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Horus Heresy Book 8: Malevolence


m0nolith

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can any one expand on what the Esoterist is, im not asking for rules just what they are compared to a normal libby, trying to plan how i will model one.

 

I'll say this full in the knowledge that I don't have the book, so this may end up being proven totally wrong.

 

To me, an Esoterist is definitely not a Librarian. If you wanted a Libbie and what they represent in terms of the Librarius was as an established, recognised order within the Legions, you get a Librarian Consul instead. Librarians = Formal Instruction, Esoterists do not.

 

An Esoterist is not part of the established order. In the traitor legions, he's potentially a guy like Typhon or Sevatar, but more tied into or attuned to the whispers of the Dark Gods in terms of where his abilities are drawn from, rather than being simply pre-cognitive or something like that. Obviously they have Psyker potential, but it's limited and focussed, thus you can only get two Mastery Levels with him, and they're fixed to either Sanctic or Malefic Daemonology. These are the guys properly dabbling in the warp in their downtime.

Serghar Targost, the Lodge Master of the Sons of Horus, would be a good example of an Esoterist in a traitor legion, based on what he's doing in Vengeful Spirit.

 

For the Loyalists, it's a little harder to pin down. The route I'm going to take is something along the lines of this - This is the Age of Darkness, and there are costs to pay, and distasteful weapons that need to be wielded in order for righteousness to triumph. I can see certain Primarchs, the Lion and Guilliman especially, but maybe Corax as well, conducting testing and tapping into the power in the warp in order to combat that which comes from it. Given the dangers, this would be done separately to the formal activities of the Librarius, using Librarians as they've already received training in the Psychic Arts, though again, they're still very much learning Daemonology, thus the lower Mastery levels.

 

The Fluff to them said they are Librarians that returned to using their powers when Suddenly Deamons!!!!! happened, after Nicea there was no librarius organisation and all SM psykers were either killed/locked away and/or banned from using their powers, hence the lowered power. the best examples are the BA's from fear to tread and the IF/UM (cant remember which legion just locked them away) librarians that were locked away just in case.

Some of the Endless Spells alone might make awesome Daemons, or the basis for great conversions. Imagine a bunch of those floating Khorne skulls crying rivers of blood all over everything, or especially the Beasts of Chaos spells with burning bulls or the spectral crows!

An amazing idea!!!!

 

Some of the Endless Spells alone might make awesome Daemons, or the basis for great conversions. Imagine a bunch of those floating Khorne skulls crying rivers of blood all over everything, or especially the Beasts of Chaos spells with burning bulls or the spectral crows!

An amazing idea!!!!

 

 

The Horse one from the beastmen or Nighthaunt will be PERFECT.

My copy arrived today, and I must admit Nullificator and their squads look tastey (and the lore behind them, like proto-Grey Knights) and the Toxiferran Flamer looks pretty handy too.

 

Is there a Picture or Description of Pre Primarch Blood Angels' Legion Icon? From what I've seen it just looks like a blood smear on one side and a Roman Numeral 9 on the other. Is there anything under the smear?

Theres a picture on a previous page that Soldier of Dorn posted and there doesn't seem to be a symbol there (similar to the pre-primarch XIXth), looking at the clearer copy in my book there doesn't seem to be one at all.

Got my copy today! Happy I was able to dodge a hard Brexit.

 

Feels really good to open up a Black Book again. Have been avoiding spoilers, and after a quick skim it looks as lovely as it always does. Going to give it a first read tonight.

I've just gotten to Signus but I really liked them explaining warp related stuff that, in-universe, has been hard to explain. But the detail of it, and the random occurrences in regards to the warp during the Great Crusade is really cool.

I've been reading some of it, so far i'ts good. Plenty of new background to dwell in. 

 

Really liked the Elucidators inclusion, Malcador's Men in Black. Also the fact that the Imperial Fists were used by the Emperor to combat Daemons, cultists and other warp perils, and their pioneer use of psyarkana. 

Also got my copy yesterday and I've been picking through it since. I'm really enjoying it so far! I've mostly just kind of picked around and read all the color plate descriptions, unit and character entries, and whatever else caught my eye. I've just started going through the new Legion entries and then I'll probably dive into the main campaign stuff and offer my thoughts when I've finished.

 

I'm very interested to see where Tsolmon Khan goes... he is very loyal to the Khan but divisive among the rest of the Scars, and "...well known to warriors of a number of Legions..." Anyone want to place odds on him ending up in the Sagyar Mazan (or worse)?

I feel like the writing is a little closer to the prose in 40k codexes than that of previous books. (More dramatic, phrases like “So it was that...”, if that makes any sense.). Only by a little bit, but I did like Bligh’s style.

 

The content’s great, though. No complaints there.

I noticed that too. The writers embraced some writing choices (specifically the rhetorical question in the lost legion section) I’d never seen Bligh use. It still retained the more grounded and historical approach to the combat, lore, and legions than any 40k piece has since 5th.

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