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I've seen some awesome Skaven 40k armies floating around, most using the Skaven models directly as 40k equivalents... I was wondering how any of you guys would go about converting up Skaven to use as an Haemonculi Coven DE army or a CSM army?

In regards to the DE, I was going to use:

Rat Ogres as Grotesques.
Plague Monks as Wracks.
Doomwheels as Venoms.
Assorted Engineers as Haemonculi.
Ikit as a Warlord.

Do you think that Warhammer World would let me use such an army in the Throne of Skulls?

Any help or advice on a modelling standpoint would be awesome.

I'd be okay with it. You might want to also check out the Veer-myn line of miniatures. Space Skaven, ho-o!

I think they might work better as Chaos Space Marine proxies. Skaven's crazy contraptions could stand in for various Daemon Engines (Doomwheel as Maulerfiends? Rat Ogres as Helbrutes or maybe Daemon Princes?). You also have access to swarms in the form of cultists.

I like the idea, once you do get an idea and start modeling them, post pics.

I'm thinking skaven as IG because of the rediculous blocks theirs clanrat kits come in, unless you want to convert stormvermin, in which case, anything but iG

This sounds like a really darn cool modelling project, let me know if you start a P&M blog

Thanks for the support.

Looking more at the books, CSM: Black Legion look to be more what I'm looking for.

I can kit out the Chaos Lord exactly how I want (if I can still have the Lord with the MoN, a Palanquin and the Black Legion Relics) and still have the funky Daemon Vehicles.

So for the units...

HQ

Chaos Lord - Ikit.
Daemon Prince - Vermin Lord.

Elites

Not sure as yet. Possibly Helbrutes.

Troops

Cultists - Plague Monks. I don't want them to be anything but cannon fodder. Might give them MoN. They'll just keep running forward giving cover to the Spawn.

Fast Attack

Something something Spawn - Rat Ogres.

Heavy Support

ForgeFiends - Doomwheel or something smaller.
Defiler - Leman Russ/Defiler conversion.

When I saw the Forge World Mechanicum Krios Tank, the first thing I thought was that was just how I'd imagine a Skaven Lightning Cannon in 40k

 Purifier wrote:
When I saw the Forge World Mechanicum Krios Tank, the first thing I thought was that was just how I'd imagine a Skaven Lightning Cannon in 40k

OMG... definitely.

Puscifer wrote:
Thanks for the support.

Looking more at the books, CSM: Black Legion look to be more what I'm looking for.

I can kit out the Chaos Lord exactly how I want (if I can still have the Lord with the MoN, a Palanquin and the Black Legion Relics) and still have the funky Daemon Vehicles.

So for the units...

HQ

Chaos Lord - Ikit.
Daemon Prince - Vermin Lord.

Elites

Not sure as yet. Possibly Helbrutes.

Troops

Cultists - Plague Monks. I don't want them to be anything but cannon fodder. Might give them MoN. They'll just keep running forward giving cover to the Spawn.

Fast Attack

Something something Spawn - Rat Ogres.

Heavy Support

ForgeFiends - Doomwheel or something smaller.
Defiler - Leman Russ/Defiler conversion.

I love the general direction you're going with this one.

A While back, my IG (AM now?) playing friend once told me of an awesome Guard-Tunneler Army he'd seen being played at our local Hobby Store. The guy who owned the army apparently kit-bashed IG with Skaven and somehow gave them all shovels to make them trench-warfare/ tunneling specialists. According to my friend's rant, it was a beautifully done custom army. Skaven as 40k Guard always made sense to me, because in the back of BRB, it states that Beastmen are no more or less prone to mutation then baseline Humanity, though they are currently not even allowed in the Guard or to even buy a Cruise Ticket Off-World.

Being that disenfranchised, I'd imagine they'd easily tall to Chaos in which case, I'd do a Nurgle-Themed Army ('cause plague-rats would rule) with a ton of Rat-Cultists like you're thinking. The only thing I'd suggest would be to paint them as the Chosen Warband of a custom Chaos Lord or Daemon Prince (of your own design, name, colors, badge, ect.), rather then make them related to any currently-existing army, then just use the Black Legion Rules anyway.

 Farseer Morlengal wrote:

Puscifer wrote:
Thanks for the support.

Looking more at the books, CSM: Black Legion look to be more what I'm looking for.

I can kit out the Chaos Lord exactly how I want (if I can still have the Lord with the MoN, a Palanquin and the Black Legion Relics) and still have the funky Daemon Vehicles.

So for the units...

HQ

Chaos Lord - Ikit.
Daemon Prince - Vermin Lord.

Elites

Not sure as yet. Possibly Helbrutes.

Troops

Cultists - Plague Monks. I don't want them to be anything but cannon fodder. Might give them MoN. They'll just keep running forward giving cover to the Spawn.

Fast Attack

Something something Spawn - Rat Ogres.

