What has been on my mind... blog - GreenScorpion

Traitors and Renegades, a group of warriors from different origins and with a certain link to the chaotic gods (some more than others).
I wonder what could be the distinct traits of a renegade following one specific god like nurgle or khorne. Would it make sense for the lord of change to have some renegades on its side? What would happen with renegades who devoted themselves to slaanesh?

Those questions and other have been on my mind for a while and obviously my knowledge of Warhammer 40k background doesn't actually cover most of those so I share my thoughts trying to get some intel.

Starting with the renegades I've been thinking about expanding the renegade armies available to me for a while, based on meloo's work and other models either original Relic's models or community made models. I know there are more renegade models around especially on these 2 mods Moddb.com and Moddb.com (which uses models from the first) but warsmith (or whatever he is called know) works with assets coming from a bunch of different places like DoW2 or SM (and even not 40k related games) and I am strictly against using models which are not from DoW or its community. So I decided to try and get some concepts done through FFE based on adapting existing models to fit on renegade armies descriptions, after all the renegade's suggested army list done by forgeworld actually encourages players to create their armies based on conversions from existing models, mostly IG models, so it is obvious doing conversion work through object swap should provide a similar result.
Some renegade concepts i've tought about/worked on:

• Exalted Champion - pretty much a veteran version of a renegade champion with improved combat capabilities. (I have no screenshot of this concept because it is similar to the banner bearer except it has only a trophy rack and not the banner).
• Renegade Medic - the name says pretty much everything. This guy is a renegade with a medkit and probably some experience as battlefield medic. Moddb.com (outdated but has the basic aspects of it, added a bit of a nurgle sense to it later through fx since the healing in chaos is usually linked to the lord of decay).
• Renegade Vox - a renegade operating a vox, likely a guard once with some knowledge about IG communitcation procedures and probably capable of deceiving IG air support or artillery to hit their own soldiers or at least capable of transmiting orders from one renegade group to another. Moddb.com (still needs some final touches on the vox texture).
• Renegade Champion with Banner - a champion carrying the banner of the chaotic force it serves, inspiring renegades nearby to fight harder. Moddb.com (banner changes according to banner chosen in the army painter just like it happens with aspiring champions).
• Preachers - filling the role of IG priests preacher in renegade armies would inspire the surrounding troops in a similar way. Moddb.com (still needs texture work and perhaps doing a nurgle version would be fitting especially since "renegade apostate preachers of nurgle" are the ones seen at forgeworld and not unspecified priests, perhaps same model for both with OE having an upgrade to get the nurgle version).
• Disciples - the most dedicated renegade forces, the disciples would be the equivalent to IG stormtroopers/kasrkins or veterans. Moddb.com (with the renegade militia body synchs RT2 has made i might make them through the conversion of the militia rather than the kasrkin as that allows more randomness and a greater variety in terms of weapons loadout). Version based on the militia Moddb.com needs some fx and sound replacement for the hellgun, a chaotic texture instead of the kasrkin one and might get a few additional items.
• Enforcers - the commissar equivalent in renegade armies, enforcers maintain morale in their squad by executing cowards. My idea with these would be to have something similar to champions but with skull shaped helmets as that is what the forgeworld miniatures look like.
• Worker rabble - this unit could be obtained using civilians i suppose, not a great priority as they seem like a mix of cultists with conscripts so basically a meat shield.

In what relates with vehicles there is only a renegade basilisk by meloo so renegades would focus mostly on infantry (they are not meant to be their own race so it is not a problem).

