Hey everyone! With the shipping snafu on the west coast of North America finally resolved, I was able to get my hands on the new Harlequin codex and Datacards. After reading through it a few times, my first impressions are fairly positive overall, though there are a few things that I think that they maybe could have done better, to make them more viable as a stand alone codex, rather than as a supplement book for Eldar and/or Dark Eldar.
What I am going to be doing here is a 3 part series on the new Harlequins. Part 1, which you are reading right now, will be all about the units themselves, and their abilities. I will be giving my opinion on each of them, and maybe some basic ideas for list building and tactics using them, but will not be going too far in depth. Part 2 will focus on the Enigmas of the Black Library, Phantasmancy Psychic Discipline, Warlord Traits, and Formations, and finally, Part 3 will look at some more in depth tactics, list ideas, and ways to use the followers of the Laughing God. So, without further ado, let's begin.
Harlequin Troupe
In battle, Harlequin Troupes move fast and hit hard, relying on speed and skill to annihilate the enemy before they even have time to raise their guns. Preferring to evade harm than endure it, every Player is equipped with a holo-suit that fragments their outline into a storm of coloured shards, confounding the foe's aim. Once in combat, the Harlequins are in their element, performing a lethal dance of death while their masks shimmer with the foe's worst fears. The Players cut their panicked victims to pieces using an array of horrific, yet strangely beautiful weapons, every pinpoint blade thrust and whipcord kick an act of worship to the Laughing God.
The first unit I'll start with is the Harlequin Troupe. This is the Codex's only troop choice, though honestly, it doesn't really matter, since there is no HQ choice in this book, and therefore, you can't take them as a combined arms detachment anyways. As Harlequins have always been, these guys and gals can really pack a punch, but are hindered by their fragility and high points cost.at 15 points a model, your basic Harlequin is fairly pricey, especially considering that it's a toughness 3 model. However, there is more to it than all that. First of all, the rest of their stat line is very respectable, with high WS, Attacks, and Ld, and an amazing Initiative of 6! They have only 3 Strength, but what do you expect from Eldar?
In addition to this stat line, they also have 4 special rules, 3 of which are some of the better ones in the game, and the last which is really, all but useless. Fleet will allow them to make their charges very reliably, and their run moves will be much more reliable. Furious Charge is amazing for them, because it boosts their measly Strength on the charge, allowing them to put out a ton of decently strong attacks (at initiative 6, remember!). Hit & Run is also great, as it means that your troop will never be stuck in a combat for long, so there's no worry about your opponent trying to tarpit you. Lastly, there's Fear. Fear is a rule that Games Workshop seems to think is great that almost never does anything. If the enemy fails a Leadership test while in melee with you, then they fight at WS 1, which sounds great, until you realize that virtually anything that you would really need to be at WS 1 is either immune to fear (via Fearless, or And They Shall Know no Fear) or have such a high Ld that it'll pretty much never happen. A tiny boost, but really nothing to write home about.
Finally, they have access to some excellent wargear. Each Harlequin comes stock with a Holo-suit, which confers a 5+ invulnerable save, a Flip Belt, which allows you to completely ignore difficult terrain, and makes characters pass Look out Sir! rolls on a 2+, a Shuriken Pistol, Close Combat Weapon and Plasma Grenades. Now even base that's not bad, but there is really no reason not to give them some upgrades.
First, you have the option for any model to replace their pistol with either a Neuro Disruptor, or a Fusion Pistol. The first is a 12" S1 AP 2 Fleshbane pistol, and the second is a 6" S8 AP1 Melta Pistol. Honestly, I'm not sure I would take either. Your Troupes are a melee unit first and foremost, and if you save the points to instead take the melee upgrades, causing a few casualties before you charge likely won't really matter anyways. Still, neither option is necessarily bad, under the right circumstances.
