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Dark Eldar were my first army in 40k. They're in an odd state nowadays; they *could* be good, were they not so fragile, but making them not fragile makes them not Dark Eldar. Personally, I disliked how 7th made Power from Pain a flat chart rather than a token system. Sure, it was more reliable, but at the same time it was also less interactive as a whole.

==Summary==
Splinter Weapons are better against rank-and-file, weaker against bigger creatures. They can be modified by many many special rules.


Troops: Warriors are your ranged support, Wyches your specialist melee troops, and Wracks your objective-holders, with a side of "dirty tricks."
Elites:
Fast Attack:
Heavy Support: The Ravager and Voidraven are still their own thing as normal.

Undecided Units:
Talos/Cronos: I want to merge them into a single unit. They don't feel like they belong in Heavy Support. Either Fast Attack (Modify their speed accordingly), or Elites (to make them the DE equivalent of a Dreadnought). If I move the Talos to Elites, then I'm interested in moving Grotesques to Fast Attack (and making them faster too, meep). After all, they're less a "Elite", as much as a "Shock weapon."
Beastmasters: Beast Packs have always been an awesome unit to have in general, though they are very much a "one trick" unit. Tenatively, I'm intereested in "Solo" Beastmasters being a "Hero" unit, where they can take their own individual pack of beasts accordingly; think something similar to the 3rd ed Beastmaster Packs.
Reavers: If nothing else, they're a "flexible" unit. Personally, I like the idea of them getting their old "ride-by-attack" rules from 5th back. For now they're "Elites", simply as an ad-hoc replacement for Bloodbrides.
Razorwing: Fluffwise, a Razorwing Pilot is a Reaver Champion with enough money to get out of the arena. This implies a sort of elite status for their pilots.
Trueborn: They're basically "Scourges that take a Venom instead of their own wings." This could use some additional spicing up.

==Special Rules==
Power From Pain: Anytime a Dark Eldar unit completely destroys an enemy unit or character, that unit gains a Fate Token. A Dark Eldar unit may contain any number of Fate Tokens.
Painmakers: Whenever a unit with the Painmakers Special Rule gains a Fate Token through the Power From Pain special rule, another friendly unit within 8" automatically gains a Fate Token. This does not generate another Fate Token.
Fuelled By Pain: A unit containing at least one model at least one model with the Fuelled By Pain USR automatically gains a free Fate Token each turn.

Mercenaries: The Dark Eldar may *not* take any mercenaries with the Psyker USR, with the exception of Harlequins.
Any non-vehicle Mercenary unit may elect to replace its original Specialist Loadouts with: Pain Lobotomy, Mauler Steroids, or Extra Limbs

==Armory==

==Equipment==


==Army List==

I don't like the token system, way to much book keeping. The current chart that gives better rules as the battle goes on is cleaner and representative of the power from pain.

HoundsofDemos wrote:
I don't like the token system, way to much book keeping. The current chart that gives better rules as the battle goes on is cleaner and representative of the power from pain.

In IGOUGO systems, tokens are really hard to keep track of, but in a my-phase your- phase system, individual unit interactions and fun details can be more fleshed out. Book keeping is less of an issue where each turn can be treated like a ten- model skirmish mini game. I do, however feel like the flat chart is better. It gives me more of a "getting stronger as the battle goes on" vibe than pfp tokens.

I concur, having played bigger games in 5th against and with DE, Pain tokens were a bit annoying to keep track off especially since they could move with ICs. With units moving, dice getting tossed around and all that things can get lost or become disputed.

I liked the pain token system myself. I've never found moving tokens around to be all that problematic (stick them on bases so you don't forget to move them), and receiving them for killing off an enemy unit was way more visceral and rewarding. It also encouraged getting kills fast and early rather than beta-striking. Plus, it was easier (in some ways) to get a rewarding benefit. 4+ FNP just for sticking a (cheap at the time) haemonculus in with my wyches or incubi wasn't bad, and gaining furious charge as soon as that unit stabbed something was pretty snazzy. Or maybe the blood of my defeated enemies is dripping into my eyes and turning everything rosy.

@MJ: Always glad to look your stuff over! It looks like this ties in to the rest of your 40k rewrite stuff, right? I'm afraid I haven't had a chance to look that over, so some of what I say may be off. Let's see what we've got.

