Reaver Attack Squad

A Sons of Horus Legionary of one of the 1st Company's elite Catulan Reaver Assault Squads

Reaver Attack Squads were specialised units utilised exclusively by the Sons of Horus Space Marine Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy in the late 30th and early 31st Millennia. Reaver Attack Squads were an evolution of the Despoiler and Assault Squads found in the order of battle of the Luna Wolves, epitomising in many ways the Sons of Horus' way of warfare. Heavily influenced by the tactics of the seething and incessant tribal warfare of the XVI Legion's homeworld of Cthonia, Reaver units specialised in lightning-swift assaults which maimed and disabled a foe, striking down leaders, mercilessly cutting down any who were weak or isolated, and sowing panic and disorder in any who remained.

Vicious and adaptable, Reaver Squads could fight equally well in multiple theatres of warfare, from void-based boarding actions, to battlefield shock-assaults, to hit-and-run raids and scouring operations. Each Reaver unit, whether a single squad or an entire company in strength, was effectively a warband in its own right, and its warriors fought more as individuals than regimented soldiers. Idiosyncratic both in appearance and wargear, it strove to make its own name and reputation. Of the Reaver units in the XVI Legion, the Catulan Reaver Squads of the elite 1st Company were the most infamous during the early battles of the Horus Heresy and were active during the battles at both Istvaan III and Istvaan V, but there were many more. As the war progressed and the influence of Chaos became stronger upon the XVI Legion, the Reaver Squad pattern became more commonplace in the Sons of Horus, displacing more regimented formations as new units were formed. Accordingly, they were favoured with the finest arms and wargear that the Warmaster Horus could provide.

Wargear

• Power Armour - Reaver units made extensive use of prototype and sub-pattern wargear and power armour, their manufacture and origins unknown.
• Bolt Pistol
• Chainsword or Combat Blade
• Frag Grenades
• Krak Grenades

Optional Wargear

A Reaver Attack Squad was usually comprised of 4-10 Reavers and led by 1 officer with the title of Reaver Chieftain. They had access to a variety of the best wargear within the XVI Legion, including:

• Bolter
• Banestrike Bolter Rounds
• Volkite Charger
• Combi-Weapon
• Flamer
• Meltagun
• Plasma Gun
• Plasma Pistol
• Chainaxe
• Power Weapon (any type)
• Power Fist
• Jump Packs

Optional Wargear (Reaver Chieftain Only)

• Melta Bombs
• Artificer Armour
• Hand Flamer

Sources

• The Horus Heresy - Book One: Betrayal (Imperial Armour), pg. 70
• The Horus Heresy - Book Two: Massacre (Imperial Armour), pp. 210-211

Gallery

Ancient Remembrancer depictions of a Sons of Horus Reaver Attack Squad Legionaries. Reaver units made extensive use of prototype and sub-pattern wargear and power armour, manufacture and origin unknown.