Chapter Serf Army

[Adeptekon]

Recently I've been thinking about starting an army of chapter serfs (because I'm simple) and I'm wondering what if any edition supports fielding a serf army? I also want to make things simplier for some others to learn and get into without a ton of rulebooks, strategems etc. Should I even consider 40k and just go with OPR instead? Thing is if it's possible I'd like to field it as a 40k army if it's possible.

[Lathe Biosas]

I see a couple different avenues for you. 

 

Since Chapter Serfs are unagmented, but armed with decent Chapter equipment and training.

 

First, you could use the Imperial Agents codex and field Navy Armsmen or Arbites as Chapter Serfs. That way you could Integrate them into your current army until you have enough to field them as their own force. 

 

Or, you could field an Imperial Guard army as Auxiliaries. The Ultramarines have a bunch of really cool looking blue soldiers (See Titus' new command squad for details) to defend Ultramar.

 

You could field Tempestus Aquilons or Scions in the role, with appropriate iconography. 

 

Beyond that, I can't figure out a way of doing it... unless you want to play with the "lobotimised failures of the Chapter," and you can play Adeptus Mechanicus. 

[Adeptekon]

Yeah I could run them like IG that's a thought. Maybe go with HH models. Not sure what else would represent flak armour.

[Lathe Biosas]

You could use a bunch of Necromunda House Cawdor or Redemptionists. They seem wacky enough to be Black Templar serfs. 

[Adeptekon]

20 minutes ago, Lathe Biosas said:

You could use a bunch of Necromunda House Cawdor or Redemptionists. They seem wacky enough to be Black Templar serfs. 

I like this idea. Clerical support. I think I just need to start picking up boxes of things.

[Dr. Clock]

Yeah I'd definitely suggest Imperial Agents.

 

I'd expect armed serfs to have effectively 'defensive boarding' weaponry... They won't be going down to planets much, and in space the marines are already the marines that go on 'away' missions, but there would definitely be auxiliary corps for 'home defense and internal security' on the floating cities that are Chapter vessels. 

 

For units then:

 

Rogue Trader coterie = Lt. and command squad (Basically highest ranking serfs who would con vessel when marine Commander leaves the ship)

 

Navigator = obvs

 

Navy squads = don't even need a name change basically - a few squads is enough

 

Subductors = Discipline Cadres (riot gear for quelling mutinies in the low decks)

 

Sanctifiers = Chaplaincy serfs (Ecclesiarchy fanatics and priests) - can add Ministorum Priest here as effectively the Priest of the ship who ministers to the ship... Cawdor conversions could go here too with ease

 

Aquila / Deathwatch  Kill Team = Sternguard Veterans (a couple squads of elite marines in a mostly Serfs army would be my move personally...) - Captain Artemis or Watch Master as well for a Ship Commander is good.

 

Inquisitors etc. - If you're doing all the above you're still not looking at quite enough variety to make a reasonable 2k list unless you do like 30-40 marines... So from here the temptation will be to add in some actual Inquisitors and mostly Draxus for the shenanigans and the multi-melta servitors. Maybe Draxus could be like a particularly impressive Navigator hero with her House guard, or even a wounded Librarian who isn't sent on away missions much due to being toughness 3 after losing a heart and lung or whatever... 'retinues' might also be a place for failed aspirants, whether in servitor or other forms. 

 

Cool idea - hope to see uodates!

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor. 

[Lathe Biosas]

Only bit I could find specifically about Black Templar serfs:

 

Quote

Sergeant Majoris: The highest rank of the warrior-serfs in the Black Templars chapter.

 

[Adeptekon]

3 hours ago, Dr. Clock said:

Yeah I'd definitely suggest Imperial Agents.

 

I'd expect armed serfs to have effectively 'defensive boarding' weaponry... They won't be going down to planets much, and in space the marines are already the marines that go on 'away' missions, but there would definitely be auxiliary corps for 'home defense and internal security' on the floating cities that are Chapter vessels. 

