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So, I'm heavily leaning towards buying some Legion of the Damned tactical marines, but the catch is, A) their gene-seed is unusable due to the effects of the warp, B) they don't have a model range that fits the new Primaris line. I've been trying to see if there is some "reasonable" way so that the Legion of the Damned can be replenished with new Marines via a ruling by the Lords of Terra/Roboute Guilliman, as other chapters have done over the course of history. It's been strongly hinted that they were known formerly as the Fire Hawks, but has not been definitively proven. Since they have no ties/rules to any particular parent chapter, would it be ok with you if I paint newer models to match the Legion of the Damned's heraldry?

As long as you paintjob and modeling is consistent and easy to identify for your opponent, don't let anyone stop you from building an army in an aesthetic you like.

 Jidmah wrote:
As long as you paintjob and modeling is consistent and easy to identify for your opponent, don't let anyone stop you from building an army in an aesthetic you like.

Exactly this.

Paint your faction as you want man.

 Psionara wrote:
So, I'm heavily leaning towards buying some Legion of the Damned tactical marines, but the catch is, A) their gene-seed is unusable due to the effects of the warp, B) they don't have a model range that fits the new Primaris line. I've been trying to see if there is some "reasonable" way so that the Legion of the Damned can be replenished with new Marines via a ruling by the Lords of Terra/Roboute Guilliman, as other chapters have done over the course of history. It's been strongly hinted that they were known formerly as the Fire Hawks, but has not been definitively proven. Since they have no ties/rules to any particular parent chapter, would it be ok with you if I paint newer models to match the Legion of the Damned's heraldry?

What do the RULES for LotD allow here in 8th?

 An Actual Englishman wrote:

 Jidmah wrote:
As long as you paintjob and modeling is consistent and easy to identify for your opponent, don't let anyone stop you from building an army in an aesthetic you like.

Exactly this.

Paint your faction as you want man.

What these guys said

What rules are you using on the table? If just using LotD as a paint-job for codex marines (or BA/DA/SW/Chaos) then go for it! Pick your chapter tactics and run. If you are trying to extrapolate the LotD rules to a full army, there are some historical examples to work with, but that’s going to need a solid sit down with your opponent to hash things out. If you want to include primaris in a LotD squad using the meager 8th edition rules for aethetic reasons, there shouldn’t be an issue with that, being a simple counts-as.

From a fluff POV:
I’m not sure if GW ever formally picked one of the explanations as to who/what the LotD are. But most of them would accept reinforcements.

Are they warp spawned imperial “demons” that manifest due to the faith of the righteous? No reason they couldn’t take newer forms.
Are they the souls of marines lost in the warp? I’m sure a strike cruiser full of primaris could have taken a wrong turn and gotten lost.
Are they the Fire Hawks? This is a little rougher. IIRC the chapter was lost, so could not get reinforcements. Not officially. It could be that they could rescue and adopt primaris from other chapters. It could be that they somehow got their hands on the tech to make primaris upgrades. Assuming they are still creating new marines in the traditional sense. You could look into how chaos marines keep their numbers up, but a little more beneficent. Or not.

Whatever you choose, they are your guys, and should look sharp on the table. Rule of Cool covers a lot of sins. Go for it!

I have no problem with a paint job, ever.

For me, I like the ghost-marines / daemons of Order background for the Legion of the Damned. Were I to do a counts-as, I’d start with the Thousand Sons codex for rules.

The psychic powers representing the benefits of Ghost Ammo or other spooky shenanigans.

 Psionara wrote:
So, I'm heavily leaning towards buying some Legion of the Damned tactical marines, but the catch is, A) their gene-seed is unusable due to the effects of the warp, B) they don't have a model range that fits the new Primaris line. I've been trying to see if there is some "reasonable" way so that the Legion of the Damned can be replenished with new Marines via a ruling by the Lords of Terra/Roboute Guilliman, as other chapters have done over the course of history. It's been strongly hinted that they were known formerly as the Fire Hawks, but has not been definitively proven. Since they have no ties/rules to any particular parent chapter, would it be ok with you if I paint newer models to match the Legion of the Damned's heraldry?

There is no way for the Legion of the Damned to be replenished. They're warp-ghosts, echoes of loss and duty unfulfilled.


