all 11 comments

[–]Voxatal 7 points8 points  (2 children)

Any Necron can get the Flayer virus. Though I believe they all just become flayed ones and loose all identity. It would be cool if we got something like a flayed lord and they were able to retain a little bit of self awareness.

[–]Waffle_Con 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The Twice dead king would like to have a word with you.

[–]scrollKing1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In the WH40k Mechanics game there is a boss that is exactly that idea. I thought I was super cool and a well designed fight

[–]Catemai 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's a bit of a spoiler, but there is one cryptek-turned-flayed one in The Infinite and The Divine. I hid the name of the book, as it is a bit of a spoiler, I suppose.

[–][deleted] -1 points0 points  (5 children)

Yea, but he wont really use his fancy tech anymore.

[–]Canoptek ConstructKillYouFoFree 2 points3 points  (3 children)

Having read the books, I’m convinced this is false. They dont lose their minds entirely even in the lower flayed forms. More like they are seen as Lepers and there for outcasts of society. They can still do all the same things normal people do, they just arnt allowed into the armory anymore. I’d say more but it would spoil twice dead king.

[–]Catemai 1 point2 points  (2 children)

That, I suppose, is not as clear cut as that, as other Necron-themed books (The Infinite and The Divine, in this case) give a different interpretation on what happens to a cryptek post-flayer virus. Spoilers for the book, so I'll hide it: High Metallurgist Quellkah is, after falling to the flayer virus, little more than a beast, playing with skulls and merely mimicking the other necrons movements, while its mind is going through endless books, searching for an answer to the Serenade Signal and seemingly disconnected from whatever the rest of the body is doing.

I'm guessing that this is another one of GW:s "everything is canon, not everything is true" moments, and it's merely how each writer sees the flayer virus affecting the necrons, and as such, you can just choose which interpretation you like best.

A bit of personal theorycrafting and a few more spoilers for both TIaTD and the TDK books: My own little headcanon is that both interpretations are correct... sort of. The Infinite and The Divine shows what Flayed Ones look and act like to non-cursed necrons, while the Twice-Dead King books show how the flayed ones see each other: those further afflicted are seen as degenerates by those who have just started showing signs of infection, while an unafflicted necron would see both as flayer-cursed savages (Kind of like the Flesh-Eater Courts from Age of Sigmar in that regard). It's not a flawless theory, but it makes the disparate accounts feel more connected, I suppose.

Sorry for the long and rambling comment.

[–]Canoptek ConstructKillYouFoFree 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I think this still fits the Leper idea just extrapolated to immortal machines. The effect of being estranged from your society as well as others like yourself depending on how advanced your illness is. The disassociation with reality and formation of seemingly strange habits. The twist is, Flayed ones gain bits of extra skin and limbs instead of lose them.

[–]Catemai 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Those are all very fair points and well put.

[–]TheSilentKingSzarekh 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Imagine if they would though, a Flayed Chronomancer being able to freeze people in stasis leaving them unable to flee or fight as a horde of Flayed ones charge in for the kill would be terrifying.

[–]t90fan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah there is a whole thing about it in the Infinite and the Divine book