40K RUMORS: Dark Eldar Rules -Pt 2
Ok, so with most of the week behind us, and tons of GDUK attendees starting to post their individual fragments of what they saw of the Dark Eldar codex a picture is starting to emerge. Lets jump right in:
collated by Dakka’s tireless Kroothawk (click for even more)
General Remarks/Rules
3 kind of armies with this book: Kabalyte, Wych Cult and Haemunculus army. But units are strong enough to make most combinations competitive as well. No point costs yet, as the Codex only had the main entry pages. But preview copies of the Codex should be instore in 2-3 weeks.Universial rules
Night vision rule army wide (= acute senses?)
Strength through pain (mostly for Wych Cult units): After destroying non-vehicle unit, DE unit gets one pain token (1+ tokens means unit gets FNP, 2+ tokens means army gets Furious Charge, 3+ tokens means army gets fearless). Maximum is 3. Seems to buff all units with this rule simultaniously.
Combat drugs: One roll for for every unit with combat drugs before the game (all get the same).
Shadow Field in., 12“ assault not.
3-5 new units ,no old ones dropped. New units seem to be: New Archon bodyguard, new man-sized Haemunculi construct, new beast for beastmaster, Venom transport and something else.
Splinter weaponry makes a wound in a 4+ (normal poison weapon).
Dark Matter spam is gone with a more realistic allocation of heavy/special weapons mainly based on squad size. Similarly for reavers.
Web portals are still in.Warriors (also in an elite version, upgrade names: Kabalite warrior, Synabite, Kabalite Trueborn, Dracon)
Stats as before. Splinter Rifle rapid fire, no plasma grenades or Splinter pistols.
Dracons have lost -1WS, -1BS, and -1I but gained +1A. Sybarite are same as before with +1LD. Trueborn are same as Sybarites. Kabarite warriors are just that, warriors.
Unit Type: Infantry
WARGEAR: Splinter Rifle, Kabalite Armour
Special Rules: Fleet, Night Vision and Power From Pain.
Fluff text says Trueborn escort their Archons to battle, so these guys can probably be HQ Retinues. Dracons are Trueborn veterans.Wyches (also in an elite version, upgrade names: Hekatrix, Hekatrix Bloodbride, Syren)
Wych are same as before, Hekatrix and Bloodbrides are same as Wych Succubus with +1LD, Syrens are same as Hekatrix with +1A.
Unit Type: Infantry
Special Rules: Fleet, Night Vision, Power from Pain.
WARGEAR: Close combat weapon, combat drugs, plasma grenades, splinter pistol, wychsuit.
6+ armour save, 4+ inv against cc attacks. Upgrades with special close combat weapons.
Their weapon options are:
Shardnet and Impaler: -1A to enemy in combat and base contact (to a minimum of 1),
Hydra Gauntlets: +d6 attacks for 2 CCWS rather than +1A (Yes – really!) or
Chain-of-blades weapon gives +2A, as well as re-rolls to hit and to wound.Incubi(Upgrade: Klavex)
T3, S3, 2 attacks but lose Tormentor Helm, with a 3+ save, can be upgraded with an Exarch (one option „preferred enemy“).
Have Klaives (2 handed powerweapon +1 strength). The klaive gives the unit to roll again (only one time) the 6 to wound.
Their squad leader (WS5, 3 Attacks) has a weapon that either gives him +2 S or +2 attacks (2 single handed weapons), and gives each member of the squad another attack on a roll of 6 to hit (no limit)
Have hand flamers like BA. Can chose an IC as preferred enemy. Klaivex has some more rules, one similar to Old One eyes but not as good as blood angels blood talons.
WARGEAR: Incubus warsuit
Klaive: 2H weapon that gives +1S
Demiklaives: Power Weapons, +2A or +2S chose each round before making attacks
Bloodstone: Template, S3 AP3 Assault 1
Special Rules: Fleet, Night Vision and Power from Pain.
Special Rules: Klavex only
Onslaught: If a Klavex is in the unit, wound roll of 6 by Klavex or Incubus allows for bonus attacks, these cannot produce more attacks.
Murderious Assault: Klavex points at an IC and gains Preferred Enemy against that IC, can be done every assault phaseReaver Jetbike (Upgrade. Arena Champion)
Can turbo boost 36″, S3, T4, 5+ save, -1 to save and -1 to strength compared to previous edition. Jetbike gives +1 to save and +1 to Toughness (included in the profile).
They can perform a “fly-by” attack on units they fly past WITHOUT getting into CC. There were several upgrades for reaver jetbikes that inflict different numbers of S3/4/6 hits on units when doing their ‘fly by’ attack.
Can take Melter Blaster (S8 with Melter AND lance special rule)
Have strength through pain rule.
Blade under jetbike causes pinning test when wounding.
WARGEAR: Wychsuit, splinter pistol, close combat weapon, combat drugs.
Reaver Jetbike: +1T and 5+save, built in Splinter Rifle and 36″ Turbo Boost
Bladevanes: Turbo Boost over any number of units, select one unengaged, nonvechile unit you have passed over. Each bike does D3 S4 AP- hits. Cover Saves allowed.
Cluster caltrops: Same as above but does D6 S6 AP- hits
Grav-Talon: Same as Bladevanes, D3 S4 AP-, if target suffers 1 or more unsaved wounds it must immediately take a pinning test.
Special Rules: Night Vision, Power from Pain, Skilled Riders
I would expect black boxes to start to show up in about 2-3 weeks, so we wont have long to wait. This army is looking very, very fast and lethal. Perhaps even more of a glass hammer than we have seen in the game ever. It’s looking very tasty and I think its overall popularity is going to come down to the points costing. Have at it.
