Dark Eldar¶
This page is a work in progress!
Special Rules¶
The Dark Eldar use the following special rules. Note: unless specifically stated otherwise, the Dark Eldar do NOT use any of the special rules for Eldar Corsairs. Where the Dark Eldar do use such rules, these are re-printed below to avoid confusion.
Dark Eldar Movement¶
Dark Eldar vessels are incredibly sleek and agile, bearing arrays of delicate fins and operating sophisticated manoeuvring systems which allow them to turn with an ease horrifying to the crews of Imperial vessels, leaden by comparison. Because of this, Dark Eldar ships do not need to pass a Command check in order to use [Come to New Heading] special orders and count as automatically passing any Command check to do so. In addition, Dark Eldar cruisers have no minimum required movement, even before turning, but are unable to use the [Burn Retros] special order. Note: All Eldar ships still fall under the restriction that if a ship moves less than 5 cm it counts as a defence for shooting purposes.
Dark Eldar Leadership¶
All Dark Eldar ships add +1 to the Leadership score generated on the Leadership table on [???] page 10 of the Battlefleet Gothic Rulebook, giving them a leadership value of between 7 and 10.
Dark Eldar ships can make a leadership check to ignore all effects of celestial phenomena such as gas clouds, solar flares, etc. Escorts may re-roll this result for free.
This ability only applies to celestial phenomena, not explosions from catastrophic damage, nova cannon, etc. It also does not affect negative leadership modifiers caused by radiation bursts. Leadership checks against asteroid fields are unchanged from those for other fleets.
Boarding Actions¶
The Dark Eldar are furious and brutal pirates, fanatical in the pursuit of violence and the hunt for captives. Their all-consuming blood lust can often overcome them, leaving them in an uncontrolled frenzy. Dark Eldar receive a bonus +1 modifier in the first round of any boarding action and a -1 modifier in any subsequent rounds.
Shadowfields¶
Dark Eldar ships are not protected by the vast energy shields which surround the vessels of other races, but rather employ the form-altering shadowfields. These create an eerie and uncertain fog around Dark Eldar vessels through which little information can be ascertained. Pinpointing the exact location or speed of a Dark Eldar vessel behind shadowfields can prove very tricky indeed. Against attacks that use the Gunnery table, the shadowfields cause one column shift to the right, in addition to any other column shifts for range or Blast markers. Against any other form of attack (ALL strength-based weapons, Nova Cannon shots, any ordnance attacks and any kind of hit and run attacks, ramming and boarding), roll to hit an Dark Eldar ship as normal, but the Dark Eldar player may then make a saving roll for his shadowfields:
| D6 ROLL | RESULT |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hit! Score a hit on the Dark Eldar ship. |
| 2-6 | Missed! Place a Blast marker in contact with the ship. |
Note: Shadowfields do not negate hits from moving through blast markers, exploding ships and celestial phenomena. They do, however, work against ordnance hits, hit-and-run raids, boarding actions, teleport attacks, ramming or nova cannon.
Against ramming and boarding, they save once against the ramming or boarding attempt, NOT against any damage suffered if this save fails. They do NOT protect against hits caused by celestial phenomena nor any area effects such as Warp Drive implosions, Necron Nightmare Fields, Chaos Marks of Slaanesh, etc.
Shadowfields save against the shell hit of the nova cannon, not the subsequent damage rolls. For example, if an Dark Eldar vessel is hit and fails to save, it must immediately take as many hits as the damage roll allocates unless it successfully braced beforehand.
Dark Eldar must determine if they wish to brace against damage they may face BEFORE rolling their shadowfield save. This includes damage from scatter weapons such as Nova Cannon fire.
When protecting against damage (except against weapons that use the gunnery table), shadowfields roll its save once against each successful attack, whether it be from lance fire, ordnance hits, etc. In other words, its rolls once against a ramming attack, once against each Nova Cannon shot, and once against each hit imparted by ordnance attacks, Hit and Run attacks, etc.
Hit-&-Run¶
The Dark Eldar receive a +1 to any Hit & Run attacks including those from Slavebringer assault boats (meaning they will normally succeed automatically) but excluding Impaler Assault Modules.
Slavetaking¶
Slavetaking may be performed instead of any Hit & Run, including teleporter and Impaler attacks. This reflects the desire of the Dark Eldar to take captives, often when to do so is tactically foolish.
They may forgo rolling on the Hit & Run Critical Hit table in return for +10 Victory points.
When using Impalers for slavetaking, they collect +30 victory points instead of +10 points.
Brace saves may be taken against Slavetaking.
Slavetaking cannot be conducted against Necron or Tyranid fleets.
