Deployment of the Spectral Sicarii (homebrew RG)

[thewarriorhunter]

It's a Friday and I have no motivation so I've been scouring bits sites today to see if I can find any knives I like. I'm still hoping I can score one of those bayonets from VM to see how big it is but I haven't had any luck yet.

 

While looking at Ebay I ran across some knives I hadn't seen before.

 

Dark Angels Deathwing Command:

 

 

 

WFB Vampire counts:

 

 

 

And the ones I like the most, but I fear will be too big, Dark Eldar Scourge knives:

 

 

I love the designs on them and think it's got just a touch of flare that I want these to have. I really like the curve as well. After looking at pictures of the sprues I'm afraid they're going to be larger than what I want them to be.

 

Thoughts?

[Dracos]

Good choice. Would seem to look great for your overall scheme. I don't believe they cant be too big for Primaris if they're meant for Dark Eldar. 

[duz_]

The vampire counts one are alright but a bit small perhaps?

[thewarriorhunter]

The lack of scale is what's killing me. Small might not be bad, these are supposed to be small ceremonial daggers that represent the small daggers used during assassinations.

[thewarriorhunter]

Reiver Sgt Demyan has been completed and awaits a base so he can take command of his Kill Team. Very glad to have him done and happy with how he came out. As I was snapping these pictures I realized I completely forgot the steel vents on his back and straps on his back. I'll get those next time I paint.

 

I've also figured out my knife issue and that is that they won't all match. Lore development is that once they've earned the right to carry a Sicaii they will forge their own from whatever material they desire. Some will be steel, others bone, others energy, and possibly even some xenos material will be used. A local guy I've been getting to know has a bunch of Kairic Acolyte legs left over from a conversion project and they have a knife attached. I like the look and am going to cut the knives off the bodes and use them. I've also got an ebay cart with knife bits from BA Sanguinary Guard, WFB Vampire Counts, DA Deathwing Command, WFB Wood Elves, and DE Scourges. I think that will be a nice mix of knives and keep me set for some time.

 

Here's my Sgt:

 

 

 

[thewarriorhunter]

I'm reading through the rule book, codex, and kill team book today in preparation for Tuesday since it's been awhile since my last game.

 

Just read this in the errata for the marine codex...\

 

Q: Can successor Chapters use the Warlord Traits of their founding Chapter?

A: No

 

Really? That's pretty lame, and I'd hope that my opponent would be OK with me using it (if I was, I'm not this week). I'd let an opponent run their successors with the actual chapter tactics/relics/wargear without question.

[duz_]

Just call them RG?

 

That was always a weird FAQ...

 

Sgt looks good though!

[thewarriorhunter]

Yeah, if someone wants to say something they'll just be RG under cover of another chapter for clandestine operations.

[Panzer]

There's no rule for how to paint your models so any model of any kind could belong to any chapter.

Colour schemes only really becomes important for tournaments when there's for example a clearly ultramarines painted army (UM markings and everything) with the intend to play it using the blood angels rules etc. There most tournaments go with a clear 'no' the same way they won't allow confusing conversions. But a RG successor using the full range of RG rules? I've never seen anyone not being okay with that.

 

Oh and there are the rare cases where a successor chapter has a named character. Can't really use the parents chapter keyword and use them as counts-as when you also use that successor chapters named character (Flesh Tearers and Lamenters come to mind). Most people decide to simply not use that named character in that case tho.

[thewarriorhunter]

Great points sfPanzer, and I agree with all of them. I guess the beauty of making up my own successor is I don't have to worry about the names character issue. Although I do plan on making some unique characters with the Chapter Approved stuff at some point.

 

I've got another batch of my 'hobby cookies' in progress. Rolled out some clay and cut a few more bases. Cutting around my template is really annoying, I'm going to look for an adjustable circle so I can just stamp out templates like cookies. I need it to adjust up to 60mm though so I'll have to do some looking. I'm thinking of something almost like a c-clamp for hoses but without the hardware in the way.

