Games Workshop previewed Lady Haera, the latest special character model for the skirmish game Warhammer 40k Necromunda, in a Warhammer Community article on Monday. The article provides detailed photos of the new model, which prompted modellers and collectors of other GW game systems to start devising ways to use the character in their own armies.
Lady Haera is the 13th daughter and heir apparent of Lord Helmawr, the planetary governor of Necromunda, according to the WarCom article. This would tie her closely to the events of the latest expansion to Warhammer 40k: Necromunda, ‘Cinderak Burning’, in which the hive world has been thrown into civil upheaval by the tumultuous Cicatrix Maledictum. Haera’s father Lord Helmawr is in a critical condition after an assassination attempt, so it’s likely Haera will be part of the narrative as it develops in future supplements.
Necromunda is one of GW’s smaller games, but fans are already discussing across social media how they can repurpose this centrepiece model to lead their Warhammer 40k factions. As a well-armoured, regal, warrior woman, fans have suggested she could take command of a 40k Sisters of Battle army, fill the shoes of an Inquisitor, or pick up the warrant of trade of a Rogue Trader. Age of Sigmar players have noted that she could easily be converted into a vampire baroness to lead a Soulblight Gravelords force, while Warhammer: The Old World fans point out her similarity to the frost queen of Kislev.
Lady Haera’s model is ornate, a mixture of baroque armour and flouncy skirts supported by three hovering servo-skulls. At the moment, GW have not revealed the material Lady Haera will be cast in, and Necromunda miniatures are often cast in resin, a less popular material among hobbyists.
However, the fact that Haera is tied so closely to the plot of the latest supplement, and the three-dimensional complexity of her design, mean she could be a plastic kit – we’ve seen plastic special characters for Necromunda before, notably Lady Haera’s illegitimate half-brother, Kal Jerico. If so, fan plans to convert her for use in other game systems might be easy to realise.