Any escort-sized ship is in addition considered destroyed if 30 or more victory points are collected from it by slavetaking.
Mimic Engines¶
A Dark Eldar vessel equipped with mimic engines is able to assume the apparent dimensions of enemy ships, thus allowing the Dark Eldar to sneak up on their prey unseen. The Dark Eldar are able to mimic Imperial, Eldar, Ork, Chaos and Tau ships, but not Tyranid or Necron vessels, so the mimic engine has no effect against either of these fleets.
A Dark Eldar ship equipped with mimic engines approaches closer to the enemy before the threat is realised and so may make one normal move immediately after deployment, but before either side has taken a turn.
In addition, if a mimic engine-equipped vessel is more than 30 cm from the enemy at the start of the game (after making its extra move) it may NOT be targeted by enemy ships at all during the first turn of the game, until it itself has attacked another vessel or launches any ordnance that attacks enemy ordnance or ships. If its ordnance does not attack during the first turn, enemy ordnance must assume it is friendly and cannot attack it, though enemy ships that move in base contact with it in the first turn will still be attacked normally.
In the second and subsequent turns it is assumed that the exchange of information between vessels in the opposing fleet will uncover the impostors, meaning the Dark Eldar can be targeted normally.
Dark Eldar Critical Hits¶
When a Dark Eldar ship suffers a critical hit, roll 2D6 on the Dark Eldar Critical Hits table, rather than the normal Critical Hits table. Note: Dark Eldar suffer a critical hit only on a roll of a 6, as is normal for all other fleets, not on a 4+ as is the case with Eldar Corsairs.
Critical Hits Table¶
| 2D6 Roll | Extra Damage | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | +0 | Weapons Systems Damaged: None of the ship’s weapons may fire until the damage is repaired. |
| 3 | +0 | Prow Armament Damaged: The ship’s main prow armament (not its weapons batteries) are damaged and may not fire until it has been repaired. |
| 4 | +0 | Manoeuvring Systems Damaged: The ship’s steering fins, turning thrusters and manoeuvring sensors are damaged. The ship must pass a Command check in order to come to new heading until the damage can be repaired. |
| 5 | +0 | Weapons Batteries Damaged: The vessel’s integral weapons batteries are damaged and may not be fired until repaired. |
| 6 | +0 | Turning Fins Dented: The ship’s sleek shape is distorted by the damage, reducing its manoeuvrability. Until the damage is repaired, the ship may only make turns of up to 45°. |
| 7 | +0 | Engines Damaged: The ship’s speed is reduced by 10cm until the damage is repaired. |
| 8 | +1 | Superstructure Damaged: Roll a dice every time the ship attempts to go on to special orders. On a score of a 1 the ship suffers 1 additional damage point. |
| 9 | +0 | Commanders Slain: A number of the ship’s commanders are killed in the explosions, reducing the ship’s leadership by 1. This damage may not be repaired. |
| 10 | +0 | Shadowfield Generator Destroyed: The ship’s shadowfields cease to work. This damage may not be repaired. |
| 11 | +D3 | Hull Breach: A huge gash is torn in the ship's hull, causing much damage. |
| 12 | +D6 | Bulkhead Collapse: Substantial portions of the ship buckle under the strain of increasing damage. If you’re lucky, enough of the ship will hold together at least a while longer. |
Dark Eldar Weapons¶
Dark Eldar vessels make use of the following weapons.
Dark Eldar Weapons Batteries¶
As pirates adept at striking with the utmost speed, Dark Eldar specialise in rapid, ultraaccurate attacks before their relative fragility forces them to withdraw. Because of this, Dark Eldar rely on sophisticated targeting technology which allows them to count all targets as ‘closing’ on the Gunnery table, no matter what the target’s actual aspect is. Other than this, the weapons batteries fire as normal.
Phantom Lance¶
This is the Dark Eldar equivalent of the pulsar, using dark matter powered lasers. Roll a dice for each point of the Phantom lance’s strength when firing, with the following effects:
| D6 ROLL | EFFECT |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | No hits |
| 4 | 1 hit |
| 5-6 | 2 hits |
Ordnance¶
All Dark Eldar Ordnance can only be hit by turrets on a 6. This includes attack craft, any torpedo types, Impalers and orbital mines.
When orbital mines are used, they completely replace all other attack craft used by the launching carrier, with one orbital mine per launch bay.
As Dark Eldar vessels do not actually have turrets, enemy bombers do not get any bonus against turrets from escorting fighters.
Attack Craft¶
Dark Eldar attack craft consist of Raptor fighters, Razorwing bombers and Slavebringer assault boats.