 

 

I'm also going to try and make my oldmarines a little taller. Normally I sand the bases down so their not so tall but I'm not going to do that for my oldmarines that I'm working for the Calth box. My hope is that they look less out of place next to their Primaris brethren since there bases will be a couple MM taller. I need to be careful though because I don't want them to look like they're on a pedestal.

 

[WickedApp]

maybe you could use a hole saw to get the bases right.  There should be a hollow one in that size

[thewarriorhunter]

That's a great suggestion. I bought a set a few years ago for a project. I'll have to see if they will work for what I need.

 

In other news I got about a dozen knives! I think I mentioned the local guy who did a big conversion project. He gave me a bunch of Kairic Acolyte legs that he didn't need and they all have a really good small knife on them. I'll have to shave them off the legs but I don't mind doing that at all since he just handed them too me. Our wives are in a book club so they did the hand off. My didn't know she was getting them and thought they were drugs at first because of the small baggy, lol. I guess 'plastic crack' is a pretty fitting name.

 

You can see the knives clearly on the two legs on the top of this sprue:

 

[thewarriorhunter]

My narrative bat-rep has turned out to have a very heavy emphasis on the narrative... I'm thinking I'll post appropriate sections of my story in this thread, link here from the 'What have your Raven Guard done', and possibly combine them all into the fan fiction section of the boards. If you have any other suggestions on how to organize this please let me know!

 

------------------------------------

 

Two Primaris Lieutenants descended the ramp of their respective Storm Eagle transports and surveyed the area in front of them. There was a faint hiss from their rebreathers as it filtered the air being drawn in with their measured breaths. The surrounding area had been ravaged by war for years and radioactive and biological weapons still emitted their life sucking attributes to those who ventured near. Several bodies of scavengers lay crumpled up with sores covering their corpses as testaments to the lethality of the atmosphere.

 

Large buildings were now blasted out skeletons that were a shadow of what they once used to be. Shrines of regional deities had gaping holes in them and statues lay cracked and crumbled on the ground, some partially buried under caved in sections of the roof. The roads were blasted and cracked making it necessary to assess quick avenues of travel so as not to be caught in the open. What little vegetation that once decorated this section of city was now splintered and broken.

 

The optical enhancements that were encased in their Mark X helmets quickly displayed a myriad of information categories that they processed in microseconds. Wind readings, topography, life signs, radiation emissions, and structural weaknesses that could either be a trap or be used against foes were quickly overlayed for their analysis.

 

“The telemetry beacons have been located,” Lieutenant Demyan said as the slight differences in gathered information synced between the two. “The beacons are in a rough line extending directly away from us. Alexy, take our scouts and secure the far beacon and begin the data reclamation.”

 

“Understood,” Lieutenant Alexander replied, “the large building on the left will provide cover while we move up.”

 

Without another word he broke off and called for the two units of scouts to fall in with him. As their detachment stepped off the Eagles’ ramps they quickly retracted as the large gunships began their departure from the landing zone. The rumble of their engines grew faint as they became distant points along the horizon. The lieutenants had been deployed to this sector of the engagement with a small force of marines. Their objective was to locate three telemetry beacons that had been ejected from a Stormtalon squadron that had been ambushed earlier that day. The beacons contained information about the movements, formations, and mobile base platforms of the Tau that had been assaulting the planet. Fearing that the information would be lost the Stormtalons had abandoned their beacons so a recovery operation could be scrambled. Mee moments after ejecting them the Stormtalons were vaporised in a flash of missiles and gunfire that had erupted from various Tau sentry stations.

 

As they began to make their way through the rubble in a wide hook Alexy and the scouts passed a tower he had taken note of when surveying the area. It offered a commanding view and was riddled with holes and cracks from small arms fire but otherwise appeared intact. The top appeared to have a ring of fortified battlements on top. Why this tower appeared to have been ignored by the majority of destruction was not something he had time to dwell on. He new the enemy was in the area and he had no intentions of being caught off guard.

 

“Sergeant Tyre,” Alexander commanded,  “ascend that tower for overwatch. I want eyes on us in 30 seconds.”

 

“Yes sir,” Tyre responded. “Gael, you’re on point. Let’s move quickly men.”