If you want to do something where it's just a fire and bone Chapter? Cool. But it's important to differentiate them from the actual Legion of the Damned.

 Kanluwen wrote:

 Psionara wrote:
So, I'm heavily leaning towards buying some Legion of the Damned tactical marines, but the catch is, A) their gene-seed is unusable due to the effects of the warp, B) they don't have a model range that fits the new Primaris line. I've been trying to see if there is some "reasonable" way so that the Legion of the Damned can be replenished with new Marines via a ruling by the Lords of Terra/Roboute Guilliman, as other chapters have done over the course of history. It's been strongly hinted that they were known formerly as the Fire Hawks, but has not been definitively proven. Since they have no ties/rules to any particular parent chapter, would it be ok with you if I paint newer models to match the Legion of the Damned's heraldry?

There is no way for the Legion of the Damned to be replenished. They're warp-ghosts, echoes of loss and duty unfulfilled.


If you want to do something where it's just a fire and bone Chapter? Cool. But it's important to differentiate them from the actual Legion of the Damned.

...in your opinion.

I think Primaris-reinforced Warp ghost Marines sounds cool as all hell, and there’s nothing stopping the OP doing so whatsoever. Don’t be a gatekeeper needlessly, man. We don’t have any one definitive account of what the LOTD are, and so the OP can do as they please. Also, if I’ve misremembered and some random BL author has laid it out in prose, who cares? Make your own story.

"Gathering Storm" laid it out in one of the books, if I remember right.

You're more than welcome to think this is "needless gatekeeping", but again:
It's important to differentiate them from the actual Legion of the Damned.

You want to have Fire Hawks as a Primaris Chapter? Go for it! Chapter names get reused, that's 100% lore. You want them to have flames and bone elements to their armor? Again, go for it.

Just remember that you can't literally make them Legion of the Damned.

...says one guy in this thread. Everyone is like “yeah man, sounds great!”

As long as it's only Paintjob and you're not trying to use the Index Legion of the Damned unit as it's own chapter using a mix of the old and new rules, go for it.

Kanluwen wrote:There is no way for the Legion of the Damned to be replenished. They're warp-ghosts, echoes of loss and duty unfulfilled.

...

Kanluwen wrote:"Gathering Storm" laid it out in one of the books, if I remember right.

If this is the truth that GW has decided to run with, it actually makes it very easy to add “reinforcements” Not sent from Cawl and Terra, but from primaris who have fallen in the last century. Plenty of modern time to die with regrets and jobs left un-done.

If one is to lean on with the warp-ghosts thing, I'd rather put on a bit of effort and make LotD be something more fantastical than just marines (let alone primaris) with flames painted on them.

Like marines wearing armor made of bones(or being just skeletons in armor), or ones with eagle heads and maybe wings* and having eagle like critters with them.

You know, combining upcoming Bonereapers with marine bitz could have some cool results. Maybe same could be done with Nighthaunts for more ghostly LotD.

In the end, you do you.

*7th ed rulebook had some art with eagle-marines

I remember in 6th when they were announcing a Legion Of The Damned codex and I was super fething excited because the concept of what are basically Loyalist Scum daemons tickled me so much. Color me surprised when it was a piss poor release that killed my expectations for anything related to them afterwards.

I think that giving them the basic Marines, Terminators, Bikers, Jumpers. and Dreads would at least made it interesting. As is, Deathwatch are doing everything they're doing but better (and can mix different models in units, which is something I thought would've been cool for LotD).

If it's a paintjob and possibly details on the models? Sounds awesome.

If it's a homebrew Codex, expanding LotD into a more complete force? Sounds EVEN MORE AWESOME. Just be aware not everyone would agree with that, and talk to your opponents ahead of time!

Apparently there is a relic in the Legion of the Damned called the Animus Malorem, which is a skull that sucks out the spirit/energy of an enemy, and that energy is used to "reanimate" or "recruit" former Legionnaires or create new ones, as seen in the short story Animus Malorem. A captain is found worthy of this transformation, while the others are not and he seemingly becomes one with the Legion of the Damned, which fits perfectly for a fluffy reason to have Primaris Marines inducted into the Legion of the Damned. Of course they would have to be worthy of such an honor.