THE PATH OF THE WARRIOR The Path of the Warrior calls to most Eldar at some time in their long lives. Both male and female Eldar may take this path. Unlike some of the other Eldar paths that of the Warrior is divided into many separate ways. Each of these is called a Warrior Aspect, and represents a different facet of the Eldar War God Kaela Mensha Khaine. Every Aspect differs in its methods of warfare, and many offer specialist skills designed for specific battlefield roles. Exactly what draws and Eldar onto the Path of the Warrior is uncertain. Perhaps it is the recognition of an innate destructive impulse which is only ritual training and combat can purge. There are many Warrior Aspects. Some are unique to specific Craftworlds, many are common to all, whilst others are practised on some Craftworlds but not others. Each Warrior Aspect on a Craftworld is represented by a shrine. Within these shrines the Aspect Warriors are trained in the lore of combat. Their minds and bodies are honed with endless exercise, both physical and spiritual, until they become suffused with the Aspect of Kaela Mensha Khaine that their shrine represents. The Aspect Warriors do not live in the shrines and when they put aside their ritual masks and uniforms they can walk at peace through their Craftworld. Only the keepers of the shrine live within them, the Exarchs. These are Aspect Warriors who have become so wholly one with their Aspect that they cannot leave the Path of the Warrior. Exarchs emerge from their shrines only in times of war or conclave, and are held in a mixture of fear and awe by other Eldar. BECOMING AN ASPECT WARRIOR Only the best Eldar warriors are accepted into the Warrior Aspect shrines as only the best can possibly undergo the rigorous training involved. This is represented as 'requirements' under each Aspect Warrior title. If a recruit does not have the required characteristics then he cannot train as an Aspect Warrior; he must improve before he can be considered. It takes a whole year and a day before the recruit can call himself an Aspect Warrior. In this year the recruit undergoes rigorous physical and mental training ending in a two month long ritual where the recruit is given his Aspect's wargear. Aspect Warrior Career Exits Once an Eldar becomes an Aspect Warrior he can, if he wants to, tread other Eldar Paths. Once he becomes a Veteran Aspect Warrior he may never tread another path (see below, Trapped on the Path of the Warrior). The full career exits for an Aspect Warrior are: Bonesinger, Guardian, Healer, Outcast, Warlock. Once an Aspect Warrior leaves his shrine he must give back his Aspect equipment. After all the character does not own the equipment. It is the property of the shrine and other new warriors need to use it. Only once a character becomes a veteran warrior is he allowed to keep his weapons. ELDAR WARRIOR ASPECTS DARK REAPER The Dark Reapers are the most sinister and the most lethal of the Warrior Aspects. They portray the War God as Destroyer and their skull-encrusted costume embodies death as the dark reaper of souls. The tactical role of the Dark Reapers is to provide heavy, long-ranged support. Dark Reapers usually take up positions in cover, often behind the main Eldar line of advance.
Skills Concealment Rural/Urban; Repair Jammed Weapon; Silent Move Rural/Urban; Specialist Weapons - Heavy Weapons, Shuriken Weapons. Skills - Veteran Crack Shot; Dodge Blow; Specialist Weapons - Fusion Weapons, Plasma Weapons; Street Fighting. Aspect Requirements: BS 55 or more. Associated Trappings: Aspect Armour; Missile Launcher with Range Finder; Laspistol. DIRE AVENGER The Dire Avengers represent the Aspect of the War God as a noble warrior - merciless to his foes and unstinting in his devotion to his people. They are the most tactically flexible of all Warrior Aspects. They are also the most common, and their shrines are the largest amongst all the Craftworlds. Their ritual weapon is the shuriken catapult. Of all weapons this one is most distinctively Eldar and it is a fitting armament for the Dire Avenger as the most archetypal Eldar warrior.
Skills Concealment Rural/Urban; Dodge Blow; Follow Trail; Repair Jammed Weapon; Silent Move Rural/Urban; Specialist Weapons - Shuriken; Street Fighting. Skills - Veteran Crack Shot; Disarm; Dodge Shot; Fast Draw; Specialist Weapon - Grenades. Aspect Requirements: BS or I of 55 or more. Associated Trappings: Aspect Armour; Shuriken catapult; Laspistol. FIRE DRAGON This Warrior Aspect is modelled upon the dragon of Eldar myth, the sinuous fire-breathing reptile which represents wanton destruction and devastation. The ideal role of the Fire Dragons is to attack fixed fortifications or other stationary forces, using their deadly weapons to root out well armoured troops or emplaced weapons.
Skills Concealment Rural/Urban; Repair Jammed Weapon; Silent Move Rural/Urban; Specialist Weapons - Fusion Weapon, Plasma Weapon. Skills - Veteran Crack Shot; Dodge Blow; Specialist Weapon - Heavy Weapons; Street Fighting. Aspect Requirements: BS 55, S or T 4 or more. Associated Trappings: Aspect Armour; Thermal Gun; Laspistol. HOWLING BANSHEE In Eldar legend the Banshee calls the dead spirit into the warp and its eerie howl is said to be a certain premonition of death. The Banshee's call has an even more sinister implication, for it is said to call spirits from their spirit stones and so to lure them into the arms of the Chaos gods. The Howling Banshees are fast and mobile, and their warrior training is in swiftness of foot and mobility.