Next, any Harlequin may swap its Close Combat Weapon for a Harlequin's Embrace, Harlequin's Kiss, or a Harlequin's Caress. The Embrace grants the Harlequin with d3 S6 Hammer of Wrath attacks, the Kiss turns one of your attacks to a S6 AP2 attack that causes Instant Death on a to wound roll of 6, and the Caress makes it so any to hit roll of a 6 wounds automatically at AP2, or causes an automatic glancing hit against a vehicle. Wow. Seriously, all of these options are amazing. My least favorite is the Embrace, since you only get Hammer of Wrath if you get into base contact, which means that only a few will usually get it, whereas the other options are pretty much all the time. Still, I think its very much worth playing around with and seeing how each upgrade works out, and remember, you can always mix and match.
Now for the Troupe Master. This is the "sergeant" of the unit. He is basically a Harlequin on cocaine with increased everything except Strength and Toughness. He can replace his CCW with a Power Sword, but really, any of the other options will probably be better, so I wouldn't bother. He can also take Haywire Grenades, which I would do every time, as it basically gives the unit the chance to do a bit of damage to a vehicle before assaulting it, and if you're really lucky, you may be able to wreck a hurt transport with it and then charge the poor shmucks inside. Lastly, he can take an item from the Enigmas of the Black Library list, which we'll get into a little later.
The unit starts as a 5 clown squad, but you can add up to 7 more, for a maximum of 12. You can also take a Starweaver as a Dedicated Transport, which is really worth it if you want to run a small squad, and maybe worth it if you just want one for a bit of fire support for a larger one.
Overall, I think that the Troupe is a very strong unit, if used properly, but they are very fragile, so you will need to make sure you send them in when the time is right.
Death Jester
The Death Jester advances upon the foe with a measured, menacing gait. There is no mercy in his heart, for he embraces the role of Death in its entirety. His grotesque skull helm leers with sick amusement, its blank stare bearing a promise of the carnage to come. In his hands he effortlessly carries an outsize shuriken cannon, and as the foe comes into range, the weapon is swept down and primed. Greatcoat billowing, bells jingling with obscene cheer, the Death Jester lets fly, the hissing report of his weapon couunterpointed by the screams of his dying foes. Each round is impregnated with virulent biotoxins that cause the victim's metabolism to detonate spectacularly. The slightest wound promises a swift and horrific death, transforming the victim into a living bomb of jagged bone and boiling gore. Through it all the Death Jester looks on with avid amusement, keenly watching for any way in which to make his victims' deaths more darkly comedic. It is a credit to his twisted ingenuity that he will normally succeed.
Oh boy, am I excited about this one. The Death Jester is an Elite choice for the Harlequins and is primarily a ranged specialist. At first, I was a little confused about his role in the codex, as attaching him to a Troupe would mean that either the Troupe wouldnt be able to run, or he wouldn't be able to shoot. All became clear though when I read his Death is Not Enough special rule.
Before I get into that though, lets cover the basics. The Death Jester has the same stat line as a Troupe Master, with 1 less WS, which means that his basic stat line is pretty beefy in and of itself. Certainly, he's not useless in close combat. He also has the same special rules as a regular Harlequin, with a couple more. Independant Character, which allows him to join or leave units in the movement phase, and Precision Shots, which allows him to allocate his shooting attacks to whoever he wants in a unit if he rolls a 6 to hit. Not bad. He also has a Holo-Suit, Flip Belt, and Shrieker Cannon.
The Shrieker Cannon is an excellent weapon. It has 24" range, and 2 firing modes: Shrieker, and Shuriken. Shuriken mode fires it as a Shuriken Cannon that is assault 3, instead of Heavy 3, while Shrieker is a little different. Shrieker mode fires on S1 AP5 shot with the Bladestorm, Poisoned (2+), Pinning and Bio-explosive rules. Bio-explosive means that if a model is killed by the shot, you place a small blast marker over it and anyone underneath takes a S5 AP4 hit that ignores cover, as the toxins in the ammunition cause the target to literally explode into bone-shrapnel. Ouch. He can also take Haywire Grenades, and an Enigma of the Black Library.
