THE HARLEQUINS

The Harlequins are followers of the strange Eldar god the Great Harlequin, one of the only two Eldar gods to survive the fall. The Harlequins are not tied to any particular craftworld but wander from world to world through the network of interspacial tunnels that binds the craftworlds together. Only they know the whereabouts of the Black Library, for they are the keepers of its terrible secrets about the Fall and the true nature of Chaos.

Harlequins are warrior troubadours whose carefully constructed masques and impressive displays of mime and acrobatics tell the many strange stories of Eldar mythology. They wear exotic multi-coloured costumes, brightly patterned to represent figures from the Eldar myth cycles.

Harlequins are, like the Inquisition, sworn enemies of Chaos. They guard the Black Library, the place where all the Eldar's knowledge of Chaos lies, and only allow those of the Inquisition and the Illuminati to enter, and even then they are only allowed entrance under guard.

The Black Library

Much of the Eldar's ancient knowledge and culture was lost during the flight from Chaos. The craftworlds became the sole repository of Eldar wisdom, and this fragmented as the Eldar nations drifted apart. Craftworlds were lost over millennia, and knowledge vanished with them.

A single source of Eldar knowledge has remained untouched since the Fall. Aboard a dark craftworld, far beyond the boundaries of the Imperium, is the Black Library of Chaos. Here are collected all the tomes, books and codices describing the Eldar studies of the warp. The forbidden lore of the Black Library describes the blandishments, influences, forms, creatures, perils, promises and horrors of Chaos. Enclosed within a nearly impenetrable psychic barrier, the Black Library is watched and maintained by its Guardian Scribes; they collate and transcribe the knowledge of the Library; a task that they have carried since the Fall of the Eldar. They also maintain a hawk-like watch over their charges, the books; dreadful repositories of secret powers and must be monitored at all times.

The existence of the Library is known to only a few, and entry is allowed to even fewer individuals. The Library's 'mind' defends itself against the weak who would misuse its knowledge by refusing entry to all except those who have acknowledged and tempered the Chaos within themselves. The immature, who are still vulnerable to the promises and seductions of Chaos, find that they are unable to pass through its gateway. As a result few have seen within the Library or read any of its books. Only three groups come and go at will: the Human Illuminati, the Inquisitors of the Ordo Malleus, and the Solitaires of the Eldar Harlequins. The Guardian-scribes rarely leave once they have entered.

The Harlequin Troupe

A troupe of Harlequins is commonly made up of a hundred individuals male, female, and children. Everyone is equal within the troupe apart from the Great Harlequin, Shadow Seers, Solitaires, and Death Jesters, who occupy very prestigious roles in the troupe. But as far as male and female Harlequins are concerned there is true equality, in fact all Eldar society works this way.

Great Harlequins take their title from the great Laughing God himself who is often referred to as the Great Harlequin. A Great Harlequin is the sole leader of a troupe and all decisions are finalised by him, though he will be advised by the Shadow Seer and Mimes first to decide on the best course of action. The Great Harlequin also presides over any initiation proceedings of a new Harlequin into his troupe, or a challenge to an existing member. He is a great warrior and the best dancer and musician in the troupe.

Shadow Seers are incredibly powerful psykers. They have the power to see into the future and often advise the Great Harlequin through the divinations of his rune stones. Their power of fortune is great indeed for they can see the doom of all their companions, even the Great Harlequin himself.

Solitaires are the most deadly of all Harlequins, even the Great Harlequins. They stand apart from the other Harlequins both on the battlefield and at other times, for their chosen role forbids them to associate with or even talk to other Eldar. During the Harlequin ritual recitations a Solitaire plays the part of Slaanesh, the Great Enemy, and to do so he must tread upon the most dangerous path of all, the Path of Damnation. When he dies his soul must be fought over by the Laughing God and Slannesh, an uneven match which is likely to be won by Slaanesh unless the Laughing God can somehow trick the Great Enemy out of his prize.

Death Jesters are very distinctive in a troupe. They wear the costumes of death. A Death Jester wears a mask of a skull, and the bones which decorate his costume are said to be made from the bones of the Harlequin group's previous Death Jester. In battle Death Jesters are heavily armed, unlike the other Harlequins, providing long range firepower.

