Codex: Harlequins

[Inquisitor Kallus]

Yes, I know about the shredderand the equivalent Warp Spider spinners et al. It really depends on what you want to go for, the variety, whether you use purely Eldar weapons and Harlequins, or whether they would utilize Dark Eldar weaponry. It would only be for game balance reasons to give them a long range weapon capable of damage, or you could use the Shadow weaver support platform weapon rules (if used one handed, Night Spinner if two are used? Though that does remind me more of a Warp Spider styled Wraithlord ha haa).

The one thing having looked through the list but not playtested it that I can see is the severe lack of ranged shooting. That with the fact that you are against using War Walkers which in my opinion is quite rightly so (althought Harlequins used to be able to Rogue Trader era, there was even a model for it in the back of my first ever White Dwarr), I think it could be a problem that could be quite rightly adressed by giving the Marionette the 'option' to take longer ranged or indeed 'support style weapons. I don't think this would un balance the army in any way, as the Tau for example are a heavily shooting oriented army which still include a unit which is 'sufficient' at close combat whilst not rivalling the power of a specialised close combat unit such as Khorne Beserkers. The choice would be down to the player whether he wanted to make it a shooting or C.C. style unit, which when looking at the rest of the army is a nice 'break' from the C.C./pistol ranged weaponry. Above all remember these are just comments and sugestions to help make a potentially awesome codex, and the more that are put forth, the more you will get out of it. Which is'nt to say the work is bad in any way shape or form

That being said, as a side note I would like to ask you if it would be possible to use your codex on my site, if I could be so bold? Please feel free to PM me as i would love to hear from you and use something of this quality which will in turn hopefully be used by a lot of gamers.

[Ambience 327]

The lack of long-ranged shooting is a bit intentional - they are supposed to be a mainly close-combat oriented force - but I do want to make it possible to at least have a somewhat effective shooting phase if you put your mind to it.

One thing I am most likely doing is totally scrapping the "Slow and Purposeful" portion of the Suspensors on DJ's and just making it give them "Relentless" instead. With that change, they would be able to do some serious shooting even while on the move.

I am also considering giving them a rule, or a wargear option, that would allow them to target a separate unit from the rest of their squad - some kind of targeter with a suitably sinister-sounding name.

I still don't know whether I want the Marionette to carry anything heavier than the Nightweaver. I like the idea of what is essentially a large version of a Harlequin gracefully striding across the battlefield and tearing its opponents apart up close. However, if I give it anything more, I don't think it should just be typical Wraithlord weapon options, as I want to steer clear of it being a Wraithlord clone. In line with your "choose either a CC Marionette or a Shooty Marionette" concept, I am thinking of giving it the option to replace its Wraithblade with either a Shrieker Cannon or something along the lines of the Dark Eldar Haywire Blaster, but beefed up just a bit - like so:

Haywire Cannon Rng 36" Str 5 AP 3 Assault 1, Blast

If a Haywire Cannon hits a vehicle, resolve its effects as normal. Then roll a further D6. On a 1, nothing happens. On a 2-5, the vehicle takes a glancing hit. On a 6, it takes a penetrating hit.


And I would be happy for you to use my Codex on your site. However, since it is in a state of flux right now, it might be best to link to the Scribd page (which will be updated in the next few days - hoping today but no guarantees) so that your users would always have the most recent revision of the Codex.



Also - to anyone following this thread: I plan to change the name of the "Venom" in my list, as I don't want to match it exactly to the "Venom" in Codex: Dark Eldar (mostly as a transport capacity of 6 is really necessary for it to be useful). I am open to suggestions on what to rename it - so share away!

[Inquisitor Kallus]

Relentless for the DJ sounds like a good idea. For the Marionette, look at what is lacking in the list already from firepower style options. This would obviously include range...but what else? Does your armys shooting have anti-horde ability, anti-marine equivalent, anti-tank? If the rest of it doesnt have any of those options amongst others then maybe the Marionette is the place for it. The idea of it essentially having larger versions of weapons carried by harlequins is bery cool.

[Ambience 327]

Yep, that was why I suggested the Haywire Launcher. It provides both anti-armour (the Haywire effect ignoring the difference between Rhinos and Land Raiders), and Anti-MEQ (S5 AP3) at a decent range (36") without being too over-the-top (Assault 1 Blast).

I think the army might still struggle a bit with heavy armour, which is why I am thinking about giving the "Not a Venom" the option to snag something for that role (maybe a fusion gun? - short-ranged but deadly, so they don't sit in the backfield acting like IG tanks).


Thanks for all of the input (keep it coming!). Any thoughts on renaming the Venom?

[Inquisitor Kallus]

Sounds good. Races up, vapes a tank, harlequins take out passengers etc. On the lines of names, it seems a few tanks have snake names, cobra, vyper et al...

[Ambience 327]

I think I have the name now - Aspis (an earlier form of Asp).

