Legion of the Damned

[Minibem]

Morning all,

Sorry if this has been discussed before but have been reading the Legion of the Damned book and then looked at the minis and thought that if they are the Fire Hawk Chapter that have come back then why are they wearing MK4 armour? Surely if they are the lost legion they would be wearing pre heresy armour or am I missing something?

I love the minis I just thought that if they were meant to be pre heresy then I have a project and could do actual legion of the damned marines in Mk2 / 3 armour!

[Psychosplodge]

I've never seen anything that suggests they're pre-heresy. Did I miss something in that book?

[Minibem]

My bad, got the dates wrong. The Fire Hawks disappeared in M41 so post heresy!

*feels silly now*:confused:

[Wolfshade]

The link between Fire Hawks and Legion of the Damned is "fairly" well established.
The argument about armour types is tricky, but one needs to consider that the Legion first appeared in Rogue Trader, where GW were not overly concerned about the "correctness" of any armour mark.

A couple of observations:

WD 99. These boyos are the remains of the Fire Hawks. So for my tuppence:

1. Should all be Mk VI armour.
2. Should not have latest godwyn pattern bolters - should have gone for crusade or heresy pattern (pay attention all you pre-heresy modellers its your most common mistake)
3. Individually patterned armour? I think not. They wouldn't have sufficient artificer support to do this - should just be black plain armour with painted designs.
4. GW should stop with flame effects in braziers etc - they almost always look rubbish.

So, overall, I think these are good looking minis, can see chaplains or some mad Chaos conversions here. But not very Legion of Damned.



1 & 2 - MK VII armour was introduced at the very end of the heresey, so would have easily been available to a 26th founding Chapter (M36), as would the current issue bolters.

3 - I think this is to tie in with the "are they the Fire Hawks or are they Ghoooost Maaarines (oooooo)".

4 - Agreed.

Of course they could always have scavenged more modern armour plates and weapons and updated them...

[Psychosplodge]

But in the second edition WD release aren't they spotted on a timeline of suspected actions, preM41?

[Quaade]

But in the second edition WD release aren't they spotted on a timeline of suspected actions, preM41?

Time flows differently in the warp!

[Psychosplodge]

Good point...

[Rissan4ever]

Plus, they're essentially the Emperor's personal army of ghosts, so I'm pretty sure they can have whatever style of armor they darn well please.

[Wolfshade]

Plus, they're essentially the Emperor's personal army of ghosts, so I'm pretty sure they can have whatever style of armor they darn well please.

More like Death Company wannabes..

[Rissan4ever]

More like Death Company wannabes..

No, not really. It's a completely different situation.

[bfmusashi]

No, not really. It's a completely different situation.
Are they in the family way?

[Wolfshade]

No, not really. It's a completely different situation.

It is hardly a "completely different situation"

Both wear black armour and utilise skull motifs.
Both are crazed.
Both prefer to close on the enemy.
Both shrug off wounds that would otherwise cripple normal marines.
Both are not welcome support from their "allies"

Though of course they are different, one only needs to see that they are in different codecii to observe this.
One is Fire Hawks peverted by the warp
The other are only Blood Angel geneseed that have sucumbed to the red thirst.

[Andersp90]

More like Death Company wannabes..

Rissan4ever speaks the truth.

In the legion of the damned book it is clearly stated that they are spectres.

It is also implied that those space marines who are worthy, will join the ranks of the legion of the damned after death (our main charcter).

Fluff changes. They might still have something to do with the fire hawks.

Im not so sure though.


Both are not welcome support from their "allies"

Not true regarding the legion of the damned.

[White Tiger88]

Just to throw this Blood Angel\Legion of the damned stuff off a bit....Think about Mephiston he beat the Red Thirst that drives 99% of Blood Angels to become Death Legion then die.......Does that means he has the power of a Legion of the Damned trooper?

[Wolfshade]

I am seriously begining to think I need to use tags to explain what I mean. For example

More like Death Company wannabes..

I also imagine that it is not the most morale boosting of activities to have "ghosts" that only appear at the most forlorn of battles...

[Andersp90]

I also imagine that it is not the most morale boosting of activities to have "ghosts" that only appear at the most forlorn of battles...

Yea, getting saved from certain death is always a real downer.. :rolleyes:


Just to throw this Blood Angel\Legion of the damned stuff off a bit....Think about Mephiston he beat the Red Thirst that drives 99% of Blood Angels to become Death Legion then die.......Does that means he has the power of a Legion of the Damned trooper?

Well, a Legion of the Damned legionnaire can't be killed (as he is alredy dead).

