I think his forehead/cranium is a touch too big. I'd say it probably wants to be reduced by about a third. If you did that you could make the nails a little more prominent too.

 

You might be right on that front, but it's past changing now 

Edited October 23, 2022 by Iron Hands Fanatic

[Brother Tholath]

OKay I would be up for that list!

[Charlo]

Awesome as always dude.

[Fenbain]

That looks pretty awesome. Something to consider might be to try and work with/alongside some of the more experimental campaign events that are run, which might help with exposure/getting patreons early on. Two that come to mind are King Fluff and Mournival Events, but there's a bunch.

 

I'd also consider looking at one of the new units and new consul options from Book 8: Malevolence for ideas when it comes to Aegis TDA, as it appears that Aegis TDA might be a finalised development of them.

Edited March 29, 2019 by Fenbain

[GhostMalone]

Wow man seriously you’ve still kept this going :cussing respect

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Thanks folks - glad y'all like the sound of those ideas

Thought I'd share a recent commission of a Lightning Bearers Praetor for Bluntblade as Heresy-adjacent content

On 3/27/2019 at 2:20 PM, Fenbain said:

That looks pretty awesome. Something to consider might be to try and work with/alongside some of the more experimental campaign events that are run, which might help with exposure/getting patreons early on. Two that come to mind are King Fluff and Mournival Events, but there's a bunch.

I'd also consider looking at one of the new units and new consul options from Book 8: Malevolence for ideas when it comes to Aegis TDA, as it appears that Aegis TDA might be a finalised development of them.

I'll check that stuff out - one thing I'm keen to do is retain complete creative control so I'll have a think

Yeah, I might do something about it being produced at Malcador's behest after the use of Nullificators became widespread, and examples falling into the hands of the Traitors who wore it out of mistrust for the powers their Legions were dabbling in - so having some kind of protection akin to the Nullificators' wards.

On 4/1/2019 at 6:28 PM, KingKurama said:

Wow man seriously you’ve still kept this going :cussing respect

Never stop having these ideas, might as well put them somewhere

Edited October 23, 2022 by Iron Hands Fanatic

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Okay, so - as with every HH Black Book release, chatter about Malevolence has gotten my creative juices flowing, and I figured it was easier to document some of my ideas here than try and remember them all. I won't be anywhere near finalising the units I'll design for the V^th and IX^th Legions until I've gotten my hands on a friend's copy of Malevolence and properly dissected it, but I've had a few rough ideas and thought I'd share them:

 

Vth Legion - White Scars:

 

