Here’s your guide to the Emperor’s mighty Thunder Warriors and how they would play in Warhammer 40k with new rules and more.
The Thunder Warriors were the Emperor’s first attempt at super-soldiers: big and brutal, built for the Unification Wars. The Thunder Warriors were the Emperor’s first super soldiers, and their place in early Warhammer 40k lore sets the tone for everything that came after. They crushed everything in their path during the Unification Wars, only to get wiped out when they were no longer useful.
But what if they had survived? What if you could bring these walking war machines to your Warhammer 40k tabletop?
While Games Workshop hasn’t given them official rules, that hasn’t stopped players from crafting homebrew stats, handmade codex additions, conversions, and custom lore to field these forgotten warriors.
Here’s how Thunder Warriors could work in Warhammer 40k (versus Space Marines) and why players still want them on the tabletop.
Who Were the Thunder Warriors in Warhammer 40k?
Updated December 12th, 2025, by Rob Baer with new rules and ideas for 10th Edition Warhammer 40k.
They were the Emperor’s first batch of super soldiers who assisted him in the battles of the Unification Wars against Techno-Barbarians. The Thunder Warriors even had an early miniature in classic Warhammer 40k ranges.
They were called Thunder Warriors because Big E’s logo back then was a thunderbolt, and they rocked the symbols across their armor. Being that the Emperor wasn’t actually the Emperor yet. Nor did he have the resources he did when he made Space Marines; he had to cut corners.
Each Thunder Warrior in 40k was powerful but genetically unstable. Their short lifespan is a key reason the Emperor replaced them with Space Marines. Once the Emperor got the resources for better supersoldiers, he had these guys “disappear.” There hasn’t been any record of them since.
The Fate of the Thunder Warriors in Warhammer 40k Lore
The Thunder Warriors were wiped out at the end of the Unification Wars, a crucial turning point in early Warhammer 40k history.
The Thunder Warriors 40k were the backbone of the Emperor’s armies during the Unification Wars on Terra. These brutes smashed through warlords, close combatants, techno-barbarians, and mutant filth like a wrecking ball through a sandcastle. But there was a problem: they were unstable, brutal, and dying off quickly due to genetic degradation.
That “something better” was the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines. Once they were ready to step into the Emperor’s grand vision, the Thunder Warriors became…
During the final battle of the Unification Wars, the Siege of Mount Ararat, the Emperor pulled the biggest backstab in history (and maybe a fun idea for a short in the Cavill Amazon series). The Thunder Warriors who survived the battle didn’t get medals or a retirement plan; they got wiped out and purged by their own allies. Officially, they all died in battle.
Unofficially? The Emperor had them put down like rabid dogs to make room for the more manageable (and longer-lasting) Space Marines.
How Thunder Warriors 40k Rules Could Work on the Tabletop
Believe it or not, they actually had early (prototype) versions of weapons that Space Marines use today. It was thought that they had access to early plasma and experimental ammunition for bolters. The Thunder Warriors 40k were tougher than regular Space Marines in base size, upper body, and muscle alone. With that said, their armor wasn’t as advanced.
Taking all this into consideration, in 10th edition, their Warhammer 40k Thunder Warriors stats might be:
M 6″ BS 3+ WS 3+ S5 (melee weapons) T5 W2(maybe 3) A2 Ld7 Sv 4+
A Thunder Warrior would likely sit between a Space Marine and a Custodian Guard in terms of raw strength and durability.
M 6″ BS 2+ WS 2+ T6 W3 A5 (on each weapon profile) Ld6 Sv 2+/4+
They have quite the stat line, but they have been perfecting it for generations! Plus, they are the Emp’s primary defense, so he would obviously want them to be beastly. Still, if the points were right, it would be super awesome to see them make a comeback.
Their biggest strength and weakness might be their weapons. Since they were so much more experimental, they could either work perfectly or fizzle out.
As far as weapons go, they’d probably have something like an even more faulty plasma. Maybe on a roll of one, regardless of overcharging, they would be slain. And to overcharge, you’d have to roll a 3+ to see if you even could fire the overcharged profile.
Then, maybe once per battle, they could shoot special ammunition rounds. Perhaps it would be their tech and or stratagems that would set them apart on the tabletop.
Points-wise, they would likely sit just a few points above a normal Marine and well below a Custodes.
Warhammer 40k Books Featuring Thunder Warriors
If you want to read about these forgotten warriors, there are a few excellent sources:
- Valdor: Birth of the Imperium by Chris Wraight
One of the most important Thunder Warriors sources in Warhammer 40k, this novel covers their final days and shows how Constantin Valdor helped remove them from the Emperor’s plans. - The Outcast Dead by Graham McNeill
This book follows Arik Taranis, a surviving Thunder Warrior, offering a rare look at how these warriors endured after the Unification Wars. - The Devastation of Baal by Guy Haley
While focused on the Blood Angels, this novel includes a notable reference to the Thunder Warriors, reinforcing their tragic place in early Warhammer 40k lore.
Could Thunder Warriors Return to Warhammer 40k?
In the book The Outcast Dead, Arik Taranis and his Lieutenant, Ghota, managed to survive the rest of the Thunder Warriors’ 40k eradication and found a dead traitor marine, harvesting his progenoid gland. Otherwise known as Geneseed.
Somehow, they managed to implant the genetic data into themselves, making them somewhere between the two warriors. (Probably called a Thunder Astartes).
After this, things went dark on the whole story. They could have settled down on Terra and died in the great Siege, or they may have escaped and explored the rest of space, but there is a small sliver of hope for their return!
Final Thoughts on Warhammer’s Thunder Warriors
The Thunder Warriors may be long gone in the official timeline, but fans still love imagining how these towering brutes would tear across a modern Warhammer 40k battlefield. Every scrap of lore keeps the legend alive, and every homebrew Thunder Warrior or Thunder Warriors 40k ruleset shows the passion behind their myth.
If Games Workshop ever decides to bring these ancient super soldiers back into the spotlight, the community will be ready with paintbrushes, conversions, and plenty of theories.
Until then, the Thunder Warriors remain one of the coolest what-if stories in Warhammer 40k.
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