I usually separate traitors from renegades as for me they are not exactly the same thing, for example the traitor guard would be a group of soldiers originally from Imperial regiments that eventually turned to traitors but mostly not yet aware of the dark gods (slightly less crazy) while renegades are pretty much from a wider origin and already aware of the favour or damnation the gods have to offer.
Some ideas i've had about a Traitor Guard army (not its own faction but allies to a chaotic faction probably):

• Traitor Guardsmen - the basic soldier of the Imperium, now dedicated to the Dark Gods. From cowards to fanatics anyone can find their place here. They could be made with a chance to get instantly broken to represent the possibility of the traitors being mostly cowards running from IG rules in search of an easier life.
• Traitor kasrkins/stormtroopers - well trained and well equipped these men are dangerous especially now that they fight against the Imperium. They might as well be regular guardsmen who took the better wargear of the bodies these soldiers when they became traitors.
• Trophy hunters - crazy traitor soldiers which focus mostly on melee combat. They like to collect trophies from their victims and many will become servants of khorne if they survive long enough.
• Chemical throwers - equipped with weapons that spread dangerous chemicals over great distances, these traitors pleasure themselves in watching their enemies to die in agony due to the chemicals. Many of these will eventually join the forces of nurgle.
• Heavy weapons team - traitors expert in the use of heavy weapons available in the armies of the Imperium, ranging from heavy bolters to mortars. Especially effective against most enemies, mostly when used as fire support.
• Traitor officers - while traitors may be mostly composed of small groups of soldiers, some correspond to entire companies or even regiments. This means sometimes their officers also betrayed the Imperium or someone amongst the traitors was promoted to a position of leadership, maintaining a chain of command similar to the one used in regular Imperial Guard armies.
• Traitor priests - once preachers of the Imperial creed, these men have fallen under the influence of the Dark Gods and have since started to preach the will of the Gods. Fanatic by nature they inspire other traitors to fight harder and even convince others to become traitors to the Imperium. Eventually they will devote themselves to a specific deity attracted to its promises.
• Traitor commissars - while usually the first defensive line of the Imperium against heretics and insurrectors and thus loyal to the very end, some commissars might turn to the Dark Gods for the promise of power or because they see it as the only way to save the Imperium. Whatever their reasons may be, traitor commissars continue to perform a duty similar to loyal commissars but executing those that may want to remain loyal to the Imperium or anyone that has doubts about their cause.
• Traitor psykers - a psyker is directly connected to the warp and so the influence of the Dark Gods is extremely common even with highly trained psykers. Most psykers on the Imperium have only the training necessary to keep them alive or to allow them to be useful to the Imperium. Still with the exception of astropaths which are linked to the Emperor to avoid corruption, regular psykers have to rely on their own psychic strenght to keep them away from the influence of daemons and other psychic entities. Thus traitor psykers are a common issue and commissars usually keep an eye on all battle psykers just in case but the major problem is the fact that not all psykers are identified and a simple guardsmen or civilian may prove to be a dangerous psyker once corrupted by chaos. Psykers are usually powerful warriors in what relates to their psychic powers but this power comes at the price of madness and the likelihood to suffer from the perils of using warp power.
• Traitor medic - most medics in the Imperial Guard are little more than a regular guardsmen carrying simple medical equipment. Obviously the same reasons that would make a regular soldier betray the Imperium would also apply to the medics, with the added reason of possible traumatic events related with trying to keep his squad mates alive during a battle with little to no success.
• Traitor standard bearer - standard bearers are regular guardsmen that have performed an act of bravery and thus were given the responsibility to carry the standard of the company or regiment into battle. Obviously this responsibility is not a reward in any way so standard bearers may eventually turn to chaos. After all if you are carrying an heavy standard you might as well do it because you want to and not because you have been ordered to do so (or at least the Dark Gods make you think you have a choice and want to carry it).
• Traitor vox operator - traitor guards are usually more organized than the common group of renegades and so the traitor vox operator can be useful because they provide coordination between groups of the same traitor force, providing traitor officers and commanders a greater control over their troops. A well trained vox operator may even use their skills to make loyal Imperial Guard forces kill each other by ordering artillery strikes from loyal artillery on the loyal frontline soldiers or ordering loyal airstrikes on loyal entrenched positions for example.
• Traitor commander - It isn't uncommon for men and women of great power to fall to chaos in the hopes of gaining greater power. Military commanders are no exception and so commanders expecting to conquer entire systems or hoping to achieve imortality will often turn to the Dark Gods in search of something the Imperium simply doesn't provide them. Traitor commanders can be very competent commanders, definetely becoming a major headache to loyal Imperial forces.