• Consul Choice: Per my commitment to give every Legion that lacks a unique Consul their own version (in addition to the standard 5 additional units), I'm trying to figure out one for the Scars - and I'm trying to avoid crossover with the generic consuls (as well as my own homebrew generic versions to come). Stormseers were one idea I had, but these are pretty well covered by the trio of Psyker consuls currently available to the Legions - instead I'm thinking of going in the direction of a 30k equivalent of the Master of the Hunt - maybe styling them as individually appointed by Jaghatai with each campaign to slay a chosen foe - kinda like a cross between the Delegatus & Champion Consuls, and definitely having rules akin to the Seekers' Marked for death/ Grey Knights Headsman Oath of Moment.
• Sojutsu Pattern Voidbike: Apparently Jaghatai has a variant of this as his own mount, so that's likely what I'll base the rules off for this unit - I'm envisioning a vehicle that operates more like an aircraft than a Jetbike, taken in smaller units (probably 1-3). Background-wise, I like the idea of single stage orbit-to-surface vehicles, heavily bulked out and probably equipped with some kind of Flare shield to survive atmospheric entry - I'm struggling to figure out what purpose they'd serve in void combat purely because I doubt they'd be able to carry heavy enough ordnance to really make a difference, although giving them melta weapons and letting them race around the interiors of boarded enemy ships sounds kinda fun.
• Scout Bikers: I'm interested in seeing how conventional Legion units would need to be adapted to account for the combat doctrines adopted by the V^th after their union with Jaghatai, and having a power-armoured variant of 40k Scout Bikes seems to make sense - for active battlefield scouting, their recon units would probably need to use bikes to avoid being outpaced by the main Legion advance. Partially inspire by the *very* cool Jackal Alphus, they'll have bolters with Kraken rounds which can be swapped for sniper rifles, while their bikes will have grenade launchers (likely with some variant shells - I like the idea of a flare-styled option to 'tag' enemies) and the sergeant'll get a Nuncio-Vox as standard.
• Assault Breachers: another stylised take on a Legion standard, the idea behind these is a more mobile, reactionary Breacher unit. They'd have lighter-looking Boarding shields and even the option to take the Blackshield's Pariah armour (which I envisage as being a bit like this), weapons being close combat weapons and astartes shotguns (can be swapped for bolt pistols), as well as Counter-Attack. They'd also have a rule that gives them Hammer of Wrath (shield bash!) but prevent them using two-handed melee weapons / using Versatile weapons with two hands (so yeah, they'd have access to Power Glaives to some degree).
• Champion Assault Squad: This one harks back to my original ideas for the Scars, some kind of veteran assault squad completely comprised of champions - I'll have to be careful to differentiate them from the Palatine Blades. Current thinking is Jump Packs, bolt pistols, close combat weapons and duelling tulwar (which'll get a dedicated profile) - any model will be able to swap their CCW for a chainaxe/ charnabal sabre/ power weapon, and a certain number of models will be able to swap for power glaives/ thunder hammers. Lore-wise, I'm thinking these are assembled from among the more 'free-spirited' Legionaries, deployed into the enemy's midst to show discord and confusion just as the main assault strikes. Very keen to give them masks similar to Men-yoroi.

IXth Legion - Blood Angels:

 

• Consul Choice: I'm pretty tempted to go for something related to the Burning Eyes - specialists assigned to earmarked divisions to observe for signs of the Black Rage, but I'd need to be careful not to cross-over with Chaplains or my planned rules for the Opsequari discipline master Consuls. Another option I've considered is something related to the lore about the IX^th's 'Immortal Warlord' - namely individuals who inherit the identity of Legion heroes, via the means of cannibalism and psycho-indoctrination. Not really sure how well this would mesh with the Legion post-Sanguinius' reforms, maybe as one of their worst punishments for failure, or a practice only conducted by detachments who've had limited contact with the wider Legion post discovery of Baal.
• Specialist Seekers: having seen stuff about the Blood Angels' enhanced omophagea, I like the idea of Seekers with modified Nartheciums and helms to allow for the extraction & ingestion of slain commanders' neural tissue, allowing said units to relay tactical information from their enemy back to the wider Legion.
• Lamentii Guardians: believe these were mentioned in Retribution, being honour guards left at sites of great loss for the Legion. Rules wise, all I've got so far is that they'd be equipped similar to Breachers, are an elites choice, & 0-1 choice per Detachment can be selected to accompany a Dreadnought Talon numbering a single model, with relevant modifiers similar to the new Consul. For background I also like the idea of them ingesting the tissue of slain Blood Angels so they can literally recall the events they are sworn to honour, even if they weren't there - probably an Order of the 1st Sphere?
• Sanguiniary Guard: I've got mixed feelings about doing these, but if FW aren't gonna do a specific unit for them it's an easy option to port across their 7th ed ruleset with some variations in equipment & specific details - I'd also be keen to give them an option to take Tartaros TDA for boarding assults (if only for an excuse to draw some Tartaros plate in their aesthetic).

Edited April 4, 2019 by Iron Hands Fanatic

[bluntblade]

Perhaps, if you really want 30K flavour for the Scars Consul (Jubal being the first Master of the Hunt), Berkut would be better. "Berkutchi" or something like it is the tactic of isolating and killing an enemy leader, as attempted on Horus Aximand on Dwell.

