DARK ELDAR

DARK ELDAR - a revised codex

By: Aaron Bonar

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Introduction:

Firstly, the official Dark Eldar Codex does not lack effectiveness, a competent DE player can easily field a competitive force. The basic premise of move fast, hit hard, die messy is still intact so if you can not win with the official Codex these rules will not help you. The purpose of these changes is to provide more variety to the current Dark Eldar Codex, and make units "fit" better with the fluff provided by Games Workshop. We have "tuned up" a couple of units that otherwise receive very little play time (Scourges, Hellions). We have put a good deal of effort into creating units that are easily converted from official GW units (if they need conversion at all), and that will still be playable in "official" games, since we recognize that few people are willing to invest the time and expense of creating these units if they can’t play with them. To save time and effort, I will only detail the changes from the DE Codex (2^nd edition).

HQ - No Changes

ELITES

Grotesques:	No Changes
Wyches:	No Changes
Warp Beasts:	No Changes
Mandrakes:	Mandrakes work just fine, but we added some options to allow more variety between different squads of Mandrakes.

	Cost	WS	BS	S	T	Wo	In	At	Ld	Save
Mandrake	15 points	4	4	3	3	1	5	1	8	5+
Greater Mandrake	+8 points	4	4	3	3	1	5	2	9	5+

Squad:	The squad consists of between 5 and 10 Mandrakes.
Weapons:	Splinter Pistol and Close Combat Weapon.
Options:	Mandrakes now have the option of equipping the entire squad with Poisoned Weapons at +1 points per model. Note that models using poisoned weapons do not gain the +1 Attack for using two weapons in close combat. One model may be upgraded to a Greater Mandrake at +8 points. The Greater Mandrake may be equipped from the Dark Eldar Armory but is restricted to "Haemonculi Only" weapons and may not use a Webway Portal as no Archon would be foolish enough to put one into Mandrake hands.
Special:	Mandrakes benefit from the "Shadow Skinned" and "Hidden Deployment" rules detailed in the DE Codex.
Conversion:	Minimal. Green or yellow tinges on the weapons to indicate poision, and a Haemonculi model armed with appropriate weaponry for Greater Mandrakes.

TROOPS

Warrior Squad:	No Changes
Raider Squads:	We wanted to create a noticeable difference between the Raider Squads and Warrior Squads. Mounted or unmounted was simply too little difference to be interesting. The new Raider Squad has better firepower on the move, but much less firepower overall.

	Cost	WS	BS	S	T	Wo	In	At	Ld	Save
Warrior	8 points	4	4	3	3	1	5	1	8	5+
Sybarite	+6 points	4	4	3	3	1	5	2	8	5+

Squad:	The squad consists of between 5 and 10 Warriors Mounted on a Raider.
Weapons:	Splinter Carbine
Options:	One Warrior may be upgraded to a Sybarite at +6 points. The Sybarite is equipped with either a Splinter Carbine or a Splinter Pistol and Close Combat Weapon. The Sybarite may choose additional equipment from the Dark Eldar Armory. In addition, up to two models may be equipped with a Splinter Cannon (+10 pts), Blaster (+5 pts), or Shredder (+10 pts).
Special:	Splinter Carbine: Raider Squads employ a lighter version of the Splinter Rifle. A shortened barrel and lightweight construction make it much easier to fire while moving or from the confines of a speeding transport, but at the cost of reduced range and firepower. Strength 3, AP 5, Range: 18", Assault 1.
Conversion:	Minimal. Cut the barrels of the splinter rifles down, and attach a small piece of the removed section to the remainder to give the look of a "suppressor". Looks better than the normal Rifles, and lets the models stack on a Raider more easily.

