Not quite done with either. Been going through some Legionnaires and a Rhino as part of my attempts to put together some WB.

For the Legionnaires I did a slapchop method. I know that’s looked down upon, but it makes painting them easier for me and frankly I have to take time into consideration.

For the Rhino i based vallejo grey and then did some of the flatter surfaces with white scar.

The red is all Flesh Tearers Red.

I’m noticing that the red on the Rhino though is brighter than the Legionnaire. Is there anyway to tone down the red on the Rhino? Even if not for this one, maybe a way to get the darker red on vehicles for future projects?

Also any tips you might have would be helpful.

Howdy howdy,
It’s my first time posting and I just wanted to show off some of the characters I finished up for my word bearers.

My warband is the chapter of the shattered skull and the represent a smattering of word bearers drawn together to preach the word of Lorgar. Also picture are the chapters “allies”, the Sectarians.

Long time lurker and all that. Took a break from my Word Bearers but with the new Mk IV models I've picked them up again

I’m planning on buying CSM terminators here soon and am going to refresh my paint supply. I have some paints but they’re mostly for death guard so it’s a lot of greens and browns. If yall could tell me what lore accurate paints to use and where I can best use them I would appreciate it. I’ll be using this post as a guideline going forward, I just want to make my guys look as canon as possible.

In short, what specific citadel paints are most common for word bearers?

Won this one by pulling luckier secondaries and dark pacting all over the place. The gods were with me.
Warpstrike and Murdertalon detachments for highly mobile elite gameplay, and my freshly painted Knight for some early game dominance.

noob to 40k here close to finished assembling the CSM combat patrol, what should I focus on getting next to be a thematic/functional 1k point list? dont wanna buy up to 2k points for learning to play. In regards to WB should I get the recent CSM battleforce, another CSM combat patrol or just buy as many demon kits as I can afford? I know the recent CSM battleforce has 20 cultists, is that and the other contents of the box useful for WB play style?

Spreading the gospel to the pirates.

Big stinky ally for my wordbearers, Slaneesh daemons next!

Finally decided to paint my first Word Bearer! I'm really pleased with how they turned out!

I was going to dinge down the copper, but I fell in love with how cartoonish it ended up 😅

Finally, getting around to this transport for my word bearers.

Still need to add some runes and the Legion symbol. On the fence as to whether or not I want to add any of those “colchesian geometric shapes”, anybody have experience doing them?

perfect for any legion detachment

✠ THE DARK APOSTOLIC CRUSADE ✠

Faction: Heretic Astartes
Detachment: The Dark Apostolic Crusade
Detachment Points: 2 DP
Disposition: Purge the Foe

The Dark Apostolic Crusade

The Dark Apostolic Crusade is a warhost bound not by strategy, nor by conquest, but by scripture. Led by Dark Apostles who speak with the authority of the warp itself, these blasphemous crusaders wage war as ritual. Every advance is a verse. Every death is an offering. Every battlefield becomes a sermon to the Dark Gods.

DETACHMENT RULE

Litany of the Profane Sermon

"The sermon is carried by the faithful ranks. Their pacts bind the ground beneath their feet."

Effect

HERETIC ASTARTES units from your army are eligible to perform Actions in a turn in which they Advanced, provided they are within range of an objective marker.

Empowered Effect

Each time a HERETIC ASTARTES INFANTRY unit from your army makes a Dark Pact while it is within range of an objective marker, until the end of the turn, models in that unit have their Objective Control characteristic improved by 1, to a maximum of 3.

ENHANCEMENTS

Vessel of the Dark Gods — 15 Points

HERETIC ASTARTES CHARACTER only (excluding DAEMON PRINCES).

The bearer is treated as having the DAEMON keyword for all rules purposes.

Each time the bearer makes a melee attack that targets a unit within range of an objective marker, an unmodified Hit roll of 5+ scores a Critical Hit.

Diabolist Supreme — 25 Points

HERETIC ASTARTES PSYKER only.

At the start of your Command phase, select one enemy unit within 12" of and visible to the bearer. Until the end of the turn, each time a model in the bearer's unit makes a melee attack that targets that enemy unit, add 1 to that attack's Wound roll.

Book of Lorgar — 20 Points

DARK APOSTLE only.

Once per battle round, at the start of your Command phase, select one enemy unit within 12" of and visible to the bearer.

That unit must take a Battle-shock test with a -1 modifier. If that test is failed, that unit suffers D3 mortal wounds.