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Hey folks, just dropping by to spitball some more hypothetical stuff - this time being how I'll illustrate the Legion Auxilia supplements based of existing GW kits. This was kicked off by the fact that the upcoming 'Munda enforcer models are the *perfect* base for Iron Warrior Thorakite Auxilia, so I wanted to brainstorm how I might use the Necromunda gang kits as starting points for concepts of Legion Auxilia Units. In theory, the supplements I'd publish would contain illustrations to showcase (though not necessarily prescribe - the lists would likely be pretty versatile) what such units might look like, potentially in the following style:

 

 

One thing in my designs I doubt I've ever mentioned but that's actually fundamental to the concepting process is that when I design units based off existing kits, I always look at the extant kit's components & how they go together. Theoretically, most designs I make in this way could *feasibly* exist as an upgrade kit around the existing miniature design, in a similar way to how current Forge World kits modify stuff from the plastic GW range, and that's also something I've looked at when considering the kits below:

 

 

Van Saar: Alpha Legion Geno Cadres:

 

Because of the manner in which the Alpha Legion seed sleeper cells among various Imperial organisations, any AL Auxilia list I design will probably have quite an expansive range of options, including being built from the Solar Auxilia & Imperial Militia lists with some additional rules. Geno Cadres would represent dedicated augmented human special forces, with the Van Saar's suits representing hybrid flak armour/ stealth suits, probably available as a dedicated army list or able to be added to the alternative lists mentioned above. Design wise, the concepts would probably replace the chest plating & shoulder pads with camo half-capes similar to the current SM scouts, and they'd have different weapons & helmets.

 

 

Orlock: World Eater Numen Gun Clanners:

 

The orlock minis are a bit trickier, as the nature of their wargear makes them less suitable to represent an organised military force. Instead, I figured that with a little adaptation, they might do well to represent the Numen Gun Clans used by the World Eaters as both an Auxiliary force and source of recruits. Swapping out their distinctive shoulder pads & heads, as well as adding some breather gear/ webbing to their backs should give them a suitably post-apocalyptic aesthetic, & their weaponry would be enhanced to appear appropriately brutal.

 

 

Goliaths: World Eater Charnel Brutes:

 

These minis could only ever really be for the World Eaters, in this case representing candidates for recruitment into the Legion who met the physical requirements, but proved incompatible with WE geneseed (I'd imagine that candidates are genetically tested for compatibility prior to implantation), instead undergoing extensive gene-forging, stimm-infusions and muscle grafts to turn them into disposable shock troops. For the overall WE auxilia list, while Numen Gun Clanners would be available to form the core of an army (alongside abhuman troops, who are mentioned to act as WE auxilia), the Charnel Brutes would either be an Elites choice or support Troops. 

 

Regarding the minis, relatively little would need to change, probably just alternate heads to remove the distinctive Goliath crests, as well as higher-grade weapons to show they're outfitted by the WE Legion forge.

 

 

Escher: Night Lord Death Cultists:

 

With the escher models having such a distinctive style, I thought they'd suit the ritualistic trappings of a death cult, which seemed most appropriate to accompany the Night Lords. They'd get some cool metal skull-helms, with an array of drug infusion breather gear, so that with their whole morbid obsession and narcotic habits they could actually endure fighting in proximity to the Night Lords. Add more brutal looking weapons as well as some spiky looking accessories, and I think you'd have some cool looking murder cultists. Need to do a bit more research on the NL to figure out how their list would work.

 

 

Delaque: Sons of Horus Davinite Cabals:

 

Long robes and creepily tall? Add some hoods & animalistic masks and these seem like a good match for the davinite priests. Not sure whether they'd be a part of the Sons of Horus Auxilia list, or a separate entry that can be added to any Traitor force / fielded alone similar to the Grey Knight unit entry. Either way, I'd want some variant designs to allow units to choose an animal lodge to belong to - from the old Collected Visions art, it seems like all units had some form of flamer weapon modelled after their particular patron animal, but you could have some variant rules similar to the Thousand Sons' Cult system.

 

 

Cawdor: Word Bearers' Cultist Horde:

 

Different heads & weapons seem like all these minis would need to make appropriate fanatics to 'assist' the Word Bearers, and their units would be similar to Milita Levies, but with some of the Ruinstorm list's versatility to represent the breadth of those who might be enthralled by the Legion's cult.