I have made quite a few revisions, and updated the main version of the codex at the Scribd host (linked in the first page of this thread, and also RIGHT HERE for your convenience). I fixed all of the typos that have been pointed out so far, as well as adjusted wargear that changed with the new Dark Eldar Codex.

In addition, I have made changes to many of the units as discussed in pages of this thread (especially if you have only seen the version that was on Scribd before today - if you have seen the "expirimental revision" file from MediaFire linked a page or two back, the changes will be less drastic.)

I am not going to make a change log for this revision, as so much has changed that you really need to read through everything to get a good idea of what is what. Future revisions will return to the change log format.

I have also added the rules for the special character discussed earlier, though she has not been added to the army list yet (she will be there next time). Due to this addition, the page numbers are all screwed up, something I intend to fix in the next revision as well. I really wanted to get this out there so if anyone wanted to look it over during the weekend they could do so.

[Gu Long: Ancient Dragon]

Looking good mate. Love what has been done with all of your units. Having had a look through there really isnt anything I would espescially change or add except maybe a unique to the army SCCW for the Great Harelquin, though atm I have no idea what

One thing I've always wanted to see in a Harlequins dex is an Avatar of the Laughing God, maybe as a special char?

Gu

[Ambience 327]

I am working on two more special characters (a special Great Harlequin with a few unique pieces of Wargear, and a special Troupe Master with some nice special rules) to add a bit more character and variety to the list. They are going to add to what I see as the "circus theme" of the Harlequins without making them cheesy in any way (in my opinion of course). The special Great Harlequin character is going to represent the sideshow Fire Eaters and Fire Dancers that you might see at a circus, while the special Troupe Master will have a "juggler" vibe without being too corny about it. (The "Weaver of Fates" character that I added in the most recent update completes the trio by acting as a "fortune teller" type that you might find in a travelling circus or fair.)

I am also going to replace the Blitz Attack rule on the Solitaire with Lelith Hasperax's "A League Apart" rule as I think it is easier to apply, and makes a bit more sense. Other than that, not much more is going to change unless someone gives me a solid reason it should.


One thing I specifically don't want to do is put in an Avatar of the Laughing god into the list. The way I see him, Cegorach doesn't get involved directly in the affairs of mortals most of the time, and avoids direct conflict. (One legend says he hid behind Khaine in order to survive the Fall.) My view is that he uses his agents, the Harlequins, to enact his will.

Plus, any time I have seen "The Avatar of the Laughing god" as a character in a Harlequin Codex, he has always been an uber-powerful god-like character on par with the C'Tan or Greater Daemons. While this may be appropriate for his status as part of the Eldar pantheon, it just doesn't feel right to me, and I also don't think it really fits the theme of the Harlequin army either.

[Gu Long: Ancient Dragon]

One thing I specifically don't want to do is put in an Avatar of the Laughing god into the list. The way I see him, Cegorach doesn't get involved directly in the affairs of mortals most of the time, and avoids direct conflict. (One legend says he hid behind Khaine in order to survive the Fall.) My view is that he uses his agents, the Harlequins, to enact his will.

Plus, any time I have seen "The Avatar of the Laughing god" as a character in a Harlequin Codex, he has always been an uber-powerful god-like character on par with the C'Tan or Greater Daemons. While this may be appropriate for his status as part of the Eldar pantheon, it just doesn't feel right to me, and I also don't think it really fits the theme of the Harlequin army either.

Fair enough, I always liked the Imagery. But its your dex and its awesome so wouldnt want to see anything half-baked in it.

Love the idea of SC's they sound great. Looking forward to seeing what you do with them. Thinking that maybe something like a Diresword might be good on the Great Harlequin as an option, just to give him something other than a Boggo Pwep.

Gu

[Ambience 327]

New revision up! You can see it RIGHT HERE, and of course the link in the first post has been updated as well.

Change Log:

• Replaced the Solitaire's "Blitz Attack" rule with the "A Cut Above" rule - basically a copy of Lelith Hasperax's "A League Apart" rule.
  
  
• Adjusted the costs of the Great Hearlequin's Dread Mask and Rictus Mask to account for the overall effectiveness of the Dread Mask, and the less useful ability of the Rictus Mask.
  
  
• Added the "Kiss of Death" weapon option for the Great Harlequin to allow you to benefit from both a Power Weapon and a Rending Weapon at the same time (not really overpowered when the Great Harlequin is a 0-1 choice). However, you pay a premium for the double effectiveness, as it costs 10 points more than a Power Weapon and a Harlequin's Kiss COMBINED.
  
  
• Added three special characters. (Kiramsuith, Laché-sis and Jocu'lari.) These characters add to the "circus" or "fair" theme of the Harlequins in what I consider a non-cheesy manner. Kiramsuith is the classic Fire Eater/Fire Dancer sideshow attraction, Laché-sis is the "fortune teller" and Jocu'lari is a juggler. They are given background info and rules that help them fit the theme of the Harlequin army though, keeping it all "grim dark" and Eldar-esque.
  
