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Anyone have reference material on how to paint ghostly light? I painted the servitors but can't figure out how to make it looks ok like their light is spilling onto the ground at their feet.

I run Ad Mech and wanted a librarian Conclave, didn't think it makes sense for loyalists to summon daemons so to make it more fluffy I am having techmarines count as librarians, and they summon machine spirits which count as summoned daemons.

Any other ideas for what these ghostly servitors actually are would be much appreciated, as most people have pointed out this "Fluff" doesn't actually make "fluff" sense, so I guess its not actually that fluffy!!!

Progress so far:

this "fluff" breaks my heart.... I feel bad for anyone that plays you.

 ComradeQuiche wrote:
Anyone have reference material on how to paint ghostly light?

 Ghaz wrote:

 ComradeQuiche wrote:
Anyone have reference material on how to paint ghostly light?

That's not what the OP meant, the OP meant OSL, as in the light that would strike the ground if the ghosts were glowing.

Just google "object source lighting" and you'll find some tutorials I'm sure.

 supreme overlord wrote:
this "fluff" breaks my heart.... I feel bad for anyone that plays you.

?


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AllSeeingSkink wrote:

 Ghaz wrote:

 ComradeQuiche wrote:
Anyone have reference material on how to paint ghostly light?

That's not what the OP meant, the OP meant OSL, as in the light that would strike the ground if the ghosts were glowing.

Just google "object source lighting" and you'll find some tutorials I'm sure.

Correct, that's the tutorial I followed to paint the servitors, but as you said I am looking now for OSL for light on the ground coming from them. I've done it once or twice on objects, just can't get the textured ground to look correct

 supreme overlord wrote:
this "fluff" breaks my heart.... I feel bad for anyone that plays you.

For trying out an interesting (and unique) concept and actually having well painted models to represent the idea?

I know, what a pain!


Personally, I like the idea. Can't help on rhe OSL but good luck with the project and be sure to post finished pics!

 ComradeQuiche wrote:

 supreme overlord wrote:
this "fluff" breaks my heart.... I feel bad for anyone that plays you.

?

Supreme Overlord was a bit overly harsh with his comment, but fluffwise, 'machine spirits' are - at best - the software or basic AI of machines. The AdMech's constant efforts to appease them with rituals are a satirical thing and an example of the state of the Imperium.

Nicely painted though.

I think the paintjobs look good. I can't help with the OSL. I agree the fluff doesn't match up, but I don't care - it's your army.

I've done simple lighting on something similar by simply lightly dry-brushing the lighter colour around the item in question. It's vaguely effective but not a proper technique.

Nicely painted, but I am also wincing a little at the fluff. As said, 'machine spirit' is meant to be forgotten technology / AI - not an actual summonable ghost-thing...

Crispy78 wrote:
Nicely painted, but I am also wincing a little at the fluff. As said, 'machine spirit' is meant to be forgotten technology / AI - not an actual summonable ghost-thing...

Ok, it seems that everyone is in agreement that my fluff is flawed!!! Haha.

This is the blurb that comes up when I search for a definition of "machine spirit": "A Machine Spirit is a supernatural, animistic spirit believed by the adherents of the Cult Mechanicus within the Adeptus Mechanicus (and, from that source, by most other humans of the Imperium of Man) to inhabit and control any piece of machinery or technology in existence."

My thinking was that a "machine spirit" to a machine, is the same as a "soul" to a human being, something bound to the mortal realm until death of the body. From there I just jumped to the conclusion that a departed machine spirit would look like what ever its past form looked like. (i.e. the machine spirit of an iphone would come back looking like... a ghostly iphone!)

As I have already built and painted the models I would love to hear any alternative fluff suggestions that you guys have that would stick closer to the lore.

Thanks again!




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 Elbows wrote:
I think the paintjobs look good. I can't help with the OSL. I agree the fluff doesn't match up, but I don't care - it's your army.

I've done simple lighting on something similar by simply lightly dry-brushing the lighter colour around the item in question. It's vaguely effective but not a proper technique.

I'll have to give that a try, I tried painting the whole area around the feet green to start with, but maybe it was too intense. Ill see how a light drybrushing turns out., Thanks,

Am I the only one who heard of the ghost in the machine?

Also I always thought since most tech was taken from the dragon a necron God that part of his being or the souls of those he devoured where being passed along and possising the tech created on Mars. The rituals where those of binding or silencing those voices or spirits.

Since atleast in real necron fluff the ctan devoured life and feed on Suns so the souls of those who the killed where devoured and feed apon for etinerty.

Also I hate spell check for making a new word from a extra s added to a word.

How about somthing to do with summing the poor souls of the sevitors , i dont know the lore but im asuming they where once alive , and being taken over with AI has got to have messed with there souls

I mean, your interpretation of a machine spirit works as well.

The story of the Land Raider's machine spirit keeping it fighting, crewless, against an army of orks. Ships in Rogue Trader having mechanical machine spirit effects. Chaos Mutilators being the spirits of their weapons overtaking them...

