New Eldar Codex = New Eldar Questions

[Vdor103]

Figured to start a thread to consolidate the upcoming round of questions for Codex: Eldar!

Question: When building a "Warlock Council" (doesn't sound the same as Seer Council), could I list build 4 warlocks in a unit where two are equiped with Jetbikes and two without. Then after rolling for psyker powers, can I decide which two warlocks would break off to support a unit AND also decide who keeps a jetbike, and who doesn't.

Essentially, can I optimize both Psychic support for both Jetbike council and 2 other units AND optimize the mobility of the Jetbike council WITHOUT paying extra points when I know I'll have at least two warlocks on foot.

Hope that makes sense.

[Moros]

No you can't, cause you attach the warlocks to the squads before you roll for warlord trait... and by the rules on page 148 warlord traits happen before psy powers are selected. Therefore, you will break the warlocks off, choose warlord trait, then choose psy powers.

They will be random selection no matter how you slice it I'm afraid.

[Tyrendian]

next question comes from me: A Striking Scorpion Exarch can get Crushing Blow (or however it's exactly called in English...), which reads "The model gets +1 Strength". To me, that reads like it would boost his strength when using a Scorpion Claw to 8, since it speaks about his own characteristic, not hits he inflicts or something (like Furious Charge does, I believe? Which obviously would just make it S7...). Am I imagining a difference in wording here?

[Nabterayl]

You are, yes. Remember that everything modifies the model's own Strength - even Melee weapons like power fists. Although we sometimes speak of Melee weapons as having a Strength, the way Shooting attacks do, the truth is that they don't - as page 24 says, we reference "the attacker's Strength characteristic," not the weapon's (cf. page 14, "compare the weapon's Strength characteristic"). Melee weapons have no Strength at all, merely abilities that modify the user's Strength. Hence, the Scorpion's Claw doubles the exarch's Strength, and Crushing Blow (or whatever) increases the exarch's Strength +1. 3+1x2, in 40K math, is 7.

[Archon Charybdis]

Hence, the Scorpion's Claw doubles the exarch's Strength, and Crushing Blow (or whatever) increases the exarch's Strength +1. 3+1x2, in 40K math, is 7.

Actually the way you've written it there would be S5. And it's not 40K math, it's normal order of operations with the "fixed values" added at the end.

[Nabterayl]

That's the result by normal order of operations, yes. What I meant to express is that when you have a characteristic of 3, a modifier of +1, and modifier of x2, the rules require you to formulate the equation as 3x2+1. You cannot choose to formulate it as 3+1x2, or (3+1)x2. But I think all three of us are clear.

[rkoloeg]

That's the result by normal order of operations, yes. What I meant to express is that when you have a characteristic of 3, a modifier of +1, and modifier of x2, the rules require you to formulate the equation as 3x2+1. You cannot choose to formulate it as 3+1x2, or (3+1)x2. But I think all three of us are clear.

I have to admit that I was ready to disagree with you at first, because people on other forums have been waxing enthusiastic about the new "S8 Scorpion Exarch". So I pulled out my rulebook and sure enough, you are right. Page 2, paragraph 4, "Multiple Modifiers". Might want to keep that handy for anyone else who wants to argue about it. For what it's worth, what I had in mind as a starting point for disagreement is the thing about bike toughness being set at 5 rather than 4(5), but it turns out not to be relevant.

[PaD]

No you can't, cause you attach the warlocks to the squads before you roll for warlord trait... and by the rules on page 148 warlord traits happen before psy powers are selected. Therefore, you will break the warlocks off, choose warlord trait, then choose psy powers.

They will be random selection no matter how you slice it I'm afraid.

Really? Sorry if I am being dumb (or if this has come up before and I missed it) but I can't find where it says that psy powers are determined after Warlord traits. All I can see is that both psy powers (pg 418) and Warlord Traits(pg 121) have to be determined before deployment.

Surely, as long as you generate psy powers, then generate Warlord Traits and then split the Warlock Council up, all before deployment you would be OK. You would know what powers each Warlock has when they go to join their other units.

You would still have to generate an individuals psy powers after their have been given a jet bike though (which you would do at the time of writing the list) which is really dumb!

[Nabterayl]

I also don't see where rolling for warlord traits is specified to occur prior to rolling for psychic powers. The latter happens "before either player deploys their army" (page 418), and the former "before you deploy your army" (page 111). Are we missing something that puts those two in sequence with each other?

[DarkLink]

Also, Warlocks are distributed after​ Warlord Traits, not before.