 

For units then:

 

Rogue Trader coterie = Lt. and command squad (Basically highest ranking serfs who would con vessel when marine Commander leaves the ship)

 

Navigator = obvs

 

Navy squads = don't even need a name change basically - a few squads is enough

 

Subductors = Discipline Cadres (riot gear for quelling mutinies in the low decks)

 

Sanctifiers = Chaplaincy serfs (Ecclesiarchy fanatics and priests) - can add Ministorum Priest here as effectively the Priest of the ship who ministers to the ship... Cawdor conversions could go here too with ease

 

Aquila / Deathwatch  Kill Team = Sternguard Veterans (a couple squads of elite marines in a mostly Serfs army would be my move personally...) - Captain Artemis or Watch Master as well for a Ship Commander is good.

 

Inquisitors etc. - If you're doing all the above you're still not looking at quite enough variety to make a reasonable 2k list unless you do like 30-40 marines... So from here the temptation will be to add in some actual Inquisitors and mostly Draxus for the shenanigans and the multi-melta servitors. Maybe Draxus could be like a particularly impressive Navigator hero with her House guard, or even a wounded Librarian who isn't sent on away missions much due to being toughness 3 after losing a heart and lung or whatever... 'retinues' might also be a place for failed aspirants, whether in servitor or other forms. 

 

Cool idea - hope to see uodates!

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor. 

Thanks do you have any box set recommendations?

 

2 hours ago, Lathe Biosas said:

Only bit I could find specifically about Black Templar serfs:

 

 

Yeah I'll pull the Sergeant Majoris from the Arbites.

[Dr. Clock]

You did reference Solar Auxilia, which I successfully turned into this Inquisitorial Navy squad:

 

 

It's basically shotguns and other bits unused from building Suductors. Also Kasrkin melta... which, speaking of, I was able to do a 10-man Kasrkin squad in a similar fashion to these with the unused bits from THAT kit. I do think they'd have more like a Heresy level of tech and feel than a mainstream 40k one, and they're generally a touch cheaper per man which means you can turn a 3 kit budget into 4 decent units if you just buy like two kill teams and throw anything unused on a Solar Aux guy as a Retinue or Navy squaddy.

 

For my gun servitors I mostly used arco-flagellants and just chucked multi-meltas and admech weapons on them from various sources (I also have an AdMech weirdo army that's like a quarter Necromunda stuff at this point).

 

My Inquisitorial retinues actually also just include some old metal scouts painted as Red Hunters, but that could be a good route as well, since they do look just like regular (armoured) human size in comparison to recent kits...

 

So basically my suggested conversion list is:

 

1x Arbites Kill Team (10)

1x Sanctifiers Kill Team (10)

1x Cawdor Crew (16)

1x Kill Team Battleclade (10)

1x Solar Auxilia Lasrifle Section (20)

 

This should give you in-game:

 

1x Subductors (Arbites - just swap the extra Aux heads on maybe)

2x 9 Sanctifiers + 2x 1 Ministorum Priests (Sanctifiers + Cawdor)

2x 12 Inquisitorial Retinue (Battleclade + Cawdor + Solar Aux)

1x 10 Navy Breachers (Solar Aux)

 

Then you'll have 2 minis left over, which I would convert to 'Inquisitors' for the Retinues based on the technoarchaeologist and Servitor Underseer from Battleclade kit.

 

64 infantry is a solid backbone for this army in my experience. My list has 10 more Navy in place of second Sanctifiers, so if you prefer, you can easily swap the actual Sactifiier box for the Rogue Trader Retinue and be just as happy most likely. 

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor.

[jaxom]

If you want serfs that are more well equipped, I recommend taking a look at Palanite Enforcers

https://www.warhammer.com/en-US/shop/Necromunda-Palanite-Enforcer-Patrol-2019

 

Their helmets are vaguely Space Marine and they have similar gear to the Imperial Agents units.

