Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

In the Eldar codex the Autarch is equipped with a Shuriken pistol.  It says in his options that he "may be given one single-handed weapon and one two-handed weapon".

If I were to equip an Autarch with a power sword and a fusion gun, would his shuriken pistol be dropped or go away?  As read, the rules under single handed waepon don't say "replaces" and neither does the rules for giving him two-handed weapons.

It just says "may be given".

Though it might seem to imply that if he is given a single-hander and a two-hander, then that is all that he is allowed to have on his person.

This is a little more confused by the fact that Eldrad now has a Staff, a pistol, and a blade, which could be either 3 one-handers or 2 one-handers and 1 two-handed.  It may not be best to draw comclusions or guesses from another option in the army list, though.

I'm getting ready to model my Autarch with a fusion gun either on a holster or as a seperate swappable arm to replace his shuriken pistol arm, and would appreciate the help.

The rule doesn't say replace and there's no overall limit, so to conclude that the shuriken pistol somehow goes away would be an assumption not supported by any rule in the codex.

So yes, that means a shining speartarch on a jetbike with a fusion gun and a lance still gets +1 attack for the shuriken pistol in HtH combat (since he can also now use both hands while riding a bike).

i took it to mean that the model can have multiple wepon choices, but when starting a combat, the player has to decide which to use. There are several reference points in other areas of the codex that specifically state a model does not get the extra attack because the weapon is two-handed. i would think this rule would apply to its use by the autarch as well.

I agree with Flavius that the Autarch can be armed with three weapons.

Though I have heard the argument that the pistol is "obviously" upgraded, who's to even say that it would be the pistol that would get replaced?  If I bought my Autarch a Reaper Launcher and nothing else, could anyone argue based on the rules that if I wanted to move and fire, I no longer have my pistol, much like the Eldar Rangers/Pathfinders carry both a Long Rifle and a Pistol?

An argument against the Autarch carrying all three weapons would thus be suggesting that the pistol disappears if and only if two other weapons are bought, and such a conclusion is not supported by the rules.

It may be that this was an error on the codex writers' part... but it could have very well been intentional.  Why include the pistol as standard wargear, when it's a 1-point wargear option for almost every other IC out there?

Sure, there is little if any precedent in 40k for a character being able to switch his two-handed gun out for two different one-handed weapons in assault.  But hey, if anyone could do it, I would certainly vote for the Eldar master of battle...

(Sorry for ranting on this as if someone was taking a hard line on the other side in this thread... but I've already had this debate live... )

Evesor has 3 single handed weapons, so it's not unknown to have 3 weapons on a single model.

Here correct me if I am wrong.. the laser lance is part of the bike? so you could have a mllion extra hand weapons and they wouldn't help? (its been forever since I've even seen a shining spear model and I don't remmeber how they are modeled)

The lance is held in the hand (right side). So, it's a hand weapon.