Yesterday we saw how Dire Avengers, Fire Dragons, and Warp Spiders (oh my!) are getting even scarier, and today is the turn of everyone’s favourite masked hollerers – the Howling Banshees.
Armed with deadly Banshee blades, these acrobatic Aspect Warriors race into combat and cut their foes to ribbons in a violent whirl of cutting death – yet none of this would be possible without their signature Banshee masks.
These ritual war helms are equipped with psychosonic amplifiers, which augment the wearer’s battle cry into a harrowing aural assault. The shriek-that-kills disorientates and paralyses the enemy, even causing lasting damage to their nervous system.* Put simply, targets of a charge cannot fire Overwatch or Set to Defend – presumably too agonised trying to muffle the caterwauling.
It only gets worse after that – any foe within Engagement range is unable to fight until all eligible units in your army have fought, so you can neutralise powerful enemy units before they can strike back. And your Autarch can don a Banshee mask, too – meaning no-one’s safe from the cry of Morai-Heg.
What’s more, this one incredible trick** isn’t the only tool the Howling Banshees bring to the battlefield.
Whirling Death makes these dynamic warriors even more potent on the charge – with their Banshee blades bringing their attacks up to Strength 4, they’ll be wounding even Space Marines on a roll of 3+, and utterly shredding through ceramite. Not too shabby for a unit that already has three attacks per model.
Meanwhile, the Acrobatic ability ensures you’ll be able to pull off that harrowing assault. First, it allows you to charge in the same turn you Advanced – combine that with Battle Focus to soften up your opponent with a close-range salvo of shuriken shots. It also makes your Howling Banshees harder to shoot, with applying a -1 penalty.
Toss in the invulnerable save from their new Aspect Armour and guaranteed dice from Strands of Fate, and the Howling Banshees are about to tear up the whole galaxy. With the formidable guidance of their Phoenix Lord, Jain Zar herself,*** you’ve got a cacophonous choir who can liquify their foes’ brains before turning them into mincemeat.
Stick with us on Warhammer Community for more Path of the Preview articles, featuring yet more rules previews from the new Codex: Aeldari. If, like us, you’re discombobulated just by thinking about Banshees, sign up for our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss out on the latest news.
* What do you think the screams sound like? We’re going with AYEEEEEAAARRGH or HWWWAAAAARRRRGH.
** Incubi and Deathwing Knights hate it.
*** Want to know more about the most active of the Phoenix Lords? Check out Jain Zar: The Storm of Silence.