[Adeptekon]

50 minutes ago, jaxom said:

If you want serfs that are more well equipped, I recommend taking a look at Palanite Enforcers

https://www.warhammer.com/en-US/shop/Necromunda-Palanite-Enforcer-Patrol-2019

 

Their helmets are vaguely Space Marine and they have similar gear to the Imperial Agents units.

I've looked at these, a nice Templar paint job could work on them. I think I'm leaning towards Arbites Enforcers. 

 

1 hour ago, Dr. Clock said:

You did reference Solar Auxilia, which I successfully turned into this Inquisitorial Navy squad:

 

 

It's basically shotguns and other bits unused from building Suductors. Also Kasrkin melta... which, speaking of, I was able to do a 10-man Kasrkin squad in a similar fashion to these with the unused bits from THAT kit. I do think they'd have more like a Heresy level of tech and feel than a mainstream 40k one, and they're generally a touch cheaper per man which means you can turn a 3 kit budget into 4 decent units if you just buy like two kill teams and throw anything unused on a Solar Aux guy as a Retinue or Navy squaddy.

 

For my gun servitors I mostly used arco-flagellants and just chucked multi-meltas and admech weapons on them from various sources (I also have an AdMech weirdo army that's like a quarter Necromunda stuff at this point).

 

My Inquisitorial retinues actually also just include some old metal scouts painted as Red Hunters, but that could be a good route as well, since they do look just like regular (armoured) human size in comparison to recent kits...

 

So basically my suggested conversion list is:

 

1x Arbites Kill Team (10)

1x Sanctifiers Kill Team (10)

1x Cawdor Crew (16)

1x Kill Team Battleclade (10)

1x Solar Auxilia Lasrifle Section (20)

 

This should give you in-game:

 

1x Subductors (Arbites - just swap the extra Aux heads on maybe)

2x 9 Sanctifiers + 2x 1 Ministorum Priests (Sanctifiers + Cawdor)

2x 12 Inquisitorial Retinue (Battleclade + Cawdor + Solar Aux)

1x 10 Navy Breachers (Solar Aux)

 

Then you'll have 2 minis left over, which I would convert to 'Inquisitors' for the Retinues based on the technoarchaeologist and Servitor Underseer from Battleclade kit.

 

64 infantry is a solid backbone for this army in my experience. My list has 10 more Navy in place of second Sanctifiers, so if you prefer, you can easily swap the actual Sactifiier box for the Rogue Trader Retinue and be just as happy most likely. 

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor.

This is great! Thanks for the list.

[TheTrans]

I've started doing up some Armourial Serfs for a warband. 

Here is the Artifcer and the Serf First Class. 



Both from that sanctifer kill team, has some awesome bits and pieces in it! 

[MoriyaSchism]

I'd recommend mixing in some Scouts in the army or parts of Scout armour. Mixing Cadian flak jackets and old Space Marine Scout torsos with Sanctifiers, Imperial Agents and other mortal sculpts. I would probably avoid clearly identifiable parts from other Imperial organizations or civilian adjacent gear like the Enforcers. Think of this force as a mix of surplus gear produced for a Space Marine Chapter and a standard Imperial Guard force with some monastic elements depending on the chapter. Another thing I'd look into is army lists outside of Imperial Agents, armies with mixed statlines like AdMech and Genestealer Cults. With these mixed statlines you could probably represent characters who are either mortal serfs, servitors, partially implanted aspirants who have a bit of Marine physiology to them, Scouts as junior squad leaders and even Space Marines. 

[Adeptekon]

10 hours ago, TheTrans said:

I've started doing up some Armourial Serfs for a warband. 

Here is the Artifcer and the Serf First Class. 



Both from that sanctifer kill team, has some awesome bits and pieces in it! 

This is the respect the artificer deserves!

