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JHust putting my first (extremely small) game together and a query popped up and I couldnt see an explanation in the Eldar Codex(maybe missed it)

Warlock has 1 Psy ability from runes of Battle and 1 rune of Fortune.

If they have smite, they have smite/destructor? That means the Smite is less range and only 1 wound.

I cant see an explanation for this in the codex? Are they rubbish at smiting or something or am I missing something else?

Game wise they are subbish for casting smite. Not worth looking for a coherant reason for this, there probably isn't one beyond GW not wanting Craftworlds mass smiting.

 Imateria wrote:
Game wise they are subbish for casting smite. Not worth looking for a coherant reason for this, there probably isn't one beyond GW not wanting Craftworlds mass smiting.

Thanks

Fair enough. Just thought there might be an explanation in the Codex...some reason why they arnt good at smiting.

There is no logical reason. Warlocks and certain other Eldar units have been reduced constantly to a frail shell of their previous existence (likely so they could add other units to the army to sell more models, etc.).

Warlocks went from powerful battlefield psykers (Warlocks being notable as they had previously traveled the path of warrior - serving as Aspect Warriors, etc.) to being dirt cheap, exceptionally weak, dim-witted useless pawns.

Yep the only reason you'd only take them is a cheap HQ tax and to meet the conditions of seer council to give +1 to cast for your farseers doom...

Sad really.. Even the extra damage power that you could potentially cast on a conclave got nerfed immediately.

There doesn't seem to be any justification why the most psychically gifted race in the universe produces such measly psykers.

Warlocks haven't made sense to me since the 4e Codex. When they were squad leader upgrades that provided benefits to the unit you attached them to they felt like they meant something, now they're worse Farseers competing for the same slot as Farseers.

Tbh.. all of our HQs suck at the moment due to points costs vs utility outside of Farseer & Maybe Spirit seer.
Autarch option stripped off into legends has taken any wind out the autarch majorly.
PLs are far too expensive for what they bring to the table. They don't even give poxy re-roll 1's in the era where everyone and their mother gets to re-roll everything.

But hey. At least crimson hunters got that much needed buff!

Not at all..

Do any other factions psykers get the rubbish version of smite too?

I'm from an era of the 90s and I remember warlocks as powerful characters. So odd nothing to even mention why in the codex?

They provide good buffs, some of the new powers that you can swap out for smite are excellent, they are always the better option compared to smiting. Spirit seer has full fat smite if you want to go that way.

VAYASEN wrote:
Do any other factions psykers get the rubbish version of smite too?

Pink Horrors. Thousand Sons squad-leader sorcerers, I think. Grey knights. Basically any low-level psychic option. I think Warlocks are the only Iindependent character to get hit this way though. As to why, there was quite a bit of complaining at one point that 'baby wizards' like these were tossing around full-fat mortal wound spam like there was no tomorrow, so it ended up being designed out. It's one of the earliest rules patches, if you could be bothered digging back through the community site's archives.

Pilum wrote:

VAYASEN wrote:
Do any other factions psykers get the rubbish version of smite too?

Pink Horrors. Thousand Sons squad-leader sorcerers, I think. Grey knights. Basically any low-level psychic option. I think Warlocks are the only Iindependent character to get hit this way though. As to why, there was quite a bit of complaining at one point that 'baby wizards' like these were tossing around full-fat mortal wound spam like there was no tomorrow, so it ended up being designed out. It's one of the earliest rules patches, if you could be bothered digging back through the community site's archives.

Complaining by who? Warlocks have been stuck with the Destructor rule since the Index.

I might be misremembering. I'm fairly sure I remember a lot of moaning about MW spam, it's possible I'm getting muddled with Sigmar threads and GW preemptively curtailed it with 40k? The +1 per Smite is more of a pain - didn't really affect me as my Seers are invariably buffbots and I'm the only heavy psyker user (relatively, as in I use more than 1!) in my circle, but it is a nuisance if I ever fancy going nuts.