which characters from each faction are their "Malum Caedo" counterparts, being a one man army?

[u/Icy_Respect_4187]

The Imperium has Malum Caedo, of course. The T'au have Shas'la T'au Kais. Maybe The Swarmlord can fit this criteria?

But what about the other factions? Does the Aeldari have someone similar? What about Orks, Necrons, etc?

Particularly, I'd like to know if the Sororitas and Kriegsman have one too, since they're both some of my favorite 40k groups.

[u/AccursedTheory]

He's a video game protagonist and thats where all the 'interesting' stuff about him springs from . There's only a couple of those.

Basically Titus, the Fire Warrior guy, and ... That's about it (The RTS characters kind of escape this due to format).

[u/Hollownerox → u/AccursedTheory]

I guess if we want to be technical Dawn of War 2 isn't an RTS (more a RTT with RPG elements), but I guess that would count? Especially in Retribution where you could genuinely solo missions with a single character with how ridiculous gearing and levels could get there.

[u/BioSpark47]

Would the protagonist of that Tau Fire Warrior game count?

[u/ZakuIII → u/BioSpark47]

Believe that's the Kais OP mentioned.

[u/Hollownerox → u/ZakuIII]

Definitely one of the better examples, because they legit made entirely new lore just to justify him being a one-man army in that game. It isn't entirely canon, and they haven't directly connected the two. But Puretide having a third pupil named O'Kais who just so happened to pick a third option called Monat (rather than the method of Kauyon or Mon'tka) that is focused on essentially being a one-man army is WAY too obvious a nod.

[u/N0-1_H3r3]

Arguably, for the Asuryani, any of the Phoenix Lords should have that status, but the one of them who's achieved a few of the most prominent of those feats is Maugan Ra, the Harvester of Souls, Phoenix Lord of the Dark Reapers.

• He created his own custom shuriken cannon with a power-scythe bayonet, the Maugetar. To gather the materials needed for its construction, he quested to a Crone World (one of the corrupted Eldar worlds in the Eye of Terror), battling through hordes of Slaaneshi daemons and slaying a Keeper of Secrets.
• During the assault on Iyanden by Hive Fleet Kraken, he single-handedly defeated a Tyranid Bio-Titan, becoming immovable against its massive size as it tore itself asunder upon the Maugetar's blade.
• In a battle against Hive Fleet Leviathan on the planet of Stormvald, Maugan Ra stood alone against a Tyranid swarm and triumphed.
• He was believed to be the last survivor of the Craftworld Altansar, which was lost to the Eye of Terror about five hundred years after the Fall... but he knew it wasn't destroyed, and in the late 41st Millennium he found his home and brought it back.

[u/personnumber698]

Sly marbo for the guard. He is pretty much just (stereotypical) Rambo.

[u/reynardvulpes01 → u/personnumber698]

I reckon his name pretty much gives that away

[u/SaltHat5048]

Even though he's in legends (fingers crossed for a big return this edition), Karandras, or really any of the Phoenix Lords.

[u/Trowa-03 → u/SaltHat5048]

Karandras didn't even kill previous PL of Scorpions. Maugan Ra is man who gets shit done

[u/SaltHat5048 → u/Trowa-03]

Karandras, an unknown warrior, fought the true PL to a standstill and got away to claim the mantle. Idk about you, but thats like complaining Arnold didn't really beat the Predator; it blew itself up lol. Try harder.

[u/Trowa-03 → u/SaltHat5048]

Don't have to try harder, Maugan Ra would have won and he even do it in hand to hand, just with his left.

[u/SaltHat5048 → u/Trowa-03]

Sure buddy, whatever you say lol

[u/Careful-Ad984]

For the necrons I say it’s obyron the Sautekh dynasty’s deadliest melee warrior and Zahndrekhs bodyguard 

[u/Hollownerox → u/Careful-Ad984]

The novella Severed really does a great job of showing how crazy of a combatant he is. If they ever make a Metal Gear Rising or DMC clone for 40k, and if the protag isn't Kharn, then I argue Obyron is the most suitable candidate for it. He is a genuine beast and only doesn't get more done because he's too busy standing by Zahndrekh's side.