Raptor fighters are resilient, meaning they get a 4+ save once per ordnance phase whenever they come in contact with enemy ordnance.
Razorwing bombers have highly accurate targeting sensors which allows you to re-roll the dice to determine the number of attacks they make (the second roll stands).
| ATTACK CRAFT | SPEED |
|---|---|
| Raptor Fighter | 30 cm |
| Razorwing Bomber | 20 cm |
| Slavebringer Assault Boat | 30 cm |
Impaler Assault Module¶
The Impaler is a specialised form of prow mounted attack craft, a little like an assault boat, but large enough to carry enough Dark Eldar assault troops to potentially overwhelm an entire ship.
Although a form of ordnance are not counted alongside other ordnance for purposes of launch limits or similar rules that affect ordnance. In these respects Impalers follow their own special rules.
An Impaler is launched like an assault boat, and moves in the same way during the ordnance phase. Fighters which attack the Impaler do not automatically remove it from play. Instead the Impaler rolls a D6 and remains in play on a 4+. The Impaler can only use this save once per ordnance phase, but if it does so against a fighter in base contact with a ship and subsequently survives turret fire, it may then attack that ship normally. Turrets may fire at the Impaler, in the same way as against ordnance.
When the Impaler successfully moves into contact with an enemy ship, it makes a special Hit & Run attack. Roll a D6. On a score of a 1 the Impaler’s boarders are defeated and the module may not be used for the remainder of the game. On a 2-6 the Impaler causes a critical hit, but instead of just looking up the rolled score on the Critical Hits table, you roll 2D6 and look up this added score instead. Against escorts, this added score needs to be an unmodified 4+ to destroy the escort.
Against Tyranids, you must roll 2D6 twice and take the lowest roll.
Impalers are far larger than most attack craft, and hence require substantial amounts of fuel. Because of this, their range is somewhat shorter than that of smaller attack craft. At the beginning of each of the Dark Eldar player’s turn he must remove any Impalers from the table (these are assumed to have been forced to return to their parent ship due to lack of fuel). He may of course attempt to [reload ordnance] during the turn in order to relaunch said Impalers (i.e. he reloads ordnance as quickly as possible to ‘turn around’ the Impalers and their crew just as soon as they arrive back at their parent ship).
You may not launch additional Impalers if you already have a number of Impalers in play equal to the number of Impaler armed vessels in the fleet. Impalers are not deployed from launch bays in any way, shape or form, so the overall number of launch bays in a fleet does not affect the number of Impalers which you are permitted to launch or have in play.
If the Impaler is removed (either by turrets, enemy ordnance, attack craft and so on), the Dark Eldar vessel must reload ordnance as normal before being able to fire it again (it is assumed that a damaged module limps back to its parent vessel and must await hurried repairs or else take time for its crew to transfer to a replacement). An Impaler can only be completely destroyed by a failed Hit & Run attack (a roll of 1 on the initial attack as described above), which would leave it useless due to the loss of its crew.
When Impalers from an escort squadron are lost, the owning player decides which ship from the squadron loses its Impaler. This does mean you have to keep track of which Impalers come from which squadron.
Leech Torpedoes¶
Dark Eldar ships armed with torpedoes may use leech torpedoes at no extra cost. These must be loaded with a specific [Reload Ordnance] roll, although a ship may start the scenario with them in the tubes by writing a note on the ship sheet. Leech torpedoes cause no damage other than a single, automatic critical hit (do not roll against armour). [Brace for Impact] can be used against this normally. Escorts are not automatically destroyed by this critical hit.
Do not roll for the effect of this critical hit, instead the leech torpedo immediately causes a -10 cm speed reduction on its target. A leech torpedo hit also prevents the target from executing any [All Ahead Full] special orders. Only one -10cm speed penalty applies regardless of the number attached – the effect is not cumulative. However, all leech hits on a ship must be repaired before the movement penalty is removed (e.g. if a ship suffers 5 leech hits, it remains at a reduced speed until all 5 hits have been repaired). Escorts can also repair this effect with a roll of 6 in the same manner capital ships repair critical damage.
When not firing leeches, Dark Eldar ships equipped with torpedo tubes use the rules for Eldar torpedoes from the Battlefleet Gothic rulebook instead.
Transports¶
Dark Eldar fleets may use Imperial transports (of all types) in scenarios that call for transports where the Dark Eldar are playing the defender. This represents captured and looted merchant ships they are returning to their lair.
Eldar Haven¶
An Eldar Haven (pg. 320) may be used as a Dark Eldar pirate base. When used as such, trade bombers for Slavebringer assault boats and Pulsar Lances for Shadow Lances at no change in cost. All other characteristics remain unchanged.
