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Hi all,
I am converting this beastmen shaman into a mixed regiment Imperial Guard beastmen psyker. I could use some ideas for the conversion if you have any to offer. I'm trying to make it retain its primal appearance while still looking like it can fit into a somewhat ramshackle Guard army that mostly uses the Cadian model uniforms. Right now I'm thinking of greenstuffing a loose belt across the hip for a holstered laspistol and of making the stitched patches on the back of the cloak appear to be pieces torn from banners of defeated opponents. I'm also thinking of some Imperial themed tattoos.
Thanks.

Here's a pic of the shaman. http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m2500146a_99070216001_GreatBrayShaman01_873x627.jpg

Unless it's traitor IG, I wouldn't do it since the Imperium doesn't normally use xenos with them, with some exceptions. A beastman psyker would be considered an abomination, and then rightfully executed. But if you're still going to do it, no matter how heretical it may be, I'd cut the flaps on his cap down and turn it into a hood, and make his cloak cover his body. The stolen banner cloak idea is pretty cool, but don't do anything Chaos, since it would probably be considered heretical, as proudly displaying symbols of Chaos would not be accepted. But reminding people of what saps the Tau are is okay.

I dunno about that... Ab-humans are accepted, mutants sometimes. Technically a 'beastman' wouldn't be a xenos.

Now we assume, all beastmen would be chaos-influenced based upon fantasy fluff, but if an imperial world is under enough stress, and the ab-human or mutant has skills to be used in service of the emperor, I do feel like they would be used.

If you put clothes on him, like a modified uniform, I think he would be just fine. That could be very hard to do.

 Deunstephe wrote:
Unless it's traitor IG, I wouldn't do it since the Imperium doesn't normally use xenos with them, with some exceptions. A beastman psyker would be considered an abomination, and then rightfully executed. But if you're still going to do it, no matter how heretical it may be, I'd cut the flaps on his cap down and turn it into a hood, and make his cloak cover his body. The stolen banner cloak idea is pretty cool, but don't do anything Chaos, since it would probably be considered heretical, as proudly displaying symbols of Chaos would not be accepted. But reminding people of what saps the Tau are is okay.

Beastmen in 40K are considered abhumans (like Ratlings and Ogryns), so there are cases where some Guard armies use them (there are some very old 40K imperial beastmen minis which I've been on the hunt for). They are also commonly used by Chaos. Among IG, they usually aren't treated as equals and they are made to feel like they need to fight for the Emperor's forgiveness due to their inferiority. With that in mind, I'm making a vet squad full of beastmen wielding flamers and bearing grisly trophies to act as a buffer in front of my plasma squads. Given the status of both psykers and beastmen in the Imperium, what I am doing would be very heretical. However, my Guard army is more themed toward a hodgepodge mixture of units that are more concerned with rewarding loyalty where they find it. They care less for the dogma of the Imperium and care more for killing enemies of mankind. Is what I'm doing contrary to fluff? Yeah probably, but I'll get my fill of grimdark when I pick up a Black Templars army.

The hood is a pretty neat idea. I'm trying to think of a way to cover his torso, but I don't know what kind of uniform I'd go for. The tattoos I mentioned would be one way to cover the torso, but since I'm using Cadian bodies for my beastmen veteran conversions, those would look out of place. That's why I'm trying to add more of a Guard look to him. If I can't think of anything, I may just expand the cloak like you suggested.

nkelsch wrote:
I dunno about that... Ab-humans are accepted, mutants sometimes. Technically a 'beastman' wouldn't be a xenos.

Now we assume, all beastmen would be chaos-influenced based upon fantasy fluff, but if an imperial world is under enough stress, and the ab-human or mutant has skills to be used in service of the emperor, I do feel like they would be used.

If you put clothes on him, like a modified uniform, I think he would be just fine. That could be very hard to do.

Yeah a modified uniform is what I'm trying to think up, but as you said it is proving to be very hard to do.

I agree that a beastman psyker might be permitted in a loyalist Guard army. Psykers are all abominations anyway, so what if it looks a bit funny. However it would not be trusted in the slightest, so what about manacles or something to chain him down between battles and some kind of facial brand of an aquila or "sanctioned" as an identifying mark?

I just thought about hanging more 40K themed trophies and trinkets from his staff. Probably an aquila and a helmet or two.

 Flinty wrote:
I agree that a beastman psyker might be permitted in a loyalist Guard army. Psykers are all abominations anyway, so what if it looks a bit funny. However it would not be trusted in the slightest, so what about manacles or something to chain him down between battles and some kind of facial brand of an aquila or "sanctioned" as an identifying mark?

That's a pretty good idea. A forehead tattoo of an aquila would be cool. I should have enough freehand practice by then since I won't be painting my Guard for a while.

I guess I just consider beastmen to be more xenos than sub-human or ab-human. Or that I like to stick to the pre-6th and parts of 5th ed fluff (where grey knights didn't kill members of their own order, *cough*BLOODTIDE*COUGH*), and Beastmen are mostly shunned and are under chaos.

What you could do though, since the hands o the staff aren't connected to the body while assembling, is give him a breastplate like the old ones, with either an aquila or imperialis on it.