Skills Acrobatics; Ambidextrous; Disarm; Dodge Blow; Dodge Shot; Specialist Weapons - Close Combat; Street Fighting; Strike Mighty Blow. Skills - Veteran Deflect Shot; Fast Draw; Repair Jammed Weapon; Specialist Weapon - Shuriken Weapon. Aspect Requirements: WS 50 or I of 65 or more. Associated Trappings: Aspect Armour; Power sword; Laspistol; Banshee Mask. STRIKING SCORPION Though small, the scorpion is deadly, and may sting and kill a creature many times its size. The Warrior Aspect of the Striking Scorpions epitomises the deadly attributes of its namesake, and they are one of the most potent of all close quarter fighting Aspect Warriors. The helmet of the Striking Scorpion incorporates a pair of weapon pods positioned and shaped much like the mandibles of a scorpion. The weapon is potentially deadly in hand-to-hand combat.
Skills Ambidextrous; Disarm; Dodge Blow; Dodge Shot; Specialist Weapons - Close Combat, Shuriken Weapon; Street Fighting; Strike Mighty Blow. Skills - Veteran Deflect Shot; Fast Draw; Repair Jammed Weapon. Aspect Requirements: WS 50 or S 5 or T 5. Associated Trappings: Aspect Armour; Mandiblasters; Chainsword; Shuriken pistol. SWOOPING HAWK The Swooping Hawks take their name from the wild hunting birds of the Eldar myths that they are portrayed as birds of vengeance and retribution. In ancient times the Eldar believed that the spirit of a murdered person would pass into a hawk, in which form it would seek out the murderer, hovering above his head as a mark of guilt for all to see. The Swooping Hawks are the most mobile of all Aspect Warriors as they have the ability to glide or even to fly high into the air.
Skills Concealment Rural/Urban; Disarm; Dodge Blow; Repair Jammed Weapon; Silent Move Rural/Urban; Specialist Weapon - Grenades; Street Fighting. Skills - Veteran Crack Shot; Dodge Shot; Fast Draw; Specialist Weapon - Shuriken Weapon. Aspect Requirements: BS or I of 55 or more. Associated Trappings: Aspect Armour; Swooping Hawk Wings; Grenade pack; Lasgun; Laspistol. WARP SPIDER The Warp Spiders take their name from the tiny creatures which may be seen within the Dome of Crystal Seers amongst the wraithbone trees. These minute sparking creatures can move anywhere within the Craftworld by means of the wraithbone core, melting their bodies into the infinity circuit and crystallising at a new location. The Warp Spider Aspect Warriors epitomise the doctrine of aggressive defense. Their costumes and weaponry reflect the tiny warp spiders after which they are named. By means of a compact warp-generator with their armoured shell, the warriors are able to make short warp-jumps, disappearing and reappearing some metres away.
Skills Disarm; Dodge Blow; Repair Jammed Weapon; Specialist Weapon - Close Combat, Heavy Weapon. Skills - Veteran Concealment Rural/Urban; Dodge Shot; Strike Mighty Blow. Requirements: WS 55 and Tek 60 or more. Associated Trappings: Aspect Armour; Warp-jump generator; Deathspinner. TRAPPED ON THE PATH OF THE WARRIOR An Eldar who is lost upon the Path of the Warrior is called an Exarch. Such a fate does not befall an Aspect Warrior quickly, but the repeated exhilaration of battle can act like a dangerous drug upon a warrior's psyche. Aspect Warriors learn how to control their warrior-selves, putting on and casting aside their warrior-self as they don or discard their ritual costumes. An Aspect Warrior who becomes an Exarch cannot dissociate himself. This has serious consequences because upon his death an Exarch's soul cannot be freed into the infinity circuit, for its only impulse is to wage war. When an Aspect Warrior becomes an Exarch he adopts an armoured suit from his shrine. Each shrine preserves the suits of its dead Exarchs, often the very suits worn by the shrine's founders. These suits are usually extremely elaborate and ancient. Once put on the suit is never removed and becomes a permanent part of the Eldar, its psycho-plastic form meshing with his tissues. If slain the warrior's costume will be found to be empty, the body having long since been consumed within the suit itself. Exarch suits are studded with the spirit stones of all the Eldar who have ever worn the suit.
ASPECT WARRIORS IN THE ADVENTURING ENVIRONMENT Aspect Warriors live to defend their Craftworlds from attack and to undergo the most dangerous missions that would be beyond Guardian troops. As a result of this is makes it very difficult for Aspect Warriors, let along individuals, to be involved in the affairs of adventurers. However, the battles that Aspect Warriors fight and the missions they undertake are not without their problems. And such problems might mean that an Aspect Warrior has no choice but to get help, no matter how reluctant he or she is. Here are some ideas to incorporate Aspect Warriors into your gaming sessions. The Allies Sometimes Eldar will ally themselves with Imperial forces if both their interests are served. Perhaps an Aspect Warrior could play the role of advisor to an Imperial unit or even vice-versa. After the Battle Not all battles are won by the hosts of the Craftworlds. A controlled retreat has gone seriously wrong as a Falcon transport craft, carrying a unit or two of Aspect Warriors, crashes after a malfunction or gets shot down by victorious forces, ideally the Imperium. Only one or two Aspect Warriors survive finding themselves alone on the planet. The Herald An Aspect Warrior, playing the part of a messenger or herald, has to deliver or receive delivery of an important message or item from somewhere in the galaxy. The Mission Similar to the above, a mission involving a unit of Aspect Warriors goes terribly wrong leaving any surviving Aspect Warriors to fend for themselves, be it on a hive world or death world. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||