 

 

Enforcers: Iron Warriors Thorakite Auxilia:

 

As mentioned before, the helms on these are a very good match to the descriptions of the Thorakite's emulation of MkIV helmets, although I'll need to see how the kit goes together before I can start figuring out further design elements - ideally I'd like for them to have a more industrial, steampunk spin.

Edited October 23, 2022 by Iron Hands Fanatic

[Sandlemad]

Cool stuff, I particularly like the use of Orlocks as members of the Gun Clans, and Charnel Brutes is just a lovely phrase. Good call with the Escher too, I feel like there have been references to specifically female gangs and Nostramoan death-cults but I can't think where.

 

The one thing I might take issue with is the Delaque. Their coats and gear come off as a bit too modern/cyberpunk for Davinites, most of whom seem to stick to furs and ragged robes, particularly those in the Collected Visions artwork. It could work in the sense that there appears to have been something of an exodus of the Davinite priesthood to the wider galaxy during the heresy and they would surely pick up new gear in the process but they don't scream 'feral world cults with uncanny knowledge' to me.

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

Having taken the opportunity to read through Malevolence, I'm tightening my grip on ideas for White Scars & Blood Angels unique units, and I ended up doing a quick sketch of the Sanguinary Guard & "Death Lector" seekers for the IX^th in between commissions:

The Death Lectors are the Seeker unit I mentioned before, who utilise the BA's hyperactive omophagea as well as specialised extraction equipment built into their wargear to extract tactical info from slain enemy leaders & relay it back to command. For the 30k Sanguinary Guard I'm thinking of having the base equipment being a (two-handed) Encarmine Blade & volkite charger, which transfers directly to their Tartaros Armour loadout (an upgrade option, the idea being that in boarding actions & void assaults Sanguinius wouldn't really be able to fly, so they exchange their artificer armour & jump-packs for TDA).

Lamentii Honour guardians are currently shaping up as a Breacher variant with more potent melee capabilities & defensive/ retinue rules. The Heavenfire Jetbike Squadron might not immediately ring any bells, but they're based of the apocryphal "Baal's Fire Chariot Squad" from Collected Visions.

The 'chariots' will actually be a variant of a cross-Legion two-person Jetbike design I've had for a while, which places the pilot closer to the front, and has a raised rear seat for the passenger, as well as a pair of outriggers which mount a TL missile launcher (hence the 'trident' name). The Blood Angels' variant will be appropriately ornamented, as well as incorporating a curved blast shield between the two Legionaries to more closely resemble a Roman chariot, and the outriggers will have a TL Illiastus Assault Cannon instead of missile launcher. As to their namesake, the passenger will be armed with a 'Heavenfire lance', a weapon derived from Sanguinius' Infernus sidearm, which will function similar to a meltabomb on a stick, with a melee and (short) ranged profile, although because each firing requires a replacement fuel canister & receiver, it can't be used to make a melee and ranged attack in the same turn.

I'm still mulling over the final unit & consul option. I've had the name 'Abyssal Choir' in mind for a while (my initial idea pre-Malevolence idea was for them to be a unique Destroyer squad), which could be applied to a variant heavy support squad, perhaps armed with infantry-portable frag cannons. For the consul, I'd considered using the background of the 'Forsaken' Angels, who have premonitions of their own deaths, but I fear they'd veer too closely to Moritats. Instead, I might draw from the pre-Sanguinius practice of consuming the flesh & adopting the identity of a deceased officer, with any such remaining individuals shunned in the Heresy-era Legion (and thus having a detrimental rule similar to Lone Killer) but providing tactical bonuses accrued from the experience of multiple generations of Legion officers.

Cool stuff, I particularly like the use of Orlocks as members of the Gun Clans, and Charnel Brutes is just a lovely phrase. Good call with the Escher too, I feel like there have been references to specifically female gangs and Nostramoan death-cults but I can't think where.

The one thing I might take issue with is the Delaque. Their coats and gear come off as a bit too modern/cyberpunk for Davinites, most of whom seem to stick to furs and ragged robes, particularly those in the Collected Visions artwork. It could work in the sense that there appears to have been something of an exodus of the Davinite priesthood to the wider galaxy during the heresy and they would surely pick up new gear in the process but they don't scream 'feral world cults with uncanny knowledge' to me.