 

With a silence that should have been impossible the five man squad of snipers quickly infiltrated and ascended the tower. Picking their way through rubble and climbing stairs the scouts quickly made their way to the top. Gael breached the surface and quickly made his way to the battlement to scan the surroundings. The beacon locations were projected onto his optical overlay and a quick glance to the ground on his left showed Lieutenant Alexander and the other scout squad preparing to enter the blasted out ruins and advance towards the furthest two beacons.

 

“Sergeant,” Gael spoke as his team set up their high powered sniper rifles to provide cover, “I have eyes on Lieutenant Alexander and his squad. Building looks clear for their advance.”

 

“Lieutenant Alexander, we have a visual on you. The building looks clear and we are transmitting triangulated beacon location data so you’ll have precise locations. Lieutenant Demyan is deploying our remaining forces along the right flank.”

 

“Understood,” Alexendar replied.

 

Further to the right of the original landing zone Demyan had already ordered the Devastator Squad into a blasted out shrine that contained the closest beacon. Their sergeant had quickly led his men through the ruins and split them between floors and windows to provide multiple vantage points. As his men coordinated overlapping lanes of fire between them he approached the beacon and pulled a wire from a forearm storage port in his armor and plugged it in. The beacon instantly lit up and began to communicate with the cruise ship orbiting the planet through the vox equipment embedded in his armor.

 

The tactical squad pushed forward into another ruined building. They had moved quickly to take advantage of the cover it provided and extended themselves the furthest from the landing zone.

 

“Sergeant Zaan,” Demyan spoke into the vox, “move forward and set up a firebase on the central beacon. Provide cover for Lieutenant Alexander and the scouts while they advance on the furthest beacon.”

 

“Yes sir,” replied Zaan.

 

Suddenly the vox crackled with Tyre’s voice. “Enemy elements incoming! Tau battlesuits and infantry showing on our radar near the far beacon. Appears to be a small scouting force. Infantry is advancing on our left flank towards Lieutenant Alexander’s position. Suits are approaching in the center of our forces. Current direction will take them right past our tacticals.”

 

Demyan looked at the devastator sergeant as he continued to transmit the data and then looked through a blasted out section of wall. He had positioned himself with the devastators to allow himself a centralized location as he directed the engagement. In the distance he saw the hulking shape of crisis suits moving towards them. They were occasionally obscured by smaller floating objects that advanced in a forward perimeter.

 

“Prepare yourselves! Our primary objective is to secure the beacons. Let our weapons bring death to our enemies and may our efforts bolster our allies. Open fire!”

Edited January 18, 2019 by thewarriorhunter

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The short story is well-written. Any chance the Stormtalon pilots or their gene-seed can be recovered?

[Race Bannon]

DUDE!

 

Have you though to enter some fan fiction?  Maaaaybe for the Rapid Fire Challenge ? ^_^

[SydonianDragoon404]

Dude this is so awesome. I can't wait for the day when our armies can join forces. It will be an epic narrative. 

[thewarriorhunter]

DUDE!

 

Have you though to enter some fan fiction?  Maaaaybe for the Rapid Fire Challenge ? ^_^

I just saw this earlier when looking for a place in the boards to post this as it grows. I have some ideas for 'honor'...

 

Dude this is so awesome. I can't wait for the day when our armies can join forces. It will be an epic narrative.

 

It shall be! Brother SydonianDragoon was there in person while my Spectral Sicarii faced off against the Tau. He was victorious against a Tau scouting force in another sector that night.

 

He's also got a really cool intercessor squad that has some amazing lore and backstory related to the Raven Guard.

[MajorNese]

Nice look for these guys, but I'd probably never do something that bright and clean.

 

I've got another batch of my 'hobby cookies' in progress. Rolled out some clay and cut a few more bases. Cutting around my template is really annoying, I'm going to look for an adjustable circle so I can just stamp out templates like cookies. I need it to adjust up to 60mm though so I'll have to do some looking. I'm thinking of something almost like a c-clamp for hoses but without the hardware in the way.