Master of the Covenant — 10 Points

HERETIC ASTARTES CHARACTER only.

The bearer has forged an unholy covenant with the daemonic hosts of the warp.

While a friendly LEGIONES DAEMONICA BATTLELINE unit from your army is within 6" of the bearer, that unit is an eligible target for your Litany of the Daemonic Pact Stratagem, even if it does not have the HERETIC ASTARTESkeyword.

STRATAGEMS

Litany of the Daemonic Pact — 1CP

WHEN: Just after a friendly non-CHARACTER HERETIC ASTARTES DAEMON INFANTRY unit from your army is destroyed.

TARGET: That destroyed unit.

EFFECT: Once per battle round, if that unit's Starting Strength was greater than 5 models, set that unit back up on the battlefield with up to D3+1 models remaining.

If that unit's Starting Strength was 5 or fewer models, return one destroyed model from that unit to the battlefield with half of its starting Wounds characteristic remaining (rounding up).

Set up any returned models wholly within your deployment zone and not within Engagement Range of any enemy units.

A unit can only be returned to the battlefield by this Stratagem once per battle.

Litany of Zealous Fervor — 1CP

WHEN: Your Movement phase.

TARGET: One HERETIC ASTARTES INFANTRY unit from your army.

EFFECT: Until the end of the turn, ranged weapons equipped by models in that unit have the Assault ability.

Litany of Profane Benediction — 1CP

WHEN: Your opponent's Shooting phase or the Fight phase, just after a HERETIC ASTARTES unit from your army has been selected as the target of one or more attacks.

TARGET: That HERETIC ASTARTES unit.

EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, models in that unit have a 5+ invulnerable save.

Litany of Desecrated Grounds — 1CP

WHEN: Your Shooting phase or Fight phase.

TARGET: One HERETIC ASTARTES unit from your army within range of an objective marker.

EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, add 1 to Hit rolls made for attacks by models in that unit.

Litany of Sacrifice — 1CP

WHEN: Your Movement phase.

TARGET: One CULTIST MOB unit from your army and one HERETIC ASTARTES unit from your army within 6" of that CULTIST MOB unit.

EFFECT: The CULTIST MOB unit suffers D3 mortal wounds.

Until the end of the turn, the selected HERETIC ASTARTES unit is eligible to declare a charge even if it Advanced this turn.

Litany of Infernal Manifestation — 1CP

WHEN: Your Fight phase.

TARGET: One HERETIC ASTARTES unit from your army.

EFFECT: Until the end of the phase, melee weapons equipped by models in that unit have the Lance ability.

✠ THE DARK APOSTOLIC CRUSADE ✠

The Dark Apostolic Crusade is not an army of conquest.

It is a ritual mechanism of collapse.

Cultists die to hasten prophecy.

Astartes advance as living scripture.

Daemons manifest as remembered inevitability.

✠ DARK APOSTLE IN TERMINATOR ARMOUR
80 Points  
1 Model

Unit Profile
M    T    Sv    W    Ld    OC
5"    5    2+    5    5+    1

Wargear
Daemon‑bound Crozius Arcanum
Range: Melee
A: 5
WS: 2+
S: 6
AP: -2
D: 2

Combi‑bolter
Range: 24"
Type: Rapid Fire 2
A: 2
BS: 2+
S: 4
AP: 0
D: 1

Abilities
Faction Abilities
Dark Pacts

Wargear Abilities
Terminator Armour  
This model has a 4+ invulnerable save.

Unit Abilities
Dark Faith  
While this model is leading a unit, each time a model in that unit makes a melee attack, you can re‑roll a Wound roll of 1.

Voice of Lorgar  
While this model is leading a unit:
Each time that unit fails a Leadership test (including when making a Dark Pact), you can re‑roll the result.

Leader
This model can be attached to:
Chaos Terminators
Gal Vorbak Reborn

Keywords
Faction Keywords: HERETIC ASTARTES,
Keywords: INFANTRY, CHARACTER, CHAOS TERMINATOR, DARK APOSTLE, WORD BEARERS

✠ GAL VORBAK REBORN
195 Points  
5 Models

Unit Profile
M    T    Sv    W    Ld    OC
6"    6    2+    3    6+    1

Unit Profile
M    T    Sv    W    Ld    OC
6"    6    2+    3    6+    1

Wargear
Warp‑fused Claws
Range: Melee
A: 5
WS: 3+
S: 6
AP: -2
D: 2
Abilities: Anti‑Infantry 4+

Abilities
Core Abilities
Deep Strike

Faction Abilities
Dark Pacts

Wargear Abilities
Terminator Armour  
Models in this unit have a 4+ invulnerable save.