Yeah I get what you mean, but I'm hoping that with an upgrade kit (cowled/ masked heads, back-pieces with fur trim and bare/ scrappily clad arms) they can be brought closer to the archetypal Davinite look - I do appreciate there are a few different art pieces for the Davinite lodges around, so I might be drawing primarily from one's look above the others, I'll try and dig it up.

Edited June 21, 2019 by Iron Hands Fanatic

[noigrim]

Goliath are better for geno chiliad, with helmeted heads

[Ryltar Thamior]

Glad I'm not the only one who saw them Enforcers and noted the helm designs etc. , for potential Heresy-era mortal auxilia to fight alongside Astartes. The human-sized bolters [at least, that's what I assume they are - bolt-carbines or something maybe?] are an additional point of interest. 

And, for that matter, finding potentia uses for all the rest of the Necromunda range :D 

Personally, i've been putting various Delaque bits to use in XXth-related shenaniganry - not only do they already tend to have nice large snakes [not uh .. subtle, but then, neither's tattooing all your supposedly secret agents with Hydras :P ] on various of the gear [there's also raher large "XXXXXXXX" around the silencer barrels, for added XXth subtlety], but the firearms tend to have silencers and flash-suppressors equipped, as well as the 'subtlety' of far more 'stiletto' style knives; and the hairless heads with comms gear, ocular augmetics, etc. etc. did seem pretty apt for the 'eyes and ears' of the Legion. I get what you're saying about the long sinuous bodies, though - only issue'll be how 'teched up' the base miniatures are, but that's work-aroundable. I have had some success doing 'operative' style miniatures that're more recognizeably 'human' but in 40k-esque high-collared long-coats, by utilizing Van Saar heads in place of Delaque ones, which somehow managed to produce a rather less 'inhuman' silhouette and vibe. Those delaque heads, due to the 'Riddick'-ness of some of them, might also go fairly nicely [perhaps alongside the stilettos] with VIIIth legion auxilia. 

I'd also done some pretty successful imo experimentation with changing the Goliath aesthetic to be more 'techno-barbarian' ... or, more aptly, a barbaric veneer over military professionalism, via the utilization of various Space Wolves, and Marauder bitz, etc. It might be an interesting starting point for Karls for the VIth ; another potential approach would be utilizing Goliaths as a base miniature for XIXth legion early-generation Raptors in recon armour.

Other possibilities might include XVIth 'Prison Yard' style [or gangs of Underworld Cthonia in the tunnels?] mostly-human accompaniment; or, for that matter, something similar for VIIIth [goliaths with shivs - nasty]... or IIIrd Legion quasi-Bile esque 'experiments' at pushing the human frame in various directions. 

One of my partners-in-plasticrack, Umbral, had some ideas to try and do Lucifer Blacks utilizing Van Saar parts with some Guard additions to get the duality of carapace and coat going, although I forget the precise partsmix he had in mind.  The very aged look of the unmasked and semi-masked Van Saar heads *would* go quite nicely for Old Hundred, though, for obvious reasons. 

As applies Imperial Army units more generally, there is probably quite a broad scope [i mean, there is .. it's just whether you see it as something worth doing] of regiments that've either been directly named, might even be somewhat illustrious and/or well described, or which you could come up with, that'd be potentially very different from the 41st millennium's 'cadian pattern' defaults, with rules-refinements to match, and associated suggesting modelling guides from combinations of stock GW or FW kits, particularly delving into the Fantasy ranges - since one thing that i noticed kept coming up in the Collected Visions era illustrations for Imperial Army units, was that much more 'Napoleonic' or even Renaissance style of uniformery  [which, hithertoo, most efforts i've seen have basically just gone with Vostroyans and taken it from there, due to the shakos closely resembling several pretty prominent pieces of HH era Imperial Army art - which neglects quite a few Empire head/helmet options, that one Terran regiment with the scaled cloaks a la corsair sea dragons, and the possibility of doing rather curious things with pikes in a manner not entirely unreminiscent of secutarii etc.]. But that's probably a whooooole other topic. 