HARLEQUIN WARRIOR RANKS

Although all types of Harlequins are called Harlequins this is just a general term. Their exquisite dancing displays and performances are made up of Choruses, Choreographers, Troubadours, and Mimes, not to mention the Great Harlequins, Solitaires, Shadow Seers, and Death Jesters. PCs, alas, will never be as important and as vital to the Eldar race as the last four types of Harlequin.

PC Harlequins will start out as a Chorus and, through experience, will eventually progress to a Choreographer, Troubadour, and then a Mime. A character cannot progress to another rank unless he has already completed the rank that he is on at present. The relative ranks are explained below.

Progressing to another Harlequin rank

Unlike most careers a Harlequin cannot progress through the ranks of the troupe 'just like that' when he has the experience points. A Harelquin who wishes to take up another role in the troupe must prove to all within it, that he is able to, either through an exquisite dance routine or a display of musical genius. To achieve this of course the Harlequin must return to his troupe to put on his brilliant performance to show the rest of the Harlequins how it should be done. This could leave any PC Harlequin out of a campaign for a session or two as he journeys back to his troupe.

Once back at his troupe the character must put on his display. You can handle this as a combination of dice rolls involving Dexterity, Initiative, and Cool. However, it should be fairly straightforward for a Chorus to become a Choreographer as there are many of these in a troupe and there are plenty of places that can be filled. But if a PC Choreographer wishes to advance to a Troubadour then this is where the difficulties will start to surface. Usually there is only one Troubadour to a troupe of a hundred and this means that the candidate will either have to leave for another troupe or challenge the present Troubadour for his position.

Progressing to another rank costs the normal 100 experience points. However, should a challenge be failed (see below) the 100 experience points is wasted.

Challenges

A character who wishes to progress from Choreographer to Troubadour and then Mime might have to issue a challenge to whoever occupies one of those positions in the troupe, if not then advancement is immediate. Otherwise there must be challenge. The challenge corresponds with the position that a character wishes to take, i.e. a Choreographer that wishes to progress to Troubadour must outdo him in a musical contest, and a Troubadour that wishes to progress to a Mime must outperform him in some act of stealth or infiltration; usually there are always two Mimes to a troupe of a hundred as opposed to just one Troubadour to the same amount.

From Choreographer to Troubadour should involve both individuals rolling under their average of Dex and Int several times. The character who has achieved the most successes becomes the new Troubadour, or the present Troubadour retains his position.

From Troubadour to Mime should involve a short adventure of some kind where both are racing against each other to reach the same goal. For example, it could involve infiltrating an Imperial command centre and leaving their Harlequin insignia, or assassinating a troublesome Ork warlord or pirate.

A character who is successful can then expend the normal 100 experience points to advance to the next Harlequin rank. A character who is unsuccessful still expends the 100 experience points but fails to advance. Another challenge can only be issued once a year and a day has passed, which is nothing to an Eldar.

New Skill - Harlequin Acrobatics

Harlequins learn an altogether different type of acrobatics as opposed to the normal tumbling of acrobats. Harlequin Acrobatics allows a Harlequin to 'flip' out of hand-to-hand combat, whereas the standard Acrobatics skill does not permit its use in combat. In order for a Harlequin to 'flip' he must forgo an Attack to do so and must also pass an I test. If this test is passed then the Harlequin successfully somersaults out of combat and out of harm's way. The Harlequin's opponent may not strike back and does not receive a free hit; the Harlequin is simply too lithe and nimble for any attack to be attempted.

If the I test is failed then the 'flip' is not made and the Harlquin still loses an Attack. Additionally for the remainder of the round the Harlequin can only parry or dodge. He may not make any Attacks himself.

A successful flip means that the opponent cannot charge the Harlequin in the same round as he is left wondering as to where he has gone. A Harlequin cannot 'flip' into another combat and cannot attempt more than one flip in a combat round.