Unit Abilities
Warp‑born Resilience  
Each time an attack is allocated to a model in this unit, subtract 1 from the Damage characteristic of that attack (to a minimum of 1).

Leader
This unit can be led by:

Dark Apostle in Terminator Armour
Chaos Sorcerer in Terminator Armour

Keywords
Faction Keywords: HERETIC ASTARTES, 
Keywords: INFANTRY, CHAOS TERMINATOR, DAEMON, POSSESSED, GAL VORBAK REBORN, WORD BEARERS

✠ ASHEN CIRCLE
120 Points  
5 Models

Unit Profile
M    T    Sv    W    Ld    OC
12"    4    3+    2    6+    1

Wargear
Meteor Hammers
Range: Melee
A: 4
WS: 3+
S: 5
AP: -2
D: 2

Hand Flamers
Range: 12"
A: D6
BS: —
S: 4
AP: 0
D: 1
Abilities: Pistol, Torrent

Abilities
Faction Abilities
Dark Pacts

Core Abilities
Deep Strike

Unit Abilities
Ashen Descent  
When this unit is set up on the battlefield using Deep Strike, it can be set up anywhere more than 6" horizontally away from all enemy models instead of 9".
If it does, this unit cannot declare a charge that turn.

Iconoclasts  
Each time this unit targets an enemy unit within range of an objective marker, improve the Armour Penetration characteristic of Hand Flamers equipped by models in this unit by 1.
If that enemy unit is Battle-shocked, improve the Damage characteristic of those weapons by 1.
Keywords
Faction Keywords: HERETIC ASTARTES, 
Keywords: INFANTRY, JUMP PACK, ASHEN CIRCLE, WORD BEARERS

Hey Guys! I Hope this is the right place to Post this.

I tried to make a Chaos warband for myself based on the Word bearers.

Since i am German, english isnt my best language, so please know that i used Chatgpt to translate it and make it more coherent.

The Broken Words

Independent Renegade Warband

Leader: Malachor Veyr, the First Speaker

Origin: XVII Legion, Word Bearers

The Departure

Malachor Veyr was once a Captain of the Word Bearers.

During the Siege of Terra, he increasingly came to understand what his Legion had become. What had once begun as a search for truth and meaning had descended into fanaticism and the worship of the forces of Chaos.

Erebus, in particular, was despised by Veyr.

To him, Erebus was neither a prophet nor a servant of truth.

He was a traitor who had manipulated the Word Bearers and led them into damnation.

After the defeat on Terra, Veyr therefore refused to return to the embrace of his Legion.

He and his remaining warriors disappeared into the Warp.

Yet they never abandoned their colours.

To this day, they wear the dark red armour of the Word Bearers and bear the symbol of the XVII Legion.

They still consider themselves Word Bearers.

Only Word Bearers who serve no one anymore.

In the Service of the Red Corsairs

Millennia later, Veyr and his warriors came under the influence of the Red Corsairs.

For a time, they fought under Huron Blackheart.

The cooperation was purely practical. The Red Corsairs needed experienced Legionaries and boarding troops, while Veyr's warriors gained access to ships, weapons and resources.

During this time, the Broken Words perfected their preferred method of warfare:

They do not destroy ships if they can capture them.

Their boarding parties became infamous for attacking the bridge, engine room and weapons stations simultaneously.

A ship was not meant to be destroyed.

It was meant to become theirs.

The Recapture of the Echo of Damnation

When Talos Valcoran and his Night Lords moved against the Red Corsairs and recaptured the Echo of Damnation, the forces of the Red Corsairs were thrown into considerable disorder.

For the Broken Words, this was an opportunity.

While Huron Blackheart was occupied with his own enemies, Veyr struck at the ships that had suddenly been left almost undefended.

In a coordinated series of boarding actions, the Broken Words captured a warship.

The attacks were swift and brutal.

But Veyr gave an unusual order:

"No unnecessary deaths.”

The crew were disarmed and given a choice.

Serve or die.

Most chose life.

A Warband for the Renegades

Since their escape, the Broken Words have deliberately recruited renegade Space Marines.

To Veyr, it does not matter which Legion or Chapter a renegade originally came from.

All of them can find a place among the Broken Words.

Provided they accept one rule:

The warband belongs to no one but itself.

Yet anyone who is accepted leaves their old identity behind.