Now for the awesome part. Death Is Not Enough is a special rule that the Death Jester has that makes it so that if a unit suffers one or more casualties from the Shrieker Cannon during the shooting phase immediately take a Morale check at -2 Ld. If that's not awesome enough it gets better. If the unit fails this test, it immediately flees in a direction chosen by the Death Jester's controlling player. This is HUGE! This means that if you fire at a unit on a flank, you can make them run right off the board instead of falling back all the way to their board edge. It also means that you can fire into a unit and have them flee towards your Troupes and then assault them. Even Ld 10 units have to make the test at Ld 8, which gives a decent chance for failure. The only units that this won't affect will be fearless units, as they always pass Morale tests.
Shadowseer
Illusion, misdirection and terror whirl about the Shadowseer like a psychic tempest. With a subtle twist of the mind, these warrior mystics can erase the memory of the Harlequins from their enemies' thoughts, clouding their perceptions with confusion or horror. It is child's play for Shadowseers to bind their victims within the twists of their own minds, engaging them in one-sided psychic duels, or tricking their bodies into stopping hearts and chocking off breath. Wherever the Shadowseer treads the battlefield, shards of illusory light and shadow blind the foe, while clouds of hallucinogenic gas send them into paroxysms of terror or bewildered joy. Discipline collapses, replaced by a bedlam of screams, gibbering and panicked, aimless gunfire. Warriors stagger drunkenly, slashing their blades at phantom foes. Through it all strides the Shadowseer - an island of sinister calm amid a raging ocean of madness, robes swirling as their faceless mask reflects naught but the emptiness of the void.
The Shadowseer is another amazing Elites unit for the Harlequins. This is your psyker, and boy is she capable of really ruining your opponants day with her psychic powers. This will probably be a short entry, as I will be going into the Psychic Powers in the next part.
So first, we have a Troupe Master again, only this one has 1 less BS. All the same rules and everything except you get Independant Character and Psyker (Mastery Level 1). You also have the standard Harlequin gear, but you lose your Plasma Grenades for a Hallucinogen grenade launcher, and lose the CCW for a Miststave.
The Hallucinogen grenade launcher is a really interesting piece of wargear. It has 18" range and is S1 AP -, meaning it won't really be hurting anything. Thing is, it's a blast weapon, with the Hallucinogenic rule, which means that at the end of the Shooting Phase, if an enemy unit was hit by the blast, they have to make a pinning test. if the test is failed, they take wound with no armour or cover saves allowed. This is pretty good, because if a unit is pinned, they can't fire overwatch, which means that now your Harlequins can charge without fear of being gunned down in the process. Nice! The Miststave is ok. Its a melee weapon that gives you +2S, with the Concussive and Fleshbane rules. It will be doing lots of wounds, but everything will be getting saves against it, so its not amazing. Still, better than nothing.
Now, as for your options. As a psyker you can choose your powers either from Daemonology (Sanctic), Telepathy, or the new Harlequin discipline, Phantasmancy. Really, I would choose either Phantasmancy or Telepathy, as the defensive powers in there will be hugely helpful to Harlequins. You also have the option to upgrade to be a Level 2 psyker. I would always do this. You can also take a Neuro Disruptor, Haywire Grenades, and an Enigma. Shadowseers will likely be a staple in most Harlequin units.
Solitaire
The first the foe knows of the Solitaire's onset is a shimmering blur of light and colour streaking through their ranks. Then the killing begins. Soldiers fall, eyes widening as heads are severed, throats opened and hearts pierced. Blood falls like monsoon rain in the wake of a killer too fast to be seen. Only when he pauses for a moment amid the slaughter do his victims get a glimpse of their executioner - a domino field swirling around his lithe form, his grotesquely masked head tilted at a curious angle as he regards those he hunts. This is the Solitaire, and as he leaps into motion once more, his victims' deaths are but seconds away. None, even amongst the Harlequins, know the limits of the Solitaire's abilities. Tales exist of these supernatural killers running up sheer fortress walls, spilling from the shadows inside locked bunkers, even slowing time itself. How much is hyperbole and how much the truth, few can say for certain. To those who stand in the Solitaire's path it matters little, for their deaths are assured either way.