1 hour ago, MoriyaSchism said:

I'd recommend mixing in some Scouts in the army or parts of Scout armour. Mixing Cadian flak jackets and old Space Marine Scout torsos with Sanctifiers, Imperial Agents and other mortal sculpts.

Perfect! I am looking for flak armour so that's a good unit to use. Too bad Steel Legion isn't plastic yet. I'd just paint them black and slap a maltese cross over their patch.

[Blissful Brushes]

I’d be inclined to go down the Scout/Guard route. In my lore (not built yet :( ) my marines do operate with mortals - leading companies of imperial army troops, embedded within SF style squads - handy having a marine carrying the .50 or bmg equivalent. I also like the idea of aspirants operating within mortal squads and the junior leaders learning the ropes of command and even more senior leaders learning how to manage theatre level stuff.

 

I’ve always found it a bit mad that a marine’s career in terms of command goes 10, 100, 1000 and by that second tier of command he’s realistically a theatre level commander with the skill set of a good SF team leader, so I like to sprinkle the odd marine into my guards

[Arikel]

A little late, but I would throw my hat on imperial guard with attached Imperial agent units. Lorewise, my custom chapter sits near the rift that split the galaxy in two, but even prior to that they were in a frontier area of space, essentially cleansing systems of xeno life (if any), preparing worlds for imperial settlement, and bringing newly discovered human populated sectors into the empire's fold if they were considered genetically pure enough. The chapter is the tip of this crusade, and don't have the manpower or inclination to babysit the newly established or absorbed colonies directly, instead they use the PDF of their home system and other loyal planets to garrison new territories. Known as Pacification Divisions (or PD's for short), these are relatively lightly armed and armoured mechanized infantry divisions that specialize in crowd control and suppression, they are supported by Adeptus Arbites, Bullgryn battalions, and the occasional Inquistor, Imperial Church official, or Astra militarum officer and their entourages.

 

As they are designed to maintain order and keep the peace on planets that have recently been conquered, they are most commonly equipped to deal with lightly armed but numerous foes, in a fast and efficient manner. Infantry squads typically carry flamers and sniper rifles, and have either a chimera, taurox, or centaur for transport. They are supported by Sentinel walkers also armed with flamers and chainswords, and form a firing line behind Bullgryn and Arbites Subductor units against any mobs that might form up against them. Occasionally they use artillery in the form of high volume rocket fire. 

 

In general, they don't have access to heavier armour or artillery like the Leman Russ, Rogal Dorn etc, but they do often have some Hippogriff scout or Hellhound tanks available. If the enemy has access to equipment that they can't counter, a marine strikeforce or an armoured Astra Miltarum regiment would be sent to assist.

[N1SB]

As our own B&C Frater, ADB, wrote a novel about a Chapter serf in Spear of the Emperor, just wanted to add to the vehicles point.

 

In that book, 3 Chapter serfs operated in battle from inside a Damocles Rhino (HQ).  They served the Mentors.  This is non-spoiler, just sharing how they operated.  They would use the Damocles Rhino's sensor arrays and scanners and wotnot to scope out the field and feed info on targets to the Marine they were attached to.

 

To lighten the load (and wallet) on conversions a bit, this Marine vehicles route might be a fun and (depending on Detachment rules) a strategically-themed army.  Like I'd listen to our Frateri and go with Imperial Agents to represent the serfs on foot, but then with Marine vehicles...maybe with the equivalent of Learner's Permits.

 

So imagine you got your Arbites models, a few squads for Objectives, then all the other serfs...INSIDE vehicles.  Easier to get to tabletop.

[Adeptekon]

Guardsmen really opens up the door for me. I'm not sure why I never thought of it, but there's enough variety to make some good looking serfs.

 

 

[Arikel]

2 hours ago, Adeptekon said:

Guardsmen really opens up the door for me. I'm not sure why I never thought of it, but there's enough variety to make some good looking serfs.

