Theyn

Just one kill off from being promoted to the killer egg division.

Theyns are basically the squad leaders of a Hearthkyn Warrior team, acting more like the equivalent of a Space Marine Captain in terms of role and function.

Overview

Theyn's begin their careers as Hearthkyn soldiers of the line who displayed particular drive and leadership abilities, leading to them being nominated for promotion. Leading between 10 and 20 warriors into battle, Theyns communicate with their squad with the aid of cybernetic implants – relaying strategic instructions from the commanders of the Oathband to their units. Should a Theyn demonstrate even further leadership ability, they may be further promoted to an Einhyr Hearthguard or a Kâhl.

Theyns wear Void Power Armour and are usually armed with a Plasma Sword and an EtaCarn Plasma Pistol.

Tabletop

Crunchwise on standard tabletop, the Theyns that lead the Hearthkyns are a little bit tougher than their lesser kin. To get the best of them, there are certain relics that can be given to a Theyn or Hesyr (i.e. a Hearthkyn or Hearthguard sergeant) via the Bequest of the Votann stratagem for 1 CP. Doing so grants the following relics and their abilities:

• The Grey Crest: Shield Crest model only. Has different effects depending on who this is assigned to. Characters make enemies take a -1 to hit them at any range, while unit sergeants only get it against attacks from over 12" away.
• Grudge's End: Bolt weapon only. One gun becomes a relic, improving its damage and AP by 1 and making it auto-wound enemies with Judgment Tokens.
• The Hearthfist: Replaces Concussion Gauntlet or Mass Gauntlet. It's an amped-up fist with S+4 AP-3 D3 that deals 4 damage if the enemy contains Judgment Tokens. Pretty well-kitted to nail heroes and tanks alike.
• Wârpestryk: Teleportation only. The bearer can now walk through terrain and can use the Site-to-Site Teleportation strat for free once per game. The big perk is that enemies can't deep-strike within 12", keeping them safe from any attempts to charge.

On the Kill Team tabletop however, they are your average stuntie that has the wound count of an average guardsman with that ever-valuable 3+ save, which means a lot for your leader. Even better is their ability to mark someone for a good Grudge each activation.

The guns loadout for the Theyn is more than a little insane. The Autoch-Pattern Bolt Pistol and Bolter both provide the same damage and Ceasless, making the option for the pistol rather superfluous - at least the Bolt Revolver sacrifices Ceaseless for the bigger damage on a crit. The same issue is repeated with the Ion Blaster and Ion Pistol, as both get P1 and the same damage, and the pistol is pointless when the EtaCarn Plasma Pistol gets better crit damage and AP1 on all hits.

Your melee weapons are thankfully less dense. The Concussion Gauntlet is your strongest weapon with Stun added, but it's a little unwieldy to wear with a 4+ WS. The Plasma Axe gives you a reliable 5/5 damage but the Plasma Sword has the odds for stronger crits thanks to Lethal 5+.

Theyns are classified under Combat, Staunch and Marksman.