In the fictional universe of Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy, Khorne is the Chaos god of hate, bloodshed and war. The World Eaters Chaos Space Marines are dedicated to him and his cause: the death of every living thing. Every act of killing gives Khorne power; the more senseless and destructive, the better. Khorne's daemons are Bloodthirsters and Bloodletters. His opposite was Tzeentch, who is more calculating and subtle than Khorne's "Kill everything" doctrine. Khorne's rival is now Slaanesh due to Khaela Mensha Khaine being fragmented by Slaanesh. Khorne is viewed as the mightiest of the four great Chaos powers.

However, it must be noted that Khorne's followers seek not to cause pain - pain is the domain of Slaanesh, as is pleasure. They wish only to kill, because while the blood of their victims strenghtens Khorne, their suffering empowers his nemesis.

Khorne himself is seen as a mighty being, clad in bronze armor, sitting atop a mighty throne of skulls standing in a sea of blood - made up of every skull his followers take and every droplet of blood they spill.

The battlecry of the followers of Khorne reflects his desire for wanton violence: 'Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!'

The Chaos Gods span both the universe of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy. In Warhammer 40k, the Eldar god Khaela Mensha Khaine was smashed into fragments by Slaanesh, allowing Khorne to take over the role of that god in the Warhammer Fantasy universe.