HARLEQUIN - CHORUS

These are young Harlequins eager for a greater role in the spectacular performances of the troupe. But it can, and often does, takes years for this to happen and so a Chorus will sometimes leave the troupe altogether. But a Chorus can only leave through direct permission given by the leader of the troupe, which is always the Great Harlequin. Sometimes this permission will not be permitted but should the young Chorus give a good reason as to why he should leave then even the Great Harlequin will grant him his or her wish. The Chorus becomes a wanderer, looking for inspiration, looking for ideas for the dance that will impress the rest of the troupe. The Chorus must then return to the troupe when he feels he is ready to become a Choreographer. Once a Chorus becomes a Choreographer he now has the right and the honour to wear the famous Harlequin Mask. A Chorus, instead of wearing the famous mask, paints his face in a variety of bright colours, often in incredibly intricate designs.

Advance Scheme - Chorus

Skills: Art; Dance; Dodge Blow; Harlequin Acrobatics; Juggle; Musicianship; Repair Jammed Weapon; Sing.

Trappings: Face paint; Costume and travelling clothes; Refractor Field; Laspistol; Sword.

Career Exits: Guardian; Harlequin - Choreographer.

HARLEQUIN - CHOREOGRAPHER

The Choreographer is a Harlequin that, together with the other Choreographers, performs the dances. They display incredible grace and balance in their performances. Choreographers are made up of only the best of the Choruses.

Choreographers are the mainstay of a Harlequin troupe. They are the shock troops of any attack where they are led into battle by the Troubadours or Mimes. Their lightning speed and athletic grace, together with the skills to use the Harlequin's Kiss, makes them deadly opponents.

Advance Scheme - Choreographer

Skills: Ambidextrous; Clown; Concealment Rural/Urban; Contortionist; Disarm; Dodge Shot; Specialist Weapon - Grenades, Harlequin's Kiss; Strike Mighty Blow.

Trappings: Costume; Harlequin Mask; Holo-suit; Refractor Field; Power sword or Power axe; Shuriken pistol.

Career Exits: Guardian; Harlequin - Troubadour.

HARLEQUIN - TROUBADOUR

The Troubadour is a Harlequin who has been granted the honour of leading the Choruses into musical harmony. The Troubadour is a musician of supreme genius and if he is good enough an entire performance will often be granted to him. However, it is often the case that a troupe will only have one or two Troubadours and if this is so those Choreographers who wish to become one must either wait for the present Troubadour to take on another role, or he leaves the troupe, or he dies. He could challenge the existing Troubadour and take over his role if he wins. Otherwise the prospective Troubadour must leave the troupe to seek another. Troupes that have more than one Troubadour (one to a hundred Harlequins in a typical troupe) will be sizeable indeed, but such large troupes will only come to be when a battle is imminent.

Advance Scheme - Troubadour

Skills: Alien Knowledge; Crack Shot; Custom Knowledge; Divining; Fast Draw; Musicianship *; Psychic Sense; Specialist Weapon - Heavy Weapons; Ventriloquism.

Trappings: Costume; Harlequin's Mask; Holo-suit; Refractor Field; Shuriken pistol; Power sword or Power axe.

Career Exits: Harlequin - Mime.

Note! Once a character becomes a Troubadour he becomes trapped on the Path of the Laughing God and may only progress further into Harlequin society.

HARLEQUIN - MIME

The Mimes play mystical and daemonic roles, using movement and gesture only. Even in everyday life, the Mimes speak little, communicating among themselves by lambruith, their system of hand-signals. They perform the greatest dances in the troupe and sometimes lead the Choreographers into a display of breathtaking perfection.

It is customary for Mimes to go in advance of a masque or troupe to announce their arrival. Frequently they simply appear on a Craftworld or elsewhere, without anyone knowing when or how they arrived. This skill is also used in warfare - the oft-repeated stories of enemy commanders suddenly and unaccountably finding a Harlequin 'calling card' in their command centres are typical examples of the tactics Mimes use to undermine enemy morale. Infiltration and assassination are their speciality.

Advance Scheme - Mime

Skills: Access Data; Code Breaking; Deflect Shot; Disguise; Follow Trail; Lip Reading; Machine Code; Mime; Mimic; Orientation; Pick Lock; Prepare Poisons; Scale Sheer Surface; Set Trap; Shadowing; Silent Move Rural/Urban; Spot Traps.

Trappings: Costume; Harlequin's Mask; Holo-suit; Conversion Field; Shuriken pistol; Power sword.