What technique do you use for that anyway? I found a method that might be easier - if you have a larger area of the original, you could make a silicone negative, drop some resin on there and press the bases into the drops. That way, the bases are coated with pattern-shaped resin. Works with any base size, as long as the silicone negative is big enough. Afterwards just cut around the bases with a scalpel and it's done. Looks like this, this or this.

[thewarriorhunter]

I need to put a tutorial together but here are the basic steps:

 

1 - Roll out Crayola Air Dry Clay (Leftover from another project, and it works well for this)

2 - Lightly coat textured roller in coconut oil. It smells great and helps the clay not stick to the roller

3 - Roll over clay

4 - Cut circles the size of a base using a template (the step I want to speed up with a cookie cutter)

5 - Remove cut pieces and let dry

6 - Glue to bases and clean up (this is a lot of steps on it's own)

 

It's a lot of work, but its cheap. I've looked at silicone molds and resin and I don't think I want to do that. It has great results (as you've shown) but it's a skill set I don't want to learn right now or purchase supplies for. My method works (for me) and as with painting I find the detail work of cleaning up and gap filling very therapeutic for me.

[thewarriorhunter]

 

Gael was looking through the scope of his rifle and watched the Tau Pathfinders appear through the rubble. With the flick of a finger he instantly adjusted the range zeroing for his scope and swept his aim across the small formation in front of him. He quickly assessed the group of enemies and determined there were three different units cobbled together based on slight variations in armor and unit markings. They held a triangular formation with a more decorated figure at the center of them.

 

As Lieutenant Demyan gave his orders the unit of snipers squeezed their triggers in unison. Five shrouded barrels gave a muffled thud as their deadly payload was released with violent accuracy. Gael watched the enemy commander jerk as their rounds made impact. Clean armor instantly became tinted with red spray as several of the rounds found their target. The commander stumbled forward and only remained upright after using the butt of his rifle to steady himself.

 

Alexander and his small contingent of scouts opened fire from their position. Their bolt guns and heavy bolter tore into the enemy infantry. Pathfinders spun and jerked as the high explosive bolt rounds ripped them to pieces. Fury exploded from Alexander’s auto bolt rifle and an instant later he watched the head of one enemy evaporate in a spray of red mist.

 

At the sound of gunfire the XV8 crisis suit pilots looked to their right as they continued their advance. They saw their comrades attempting to compose themselves and return fire on a building at the edge of the engagement zone. The volleys were disorganized and scattered and all appeared to impact harmlessly into the ferrocrete walls of the ruined building.

 

An explosion directly in front of the leader brought the squad’s focus back to their surrounding area. The buildings to their left and directly in front had appeared vacant a moment before but now were angry daemons belching forth anger and hatred. The unit of drones that was accompanying them started moving erratically in an effort to obtain firing solutions on the invisible foe. Lascannons and superheated plasma blasted into the wall of drones. The shield drone’s energy bank was quickly exhausted and it exploded. The gun drones around it suffered a similar fate as their buffer had been eliminated. In an instant the wall of drones was reduced to scraps of metal or slagged chunks that thudded into the ground to remain there forever.

 

The suits retaliated with their own chorus of fire and turned six burst cannons on the building to their left. Hundreds of bullets flew into the building, blasting apart support columns and ripping into Astartes as they scrambled for harder cover. Zaan watched as half his squad suffered immediate casualties from the hail of gunfire but continued to press on through the ruble towards the beacon.

 

“Pick yourselves up!” Zaan yelled. “We will meet these enemies head on! Their defenses are destroyed and they are at their most vulnerable!”

 

As Zaan readied for another pull of his trigger he realized he would not see the results of his bolter round. A fourth battle suit had turned to face the building. Two large boxes on the suit erupted with smoke and fire as a dozen missiles began their destructive journey. In an instant they had reached the building and exploded on all levels. The weakened building could withstand no more punishment and imploded with a grinding screech of metal. Demyan watched in dismay as the building collapsed and cursed under his breath as he fired his stalker bolt file at the advancing enemy.