  
• Removed "Independent Character" from the Shadowseer's special rules - this was a holdover from when they were a separate unit choice.

[Ambience 327]

Ok - I lied. I decided it needed a few more tweaks (and one fairly large addition). As always, you can check out the changes RIGHT HERE.

• Added the "Dancing Blades" weapon as an option for characters and unit leaders, to give you that much more control over tailoring them to a specific purpose. (In this case, low toughness, poor save, high quantity models - like Tyranid Gaunts or Ork Grots.)
  
  
• Added the "Laughing Blade" weapon as an option for the Great Harlequin to give him another option for dealing with multi-wound models, and to give the army just a bit more unique flavor.
  
  
• Moved the "Webway Portal" from Fast Attack to Elites, allowing us to actually fill a standard Force Organisation Chart.
  
  
• Added the "Wind Dancers" entry as a new Fast Attack Jump Infantry unit to give us another option for getting to grips with the enemy quickly. I decided to vary their role a bit from the normal Harlequins by replacing their shuriken pistols with shuriken catapults, improving their shooting ability a bit, but lowering their effectiveness in close combat (1 less attack, no access to Harlequin's kisses).

[Inquisitor Kallus]

Lovely stuff Ambience. Some nice changes there, and I love the idea of the haywire launcher, similar to the new Forge World spectres Exarch weapon...only biger!

[Ambience 327]

Thanks Kallus. Now, if I could just find some time to play-test some of the new stuff!!!

[Inquisitor Kallus]

Ha haa, I know how it is. Maybe just set aside a day next month, and stick to it

[Ambience 327]

Yeah, but that also means I have to get someone else to stick to that date too (can't really play-test alone), AND get my wife and kiddos to let me have the time to play.

[Daigoro]

Hey all, this is my first post !
I actually registered here for the sole purpose of acquiring a nice harlequin dex. The only game of 40k i ever played was with my fully painted harlequin army in third edition, i think 1 month before the next edition came out and they got KILLED . That sucked big time. Now it is time to renew my hobby and I just want to thank you and luchog for making some rules because i looked and looked but i cant get over my love for the harlequins.
Just add the d6 jokaero digital weapons back in, those were sooo balanced :P

[Ambience 327]

Glad you like the rules. Welcome back to 40K. Good luck stomping your way across the galaxy with your Harlequins!

[Daigoro]

Allright so here it goes!
I can't stress this enough, you really saved me from having to make the decision which other race to pick after the Banhammer hit my precious Harlequins (okok they were never really that official, and i can even understand why). Your codex really rocks, and I just want to give some feedback how your army fares, but of course this is by NO MEANS a balance commentary of any sort, we just start out and make tons of mistakes i am sure. Btw you may want to check the 3 statlines given for the solitaire, the ones in the summary last page are a little different from the profile given in the main description.

I just played a 'getting to know the rules' 600 pt game with a friend (chaos marines). The Ability that felt the strongest to me was definately Veil of tears. Maybe thats because we played 2d6 spotting distance instead of 2x2d6 .
The worst thing that happened to me was getting 6 rends out of 7 harlequins in the first round, so they vaporized the Chosen and stood in the middle of the battlefield clumped up and with their pants down. But that still was a lot of fun but I am really curious what happens at higher point levels.
I have one question about the veil of tears - Can you target units that hide behind the unit with the shadowseer in it or do they just get the normal cover save?

Just to reiterate, I love what you did with the codex, I like the production value, looks really nice printed out and might help convince someone to play me with it looking so 'legit'. Your hard work is appreciated!

[Ambience 327]

Thanks for the comments. Glad you find the list to your liking!

(Sorry about the Rending overkill though. These things happen... )

As far as your question goes, Veil of Tears only ever affects a unit if they are targeting the unit with Veil of Tears. If you are firing through that unit, the normal rules apply.

If you have the time to share any more of your gaming exploits with me, I'm all ears. I can't seem to find time and opponents enough to do nearly as much play testing of my various rules as I would like.

[Ambience 327]

New version uploaded! (links in 1st post)

Change Log

Changed the Dance of the Comedienne to make it so that enemy models in base contact with the Troupe Master halve their WS rather than those directing attacks against him. I realised that since he wasn't an Independent Character, this rule would only matter in rare circumstances.

Updated the Mimes to have both Infiltrate and Scouts, rather than either/or. I had a fundamental misunderstanding of how these rules interacted.

Updated the High Shadowseer's "Conceal" power to the new "Concealment" power, which improves the cover save from 5+ to 4+. I reason that the High Shadowseer is a master of illusion, and as such his attempts to psychically conceal himself and his compatriots would be a bit more powerful. This also gives you more reason to use this power on units other than the Aspirants.

Increased Aspis quantity from two to three for a single Fast Attack choice.

Fixed a disparity in the Solitaire's profile - all versions should be the same now.