Splinter Weapons:
Outside of the splinter cannon potentially rerolling to-wound rolls against T3 stuff, I'm not sure how these are better against infantry and worse against MCs. There aren't a lot of T2 models out there, and I don't often find my dark kin need help with them when I do run into them. There's potential synergy with the Runes of Battle power that lets you lower Toughness, but warlocks can't be included in the same army. :(
Splinter pistols having boosted range is nice, but minor enough of a difference to be unnecessary. Splinter rifles being only 16" max makes them harder to utilize and requires you get your squishy warriors even closer to the enemy . Splinter cannons have some neat changes, and splintercannon true born are an amusing (if sub-optimal) thought.

Wych Weapons
Hydra Knives: I don't recognize Sustained Attack, but I assume it's something like "to-hit rolls of 6 generate more attacks," right? I can dig it. Represents hydra gauntlets letting you slash away like there's no tomorrow while they regrow additional pointy bits.

Razorflails: Scourge?

Why no shardnet/impaler? :(

darklight weapons:
Your decreases to most of those weapons' official equivalents scares and confuses me, but the AP 1 is nice. Relying on the finesse of "critical hits" rather than the blunt tool of high-strength-high-rate-of-fire is fluffy for dark eldar. The decreased range makes it tougher to bully targets while maintaining range. Are these range adjustments the result of your preference for a 4" system rather than a 3" system?

Advanced dispenses: Neat! How much do they cost? And may I pretty please take a personal dispenser on my characters that grants them a single (extra) drug? Archons like to indulge too!

Soul Seeker Ammo: I like it. The simple reroll to to-hit rolls is nice but currently covered by splinter racks, and the access to cover-ignoring stuff is inkeeping with many modern mechanics. Ravenwing, for instance, would still get their 3+ armor against splinters, but you could deny them their 2+ jinks.

Tormentor Helm: Seems to be missing. +1 Attack? Mandiblaster equivalent?

Vector Jets: I really like the move-shoot-move option for dark eldar vehicles. A comparable-but-unique counterpart to craftworlders' Battle Focus. 4" seems a bit underwhelming though. Why not 7" or (inkeeping with your 4" system and apparent desire to avoid time-consuming rolling) 8"? It's comparable to the movement of a jetpack unit, but you don't have to take time to roll for it.

Special Rules: Sound nifty, but I'd have to look around for them as you haven't posted them here.

Wyldhunt wrote:
Splinter Weapons: Outside of the splinter cannon potentially rerolling to-wound rolls against T3 stuff, I'm not sure how these are better against infantry and worse against MCs. There aren't a lot of T2 models out there, and I don't often find my dark kin need help with them when I do run into them. There's potential synergy with the Runes of Battle power that lets you lower Toughness, but warlocks can't be included in the same army. :(
Splinter pistols having boosted range is nice, but minor enough of a difference to be unnecessary. Splinter rifles being only 16" max makes them harder to utilize and requires you get your squishy warriors even closer to the enemy . Splinter cannons have some neat changes, and splintercannon true born are an amusing (if sub-optimal) thought.

EDIT: Modified the core rules; All "Weapon Damage Bonus" effects (Armorbane, Fleshbane, Poison, etc) have been merged into one single rule called Bane. When rolling to wound/penetrate a target against which Bane is applicable, divide your roll by 2 (round up), and subtract that number for purposes of resolving the attack.
What this effectively means is:
-A Splinter Rifle (Strength 2) with Fleshbane will wound a Toughness 3 model on a 3+, because on a roll of 3, the target is treated as effectively having -2 Toughness. It will wound a toughness 4 model on a 4+, and it will wound a Toughness 6 model on a 5+, as it effectively treats that target as being Toughness 3, and it will wound Toughness 7 models on a 6.
-A Splinter Cannon (Strength 3) will wound a Guardsman on a 3+ (because on a 1 or 2 to roll, the target is treated as having -1 toughness), but will also wound a Marine on a 3+ (as 4-2=3). It will wound Toughness 6 or 7 models on a 5+ (Because on a roll of 5 or 6, the enemy is still treated as effectively having -3 toughness), and Toughness 8 models on a 6.

