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have a Dire Avenger Exarch modeled for the power weapon and shimmershield option. The power weapon is the long one and is shaped like a spear or halberd. I just realized I'm not sure how to play this weapon. Should I call it a power axe (for strength + 1, ap 2 and unwieldly), or should i call it a power lance for its special rules? On page 179 of the brb it says that if it's an axe or halberd, it is a power axe, while if it is a spear or lance, it is a power lance.

How does everyone else play it?

I dont play Eldar but... Its not a lance. Whatever reasoning you think you have, its not a lance

The 6th edition rulebook, specifically called it an "Eldar Power Lance".

As such, I would play it as a lance.

Of course mine broke so now it's rather stumpy and more mace-like than anything else...

I think it could be either a Power Axe or a Power Lance, depends on how you spin it.

This one?


http://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Eldar-Dire-Avengers?_requestid=3836933


That is clearly a Halberd.

Not even close to what a lance is.

While it is a halberd, I was called a spear when the model came out.

I would suggest so long as its consistent across the army (all of them are either an axe or spear, not a mix) and noted on the army list, you could run it either way. I would go the axe myself...

Looks more like a glaive to me, which fits too well between axe and spear.
I can see it bracing like a spear as easily as swiping like an axe....

JinxDragon wrote:
Looks more like a glaive to me, which fits too well between axe and spear.
I can see it bracing like a spear as easily as swiping like an axe....

A glaive is more of a spear crossed with a knife while a halberd is a spear crossed with an axe.
GW clearly has no idea how different glaives and helbards are since the Exarchs weapon looks just like the Grey Knight halberds which are actually glaives.

So RAI - since GW has no clue what weapon is what - they intended it to be a halberd and therefore an axe.
RAW it looks like a glaive which is very close to a spear, therefore you should treat it as a lance.
and to top off the confusion: the GK halberds are +1S AP3 Two-Handed so a crossover of a sword and a lance. which would make sense for a GLAIVE.

nekooni wrote:

JinxDragon wrote:
Looks more like a glaive to me, which fits too well between axe and spear.
I can see it bracing like a spear as easily as swiping like an axe....

A glaive is more of a spear crossed with a knife while a halberd is a spear crossed with an axe.
GW clearly has no idea how different glaives and helbards are since the Exarchs weapon looks just like the Grey Knight halberds which are actually glaives.

So RAI - since GW has no clue what weapon is what - they intended it to be a halberd and therefore an axe.
RAW it looks like a glaive which is very close to a spear, therefore you should treat it as a lance.
and to top off the confusion: the GK halberds are +1S AP3 Two-Handed so a crossover of a sword and a lance. which would make sense for a GLAIVE.

When the model was released we have no idea what GW intended, other than it was a "Power Weapon". When 6th edition was dropped, GW straight up said "This is a Power Lance.". 7th edition dropped the pretty pictures of melee weapons, so we have no idea what it is supposed to be now.

 DeathReaper wrote:
This one?


http://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Eldar-Dire-Avengers?_requestid=3836933


That is clearly a Halberd.

Not even close to what a lance is.

Yes, this one.



What makes no sense to me is how using a long spear/halberd/naginata makes you go at initiative 1. Anyone with a sword approaching someone with a blade or sharp tip on a 9 ft pole or spear would be hard pressed to get the first blow, I would think. But of course logic is not what this game is based off of.

And to add to the confusion, the picture in the 7th edition Eldar Codex shows what looks like almost exactly this weapon as a Howling Banshee Executioner, which the codex describes as an (elegant, two-handed power glaive." That doesn't really clear anything up, either. Another image for comparison from google:



I would err on it being a lance for the Dire Avengers, since it seems to make sense that the Exarch doesn't lose his Initiative 6 benefit and gets that extra +1 Strength for the first round of combat should he charge. And, if everyone complains that it really should be a power axe, then I'll swap it out for the sword bit since they're magnetized anyways. That one just looks cooler to me, but I'm not so fond for initiative 1, as when are Dire Avengers purposefully assaulting Terminator armored type models? Although Strength 4 ap 2 could come in handy in some cases, obviously.

Do you all think people would have an issue with it as long as I have it clearly written in my hard copy of my army list? Like printed as "power spear" so that I can't change it back and forth to suit my fancy.

 evildrspock wrote:

 DeathReaper wrote:
This one?


http://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Eldar-Dire-Avengers?_requestid=3836933


That is clearly a Halberd.

Not even close to what a lance is.

Yes, this one.

A halberd looks like THIS:


while a glaive looks like this

I'd give you power sword or lance. Sorry it doesn't really look like an axe. But hey the lance is cool

JinxDragon wrote:
Looks more like a glaive to me, which fits too well between axe and spear.
I can see it bracing like a spear as easily as swiping like an axe....

When I said Halberd I was referencing the Nemesis Force Halberds of the GK.

These two weapons look almost identical.

https://www.google.com/search?q=nemesis+force+Halberd+bitz&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=975&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CBwQsARqFQoTCKe7u6riwMgCFYLVgAodSRYCzg

http://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Eldar-Dire-Avengers?_requestid=3836933


@nekooni Tell that to GW...

Power lance.

 DeathReaper wrote:

JinxDragon wrote:
Looks more like a glaive to me, which fits too well between axe and spear.
I can see it bracing like a spear as easily as swiping like an axe....

When I said Halberd I was referencing the Nemesis Force Halberds of the GK.

These two weapons look almost identical.

https://www.google.com/search?q=nemesis+force+Halberd+bitz&espv=2&biw=1920&bih=975&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CBwQsARqFQoTCKe7u6riwMgCFYLVgAodSRYCzg

http://www.games-workshop.com/en-US/Eldar-Dire-Avengers?_requestid=3836933


@nekooni Tell that to GW...

Well see my previous post:

nekooni wrote:A glaive is more of a spear crossed with a knife while a halberd is a spear crossed with an axe.
GW clearly has no idea how different glaives and helbards are since the Exarchs weapon looks just like the Grey Knight halberds which are actually glaives.

So RAI - since GW has no clue what weapon is what - they intended it to be a halberd and therefore an axe.
RAW it looks like a glaive which is very close to a spear, therefore you should treat it as a lance.
and to top off the confusion: the GK halberds are +1S AP3 Two-Handed so a crossover of a sword and a lance. which would make sense for a GLAIVE.

I want to also point out that many used the Dire Avenger glaive power weapon bit as a stand-in for a Singing Spear when building a Farseer on a Jetbike in previous editions before the official model was finally released ...

For example, from Google: