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I've been wondering this, as I'm building my Ork concept. My Idea is that some Dark Eldar took Ork slaves, and modified them to better survive as mat shields. One of the modifications are changing the fungi, making them purple, to not only identify them as Dark Eldar property, but for camouflage on the DE world. Can that work? Sorry.

Because Green is Best.

That said, you're free to paint them however you like.

The Dark Eldar "world" is an artificial city infinitely wrapped around itself due to being the only thing that exists within a pocket dimension inside the Webway.

Also, plants appear green because the green portion of the visible light spectrum is the only part of the visible light spectrum chlorophyll doesn't absorb. This is because green light is the narrowest band of visible light, so it's more efficient for plants to absorb red light and blue light instead. Since purple is seen only when an object's pigment reflects mostly red and blue light, purple Orks would suffer from malnourishment.

This actually ties in with the fluff about Ork "puberty". If an Ork survives enough fights for long enough, the rate at which he grows increases, the color of green he is darkens, and he becomes more aggressive and bossy. This change marks his transition from Ork Boy-hood to being a Nob. This ties into real science because the more colors of light a pigment can absorb the darker it appears. This is why you don't wear black while in a desert. A more efficient pigment would increase the amount of caloric energy an Ork's algae generate, thus granting him an advantage and making him more active.

If it ain't green, it ain't proppa.

Except quite often, you do wear black in the desert, to absorb the heat for the long, freezing nights. :p

Also, puberty for orks would be transitioning from yoofhood to boyhood, rather than boyhood to nobbiness.

You can always say the orks think different colours hit harder.

Albino orks do exist, but other colours no, orks are green with a few very rare albino orks

While it is true that Orks are green, there is a way to justify your paint scheme.

The Deathskulls clan have been known to paint their entire bodies blue, which they believe is a lucky color. It is official codex fluff (page 22.)

Orks also believe that anything which painted red goes faster.

So if an ork wanted to be both lucky and fast....do you see where I'm going with this?

You can paint your Orks red in order to make them go faster.

You can paint them any color you want. You can say it is warpaint if you like.

You guys will be telling me purple orks dont exist next.

Warboss Kamina wrote:
I've been wondering this, as I'm building my Ork concept. My Idea is that some Dark Eldar took Ork slaves, and modified them to better survive as mat shields. One of the modifications are changing the fungi, making them purple, to not only identify them as Dark Eldar property, but for camouflage on the DE world. Can that work? Sorry.

I think I find it harder to believe in Dark Eldar wanted camouflaged orks than I do to believe in purple ones. Did the Dark Eldar really think that making them purple would allow them to be stealthy?


In all seriousness, they are your models. You have to buy them, assemble them, and paint them, so go with the color that you want. Iconically, orks are green--period. But that doesn't mean they don't look cool in other colors.

In terms of background, if these orks are still enslaved, you might have them have purple warpaint or purple tattoos, evidencing ownership. You also might say that the Dark Eldar introduced some sort of chemical or mutagen into the orks, to turn them purple, to tamp down their natural truculence.

"Green is da' best!"

"Yes, well, you aren't green anymore, are you, filthy ape? So you aren't the best any longer. Now get in there and fight like I told you or we'll turn you pink like those mon-keigh."

"Don't make us pink and soft like humies! Purple is better dan pink!"

Of course it can work. You already came up with an in-universe explanation for their non-standard skin colour - genetic manipulation. The idea that your Orks would be malnourished is wrong anyway - Orks get energy from eating, like all other animals, not from photosynthesis. Not to mention that non-green photosynthetic plants already exist and thrive.

I like the idea of warpaint. Maybe this sub-sect of the tribe is so obsessed with luck, and special colors, that they practically bath in warpaint? Also, Sorry for not knowing much about the fluff. I'm trying to get better at it. Sorry.

Maybe the dark eldar added somthing into there skin, purple orks, maybe side effect of a chemical to make them more disposed to being lead slavery.

And to stop them from being able to join up with others, or unite with other ork clans. Orks = green is good.

I had a similar idea here is what I did.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/587028.page

Welcome to 40K a world were anything can be done if you want it so. Orks are all green and hate anything that is not green and orky except my clan of albinos, or my clan of ritually tatooed orange orks, or my clan of diseased brown orks, etc. Hell, give me some time and I will make you a story about atheist Sisters of Battle and pacifist utopist berzerkers of Khorn and on first reading these strories will make sense.