Oh yes. The Solitaire is finally back! These guys have been hanging around in the fluff for 2 codexes now, and are finally making a reappearance! Like the Shadowseer and Death Jester, this is an Elite choice, and boy what a choice! WS and BS 9. Initiative 10. 6 Attacks. You also get half the special rules in the rule book, so let's start with the wargear. It'll be faster. You get your Holo-Suit, Flip Belt, a Harlequin's Kiss, and a Harlequin's Caress. That's it. We're done the wargear list.
No onto rules. You get: Deep Strike, Eternal Warrior (immune to instant death), Fear, Fearless, Fleet, Furious Charge, Hit and Run, and Precision Strikes. You might think I'd be done, but come on! These are Harlequins! There's ALWAYS more to it. You also get Impossible Form (a 3+ invuln), Prismatic Blur (move 12" in the movement phase), The Path of Damnation (if he's your Warlord, no Warlord trait for you), and Blitz. Once per game, Blitz allows you to roll a number of d6 equal to the turn number and move that many inches instead of moving normally. When you move this way, you ignore all terrain in the way, including impassible, and you can move over all models, including enemy ones. You can't however end your move in impassable terrain or within 1" of an enemy model. In addition, on a turn you Blitz, if you assault, you increase your Attacks Characteristic to 10 (That'll be 12 attacks on the charge for the kids counting at home). This guy is a one-Eldar wrecking ball who just doesn't give a shit.
If you want to make him MORE badass, you can also take Haywire Grenades, and an Enigma.
Starweaver
Starweavers streak across the battlefield as a storm of shattered light, relying upon a mixture of velocity and misdirection to confound the enemy's aim. Echoing the sky chariots of the ancient Eldar, these swift attack vehicles have a transport platform at their rear capable of bearing a Troupe of Harlequins into battle. Such is the skill of the Harlequins that they can leap over the sides of the Starweaver directly into battle, or vault back onto its platform in a heartbeat should they be needed elsewhere. Even once their passengers have joined the melee, Starweavers remain potent attack craft, spinning and jinking as they pour a stream of firepower into the bewildered foe.
This next one was sort of a let down for me. The Starweaver is you're Dedicated Transport for the army, and also a Fast Attack choice. 70 points gets you a 2 HP AV 10/10/10 Open Topped Fast Skimmer with BS 4, a 5+ invulnerable save, and the ability to get a 4+ cover save once a game. It also comes with 2 Shuriken Cannons stock, and for some reason, the Fear special rule. Weird. No, at this point, its actually pretty decent. A little bit tougher than a Dark Eldar Venom, with guns that can threaten up to medium tanks.
Here's where I think it falls flat. Its transport capacity is only 6. A Troupe can have up to 12 models, and the only transport in the codex can only carry a half squad. Seriously? Why? If you decide to attach a Death Jester and a Shadowseer to a minimum Harlequin Troupe, you have just exceeded the transport capacity of your dedicated transport. I think that it's completely ridiculous. If there was another transport in the codex, it really wouldn't be such a big deal, since you would have options for either a small squad or a large squad, but because of this, a big squad now has to hoof it.
These problems aside, I do think that it does have some potential, especially due to one of the Formations in the codex. While its not super tough, it will most likely get a squad up to where it needs to be before it gets gunned down, and it can dish some pretty good firepower.
Skyweavers
Heavily armed and incredibly fast, squads of Skyweavers outmaneuver their foes before cutting them to pieces with concentrated firepower. Their rippling streams of shuriken fire and crackling bolts of electromagnetic energy slaughter foot troops and reduce enemy tanks to sparking wrecks with equal ease. When they deign to close with the foe, Skyweavers are equally lethal, their players hurling star bolas or lashing out with zephyrglaives. The enemy can do little in return, for the jetbikes move faster than the eye can follow. Furthermore, they are wreathed in holographic fields and psychodisruptive mirages that confound sensors and tug at the sanity of those who dare to fight back.