So a fight between the two would be pretty one-sided. :)

So my answer would be no.

[bfmusashi]

Yea, getting saved from certain death is always a real downer.. :rolleyes:

When it's by guys that look like the things you've spent your life killing AND they came out of nowhere, yeah.

[Wolfshade]

Yea, getting saved from certain death is always a real downer.. :rolleyes:

Because obviously being is in such a hopeless position that they appear you haven't already susstained horrendous casualties and instanteously prevent a single further loss of life...

[Andersp90]

When it's by guys that look like the things you've spent your life killing AND they came out of nowhere, yeah.

The space marines saved in the Space marine codex story seemed pretty happy. :rolleyes:


Because obviously being is in such a hopeless position that they appear you haven't already susstained horrendous casualties and instanteously prevent a single further loss of life...

I have never heard of any blood angles deciding to lie down and die when saved by the Sanguinor

[bfmusashi]

Nothing good happens to happy space marines. Ask the Flame Falcons.

[Psychosplodge]

Sad space marines don't get it any better, ask the lamentors...

[Andersp90]

Nothing good happens to happy space marines. Ask the Flame Falcons.

Herp derp. :)

[bfmusashi]

Sad space marines don't get it any better, ask the lamentors...

Clearly, only angst, community service, or ADVENTURE can sustain a chapter perpetually.

[Psychosplodge]

But they don't understand our angst!

[Wolfshade]

I have never heard of any blood angles deciding to lie down and die when saved by the Sanguinor

The Sanguinor appearance is a very different kettle of fish, firstly space marines no know fear and secondly he doesn't appear looking like death.

The majority of battles it is the imperial guard that are facing the enemy.
If the situation is so bad that the LoD do appear they would be bruised, bloody and battered. Probably half mad with terror to begin with then out of the mists suddenly appear marines, which most guardsmen find terrifing in the first, but these are all black, totally unannouced appearing like the very spector of death. I very much doubt you would then suddenly be comforted and go, ah it's ok, we still might have a 90% fatality rate but its ok we will prevail in the end. No, for the boots on the ground, the herald of fighting a foe that needs astartes is worrying in itself and means that you probably would not survive, then to have the forlorn hope of space marines that makes the situation twice as bad.
No doubt to the commanders and other "back room" staff, they are a welcome addittion, but to the normal grunt it could only be considered a bad omen.

[Andersp90]

The Sanguinor appearance is a very different kettle of fish, firstly space marines no know fear and secondly he doesn't appear looking like death.

The majority of battles it is the imperial guard that are facing the enemy.
If the situation is so bad that the LoD do appear they would be bruised, bloody and battered. Probably half mad with terror to begin with then out of the mists suddenly appear marines, which most guardsmen find terrifing in the first, but these are all black, totally unannouced appearing like the very spector of death. I very much doubt you would then suddenly be comforted and go, ah it's ok, we still might have a 90% fatality rate but its ok we will prevail in the end. No, for the boots on the ground, the herald of fighting a foe that needs astartes is worrying in itself and means that you probably would not survive, then to have the forlorn hope of space marines that makes the situation twice as bad.
No doubt to the commanders and other "back room" staff, they are a welcome addittion, but to the normal grunt it could only be considered a bad omen.

Yes, a space marine can be an intemedating thing to MEET IN PERSON, but when they drop down from the skies and start raping the enemy, the reaction seems to be the same in every single 40k novel: epic morale boost.

The fall of damnos novel would be a prime example of that.

Seeing a unit of space marines clad in glowing sable armour, and firing glowing bolter rounds might be an eerie sight at first (well, that's how it's described in the fluff), but when they start stomping the enemy, all that is forgotten. :)

The Sanguinor and the legion of the damned both appear when all seems lost. The Sanguinor wont win you the battle - just even the odds. Thats the only real difference between to two.

[Psychosplodge]

They all just want a hug to help deal with their angst...

[Rissan4ever]

They all just want a hug to help deal with their angst...

Those poor super-human mega-warriors with fancy armor and high-quality weapons. They have it so hard.

[bfmusashi]

Those poor super-human mega-warriors with fancy armor and high-quality weapons. They have it so hard.
Love can't bloom on the battlefield. They just want someone to hug and squeeze and tell them everything's gonna be alright.

[Andersp90]

They all just want a hug to help deal with their angst...

*Hug*

[bfmusashi]

It burns like space syphilis.

[Psychosplodge]

It burns like space syphilis.

I said hug, not special hug. This is what happens when you go pawing at the easy space nuns...