Dark Eldar in Campaigns¶
In a campaign, a Dark Eldar fleet commander earns promotions (re-rolls) in the same manner as the Eldar as listed on pg. [???] of the rulebook.
Eldar Promotions (all Types of Eldar)¶
| Renown | Title | Ld Bonus | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | Captain | +0 | 1 re-roll |
| 6-10 | Lord | +1 | 1 re-rolls |
| 11-20 | Shadow Lord | +1 | 2 re-rolls |
| 21-30 | Prince | +2 | 2 re-rolls |
| 31-50 | Shadow Prince | +2 | 3 re-rolls |
| 51+ | King | +2 | 4 re-rolls |
The crew skills table is for use by the Haven and any capital ships or escort squadrons in a Dark Eldar fleet. The other refit tables are for use by any capital ships Dark Eldar fleet. It is not for use by escorts. Eldar Havens may earn ship or weapon refits but not engine refits. Ships that cannot use the refit or crew skill rolled for whatever reason may re-roll the result, such as not being equipped with weapon batteries, attack craft, etc.
Dark Eldar Crew Skills¶
Over the course of a campaign, a ship’s crew develops experience that only comes from serving together in the crucible of war. Roll on the following table:
| D6 roll | Skill |
|---|---|
| 1 | Expert Gunnery: The ship’s gun crews are amongst the finest in the whole sector, able to lay down a devastating barrage. When the ship attempts to make [Lock On] Special Orders, you may roll 3D6 and discard the highest D6 before comparing the roll against the ship’s leadership. |
| 2 | Warlock: A renowned Seer accompanies the vessel, disclosing fragments of possibility to the ship's captain. This vessel may always attempt to go on Special Orders, even if another ship or squadron in the fleet has failed a command check this turn. |
| 3 | Excellent Pilots: Even the bomber pilots assigned to this ship number several ‘Aces’ amongst its crew. Bombers launched by this vessel may survive being intercepted by enemy fighters utilizing the ‘Resilient Attack Craft’ 4+ save rule in the same manner as Dark Eldar fighters. As they are not fighters themselves, they still ignore other types of ordnance normally. Fighters from this vessel are always moved before enemy attack craft in the ordnance phase. Re-roll this result if the ship does not carry attack craft. |
| 4 | Battle Stance: Dark Eldar Wyches or even the dreaded Harlequins have been enticed to join your vessel. This ship may re-roll the dice in a boarding action. The second roll stands (even if less!). |
| 5 | Disciplined Crew: Whenever this ship checks leadership or attempts to go on Special Orders, you may roll 3D6 and discard the highest D6 before comparing the roll against the ship’s leadership. |
| 6 | Elite Command Crew: Once per battle the ship may automatically pass a Leadership test or command check – there is no need to roll any dice. This may be used even if another ship or squadron in the fleet has failed a command check this turn. |
Engine Refit¶
The ship’s engines are fitted with additional systems or improvements have been made to the power generators and energy relays in some fashion. Roll on the following table.
| D6 roll | Engine Refit |
|---|---|
| 1 | Roll again. |
| 2 | Polarization Field: A low-level energy bubble surrounds the ship, channelling the debris of space around the vessel. The ship does not suffer a hit for moving through blast markers and ignores all effects of solar flares. |
| 3 | Drunken Weave: An intricate system of particle flow rudders and graviton impellers are fitted to the vessel, allowing for drastic evasive manoeuvres. The ship gains a 6+ save on a D6 against any damage it takes without requiring a Command Check. This does not count as being braced, but the ship may not use this save when on [Brace For Impact] Special Orders or attempt to go on [Brace For Impact] special orders against any round of shooting or event of taking damage if this save fails. |
| 4 | Phoenix Sails: Hyper-efficient materials of exceeding purity are used to replace the mainsails, squeezing extra energy from the solar wind. Add an additional +1D6 cm speed when on [All Ahead Full] special orders. |
| 5 | Roll again. |
| 6 | Stream Flow Enhancers: A dramatic re-rig of the ship’s sails and control surfaces give the captain much greater control over his or her vessel. Add +5 cm to the speed. |
Ship Refit¶
The structure of the ship is improved in some way, new equipment is installed, or better trained or specialised crew members are brought in. Roll on the following table.
