Do Blackshields exist in the current era?

[Daemon Prince Marbas]

Do Blackshield warbands exist in 40k? You know, the renegade but not Chaos marines who blacken their armor and become mercenaries and pirates?

[Dumah]

Maybe the Ashen Claws? Going with another angle, it could be possible to have a Deathwatch killteam comprised entirely of Blackshields, so ambiguous ulterior motives and such.

[Claws and Effect]

Going to echo Dumah.

 

The Ashen Claws are probably the most numerous and well organized renegade warband. They even still possess a class of battleship that was deemed too powerful for a single Chapter to have control over in the Second Founding. It surpasses everything but the Phalanx, or it would if they had the resources to equip it for anything more drawn out than a short skirmish.

Edited February 16, 2020 by Claws and Effect

[UtariOnzo]

Usually Blackshields in 40k refer to individual Marines that have abandoned their colours (maybe because of their chapter going renegade/traitor, or the individual is a lone survivor). These individuals often head for the nearest Watch Fortress of the Deathwatch and sign up for life, wearing just a black pauldron where a Chapter badge would be.

 

For larger organisations, *most* renegades tend to either keep their symbology (such as the Reivers, Soul Drinkers) or modify it/change it (Astral Claws, all the variations of different Legion iconography by Chaos warbands) rather than simply ditching it.

 

That said, it’s not entirely impossible that a larger group might split off from a Chapter due to ideological differences (like the Sons of Medusa) or other reasons, and perhaps rather than take on a new badge they just blank it out in the manner of the Heresy era Blackshields, so feel free to go ahead and paint up some units like that if you wish

Edited February 16, 2020 by UtariOnzo