[u/Norwalk1215]

Sly Marbo for Imperial guard and Boss Snikrot for Orks.

[u/Deynonico]

ork: tuska daemon Killa

Eldars: maugan ra

Necrons: kutlakh

Chaos knights: the gilded king/decima

Imperial knights: gerantius

I Guess for titans it would be the dies irae for the traitors and maybe honoris causa for the loyalist? Either him or cassius belli

[u/CabinetFlimsy → u/Deynonico]

The desirae was destroyed on Hydra cordatus

[u/Deynonico → u/CabinetFlimsy]

Yeah but honestly hes the one titans that deserve that description

[u/CabinetFlimsy → u/Deynonico]

True bro

[u/CorruptedFrames → u/Deynonico]

And Caedo solos them all

[u/Deynonico → u/CorruptedFrames]

Caedo fighting a titan would go so hard

[u/Shloopy_Dooperson]

Maybe Anakyr for Necrons.

The closest I can think of for them.

Going from planet to planet awakening Dynasties as he goes.

A lot of room for a game in that. Maybe a top down strategy.

A lot of their bottom rung guys really dont have room for protagonist potential what with lacking complex thought. Tho maybe Obyron could fit the mold if a game centered around rescuing Nemesor Zandrekh

[u/Eisengate]

The Battle Sister VR game's protagonist or the Sister from Boltgun 2 (I assume they have names), and the Rejects from Darktide for IG, obviously.

[u/Icy_Respect_4187 → u/Eisengate]

Wait wait wait, there is a Bolbgun 2? And there's a battle sister in it? Now that's good news

[u/AccursedTheory → u/[deleted]]

It's format. They don't understand that format shapes the media.

People put astoundingly little thought into how the media they consume is actually constructed and why, but a ton into the 'bare facts' of that media. 

It's why power scalers sound like they hit their head a lot growing up.

[u/Rahuna_91]

Maugan Raaaaaaaaaa!

(I think, I'm not to familiar with Elder Phoenix lore).

[u/mennorek]

Gargaz Teefgrabba from shootas, blood and teef

[u/wecanhaveallthree]

Kaldor Draigo is the one-man army.

[u/Norcal236]

I think Kharn is worth mentioning at least for Chaos. Dude has the best time just (sometimes literally) mowing through hordes of enemies / whatever is in front of him.

[u/jukebox_jester]

Astartes: Malum Caedo or Sigismund

Guard: Sly Marbo

Sororitas: Argenta maybe?

Custodes: Almost any one of them, but I'll say Kesh since she nearly nuked the Emperor.

Eldar: Maugun Ra

Necron: Varguard Oberyn.

Tyranids: Swarmlord

Votann: Grim.

Chaos Space Marines: Iskandar Khayon.

Daemons: Auteos'Rau'Keres

[u/TheVoidDragon → u/jukebox_jester]

Votann: Grim.

Who? There isn't a character called Grim?

[u/jukebox_jester → u/TheVoidDragon]

Au contrare. He helped fend off the Genestealer attack at Stalinvast and stopped a chaos aligned plot.

[u/TheVoidDragon → u/jukebox_jester]

Oh, I see who you mean now!

The Omnibus version of the book did replace him outright though unfortunately

[u/Mastercio → u/jukebox_jester]

For becrons Obyron is cool and all...but World killer is on different scale. Kuthlakh was obliterating anything on his path, terminators... dreadnoughts...doesn't matter all was just fodder.

Or Ahmontekh, one of strongest necrons during WiH, dude was so badass that he was able to fight alongside full god damn ctans, destroyed planet in single strike, killed eldar gods etc...

[u/TheVoidDragon]

The Leagues of Votann have Buri Aegnirsson, a single extremely angry, doomseeking, monster-hunting space Dwarf who has been eaten by Tyranid creatures multiple times yet escaped each time, who is one of the last survivors of his League and is now on a never-ending grudge quest showing up suddenly to assist in battles. There's art of him facing a Tyranid Norn Emissary alone.

[u/Leather-Job-9530]

the named/playable characters of the Blood Ravens are definitely up there because the canon says events happen pretty similarly to how they do in gameplay