Career Exits: none (this should be as far as a PC is allowed). Mimes, like Troubadours, will forever tread the Path of the Laughing God. They cannot tread another Eldar Path.

HARLEQUIN WARGEAR

HARLEQUIN'S KISS Monofilament Injector

The Harlequin's Kiss consists of a slim tube, generally strapped to the back of the forearm, which fires a long stream of monofilament wire. After a successful hand-to-hand combat hit against an opponent, the wire streams out of the 'kiss' and into the victim's body, where it twists and coils inside it reducing organs to soup.

To use a Harlequin's Kiss roll to hit as normal and roll for armour penetration. Any damage is rolled on Damage Chart 6. However, should the opponent be killed the Harlequin must pass an I test in order to free himself from his victim. This can be attempted per round if successive I tests are failed, otherwise the Harlequin will have to leave the 'kiss' inside his victim. The Harlequin's Kiss has now effect on creatures of the warp or creatures that are not truly alive.

HARLEQUIN MASK Agaith

The Harlequin Masks are worn by all in a troupe apart from the Choruses who have yet to earn the honour. The masks vary in appearance from Harlequin to Harlequin but all share common technological functions, which are: Respirators (all Harlequin Masks have built-in respirators), Auto-Senses, and Infra-vision. The masks of the higher Harlequin classes, Death Jesters, Great Harlequins etc., are fitted with a programming project which displays the death-throes of all the Harlequin's last kills. This has the effect of causing fear in all hand-to-hand combat opponents.

HOLO-SUIT Dadthedi

The holo-suit is a visual disruption field, jigsaw field or domino shield, a form of programmable hologram field, used extensively by Harlequins both for themselves and their vehicles. When its wearer is in motion, the field breaks up the outline of the figure, using an enhanced form of disruptive camouflage. To the observer, the Harlequin appears to explode into a cloud of tiny, multicoloured fragments every time he moves, and when he remains stationary the fragments coalesce into a solid figure, like the pieces of a jigsaw. The greater the speed of movement, the greater the disruption of the image, and the wider dispersion of the cloud-fragments. The suit also has a cameleoline emulation program; which is activated whenever the Harlequin is stationary: the total effect is of a blurring cloud of colour, fading to nothing when it stops.

All shots fired at someone wearing a holo-suit receives a penalty of -10 to hit. Additionally, in hand-to-hand combat all opponents must pass a WP test or become transfixed: the Harlequin then gains a +10 bonus to hit while the opponents suffer a penalty of -10 to hit.

HARLEQUIN DANCES OF THE ELDAR GODS

The only Eldar gods to survive the Fall are Asuryan and the Laughing God, the Great Harlequin. The Harlequins have dances that respect all the Eldar gods and goddesses, and these are just some of them. They take the form of dances and rituals that ape the Eldar god/goddess personality.

Learning a Dance of an Eldar God

Only Harlequins are permitted to learn a dance of an Eldar god.

To learn a dance a Harlequin must be tutored by another Harlequin who knows the dance to be learnt. Then the pupil (the character learning the dance) must spend at least 2 hours per day learning from the tutor for 3D6 weeks. After this time the pupil must then pass an Int test. If successful then the dance is learnt. If not then the 100 experience is wasted. Each dance costs 100 experience points.

Also, some dances can only be learnt by a certain cast of Harlequin, e.g. only a Choreographer or Troubadour or Mime can learn the Dance of the Laughing God. The castes, if any, that each dance can be learnt by accompanies the title of each dance.

Performing a Dance

To perform any dance the Harlequin must first an Int test. If successful the dance may be performed. If the test is failed then the Harlequin may try again next round. To perform a dance the Harlequin must not be distracted in any way, attacked, wounded etc., or the dance cannot be performed. Typically, unless stated otherwise, a dance will take 2 turns to complete, after which its benefits will bear fruit.

A character cannot combine the following dances. You cannot combine the Dance of Eldanesh with the Dance of Khaine for example, it's either one or the other.

Dancing too much

Even though a Harlequin is an Eldar, is incredibly fit and agile, he cannot keep on dancing indefinitely. He cannot perform a variety of dances non-stop because a dance is seen as a performance for the god/goddess in question. It would be touching upon an insult for a Harlequin to perform dance after dance; he would also be completely exhausted.