Personnaly, I would go for a band of pink (maybe purple) Bad Moon klan for extra blind effect. I would explain their strange color because ork spores absorbed nutriments during their growth on an exotic planet that messed up with their natural pigmentation. They would turn back green after a while if they leave their home planet.

epronovost wrote:
Personnaly, I would go for a band of pink (maybe purple) Bad Moon klan for extra blind effect. I would explain their strange color because ork spores absorbed nutriments during their growth on an exotic planet that messed up with their natural pigmentation. They would turn back green after a while if they leave their home planet.

I like the idea quite a bit, it sounds really cool. Can I use that?


Automatically Appended Next Post:

TableTopJosh wrote:
I had a similar idea here is what I did.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/587028.page

Ooh! Those look really nice. I like the skin. It's a nice shade, in my opinion.

If you went purple you could say they're Kommandos. Cause Purple is the sneakiest color.

 Lord-Captain Cepinari wrote:
The Dark Eldar "world" is an artificial city infinitely wrapped around itself due to being the only thing that exists within a pocket dimension inside the Webway.

Also, plants appear green because the green portion of the visible light spectrum is the only part of the visible light spectrum chlorophyll doesn't absorb. This is because green light is the narrowest band of visible light, so it's more efficient for plants to absorb red light and blue light instead. Since purple is seen only when an object's pigment reflects mostly red and blue light, purple Orks would suffer from malnourishment.

This actually ties in with the fluff about Ork "puberty". If an Ork survives enough fights for long enough, the rate at which he grows increases, the color of green he is darkens, and he becomes more aggressive and bossy. This change marks his transition from Ork Boy-hood to being a Nob. This ties into real science because the more colors of light a pigment can absorb the darker it appears. This is why you don't wear black while in a desert. A more efficient pigment would increase the amount of caloric energy an Ork's algae generate, thus granting him an advantage and making him more active.

This is a fictional universe with psychic space elves, demons, and communist bi-pedal fish-horses, and you're trying to say that a race of sentient, warmongering fungus-people that can make things work through belief and go faster by painting them red cannot be purple because real-life science indicates that it'd be inefficient?


OP, honestly, you could paint them rainbow and say exposure to the warp did it if you wanted. Hell, you don't even have to come up with a reason if you don't want to. If you like an idea then go for it; if people don't like it then they can buy you an identical army in colours they do like, otherwise they can take a running jump.

Also, stop saying sorry - no, you don't have to apologise for saying sorry too much - GW retcons and creates enough fluff with shakier reasons than most people give for establishing their own. If Grey Knights can wash themselves in SoB blood to get special powers then your Orks can be purple!

My Orks are purple. Why? Because I like purple.

Granted, my orks are also pretty wonky. They're heavily standardized with regards to their gear and their look. All of their vehicles are looted from the Imperial pattern stuff and, whilst they do modify them and salvage, they keep them in fairly good shape and they don't look too crazy.

Fluff-wise, my Orks are from a small planet in a small system directly adjacent to the Eye. One of the planets was Ork, the others were Imperium controlled; all were ice worlds. They came under constant attack from demons and chaos, and due to proximity the Orks had their skin-tone warped by the raw stuff of chaos and became more intelligent, appreciating the Imperium's way of war. When eventually a Space Hulk drifted in they got on board and went on their merry way.

They're a counts-as IG army which sees other Orks as heretics (or heroticks), and believes that the green unclean must be purged.

 morganfreeman wrote:
My Orks are purple. Why? Because I like purple.

Granted, my orks are also pretty wonky. They're heavily standardized with regards to their gear and their look. All of their vehicles are looted from the Imperial pattern stuff and, whilst they do modify them and salvage, they keep them in fairly good shape and they don't look too crazy.

Fluff-wise, my Orks are from a small planet in a small system directly adjacent to the Eye. One of the planets was Ork, the others were Imperium controlled; all were ice worlds. They came under constant attack from demons and chaos, and due to proximity the Orks had their skin-tone warped by the raw stuff of chaos and became more intelligent, appreciating the Imperium's way of war. When eventually a Space Hulk drifted in they got on board and went on their merry way.

They're a counts-as IG army which sees other Orks as heretics (or heroticks), and believes that the green unclean must be purged.

There are no words. If exalting meant a damn thing, you'd have one.

You can justify painting your Orks purple by saying they are obsessed with stealth. Every Ork knows purple is the most sneaky and stealthy colour because no one has ever seen a purple Ork. Thus purple must be incredibly stealthy to make Orks invisible like that.
Ork logic is brilliant.

Also, DE do not have any planets or 'worlds'. They live in a physically impossible city in an alternate dimension.