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So uh. I started an IG army using skaven models with Skitarii ranger rifles; they look great but are they really fluff sound?

Being a big fluff nut; is it possible for something as far from a human as a skaven to be loyal to the emperor? I want them to be loyal so I can Ally them with my Admech and Marines.

Also how does the name 1st Ratkin Janissaries sound?

My idea was that they evolved on a subterranean world during the age of strife; small spaces bread for small humans, low light for an accurate sense of smell and lack of recourses to account for the fact they eat anything. Oh and yes they are still as backstabby as anything.

Their regiments are seen as little more than Cannon fodder and are very under equipped. But they have very strong faith in the emperor (perhaps they were descoverd by missionaries?)

Anyway do you think this is plausible?

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Ratkin Jannissaries sounds about right. I quite like it actually. Regarding your fluff, mutant breeds are officially to be purge everytime good followers of the Imperial Creed come across them. As a matter of fact, it's just what the official line is, and many abhumans serve in the ranks of the Imperial Guard. Ratlings and Ogryns are the only one represented in the Codex but I heard that, during Rogue Trader era, Beastmen used to be present in Imperial Forces. Take this with salt but I think it was like this.

Many Inquisitors, high ranked IG commanders and Space Marines officers, radical or not, would certainly not suffer your rats to live, since they are really far from their human origins though. Ogryns arevery big humans, Ratlings are very small humans but Skavs... they are closer to warp-mutated beings IMO. That's why a lot of political/military Imperial organisations would rather kill them than accept them under their command.

That being said, the Imperial system is full of rivalries, misunderstandings, delays and secrets and you could imagine that your guys are fighting in a very harsh sector, where the Administratum has a so great need of soldiers that it has to take anything that is loyal. In dire situations, Imperial commanders would like to find a devoted regiment ready to serve the Emperor. And if it can disappear with its inherent flaws while dying for the Imperium, it's even better.

I can perfectly imagine an IG Lord-Commander, and Inquisitor or SM officer reluctantly allowing your guys to be deployed in a violent warzone where the battle is desperate and thus killing two birds with one stone. Anyway, your homeworld and your regiment should stay away from overenthusiastic defenders of the Imperial Creed ; an Inquisitor's word is law and no one in the Imperium would risk his life to defend your Rats if a very radical servant of the Big I ever decide to Exterminatus you.

Hope it will help

Hmm yes, good points. I'm using storm vermin as my veterans; perhaps they are the next generation and are slowly returning to their human routes! Also since Skavs breed Super super fast they make excellent cannon fodder.

 Élise de la Serre wrote:
All sub races need to be cleansed. They are filth on humanity.

Back to your post, I think it would be fine, as long as your opponent agrees on it.
If you convert them to have more tech, it'd fit in better.

Since their part of my admech army none of the tanks in the army are actually "theirs" their all mechanicus tanks who are fighting alongside my expendable cannon fodder. Also most of them have augmetic arms so they look pretty 40kish

I have a Skaven with a sniper rifle of some sort (forget it now) somewhere that used to be part of my Inquisitor's warband (she was a very radical Ordo Xenos though).

The fluff book of the BRB box set goes into mutants and abhumans, including listing some 'approved' strains of abhuman.

One of the approved abhumans is feline, so why not rodent too?

Very nice mini indeed.

Nice minis and fluff-wise, I like it; very interesting. As others have said, I could imagine a desperate commander allowing the Ratkin dudes to fight alongside his forces.
My question is sizing. I don't have any Skaven minis, but how much smaller are they than the IG models? Would they be able to be in cover or out of LoS easier than the IG model they're standing in for?

 Flanker wrote:
Nice minis and fluff-wise, I like it; very interesting. As others have said, I could imagine a desperate commander allowing the Ratkin dudes to fight alongside his forces.
My question is sizing. I don't have any Skaven minis, but how much smaller are they than the IG models? Would they be able to be in cover or out of LoS easier than the IG model they're standing in for?

Yes they are small about 2/3 the height of a cadian BUT its a double edged sword since they can't give cover to tanks as easily

Yes they are small about 2/3 the height of a cadian BUT its a double edged sword since they can't give cover to tanks as easily

Sadly it's not the height of the mini you would take into account to determine the tank's cover save. As long as a friendly unit is behind infantry, it can claim a 5+, whether they are grots or Cadians. P.38 of the BRB.

 RazgrizOne wrote:

Yes they are small about 2/3 the height of a cadian BUT its a double edged sword since they can't give cover to tanks as easily

Sadly it's not the height of the mini you would take into account to determine the tank's cover save. As long as a friendly unit is behind infantry, it can claim a 5+, whether they are grots or Cadians. P.38 of the BRB.

Oh well that's a bummer, but if I run into someone who complains about it that's not someone I would want to play against any way!

 The Deathless Host wrote:

 Flanker wrote:
Nice minis and fluff-wise, I like it; very interesting. As others have said, I could imagine a desperate commander allowing the Ratkin dudes to fight alongside his forces.
My question is sizing. I don't have any Skaven minis, but how much smaller are they than the IG models? Would they be able to be in cover or out of LoS easier than the IG model they're standing in for?

Yes they are small about 2/3 the height of a cadian BUT its a double edged sword since they can't give cover to tanks as easily

Eh, if you were playing me, I'd let it go since you've put a lot of work into them and I'd like to see the army in action. Some people might be more strict, though.

Oh well that's a bummer, but if I run into someone who complains about it that's not someone I would want to play against any way!

