[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"faction-/factions/emperors-children":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"date":267,"description":268,"extension":269,"faction":85,"heroImage":270,"hex":271,"intro":272,"lastUpdated":267,"meta":273,"navigation":274,"path":275,"seo":276,"stem":277,"system":278,"__hash__":279},"factions/factions/emperors-children.md","How to Paint Emperor's Children",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":257},"minimark",[9,13,16,21,24,28,40,67,80,95,99,122,125,129,160,185,192,196,227,231],[10,11,12],"p",{},"The Third Legion are the hardest thing on this list to paint badly and get away with. Every other Chaos force can hide behind rust and grime; a legion built on the idea of perfection cannot. The armour needs to be smooth, the gold needs to be bright, and the edges need to be clean. Budget more time per model than you would for any other Chaos Space Marine.",[10,14,15],{},"The compensation is that a finished squad looks like nothing else on the table, and the palette does most of the heavy lifting for you.",[17,18,20],"h2",{"id":19},"the-signature-look","The signature look",[10,22,23],{},"Rich purple plate with an enormous amount of gold trim, gloss where everyone else is matt, and pale, almost porcelain skin on any exposed face. As the legion falls further, the purples get pinker and the ornament gets more excessive - but the finish stays immaculate.",[17,25,27],{"id":26},"the-purple-armour","The purple armour",[10,29,30,31,35,36,39],{},"Purple is a difficult colour over black, so undercoat ",[32,33,34],"strong",{},"Grey Seer"," or ",[32,37,38],{},"Wraithbone",".",[10,41,42,43,46,47,50,51,54,55,58,59,62,63,66],{},"Base ",[32,44,45],{},"Naggaroth Night",", shade the recesses with ",[32,48,49],{},"Druchii Violet",", then layer ",[32,52,53],{},"Xereus Purple"," over the panel, leaving the shade in the joins. Highlight ",[32,56,57],{},"Genestealer Purple"," on the raised areas and edge with ",[32,60,61],{},"Dechala Lilac"," on the sharpest lines only. For the last catch on helmet crests and knee edges, a touch of ",[32,64,65],{},"Slaanesh Grey"," reads as light rather than as pink.",[10,68,69,70,73,74,76,77,79],{},"The fast route is genuinely good here: ",[32,71,72],{},"Luxion Purple"," contrast over ",[32,75,34],{}," gives a deep, glossy purple with the recesses shaded in a single coat, and edging it with ",[32,78,57],{}," afterwards gets you most of the way to the layered result.",[10,81,82,83,86,87,90,91,94],{},"For a more decadent, post-Heresy warband, swap to ",[32,84,85],{},"Emperor's Children"," as the mid-tone with ",[32,88,89],{},"Fulgrim Pink"," highlights, or run ",[32,92,93],{},"Volupus Pink"," contrast for a hot magenta plate.",[17,96,98],{"id":97},"gold-trim","Gold trim",[10,100,101,102,105,106,109,110,113,114,117,118,121],{},"The gold is not an accent on these models - it is half the surface. Base ",[32,103,104],{},"Retributor Armour",", shade ",[32,107,108],{},"Agrax Earthshade"," kept to the recesses, layer ",[32,111,112],{},"Auric Armour Gold"," and edge ",[32,115,116],{},"Liberator Gold",". A final pinpoint of ",[32,119,120],{},"Stormhost Silver"," on the highest corner of each shoulder rim sells the polish.",[10,123,124],{},"Keep the gold consistent across the squad. Nothing exposes a rushed batch faster than one marine's trim being browner than his neighbour's.",[17,126,128],{"id":127},"sonic-weapons-skin-and-gloss","Sonic weapons, skin and gloss",[10,130,131,132,135,136,139,140,143,144,147,148,151,152,155,156,159],{},"Sonic weaponry takes ",[32,133,134],{},"Leadbelcher"," shaded ",[32,137,138],{},"Nuln Oil"," with ",[32,141,142],{},"Runefang Steel"," edges, and the amplifier cones look best given a bronze interior - ",[32,145,146],{},"Warplock Bronze"," into ",[32,149,150],{},"Brass Scorpion",". Cabling in ",[32,153,154],{},"Abaddon Black"," edged ",[32,157,158],{},"Eshin Grey"," keeps it from competing.",[10,161,162,163,166,167,169,170,173,174,177,178,180,181,184],{},"Exposed skin should be pale and cold: ",[32,164,165],{},"Rakarth Flesh",", glazed ",[32,168,49],{}," in the shadows, layered ",[32,171,172],{},"Pallid Wych Flesh"," and highlighted ",[32,175,176],{},"Praxeti White",". Hair in ",[32,179,154],{}," or a bleached ",[32,182,183],{},"Screaming Skull"," for a Noise Marine.",[10,186,187,188,191],{},"Finish with ",[32,189,190],{},"'Ardcoat"," on the purple plates only. Gloss armour against matt cloth and metal is the single cheapest way to make the legion look excessive.",[17,193,195],{"id":194},"variations","Variations",[197,198,199,206,215,221],"ul",{},[200,201,202,205],"li",{},[32,203,204],{},"Pre-Heresy parade scheme"," - purple with white shoulder rims and far more gold, immaculate and unweathered.",[200,207,208,211,212,214],{},[32,209,210],{},"Palatine Blades"," - the same purple with bare ",[32,213,142],{}," plate on the arms and legs.",[200,216,217,220],{},[32,218,219],{},"Flawless Host"," - a warmer magenta plate with heavy gold, deliberately gaudy.",[200,222,223,226],{},[32,224,225],{},"Blissful Excess"," - pale pink over bone, with purple only in the recesses.",[17,228,230],{"id":229},"tips-and-common-mistakes","Tips and common mistakes",[197,232,233,239,245,251],{},[200,234,235,238],{},[32,236,237],{},"Thin the purple."," Two or three thin coats. Purple pigment is weak and one thick coat will look chalky.",[200,240,241,244],{},[32,242,243],{},"Do not weather them."," Chipping and rust undercut the entire concept.",[200,246,247,250],{},[32,248,249],{},"Batch the gold."," It is the slowest step, so do all the trim on all the models in one sitting.",[200,252,253,256],{},[32,254,255],{},"Gloss selectively."," Everything glossed reads as unfinished; armour glossed reads as deliberate.",{"title":258,"searchDepth":259,"depth":259,"links":260},"",2,[261,262,263,264,265,266],{"id":19,"depth":259,"text":20},{"id":26,"depth":259,"text":27},{"id":97,"depth":259,"text":98},{"id":127,"depth":259,"text":128},{"id":194,"depth":259,"text":195},{"id":229,"depth":259,"text":230},"2026-08-19","How to paint Emperor's Children - the purple and gold of the Third Legion, glossy excess, sonic weaponry and the shift from parade-ground perfection to Slaaneshi decadence.","md",null,"#7a2b6d","Purple plate, obsessive gold, and a finish that has to be perfect",{},true,"/factions/emperors-children",{"title":5,"description":268},"factions/emperors-children","40k","h8tlygvWHKT8lfHwowkSPsxHb3MfvV-CUOcaUH8HhJY"]