6 Interesting New Eldar Rules

The weekend is fast approaching, and with it the shipping of the new Eldar Codex. Speculations and rumours on the new rules for the Eldar abound. A rather complete compilation of what is out there has been put on pastebin. There are also some insights to be gleaned into a few of the units by looking at the iPad Codex preview as Blue Table Painting has done for Fire Dragons.

Here, I’ll dip into a few choice rumours morsels now out there on the new Eldar.

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#1 – Old Nemesis & Battle Focus

Two army-wide (more or less) special rules will give Eldar their flavour and unique table-top feel.

The first, old nemesis, is more a story-based rule. It includes Hatred for all things of, or marked by Slaanesh as well as conferring a -1 on their LD when doing fear tests against daemons of Slaanesh or enemy models with the mark of Slaanesh.

Flavourful, but not as defining as the other army-wide rule for the Eldar: Battle Focus (sometimes rumoured to be called Battle Focus, though the iPad preview shows an ability called Battle Focus… anyone’s guess if they are the same).

Battle focus: The unit may run and shoot or shoot and run. Run and  shoot or shoot and run has to be resolved for each unit before moving to the next unit. Models cannot run and shoot or shoot and run with heavy weapons unless they got the relentless special rule.

Warhammer 40K 6th Edition is clearly more infantry-biased than its predecessor, which rather hurt the highly vehicle-dependent (and short-ranged) Eldar from their 4th Edition Codex. This rule alone will make the Eldar far more mobile and harder to pin down.

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#2 – Ballistic Skill 4 Guardians

Gone are the days of Ballistic Skill 3 Eldar. Guardians (and all vehicles they pilot) and Storm Guardians are up to Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill 4. Here’s what the recent rumours say:

guardians: troops: 10 for 90 points
ws 4 bs 4 s 3 t 3 w 1 i 5 a 1 ld 8 as 5+
plattform : ws – bs – s – t 5 w 1 i – a – ld – as 3+
old nemesis, battle trance, fleet. [Battle Focus?]

aramid armor, shuriken catapult
plasma grenades

may take up to 10 additional guardians
for each 10 in the unit one can get a weapon platform:
shuriken cannon
haywire laser
laserlance
starcannon
eldar rocketlauncher with plasma and starstrike rockets

may take a serpent as Dedicated transport

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#3 – Dual-Use Psyker Skills

If the rumours are correct, the Eldar will come with two complete new “trees” or “suits” of psychic powers. What’s more, one of these sets of powers will consist of “dual-use” powers that each include a complementary buff/de-buff to use as you choose.

The Warlock powers are very good, if you take a lot of them and you roll well you will make everyone cry:

- give/take Shrouding
- improve armor save of a friendly unit by 1, decrease the save of an enemy unit by 1
- give +/- 1 to WS/I
- give +/- 1 to S
- primaris is Doom
- run extra distance/enemy unit can’t run

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#4 – The New Shuriken Weapons

There have been some truly odd rumours floating about on the Eldar Shuriken weapons, including that they might get the Fleshbane rule. Nothing of that sort will come (luckily). However, Shuriken weapons will receive a new rule – which has been named both “Shurikenstorm” and “Bladestorm” in the rumours – that will likely be a version of Rending without the armour penetration part.

In other words, for each to wound roll of 6 a target will automatically receive a wound resolved at AP2. No effect on vehicles.

Shuriken pistol : 12″ s 4 ap 5 pistol, shurikenstorm
Shuriken catalpult : 12″ s 4 ap 5 assault 2 shurikenstorm
Shuriken catapult (Dire Avengers version): 18″ s 4 ap 5 assault 2 shurikenstorm
shurken cannon : 24″ s 6 ap 5 assault 3 shurikenstorms
Screamer cannon : 24″ s 6 ap 5 assault 3 pinning, shurikenstorm

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#5 – Crystal Targeting Matrix (and other Vehicle Upgrades)

Though the above focus on the infantry, Eldar are (or have been) known for their tricky grav-vehicles. Many of the various upgrades available to them, from Star Engines over the trusty Soul Stones to the notorious Crystal Targeting Matrix, have earned themselves a reputation in previous editions of Warhammer 40K.

Here are a few whispers on how Eldar will be able to pimp their vehicles in 6th Edition.

Vehicle Equipment:

Mindbreaker: every enemy and friendly unit within 12″ has to reroll passed morale and pinning tests

Ghostpath Matrix: the vehicle can Move Through Cover

Holofield: the vehicle grants +1 on its cover save if it has moved.

Forcefield: 5+ invul (allegedly default for Eldar War Walkers)

Crystal Targeting Matrix: one use only. the vehicle (except walkers) can fire a weapon at full BS even if it has moved with cruising speed.

Soulstones: the vehicle ignores crew shaken on 2+ and crew stunned on 4+

Serpent Shield: As long as the shield is active, every penetrating hit on the front and side armour of a vehicle is a glance on a d6 roll of 2+. The shield may be deactivated to grant a following shooting attack : 60″ s 7 ap – assault d6+1, ignores cover, pinning. (Wave Serpent obviously)

Star Engine: a vehicle that is no walker can move 24″ with cruising speed. a walker runs +3″

Vector Engine: as long as the vehicle isn’t immobilized, the vehicle can turn after shooting

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#6 – Asurmen – The First Phoenix Lord

All Eldar Phoenix Lords will get a make-over (rules-wise). It’ll be fun digging into the Special Characters of this Codex. One that seems to have caught everyone’s eye is Asurmen, who will allegedly be able to lead your army with D3 Warlord Traits instead of just one!

Asurmen:

Old Nemesis, Eternal Warrior, Fearless, Counter Attack, Hand of Asuryan, Battle Trance [or Focus?], Fleet, Independent Character

Exarch powers:
Battle Luck (4++) and Shield of Grace (?)

Phoenix Armour, Twin-linked Hunting catapult

Hand of Asuryan: Asurmen will always has to be the warlorl and rolls d3 times on the warlord trait chart, rerolling doubles.

Relic: Sword of Asur: S+1 AP 2, Master Crafted, Soulcut (for each failed save by this blade the enemy must pass a LD test or suffer instant death.

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#7 – Thoughts?

Of course, everything still has to be taken with a grain of salt. We won’t know for sure until the weekend, though I believe these rumours will be fairly accurate in the general run of things, even if some details (or names) are still off.

What do you think?

Anything in particular (in this post or elsewhere) that caught your eye?

Leave a comment!

Z.

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