If I would play you, I wouldn't mind, but it's modelling at your advantage and in tournaments, people could get pissed off. Make sure to discuss this with your opponents before playing.

They might be able to take cover easier but they would struggle to shoot over walls, you've made some really cool mini's so screw anyone who would whine about modelling for advantage

As far as is it fluffy, the Imperium contains numberless worlds with billions of inhabitants of massive width in culture from Ultramar to hive worlds, barely loyal pirate bands to the Grey Knights... your forces would be seen as heretical by many but plenty would be glad just to have someone else who can shoot on your side

Given that we have all kinds of ab-humans in the fluff, I don't see much of a problem with having a world that has rat-men.

GAdvance wrote:
They might be able to take cover easier but they would struggle to shoot over walls, you've made some really cool mini's so screw anyone who would whine about modelling for advantage.

As far as is it fluffy, the Imperium contains numberless worlds with billions of inhabitants of massive width in culture from Ultramar to hive worlds, barely loyal pirate bands to the Grey Knights... your forces would be seen as heretical by many but plenty would be glad just to have someone else who can shoot on your side

Much agreed and exalted. Specially the bolded part.

 Korinov wrote:

GAdvance wrote:
They might be able to take cover easier but they would struggle to shoot over walls, you've made some really cool mini's so screw anyone who would whine about modelling for advantage.

As far as is it fluffy, the Imperium contains numberless worlds with billions of inhabitants of massive width in culture from Ultramar to hive worlds, barely loyal pirate bands to the Grey Knights... your forces would be seen as heretical by many but plenty would be glad just to have someone else who can shoot on your side

Much agreed and exalted. Specially the bolded part.

Thanks! Im quite happy I managed to make something that looks good for once!

Really like the idea! Myself I dabble not so long ago to convert some Rat into AdMech, but I lack the money currently to continue the project

In some VERY old fluff (Rogue Trader to maybe 2nd edition) there were Beastmen Guard units. I think Necromunda dealt with it as well. The Beastmen were only barely tolerated as I recall, even in those days. If Beastmen, why not Skaven?

My two cents.

On a side note, I got a battalion of skaven and have been converting a few more guardrats today; plague monks are a pain, clan rats are perfectly sized to make adding arms nice and easy but not plague monks their bodies are too wide so need filing and Green stuffing to get the arms to fit properly! Oh well at least I know that clan rats are just that much easier to convert now!

Your fluff isn't terribly far off the established fluff for Beastmen. Beastmen and other animal-like abhumans used to be commonly recruited into the Imperial Guard, where they were forced to fight as atonement for being born in such a mutated state. Many of them had a primitive but strong faith in the Emperor as a vengeful deity that they strove to appease.

Unfortunately, elements of the Inquisition convinced the Administratum that they were a danger to the sanctity of the Imperial Creed and so now they're heavily persecuted and hunted down by Imperial law enforcement. Associating with them is viewed as no different than associating with mutants. That said, any Imperial organization who was willingly utilizing such abhumans would more than likely draw the ire of the Inquistion and be subsequently investigated and likely purged.

Many people talking about how there used to be fluff on beastmen.

Here is the current fluff from 7th ed Dark Millenium (part of the BRB box set):

Beastmen (Homo sapiens variatus)
classified and officially recognised abhuman race* ...

Beastmen are subject to severe persecution and have been placed on the Register of Proscribed Citizens (Class A-G worlds) by the Adeptus Arbites. This effectively precludes them from settlement on, or transportation to or from, more than three hundred thousand worlds of the Imperium and forbids their conscription as an Imperial Tithe obligations. All of this is a sure sign they will soon lose abhuman status completely and be reclassified as true mutants.

*abhumans are creatures evolved from human stock, but changed or mutated to a greater or lesser degree. They differ from true mutants in that they conform to a recognisable standard, breed true, and are no more prone than normal humans to further mutation.

There are seventy three stable strains of abhuman in the Imperium that are officially recognised by Adeptus Terra.

This means you can fit your skaven into an existing strain (beastmen substrain?) or have them a yet to be officially recognised strain.

nareik wrote:
Many people talking about how there used to be fluff on beastmen.

Here is the current fluff from 7th ed Dark Millenium (part of the BRB box set):

Beastmen (Homo sapiens variatus)
classified and officially recognised abhuman race* ...

Beastmen are subject to severe persecution and have been placed on the Register of Proscribed Citizens (Class A-G worlds) by the Adeptus Arbites. This effectively precludes them from settlement on, or transportation to or from, more than three hundred thousand worlds of the Imperium and forbids their conscription as an Imperial Tithe obligations. All of this is a sure sign they will soon lose abhuman status completely and be reclassified as true mutants.

*abhumans are creatures evolved from human stock, but changed or mutated to a greater or lesser degree. They differ from true mutants in that they conform to a recognisable standard, breed true, and are no more prone than normal humans to further mutation.

There are seventy three stable strains of abhuman in the Imperium that are officially recognised by Adeptus Terra.

This means you can fit your skaven into an existing strain (beastmen substrain?) or have them a yet to be officially recognised strain.

I'm guessing (have the mini RB) that the BRB doesn't list all 73 strains right? This makes it so much easier to weave them into the fluff!

No, it lists that there are several strains of Ogryn, mentions about a half dozen of other strains (including ratlings, squats and beastmen).

I think there is the gap intentionally left so people can create their own sanctioned abhumans.

Well then I guess we found a spot for them no 53 suits me.