FAST ATTACK

Reaver Jetbike Squad:

No Changes

Hellions:

Under the current rules, Hellions do nothing that Wyches in a Raider don‘t do better. The only reason to get them is that you just have to buy three so you only "waste" the points on two vanilla Hellions to get a Succubus, which ought to tell GW something. We have added the new Deep Strike assault to make them worthy of the Fast Attack designation, and their new Hellglaive gives them a mission that is unique to them (killing very tough foes). Be careful, with these rules they are MUCH less effective against large numbers of weak opponents so while Marines may not like them masses of IG or Tyranid will have a heyday. Also, consistently trying to Deep Strike within 6" of an enemy unit will kill a lot of Hellions when they scatter onto their intended victims.

	Cost	WS	BS	S	T	Wo	In	At	Ld	Save
Hellion	20 points	4	4	3	3	1	6	1	8	5+
Hellion Succubus	+16 points	4	4	3	3	1	6	2	8	5+

Squad:	The squad consists of between 3 and 10 Hellions.
Weapons:	Hellglaive
Options:	One Hellion may be upgraded to a Hellion Succubus at +16 points. The Hellion Succubus is equipped with a Hellglaive. The Hellion Succubus may choose additional equipment from the Dark Eldar Armory. In addition, one model may be equipped with a Blaster (+10 pts), or Shredder (+15 pts).
Special:	Hellions may use the "Combat Drugs" and "Hit and Run" rules from the Dark Eldar Codex.
Hellion Skyboard and Hellglaive:	The skyboard is as per the Dark Eldar Codex. The Hellglaive may only be used in conjunction with a Hellion Skyboard. Hellions have been known to cut victims in half when swooping into combat with the terrible force of their razor sharp blades. The Hellglaive counts as both a Splinter Carbine (see Raider Squad) and a Close Combat weapon, and may be used as both on the same turn (does not count as two weapons in Close Combat). In addition, the incredible force of a charging Hellion allows a well placed blow to cripple any foe. If the user charges into Combat, on the first round of that combat any 6 rolled to hit automatically wounds with no armor saving throw allowed (the Hellglaive no longer gives +1 Strength). Does not provide any advantage vs. vehicles.
Deep Strike:	Hellions are skilled in staying out of sight behind clouds or buildings and suddenly swooping in on unsuspecting victims. To represent this, Hellions may enter play as reserves using the Deep Strike rules even in scenarios where Deep Strike may not normally be used. In addition, Hellions who Deep Strike may assault normally on the turn in which they Deep Strike. Hellions who scatter onto an enemy unit while Deep Striking are spotted as they charge and are destroyed.
Conversion:	None.

HEAVY SUPPORT

Ravager:	No Changes
Talos:	No Changes
Scourges:	Another case of a unit that is simply not as good at it’s job as another unit. For the points, 4 Dark Lances or Splinter Cannons in the hands of Warrior Squads is much more effective. These rules actually make the Scourge Wings they wear more than an overpriced decoration. They still die in droves though, and crash when taking cover, and I am still not personally convinced that the 180 points for 4 Dark Lances on 5 Scourges wouldn’t have been better spent on a Ravager with 75 points in change.

	Cost	WS	BS	S	T	Wo	In	At	Ld	Save
Scourge	16 points	4	4	3	3	1	5	1	8	5+
Sybarite	+6 points	4	4	3	3	1	5	2	8	5+

Squad:	The squad consists of between 5 and 10 Dark Eldar Scourges.
Weapons:	Splinter Rifle
Options:	One model may be upgraded to a Sybarite. The Sybarite is equipped either with a Splinter Rifle or a Splinter Pistol and Close Combat weapon and may be given additional equipment from the Dark Eldar Armory. Up to four models may be equipped with either a Dark Lance (+25 pts) or a Splinter Cannon (+10 pts).
Special:	Scourges use the "Jump Packs" and "Deep Strike" rules as outlined in the Dark Eldar Codex.
On the Move:	Scourges are highly adept at shooting while on the move. When a unit of Scourges moves it fires at half it’s ballistic skill (2), but still counts as being stationary for purposes of using Heavy and Rapid Fire weapons. Note that they still may not assault if they Rapid Fire or use Heavy Weapons.
Conversion:	None.

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