| D6 roll | Ship Refit |
|---|---|
| 1 | Crystal Web: A sizable colony of crystal spiders have been introduced to the hull, greatly enhancing the ship's chances of survival. If the ship has no critical damage, roll a number of D6 equal to the number of hits it has remaining, recovering 1HP if any rolls of 6 are made. No more than 1HP can be regained in this manner per turn, regardless of how many rolls of 6 are made. |
| 2 | Roll again. |
| 3 | Mask of the Laughing God: Special psychic dampers and crossspectrum jammers hide the intentions of the crew. Enemy vessels do not gain +1 Leadership for this vessel going under Special Orders. |
| 4 | Gestalt Spirit Stone: The ship is incredibly ancient, even by Eldar standards, and its spirit has literally aeons of experience. The vessel ignores all penalties to leadership tests, such as blast markers, Marks of Chaos, etc. |
| 5 | Netherfield: A refined holofield design coupled with an absorptive masking layer make this ship nearly impossible to target. It grants an additional right column shift to the vessel against all weapons that use the gunnery table (no additional modifier is granted past the far right of the gunnery table). |
| 6 | Structural Purity: The cores of the ship’s wraithbone supports are partially replaced by a fluidic medium that dissipates damage throughout the hull. Before the battle begins, the vessel gains +1HP to its starting damage capacity. |
Weapons Refit¶
The ship has been upgraded with additional or more sophisticated weapons systems, greatly enhancing its battle effectiveness. Roll on the following table:
| D6 roll | Weapons Refit |
|---|---|
| 1 | Talons: Both the outer hull and the ship’s airlocks are lined with psychically charged scatter-shard point defences. Enemy ships attempting to board the vessel or perform a hit-and run attack suffer a -2 modifier. |
| 2 | Distortion Charges: The vessel has been fitted with a weapon system which ejects a Warp Distortion charge into its wake (usable once per game). This D-charge must be placed at the same time the player places the rest of the fleet’s ordnance on the table, in the ship’s aft firing arc. When launched, it moves 10 cm toward the nearest enemy vessel every ordnance phase. If it comes in contact with an enemy ship’s base, the enemy vessel may attempt to shoot it down with turrets, hitting on a roll of 6. If the D-charge is not destroyed, place a warp rift marker at the point of impact using a Nova Cannon template. Any vessel touching the template suffers the effects of coming in contact with a warp rift! At the beginning of each subsequent Dark Eldar turn roll a D6. On a roll of 6 the rift closes and is removed from play. |
| 3 | Rune-Assisted Targeting Nodes: The fire control systems are linked by a complex sensor array. Ships fitted with lance-type weapons may re-roll their first miss each turn. |
| 4 | Gravitic Accelerators: An extra boost is provided to torpedoes and attack craft. When first launched, ordnance receives an extra +10 cm to its movement. |
| 5 | Anomaly Clarification Stones: The ship’s scanners are able to compensate for local spatial distortions. Blast markers do not cause a column shift when the ship’s weapon batteries fire through them. |
| 6 | Enhanced Crystal Focusing: Rare ultra-pure crystals and a delicate realignment of the firing mechanisms raise the power transfer ratio of the ship’s weapons, significantly increasing their range. Add +15 cm range to the ship’s weapon batteries and lance-type weapons. |
Pirates Fleet List¶
Fleet Commander¶
0-1 Dread Archon¶
You may include 1 Dread Archon in your fleet, who must be assigned to a ship and adds + 2 to its Leadership, to a maximum of 10. 1f the fleet is worth over 750 points a Dread Archon must be included to lead it.
Dread Archon (+2 Ld) .............................. 100 pts
You may purchase Fleet Commander re-rolls for your Dread Archon by paying the cost listed below.
One re-roll ..................................................+25 pts
Two re-rolls ................................................+50 pts
Three re-rolls ...........................................+100 pts
Capital Ships¶
0-12 Cruisers¶
Torture class cruiser (pg. 338) ...................... 210 pts
Torture class cruisers may choose one of the following for the points shown:
Prow Torpedoes ........................................+20 pts
Phantom Lance .........................................+20 pts
1–2 Impaler Assault Modules ........ +20 /+40 pts
Launch Bays ...............................................+40 pts
Torture class cruisers may add Mimic Engines:
Mimic Engines ..........................................+20 pts
Escorts¶
You may include any number of escorts in your fleet in squadrons of 2–6. However, Dark Eldar fleets must contain at least three escorts for every capital ship taken.
Corsair Class Escort (pg. 339) ........................ 50 pts
Corsair class escorts may add Mimic Engines:
Mimic Engines ............................................+5 pts
Ordnance¶
Ships with launch bays may launch any mix of Raptor fighters, Razorwing bombers and Slavebringer assault boats.
Ships with torpedo tubes are armed with both Eldar torpedoes and Leech torpedoes, though the Leech torpedoes must be loaded with a separate reload ordnance roll as described in the special rules.