Outcast Sons

[Daemon Prince Marbas]

Which loyalist legions would be best to use with Outcast Sons Rite of War?

[Lord Marshal]

In fluff terms? White Scars I'd say. No small number of them were banking on the Khan throwing his lot in with Horus. Edited June 13, 2020 by Lord Marshal

[Brother Pheidias]

In fluff terms? White Scars I'd say. No small number of them were banking on the Khan throwing his lot in with Horus.

There's the Sagyar Mazan-rite for the majority, it seems most submitted to the Khans Judgement following Prospero 2.0.

[Elzender]

I would go for legions that were in one of these situations:

 

- Legions that cooperated for a long time or very closely with some of the traitor legions. Some marines might have developed a very strong bond with members of other legions, which might push them to defect, specially marines that might be disgruntled with their primarch or superior officers.

 

- Those legions with a more brutal or less humanitarian side, as they would be more easily swayed by either Horus' cause of an Astartes-ruled Imperium, or the call of Chaos or simple violence.

 

The Iron Hands could be a good candidate as they fit more or less on both options, having a close relationship with the Emperor's Children (well, at least the primarchs were close, not sure how well that translated to the legionaries), and also being a legion with a reputation of brutality and ruthlessness, with little regard for subtleties and a profound contempt for weakness.

 

If I'm not mistaken, Horus and Sanguinius were in quite good terms, so their legions might have also had a better relationship than others. Together with the more savage character of the pre-Sanguinius legion, some old guard Blood Angels might decide to follow Horus, or even fall to Chaos due to their Red Thirst.

 

The brutal Terran legionaries of the Raven Guard also make ideal candidates, as they operated very closely with the Luna Wolves/ Sons of Horus and were rejected and exiled by Corvus Corax. However, they have been quite fleshed out, with a lot of them dying on the battle of Gate 42, and the rest being cast out as nomadic predatory fleets, which mostly ended up as Blackshields. However, it would be easy to justify some of these fleets returning to support Horus out of spite, or even being called by him, as he likely knew of their fate and might have seen some use for them.

 

While Salamanders seems an unlikely option, Vulkan's humanitarian side might have not sit very well with some elements of the old legion. Additionally, some of them might have even seen the Promethean Cult as a direct violation of the Imperial Truth.

 

The pre-Russ VI legion was known as a bunch of bloodthirsty savages, so some of them might be attracted to the bloodshed of the rebellion. However, Russ was found quite early (I think he's the second or third primarch to be found?), so his command might have either reigned in the most deranged marines, or they might have mostly have succumbed to attrittion due to their likely preference for close combat and Russ' strategies (purposely deploying the most problematic and savage marines as vanguard, to both use them at their best potential and because he would not be so worried about casualties).

 

Ultramarines: seems unlikely, but Guilliman did censor some of his own men (see Aeonid Thiel). I do not know how frequently did Guilliman employ it, but if he ever censored a whole company due to their actions in a specific campaign, they might be a good target for swaying them to join the traitor's cause.

 

As for Imperial Fists, I see it as an unlikely choice (though I might be a bit biased here

Edited June 15, 2020 by Elzender

[The Scorpion]

There was at least 1 great company of the Space Wolves that turned traitor, as demonstrated by the slaughter they did at a place called Neo-Cadiz.

My money is on the 2nd, who only commited 800 marines to Prospero because the rest was engaged against the Hurd in the south of the Galaxy.

The best RoW for them would be "sacrificial offerring" though, because acute senses would become very helpful when the entire primary detachment outflanks.

 

A traitor company of Iron Hands, bearing a hybrid Eye of Horus-cog heraldry, fought at the siege of Mezoa with Autillion Skorr against Cassian Dracos and his Salamander argonauts.

Edited September 11, 2020 by The Scorpion

[Daemon Prince Marbas]

Traitor Salamanders sound really fun to do.

[Daemon Prince Marbas]

If I wanted to do Traitor Iron Hands what would be the best Rite of War for them lore wise?

[The Scorpion]

If I wanted to do Traitor Iron Hands what would be the best Rite of War for them lore wise?

As traitors they would be rather well supplied, enough to pull a "Head of the Gorgon"... if their numbers weren't so low that is. A better way to represent their outflanking would be the "Sacrificial Offering" RoW. (Amazing on traitor Space Wolves)

 

For an independent company like the one at Mezoa, "Outcast Sons" would work quite well. An MSU mechanized list represening a small warband lead by a fitsful of chieftains.

 

Cyber-familiars synergize well with the challenge dynamic given to the characters by the RoW, and blessed autosimulacra helps with the mechanized approach.

Edited June 18, 2020 by The Scorpion

[Mogsam]

I don't think Sacrifical offering makes sense as a traitor only RoW. The only iron hands story I've read had them marching troops through the desert to their death. Hardly humanities great protectors.