Skyweaver jetbikes are the main Fast attack choice for Codex:Harlequins, and while they're relatively pricey, I think that they will be quite effective. Once again, we have a Harlequin stat line, but with one extra toughness (thanks to the jetbike) and an extra wound, as there are technically two Harlequins on the model. They also have all the same special rules as a regular Harlequin. Equipment wise, they have a Holo-suit, Mirage Launchers, and a Skyweaver jetbike, which makes them an Eldar Jetbike, and comes stock with a Shuriken Cannon.
They also come stock with Star Bolas, which are a 1 use ranged weapon with 12" range, S6 AP 2 that is a blast. Not bad, but not great either. Instead, you can take a Zephyrglaive which is a S+1 AP 2 melee weapon the turn you charge, and becomes a Power Sword after that. You can also upgrade your Shuriken Cannon for a Haywire Cannon, which is a 24" range S4 AP4 Blast weapon with the Haywire rule. Definitely a worthwhile option, as if gives the army some much needed ranged anti-tank. You can also take up to 4 more jetbikes, for a grand total of 6.
Personally, I like the idea of big squads with Haywire Cannons and Zephyrglaives. While expensive, they're tough as far as Harlequins go, incredibly fast, and will mulch pretty much any unit in combat (S 5 AP 2 on the charge!), plus it'll give you a good amount of anti-tank. A solid choice.
Voidweaver
Sleek and sinister, Voidweavers swoop into battle with balletic grace. Boasting a veritable arsenal of heavy weaponry, these gunships leave flaming devastation in their wake. Their every salvo sees enemies punched off their feet in sprays of blood as storms of shuriken scream through the air. Armoured vehicles that catch the attention of the craft's gunner are vaporised in conflagrations of prismatic light, or suffer sudden catastrophic systems failure under a barrage of haywire energy. Even those enemies who avoid the violent fury of the Voidweaver's attack run are not safe, for its aft cannon lays down a withering hail of fire to butcher those left cowering in their wake.
The Voidweaver is the sole Heavy Support of this codex, and one of the most bizarre Heavy choices I've seen. it's pretty much a Starweaver with no transport capacity and a weird rear gun. It comes base with a turret-mounted Haywire Cannon an under slung Shuriken Cannon, and a rear facing Shuriken cannon that can be shot at a different target then the rest of the weapons, but can only target units in its rear arc. I'm not sure why they did this, and it will probably rarely come up.
You can trade out the Haywire Cannon for a Prismatic Cannon. The Prismatic Cannon s also an odd choice. It gets 3 firing modes: Dispersed, Focussed, and Lance. Dispersed mode fires a 24" Large Blast with S3 AP4, Focussed fires a 24" Small Blast at S5 AP3, and the Lance fires a 24" S7 AP2 Lance. It's really a baby Prism Cannon, and i would really probably keep the Haywire Cannon. The only fire mode that's great is the Focussed one, and while the Lance could be ok, It's really not that reliable against armour, especially considering the Haywire Cannon. You can also take them in squadrons of 3, which is nice. Overall they're ok, but I think that they're trying to do too much to be that great. Better off with some Heavy Support from the Eldar, or Dark Eldar Codexes if you ask me, which, I mean, you're here aren't you?
So that is the basic overview of the units in the Harlequin Codex. There's not many, but the majority of them are quite strong, with some very tricky rules. I think that used correctly, Harlequins will be pretty brutal to deal with, but on their own they will struggle a bit against Fearless units, and Flyers, as there really is no anti-air whatsoever in this codex. Stay tuned for Part 2, which I should have written up and posted next week. It will cover the Enigmas of the Black Library, Formations, Warlord Traits and Phantasmancy, so you really won't want to miss it!
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