There's plenty of evidence to point machine spirits in either direction, they don't have to be one or the other.

 ComradeQuiche wrote:

Crispy78 wrote:
Nicely painted, but I am also wincing a little at the fluff. As said, 'machine spirit' is meant to be forgotten technology / AI - not an actual summonable ghost-thing...

Ok, it seems that everyone is in agreement that my fluff is flawed!!! Haha.

This is the blurb that comes up when I search for a definition of "machine spirit": "A Machine Spirit is a supernatural, animistic spirit [b]believed by the adherents of the Cult Mechanicus within the Adeptus Mechanicus (and, from that source, by most other humans of the Imperium of Man) to inhabit and control any piece of machinery or technology in existence."[/b]

My thinking was that a "machine spirit" to a machine, is the same as a "soul" to a human being, something bound to the mortal realm until death of the body. From there I just jumped to the conclusion that a departed machine spirit would look like what ever its past form looked like. (i.e. the machine spirit of an iphone would come back looking like... a ghostly iphone!)

Key word there is "believed by the adherents...". The AdMech believe in a literal machine-soul - which is clearly ignorant and instead represents their worship of technology that they simply don't understand. It's a play on that old adage "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." It's meant to play at the state of immense ignorance and dark age the Imperium sits in. They don't understand how their technology works, and how their 'repairs' actually function - they think they are literally appeasing an animistic force in the machine, rather than oiling and repairing working mechanisms or so on.

This is confounded with the fact that the simple AI of some machines, or the integration of actual living brains and beings into the function of these machines (like Servo-skulls, and Ironstriders, etc), seem to have some purpose of their own. Because they don't understand how a computer could think - or behave as if it had thought - (in fact full AI is heresy), it must have a soul.

One final edit: I like this idea as a tongue-in-cheek joke. The idea that there are actually literal machine spirits is pretty funny especially if they showed up on the tabletop

ian wrote:
How about somthing to do with summing the poor souls of the sevitors , i dont know the lore but im asuming they where once alive , and being taken over with AI has got to have messed with there souls

This is a great idea! Especially since the servitor models do include the fleshier components of their former humanity! Thanks!

 rollawaythestone wrote:

 ComradeQuiche wrote:

Crispy78 wrote:
Nicely painted, but I am also wincing a little at the fluff. As said, 'machine spirit' is meant to be forgotten technology / AI - not an actual summonable ghost-thing...

Ok, it seems that everyone is in agreement that my fluff is flawed!!! Haha.

This is the blurb that comes up when I search for a definition of "machine spirit": "A Machine Spirit is a supernatural, animistic spirit [b]believed by the adherents of the Cult Mechanicus within the Adeptus Mechanicus (and, from that source, by most other humans of the Imperium of Man) to inhabit and control any piece of machinery or technology in existence."[/b]

My thinking was that a "machine spirit" to a machine, is the same as a "soul" to a human being, something bound to the mortal realm until death of the body. From there I just jumped to the conclusion that a departed machine spirit would look like what ever its past form looked like. (i.e. the machine spirit of an iphone would come back looking like... a ghostly iphone!)

Key word there is "believed by the adherents...". The AdMech believe in a literal machine-soul - which is clearly ignorant and instead represents their worship of technology that they simply don't understand. It's a play on that old adage "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." It's meant to play at the state of immense ignorance and dark age the Imperium sits in. They don't understand how their technology works, and how their 'repairs' actually function - they think they are literally appeasing an animistic force in the machine, rather than oiling and repairing working mechanisms or so on.

This is confounded with the fact that the simple AI of some machines, or the integration of actual living brains and beings into the function of these machines (like Servo-skulls, and Ironstriders, etc), seem to have some purpose of their own. Because they don't understand how a computer could think - or behave as if it had thought - (in fact full AI is heresy), it must have a soul.

One final edit: I like this idea as a tongue-in-cheek joke. The idea that there are actually literal machine spirits is pretty funny especially if they showed up on the tabletop

I forget where I read it but it was a early ethics question about AI in machines.

He stated that it may be impossible for a machine programmed to learn not to take on aspects of the programmer. Call it a soul or call it reflecting the human spirit but the question was.

If a machine programmed to learn would begin to reflect the humans it is programmed by or deals with. Learning from them and picking up their flaws and fears. Which would cause the machine to act in a way orginally thought not capable of.

So say a man programs a machine to be a doctor but he places in programming for it to not kill. So by him working on the machine he passed on part of himself which may be incapable of abortions.

Or a AI babysitter that views the parents as dangerious to the child due to bad food habits and decide the need to be removed for the child's safety. The AI worked this out by being tought to find threats that would keep the child from unhealthy or dangerious threats. Which may in turn refuse to say power down with the parents command. The safety of the child protocol overriding the command to obey the parents.

Hell I have a hard enough time trying to tell me laptop to not update mid video game with out it deciding it is best to screw me over and reset.