In terms of the van saars themselves, my own most recent line of inspiration [which I've yet to seriously do anything with] was, as the Solar War looms, doing various voider defenders of the sundry asteroids, planetoids, oort cloud, and other such places utilizing the van saar bodies, unsure about which heads [possibly goliaths with skull gasmasks, we'll see] - the idea being that they'd be clearly void-optimized survival suits , which could have the astrological sigil for whatever they're hailing from on one of the pectoral plates. Possible use for escher weapons for that 'archaic' and somewhat scavenged yet ornate feel. 

Another possibility with the Delaques is using the heightened stature of the legs, plus suitably ornate Astartes torsos [i'm experimenting with Sanguinary Guard ones atm]; either for genehanced but still vaguely 'human' warriors [the thinner stature as compared to Astartes ... well, truescale astartes, anyway .. serving to demarcate them as not being Marines], or higher ranking Terran figures.  This segues into an entire side-area around "Malcador's Chosen" and other such Talons of the Emperor expansions that're not Astartes, Sisters of Silence, or Custodes. 

Now as applies Iron Warriors Auxilia - this, to my mind, is a potentially viable place for the Orlock style of weaponry. Admittedly it doesn't quite get the Greek [or, for that matter, Persian, Greco-Persian, etc.] aesthetic,  but it looks brutal, hard-wearing, optimized for close-range firefights ... sort-of like the 40k [or, in this case, 30k] version of an AK-47. Just what the doctor ordered for the brutal operational style of the Thorakites, perhaps. although now that i think aboutit, some of the Goliath weapons may similarly be adaptable in this regard - them drumm-mag shotguns for instsance. [i've also seen some Van Saars painted up in broadly IVth legion colours and they looked very, very legit - but I appreciate that it's a rather different aesthetic in terms of the rather small and slight miniatures, so yee] 

The stealth-suit approach for the Van Saar armour is a good one; I'd contemplated doing something similar, subject to finding an easy way to paint them mid-'blend' to represent it in-use. It might also be possible to add small jump-packs built from elysian grav-chut stabilizers, for extra mobility on the battlefield; have them functioning a bit like Tau stealth suits, i suppose, perhaps continue the vaguely Middle Eastern naming conventions the XXth have going and call 'em Janni (or jinni - both have an etymological root around 'concealment'], Djinni, Abishai, al-mi'raj, hinn, hatif, etc. ; the nihilis pattern rifles may look rather interesting, further, with scopes attached. 

Looking at the Enforcers, a further thought which just occurred to me, was wondering how much work'd be necessary to get a more 'roman' vibe going for them and run them as Ultramar auxilia. 

I did wonder with the Cawdor whether there was scope for Knight World troops there - there's certainly some of that post-Bretonnian vaguely Medieval vibe going on there; and also quite a few hand-me-down looking augmetics and such; although ultimately, they're probably rather too thin and spindly for 'proper' Knight World auxilia. Could always run them as peasant-levees; or bulk them up around the arms and legs; or, for that matter, do as a few people have done, and start integrating additional skitarii etc. bitz into them for hte purposes of doing sacristan ersatz/budget tech-priests. 

In terms of the Davinite vibe - it might be prudent to take a look at some of the WarCry previews that've hit so far; they've got that 'chaotic' and also animal-totemic vibe absolutely down pat; and one gang in particular looks ideal for World Eaters style Gladiators .

Last, but not least [for now - I'm sure i'll have a few more thoughts by the time daylight rolls around], there's probably ample scope for the direct incorporation of the miners-in-pressure-suits neophyte-hybrids-with-different-heads ; or, potentially making minor (or less minor) alterations in loadout for particular purposes -  up-armour and diving-helm the suits for mortal boarding teams, for instance, rather than *just* groups of formerly civilian levies who've been emergency press-ganged. 

Also, dangit, every time I visit one of your threads I come away with the need to start doing 'speculative things' with perfectly good ready-to-assemble kits! 
 

[Iron Hands Fanatic]

So I finally put that Lheor portrait to good use and formatted him up into a proper rules profile:

 

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