A crimson shadow descends on the galaxy. Ka’bandha, among the most infamous of Khorne’s Greater Daemons, arrives for pre-order today and prepares to make his bloody mark on Warhammer: The Horus Heresy. We saw his jaw-dropping model earlier this year, along with some truly stunning paint jobs, and you can now add this storied character to your collection for the first time.
At 25cm tall, his massive model isn’t just for show – he’s an absolute monster in the field, no man nor machine a match for his might, as you can discover for yourselves with this free rules PDF.
As one of Khorne’s favoured servants, Ka’bandha’s size and strength eclipse almost anything Warhammer: The Horus Heresy can throw at him. But to find out just how fearsome this lord of daemons truly is, we filled a bucket of dice and set up a rematch for the ages – his back-breaking duel with Sanguinius on Signus Prime. Could the apex Bloodthirster repeat this victory on the tabletop?
While Ka’bandha spent his early moments roaring and spitting, the Great Angel was having none of it and charged in with his Blade Encarmine in hand. The Greater’s Daemon’s maddening Miasma of Rage touches the minds of all Rage-fuelled warriors – friend or foe – so Sanguinius’ righteous fury was enhanced as he thundered down on his nemesis with nine mighty blows.
Alas, even though the Blood Angels excel at fighting after a charge, the warp energy swirling around Signus Prime must have bolstered Ka’bandha’s protection – as he passed all five of the Invulnerable Saves he needed to make, blows glancing off his brazen plate and Aethereal Invulnerability. The daemon struck back with an eye-watering Strength Characteristic – mighty enough to crush tanks like cans – but the miraculous power of Sanguinius’ Regalia Resplendent turned his attacks aside at the last possible moment.
Circling each other with deadly intent, the titanic foes dove back in for another round of combat. Ka’bandha drew first blood, for though he managed to fail four of his 4+ To Hit rolls, even after re-rolls – his Weapon Skill matching Sanguinius’ – he easily passed the three 2+ Wound rolls that made it through. Were it not for the Emperor’s blood granting all Primarchs the Eternal Warrior special rule, Sanguinius would have suffered Instant Death then and there.
The Angel struck back, scoring two wounds in return as the Blade Encarmine’s Shred rule re-rolled his To Wound dice and squeezed some results past Ka’bandha’s intimidating Toughness. The two crimson champions traded blows for several more rounds of combat, opening fresh injuries that closed with unnatural speed, thanks to their matching It Will Not Die rules allowing them to regain a lost Wound with a lucky roll.
Even as his connection to the material plane began to waver, Ka’bandha pressed his advantage in raw power against the skill of his mortal foe. After several more turns of chipping away at each other, the Primarch was on his last legs with just one Wound remaining. In the eighth round of combat – no doubt pleasing Khorne with his sacred number – the Daemon General made five successful To Wound rolls. Sanguinius’ 4+ Invulnerable Save could only hold back one – and the Great Angel fell.
The Primarch put up a good fight, dealing six wounds to his nemesis in total, but – just as on Signus Prime – the Bloodthirster’s raw power proved too much for him to handle. As we know from Black Library’s awesome Siege of Terra series, Sanguinius survived his duel and went on to battle Ka’bandha once more – you can find out how the rematch unfolds* when Echoes of Eternity arrives later this year.
If smashing Primarchs around sounds like a good time to you, begin your conquest in the name of Khorne by pre-ordering Ka’bandha today and adding one of the single greatest miniatures ever released to your collection.
* The Blood Angels insist the outcome would have been very different if their Primarch had the legendary Spear of Telesto in hand…