Where it gets interesting is when Overkill ranges are triggered as in Forgehammer, Instant Death is no longer "Double out the opponent's Toughness", but a range that starts when an attack's Strength exceeds a target's Toughness by 3 or more points. At 3 points greater, it triggers on a roll of 6 to-wound, at 4 points greater than toughness, on a 5+, at 4 points greater on a 4+, etc. So if a Warrior with a Splinter Cannon were to roll 6 to-wound versus Toughness 3 models, Fleshbane means they're treated as effectively Toughness 0, and 3 is greater than 0 by 3, so a 6 triggers Overkill. If said Warrior had access to Preferred Enemy (+1 to Crit Ranges), then Overkill would also trigger on a 5+.

Wyldhunt wrote:

Wych Weapons
Hydra Knives: I don't recognize Sustained Attack, but I assume it's something like "to-hit rolls of 6 generate more attacks," right? I can dig it. Represents hydra gauntlets letting you slash away like there's no tomorrow while they regrow additional pointy bits.

Critical: Sustained Attack means on a roll of 6 to-hit, you score an additional hit. Critical: Sustained Attack 2 means you score 2 additional hits, etc; this would be where Tesla gets rolled up, incidentally.

Wyldhunt wrote:

Razorflails: Scourge?

Scourge is a special rule that's mostly used for "flexible" weapons (stuff like flails, whips, etc), that basically means that it ignores any bonuses granted to a target by a shield (be it a Storm Shield, Combat Shield, Slabshield, etc). The Agoniser and Electrocorrosive Whip will also benefit of course

Wyldhunt wrote:

Why no shardnet/impaler? :(

Need to stat them up. Not sure what to do with them yet.

Wyldhunt wrote:

darklight weapons:
Your decreases to most of those weapons' official equivalents scares and confuses me, but the AP 1 is nice. Relying on the finesse of "critical hits" rather than the blunt tool of high-strength-high-rate-of-fire is fluffy for dark eldar. The decreased range makes it tougher to bully targets while maintaining range. Are these range adjustments the result of your preference for a 4" system rather than a 3" system?

4" rather than 6", yes. Bolters are 16" and Marines move 4", for reference. Granted, I may playtest using standard scales too.

Wyldhunt wrote:

Advanced dispenses: Neat! How much do they cost? And may I pretty please take a personal dispenser on my characters that grants them a single (extra) drug? Archons like to indulge too!

Not sure the cost for Independent Characters, but for Wyches, the Dispensers are a "Specialist Loadout". Most every unit has 3 such Loadouts to choose from, and may take *one* for free, two if it's a mainstay unit (Ravagers in a Heavy Support-focused army could take Retrojets *and* Night Shields, for example, but must choose between one or the other for Fast Attack-focused armies, for example). So unless you were running a Troop-focused army, your Wyches would have to choose between Haywire Grenades or Advanced Dispensers.

Wyldhunt wrote:

Soul Seeker Ammo: I like it. The simple reroll to to-hit rolls is nice but currently covered by splinter racks, and the access to cover-ignoring stuff is inkeeping with many modern mechanics. Ravenwing, for instance, would still get their 3+ armor against splinters, but you could deny them their 2+ jinks.

Splinter Racks will give on-board passengers a level of Sustained Fire for their Splinter Weapons. (A Splinter Cannon with Sustained Fire is scary!).

Wyldhunt wrote:

Tormentor Helm: Seems to be missing. +1 Attack? Mandiblaster equivalent?

More or less, or in-built Splinter Pistol. Stats for actual Tormenters are another "to consider."

Wyldhunt wrote:

Vector Jets: I really like the move-shoot-move option for dark eldar vehicles. A comparable-but-unique counterpart to craftworlders' Battle Focus. 4" seems a bit underwhelming though. Why not 7" or (inkeeping with your 4" system and apparent desire to avoid time-consuming rolling) 8"? It's comparable to the movement of a jetpack unit, but you don't have to take time to roll for it.

4" is again keeping with the core system. Scale up to 6", or 2d6" accordingly. It's basically a Jetpack move, the main difference being that "Jet"->"Fire and Move", because some non-jet units may want to do something similar
Note that Vector Jets, Splinter Racks, and Night Shields are usually mutually exclusive; if running a Troops-Focused army, you can pick two. Choose wisely.