 

 

Not just unit wise, but model wise as well. Just in GW, beyond the basic Cadian/Catachan/Krieg trio, escher gangsters come with enough lasguns in their gang pack to cosplay guardswomen without needing any other parts, other nercomundans could work, but might need to source las/autoguns. SOB novitiates have lasgun equivalents that could be be used as is with them or as arms for other figures (I used some in my eschers for variety, but they would probably fit well with cawdors also with minimal to no alteration). From 30K you have the Solar Auxilia.

 

3rd party plastics from Wargames Atlantic, Victoria Miniatures, and Stargrave all look very viable as well. WA also sells a modern/sci-fi arms and weapons upgrade sprue that also opens up using their fantasy or historical plastics to represent feral or feudal world soldiers pressed into imperial service. Haven't checked that out yet myself but it's an option I am considering at some point. WA even makes halfling guard (Sneakfeet on their sight) that looks like they would pair well with the ratling sniper squad.

 

Tons of other options as well, if you have access to a printer, but I am fine with off the shelf ones since I don't have one of my own.

 

I currently have Cadians, some Krieg and Escher minis being built for the various pdf and am regiments that have been called up to the crusade, none in a very finished status though. You can see the escher conversions in my blog, bult and base coated but still need paint. They will be joined by arbites with shields, some sisters of battle, and a variety of priests, Inquistors and other folk. Considering converting goliaths for bullgryn, if they're big enough. 

 

Lots you can do with guard, agents and sm together. If you use guard as the base agents lets you bring Arbites and other specialist squads, SoB and SM are options as well with the right inquisitor(don't remember if they are exclusive of each other). If you use SM as the base, then you use the guard to proxy some of the specialist squads.

 

Not quite Imperial soup, but getting close too. I recommend using the crucible rules from the Maelstrom set to make leagal(ish) custom characters if you can.

[Karhedron]

I think a Serf army would vary greatly depending on the Chapter in question. For a fleet-based chapter then I would expect lots of Imperial Agent-style units, particularly Voidsmen. A lot of Chapters would have units like Arbites to guard their Fortress Monastery. Chapters that actively govern one or more worlds might even have IG-style armies in their service. The Ultramar PDF is probably the most developed example with full standing armies and I imagine lots of elite units like Scions to represent the high quality equipment and training that the UMs would inevitably provide.

[Dr. Clock]

7 hours ago, Arikel said:

converting goliaths for bullgryn, if they're big enough

They're not, unfortunately... Tho the Stimmers are. 

 

Cheers,

 

The Good Doctor.

[Adeptekon]

Appreciate all the ideas still coming in. I like Wargames Atlantic and I've looked at a lot of proxies out there. No printer yet, but I've picked up a couple of very detailed minis from Arch Villian Games. Wargames Atlantic Spacenam is also great, and would work well for the Ork Hunters I've got running with my crusade.

 

The Guard I wanted was Steel Legion, but without a refresh I'm not touching them with a 10 foot paint brush and will not convert Krieg because 1. I'm not skilled enough and 2. They are actually not same contrary to GW's suggestion of painting them up like SL.

 

So just to give you all a little bit of context to my sytle. My templars are grimdark minimalists (mostly), and with their relationship to SL who is also somewhat straight forward no non-sense trench coat helmet, gas mask, and boots I see them looking best as Templar serfs in black get up.

 

That said, Arbites were my second choice and really just make great sense for Templars since they also work closely. 

 

I'm not so much looking for things like Scions or Tempests (even though they are cool), but maybe I just start getting some random box sets and see what comes together.

 

 

 

[Brother Carpenter]

On 8/16/2026 at 2:59 AM, Adeptekon said:

I like this idea. Clerical support. I think I just need to start picking up boxes of things.

Yes, quill them to death with thou feather dipped in poisenous and unguent inks

 

But, seriously, cool idea. Go for it and show us the results!