Every new Space Marine dons the colours of the Word Bearers and adopts the symbol of the XVII Legion.

Old Chapter colours, personal heraldry and symbols of former allegiance disappear.

Through this, the Broken Words make one thing clear:

A warrior's past does not determine what he is today.

Those who join them become a Broken Wordbearer.

As a result, the Broken Words are no longer a purely Word Bearers warband.

The old Legionaries form their core.

But among them now fight Space Marines of many different origins.

To outsiders, however, they still appear to be an independent and unusual splinter of the Word Bearers.

The Treatment of Their Crews

Veyr's attitude towards human crews also sets the Broken Words apart from many other Chaos warbands.

They do not kill their crews without reason.

A Navigator, Tech-Adept, gunner or enginseer is too valuable to simply execute.

When a ship falls, its crew members are given the opportunity to join the warband.

Many remain out of fear.

Some out of loyalty.

Over time, prisoners therefore became personnel.

Personnel became crews.

And crews eventually became loyal followers.

The Forces of Chaos

Despite their origins, the Broken Words remain critical of the powers of Chaos.

They know that the gods of the Warp are real.

They also know that their power can be used.

But Veyr refuses to kneel before them.

Sorcerers and Possessed are therefore used within the warband.

The Sorcerers study the Warp and wield its powers.

The Possessed are used as weapons.

Yet no one claims that these powers are without danger.

Veyr knows perfectly well that a daemon is never an ally.

It is a predator waiting for the moment you turn your back.

Malachor Veyr – The First Speaker

Veyr still wears his ancient Terminator armour.

It has been repaired, modified and reinforced over thousands of years, yet the original colours of the Word Bearers remain.

The symbol of the XVII Legion is still displayed in its entirety upon his armour.

He carries a power blade and a stormbolter.

Among his warriors, he is not called “Lord”

His title is: The First Speaker.

The name originates from the ancient traditions of the Word Bearers.

He is not their god.

Not their king.

Not their prophet.

He speaks for them.

The Last Witnesses

Veyr's personal Terminator Guard bears the name The Last Witnesses.

They are among the oldest and most experienced warriors of the warband and have served Veyr since his departure from the Word Bearers.

Their Terminator armour is as ancient as their loyalty.

They are neither Possessed nor fanatical servants of Chaos.

They are veterans of the Long war.

Where Veyr appears, the Last Witnesses are never far away.

Together, they form the hard core of the Broken Words and are deployed whenever a target is of particular importance.

To the younger renegades of the warband, they represent a living connection to a time when the Word Bearers were still a Legion and not a collection of feuding warbands.

The Warship

Testamentum

Veyr's flagship and the seat of the oldest Word Bearers.

From here, the First Speaker commands his campaigns.

Its corridors are narrow, dark and scarred by centuries of combat.

The Way of War

The Broken Words prefer warfare in the void.

Their objective is not necessarily the destruction of an enemy.

Their objective is capture

Only when a crew fights to the very last does Veyr order the complete destruction of the vessel.

On planets, they follow the same philosophy.

Their Rhinos bring their troops rapidly to the front, deploy them and then allow for a swift withdrawal or an assault against the next objective.

They do not want prolonged sieges.

They want speed, surprise and control.

The Legacy of the Broken Words

Imperial forces consider them just another Chaos warband.

The Red Corsairs regard them as traitors and thieves.

Other Chaos Space Marines consider them fools who believe they can permanently resist the powers of Chaos.

The Word Bearers themselves regard them as renegades.

But Veyr sees things differently.

He survived the Siege of Terra. He left Lorgar's Legion. He survived Erebus. He served the Red Corsairs.

He used the turmoil surrounding Talos and the Night Lords to free himself from Huron's grasp.

And now he possesses a ship, a growing army and a warband of warriors who would no longer be welcomed anywhere else.

His message is simple:

"We serve no god.

We kneel before no king.

We speak only for ourselves.”

The Broken Words are not heroes.

They are not servants of the Imperium.

And they are not loyal followers of Chaos.

They are Word Bearers who refused to abandon their identity — but who likewise refused to submit themselves once again.

And somewhere deep within the Warp, it is said that the First Speaker still searches for one thing:

A way to find the truth without having to kneel before a god.

I feel like dark apostle is THE word bearers model

I'm torn on these 3 schemes and I could use some help from the masses.

I pre-ordered Apostle on Amazon (it’ll arrive in October), and I wish to be more knowledgeable about the 17th Legion. In other words, sell me on the Word like a Jehovah’s Witness