 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Good job on the camo cloaks. As for the story, let me say, "Go suck yourselves, you little blue worms! Go suck yourselves until your esophagus and your large intestine are as one!" a sentiment any loyal Imperial subject surely agrees to, re: Tau. Edited January 18, 2019 by Bjorn Firewalker

[thewarriorhunter]

Alexander raced towards to second beacon and shouted into the vox for the scouts accompanying him to continue through the rubble towards the third beacon. He slammed himself into a broken section of wall to obscure the line of site from the crisis suits that had just wreaked havoc on a building directly across from him. His Mark X suit instantly began to communicate with the beacon and transmitting data. Over the command frequency he heard Lieutenant Demyan call out coordinates and an instant later there was a resounding explosion where the enemy infantry was attempting to find cover. The Orbital Bombardment rained down from the cruise ship that was orbiting the planet. He watched the mayhem unfold in front of him but was unable to pay further attention as he felt sharp pain explode all over. He sunk to the ground and looked down to see his armor become stained with the blood oozing out from half a dozen wounds. As he attempted to remain conscious he could hear the mechanical whirrs and crunching ground as one of the battlesuits advanced on his position. He blinding fired his rifle around the corner as he slowly pushed himself up against the wall.

 

 

Looking through the smoke he saw the suit change directions towards the scouts that had continued their advance, their weapons continuing to chew through the enemy infantry. Knowing he would soon be useless he flung himself around the corned are ran towards the enemy warlord. His rifle spat round after round into the suit with little effect but the momentary distraction gave the scouts the time they needed to disappear back into the rubble. Alexander let out a war cry as he watched the burst cannons on the commander spin up as they prepared to fire on him.

 

 

Up in the tower Gael looked for a target of opportunity through the smoke that was settling from the orbital bombardment. The enemy was in disarray and frantically scrambling to hold their position. He saw the enemy commander barking orders to his men and instantly pulled the trigger. The commanders expression instantly changed from anger to one of shock as the round pierced through his neck as if nothing was there. Arterial spray shot from the wound as the commander sunk to his knees. As the pathfinders saw their leader’s life stolen in front of them they panicked. Some began to blindly charge into the approaching scouts while others attempted to retreat and put as much distance in between themselves and the daemons that were cutting them to pieces.

 

“The commander is dead!” barked Sergeant Zaan. “Gael, continue to support the scouts. Everyone else I want fire on the crisis suit approaching the second beacon.” As the lanes of fire shifted and adjustments were made the camo cloaks of the snipers were suddenly stirred up around them. Zaan looked up and the smoke and afterburners trailing behind a second unit of crisis suits and drones that descended from the sky. He cursed as they landed in the exposed rear of their force. He spoke quickly into the vox, “Lieutenant Demyan, enemies are approaching from the rear!”

 

“Assault Squad Mirum, I want you at my location now!” Demyan commanded into the vox. In an instant the squad he had held in reserved was flying through the air and bounding over rubble to reach his location. As they came into range of the ruins they laid down suppressing fire on the suits to ensure they made it inside the ruins. As they began their descent they watched the final suit from the original squad fall to the ground in a twitching mass of sparks and flames. The devastators had exacted vengeance for their fallen brothers and laid waste to the unit of battlesuits.

 

 

“Sergeant, how much longer?” Demyan asked as he stood over the marine who had been transmitting the data.

 

“30 seconds to completion, sir.” As the words left his mouth a mass of burst cannon fire raked through the upper floors of the ruins. The devastator squad tucked in behind standing columns and weathered the storm as best they could. Two marines were caught in the hail of bullets and punctured dozens of times each. The eyes of their helmets grew dark as their bodies twitched and jerked as the final moments of their life gave way.

 

As the battle suits reloaded Squad Mirum stepped out from their cover and opened fire. A flame thrower spat forth molten destruction and instantly vaporized several drones. Plasma shots mixed with bolt pistol rounds to puncture more drones. A standoff ensued as the marines and battlesuits continued to fire towards each other, the distance shortening as the suits continued to advance on the ruined shrine.

 

“Transmission done, sir!” the devastator sergeant yelled as he ran to join the assault squad in protecting the rear.