Some dances have their own penalties imposed upon the Harlequin for taking his talents for granted. The others will just require the GM's wise judgement. For example, if you find that your Harlequin character continues to perform the Dance of Asuryan, instead of him, and even his comrades, gaining the benefit you could impose penalties such as the exact opposite of what it is supposed to grant or you could be even more harsh and say that all fear and terror tests are failed automatically.

The Dance of Asuryan

Asuryan is the greatest of all Eldar gods and this dance brings resoluteness to the Harlequin in the face of the enemy. This is not so much a dance as a chant. The chant is known by all Eldar but only the Harlequins can bring its power to the fore by performing the ritual.

The Dance of Asuryan takes a full 3 minutes (3 turns) to be effective and the Harlequin performing it may not be distracted in any way, attacked, wounded etc. At the end of this period all Eldar within hearing distance are inspired and receive a +10 bonus to all fear and terror tests for 30 minutes. Harlequins hearing it, including the chanter, receive a +20 bonus to all fear and terror tests.

The Dance of Eldanesh - Troubadours and Mimes only

Eldanesh was probably the greatest warrior-god in the Eldar pantheon with great strength, and he fought Khaine but was eventually destroyed. This dance arouses the Harlequin's strength as part of Eldanesh's strength passes into him. The Harlequin who performs this dance gains an extra D6 points of Strength for as many rounds as his Toughness characteristic.

At the end of the dance the Harlequin loses 1 Wound due to the strains the dance has put his body under.

The Dance of Kaela Mensha Khaine - Troubadours and Mimes only

Kaela Mensh Khaine or the 'Bloody Handed God' is the war god of the Eldar and represents the dark side of the Eldar race. This dance sends the Harlequin into a rage of bloody fury. For a short time the Harlequin becomes a deadly combat killing machine.

As soon as the dance ritual has been performed, the Harlequin can increase his number of Attacks by expending some of his Wounds. One Wound is equal to 1 Attack and a Harlequin may expend up to 4 Wounds for 4 extra Attacks. A Harlequin cannot spend more than 4 Wounds. This lasts for one round.

The Dance of Kurnous

Kurnous is the Eldar Hunter of the Gods. After performing the dance the Harlequin becomes swift in movement and can run as fast as a deer. The Harlequin's Movement characteristic is doubled for a duration equal to the character's Toughness in rounds. At the end of this time the Harlequin's Movement returns to normal.

The Dance of Isha

Isha is the Eldar Goddess of Mercy. This dance is actually performed in front of the enemy, it is a series of hypnotic arm gestures and calming words. All those who look upon the Harlequin must pass a Will Power test or suffer a -10 penalty to WS and BS for the duration of a combat or a contact (a firefight) or until the Harlequin is wounded.

Warp creatures and agents of the Ordo Malleus are unaffected by this dance.

The Dance of the Laughing God - Choreographers and above only

The Laughing God, also known as the Great Harlequin, is a master of trickery as well as dance. In hand-to-hand combat the Harlquin actually fights as if he is dancing. He is able to do a series of feints, twists and turns and noises that really put the opponent off. Any opponent in hand-to-hand combat with the Harlequin must pass a WP test or receive a penalty of -10 to hit as the Harlequin twists and turns. Additionally, the Harlequin will gain +10 to hit but only if any opponents failed their WP test. The Harlequin may try this dance at any time in combat.

The Dance of Lileath - Choreographers and above only

Lileath is the Goddess of Fortune and Dreams. This is not a dance but a ritual that the Harlequin performs to gain a glimpse of the future. The Harlequin needs a set of items for this, like some burning incense, a fire, hallucinogenic drugs etc., he cannot do this without any one of those things.

During the ritual the Harlequin sees vague events of the future, but they are just vague, only a Farseer or Shadow Seer can see clear pictures of the future. Nevertheless, the Harlequin gains some insight to re-roll any one failed test once during then next 24 hours. He may also attempt to see the future for one of his comrades who will also benefit from the re-roll. However, only one character may benefit from the re-roll in any one 'sitting'; the Harlequin, or a friend.

If the Dance of Lileath is being abused then Lileath herself intervenes to punish the character for misusing his or her powers. This has the effect of the character automatically failing any one test in the next 48 hours.