House Harkonnen, hailing from Giedi Prime (a heavily industrialized planet that lives under the iron fist of their cruel Baron) are a house with a reputation for ambition, brutality, and malevolence, so it is no wonder they are one of the most feared great houses in the Imperium.
Well known for their devious and sinister political tactics, and for the historical feud they have maintained with House Atreides for centuries, they are a force to be reckoned with, and feared by their fellow houses, with good reason.
Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is the leader of House Harkonnen, one of the wealthiest members of the Landsraad and Duke Leto Atreides' most dangerous rival.
An unparalleled conspirator, as ruthless and cruel as he is intelligent and cunning, the Baron is power-hungry and has a knack for manipulating others and exploiting their weaknesses, as well as a propensity for torture and blackmail, making him one of the most dangerous predators on Arrakis (which in itself is quite the feat…).
Baron Harkonnen knows how to surround himself with like-minded people, whether he chose them or molded them in his own image. And make no mistake, Harkonnen's advisers are just as vicious and cruel as he is.
- Glossu Rabban, on the other hand, knows how to break the will of and maintain permanent pressure on the people ruled by the Harkonnens, with the unique aim of maximizing profits.
- Piter de Vries, the Baron's powerful Mentat, is the expert in weaving a network of spies and setting up various operations to harm the enemies of the Great House.
- Feyd-Rautha, the Baron's protégé, is adept at using charm and manipulation to help the Harkonnens crush their opponents politically.
- And finally, Iakin Nefud, has the role of organizing the main corps of Harkonnen soldiers, using the men as cannon fodder, as consumable resources, but with unparalleled military results.
A key strength of the Harkonnens is their formidable force on the battlefield and their lack of hesitation to employ any and all underhanded tactics at their disposal to achieve their goals.
Whether it's shady politics, assassination, or cutting-edge spying, they know how to implement and execute long-term plans to win wars without having to start them.
However, their military forces can not be downplayed, as the indoctrination that their soldiers undergo transform them into veritable mindless and fanatical war machines.
The main mechanic that binds the Harkonnen troops is this principle of expendable and fanatical soldiers, as ready to kill for as they are to die for causes they do not even care to understand.
- Troopers, armed with razor-sharp blades, are able to enter a berserker rage when injured, ignoring their pain and increasing their strength the closer they are to death.
- Vanguards are masters of combat, and excellent assassins, who revel in blood and death, slaying their targets one after another in an unflinching and unfeeling fashion.
- Gunners, experts in demolition, equipped with experimental explosive weapons manufactured in secret. Their damage is so extensive that their troops are often wounded and killed by their own fire, for the glory of the House.
- House Guards, ruthless killers, unstoppable war machines who will follow and carry out any orders given to them without hesitation.
- Stealth Probes, disposable and inexpensive mechanical units, were developed for the sole purpose of espionage and murder from the shadows.