 

“Storm Eagle one and two,” Demyan spoke as he keyed the vox, “Prepare for immediate strafing run on the coordinates I am relaying to you. When your run is complete land at landing zone alpha and prepare for quick extraction.” Without waiting for a reply he turned his heavy bolt rifle on the enemy commander as it began advancing on their position.

 

 

Gael was continuing to add enemy infantry to his kill total. He had cleanly taken out two more as the pathfinders continued to scramble over the field. He heard the orders for the Storm Eagles to come in and knew the engagement would soon end. As he continued to look for kills he saw a pathfinder scramble towards the far beacon. He knew the enemy could not be allowed to interface with the beacon. He placed the crosshairs over the chest of his enemy and squeezed the trigger. The projectile bored through armor and flesh as if they were paper. The pathfinder was a corpse before the other side of his chest cavity exploded in a mix of organs, bone, and shrapnel.

 

With the transmission from one of the beacons complete the others were not needed. The Storm Eagle crew were aware of this and fired indiscriminately as they approached the engagement zone. The marines had quickly begun their regrouping actions and were already clear of the most violent areas. The lascannon blasts shredded through the remainder of the Tau battlesuits and sheets of molten energy poured out of the forward mounted multi-meltas and turned everything they touched into molten slag. The two remaining beacons erupted as precise lascannon shots penetrated their hull plating.

 

The giant birds peeled off and did a final run to ensure the battlefield would not retaliate against them as they landed. When the second pass was complete they looped around and landed. Their ramps were already descending before they touched the ground. Demyan ordered everyone on board their ships and looked back towards the battlefield. With a final glance towards the shrine that held the first beacon he pressed a button on his forearm command panel. A muffled thud emerged from the building and a flash of light erupted from the windows and cracked walls. The final beacon had self destructed with little ceremony save for dust rising out of the cracks as the pressure from the explosion forced it out of the building.

 

The mission had been a success but the cost had been higher than he was willing to accept. He had already called in the company apothecary to begin gene-seed reclamations. As his detachment boarded their ships he saw the medicae Storm Eagles approaching the area and begin their descent. He longed to remain on the field and assist with the operation but his orders were to reclaim the data, destroy the beacons, and return to the command ship for further operational instructions. Behind his helmet he gritted his teeth and stepped onto the ramp of his transport and walked up as it closed behind him.

 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

The story is good. You can really use a proofreader, though.

The Orbital Bombardment rained down from the cruise ship that was orbiting the planet.

Emphasis mine. Don't you mean "cruiser"? Or did the bombardment come from a Tau "cruise ship" instead of a Space Marine strike cruiser? (The xenos named a class of cruisers Il'Fannor- "Merchant"- which Ciaphas Cain felt was deceptive in The Greater Good. I can imagine them naming a strike cruiser equivalent "Cruise Ship".)

A flame thrower spat forth molten destruction and instantly vaporized several drones.

Don't you mean "flamer," to use M41 and M42 terms? (We spell "flamethrower" as one word in M2 and M3, anyways.) Or is the "flame thrower"- spelled as two words- a different weapon than the flamers a Space Marine would use?

[thewarriorhunter]

Great points, Bjorn. A simple 'imperial' to describe the cruiser would work. And the weapon is a flamer so it's description should be changed.

 

Also my wife had been working on my chapter symbol. The rough draft I saw today looks very promising.

[thewarriorhunter]

Finally got to paint a little to base. I got a batch of them going since I thought I had my basing scheme figured out but after looking at a variety of bases a little way in I realize my current scheme would not look good. Here's the two I had done for reference:

 

 

The issue is the red glaze I put over the 'engraved' portion of the bases. If I were to keep that theme then the majority of these bases would have that red tint and I did not like the idea of that. Here's the batch of bases for reference, they're base coated and washed at this point, which is when I realized I needed to do something different:

 

 

I tried out about six different schemes and settled on something I like. I'm dropping the red glaze and making the diamonds in the grout lines a dark red. I think all the detail just having the dark lines from the wash is good enough and the bases with less of it will be what stands out a little bit.

 

 

It's about the same amount of work to do this and I've gotten some good feedback so far. I'd love to hear what you all think of it and if you have any suggestions let me have them!