Heavy Support

ForgeFiends - Doomwheel or something smaller.
Defiler - Leman Russ/Defiler conversion.

I love the general direction you're going with this one.

A While back, my IG (AM now?) playing friend once told me of an awesome Guard-Tunneler Army he'd seen being played at our local Hobby Store. The guy who owned the army apparently kit-bashed IG with Skaven and somehow gave them all shovels to make them trench-warfare/ tunneling specialists. According to my friend's rant, it was a beautifully done custom army. Skaven as 40k Guard always made sense to me, because in the back of BRB, it states that Beastmen are no more or less prone to mutation then baseline Humanity, though they are currently not even allowed in the Guard or to even buy a Cruise Ticket Off-World.

Being that disenfranchised, I'd imagine they'd easily tall to Chaos in which case, I'd do a Nurgle-Themed Army ('cause plague-rats would rule) with a ton of Rat-Cultists like you're thinking. The only thing I'd suggest would be to paint them as the Chosen Warband of a custom Chaos Lord or Daemon Prince (of your own design, name, colors, badge, ect.), rather then make them related to any currently-existing army, then just use the Black Legion Rules anyway.

Looking at the Black Legion Codex, the wargear options are perfect for my Warlord, but little else is any good.
Baseline CSM aren't bad, but a little bland. Things can be done to conquer this.

IG/AM have the swarm mechanic and it fits quite well, but I am not a fan of the new codex.

I'm drawn back to DE for the exotic weaponry which is quite synonymous with Skaven. DarkFootDar looks interesting with a ton of Wracks and Grotesques, backed up by Ravagers. I even have replacements for Incubi with Stormvermin.

I want to make the conversions as easy as possible, without too much work, but also without using just stock models.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Also looking at Orks. Strictly from a modelling perspective.

Could be tricky with their vehicles and troops needing guns, but the gaming aspect could work.

Puscifer wrote:

snip

From a fluff perspective, it's not unheard of for DE to undergo cosmetic modifications given out by the Haemonculi. You could easily do a Haemonculi coven who's primary business is in cosmetic modifications, headed by a crazed, rat-obsessed Haemonculus. However, I'm seeing a lot of guns needed for this, as the best (most competitive) DE lists seem to be either Beast Packs (which could be fun, but I can't see an easy way to do Ravenwing flocks, though Warp Beasts might be easier) or Venom and Splinter Rifle Spam (which runs back into the problems of needing a lot of gun bits). I personally just think that CSM fits the feel better. When I think 'evil rats,' the Black Plague comes to mind, and swarms upon swarms of diseased-looking rats (and DE aren't that good with fielding swarms), which could be done with cultists and backed up by the jumbo rats (your CSM's). However, truth be told, I'm not all that familiar with the CSM, Black Legion, or AM (IG?) Codecies, so I might just be wrong there.

Orks would also be interesting as it fits the 'Horde of Rats' theme that keeps coming to my mind, but I keep hearing rumors that they're getting a new Codex soon, so that might change to the best or worst option soon. If you're leaning there, I'd hold off a little while.

Sounds like a decent plan. Love nicely converted armies.

As to this....

quote=Puscifer 592672 6778600 null]

Do you think that Warhammer World would let me use such an army in the Throne of Skulls?

Mr. Burning 592672 6780583 5ac0f7188936328e6fa551d5dcedf4cd.jpg]Sounds like a decent plan. Love nicely converted armies.

As to this....

quote=Puscifer wrote:


Do you think that Warhammer World would let me use such an army in the Throne of Skulls?

Best check with WW if your goal is to field them there.

Well I hope that doesn't stop you for doing the army for 'just for fun' games. I love seeing highly converted armies.

I hope doesn't demotivate you too. I like seeing these kind of army's a lot. There is a guy who does a 40k beastman army.

I myself incorporate Skaven in an Imperial guard style army and mine is a mix race force with Space marines. It's completely unplayable by game standards other than a "count as" army in a LFGS with loose rules.

The kicker is I never got into playing 40k, to much rules and nobody to play with.
I own two editions one being the one with Dark Eldar and the other being the Dark Vengeance box. I like the modelbuilding and painting way more. As it provided me with more freedom of creativity.

The best example of 40k skaven I've come across is this http://teninchtemplate.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Skaven. He ran them as dark eldar, but you should be able to get some modelling ideas if nothing else.

I tried this a few years ago. I found that the whole Nurgle theme worked really well with Rats.

Sadly I sold them off. Hope this helps with some inspiration!







Obliterators

 Strombones wrote:
(...)

Looks great.

I particularly like the oblits and the spider thing

Thanks for those pics you posted and the encouragement from all of you.

Sadly, I have to build an army for a private event at Warhammer World and they are pretty strict about what's kool and what's not.

As they have said it's inappropriate, I've been encouraged to stay away from them.

I've been looking into other armies and things to do to put a twist on them though.

I'd say watch this space.