The Gaming Den

Let's face it. Everyone seems to have some opinion on Elves. People who know about them from a gaming point of view either like them, or don't.

They're inescapable as Legola's arrows, or Drizz't's Scimitars. I'm not a really big Drizz't fan, since it's all about how Drizz't is awesome. I'm more of a Legolas fan, because it's more about... well, he's a hero, so he fights as well as the other heroes. He and Gimli, the Dwarf, keep neck to neck in terms of kills. One uses a bow, and the other an axe. I'll bet that I don't even have to say which one uses which weapon, that's how well known that fight now is.

A fictional fight, with fictional characters, that is familiar to people who might have neither read the books or watched the movies. They have learned about Dwarves and Elves from other sources, and those sources copied the Lord of the Rings. Tolkien's material has spawned all sorts of variations of the theme, and we all know that Elves live in forests, and Dwarves live in mountains. If they live anywhere else, they are identified as such. Sea Elves, and Hill Dwarves are pretty easy to figure out. Sun Elves, and Gold Dwarves.... not so much.

Ok, so, we all know that Squats got a raw deal because honestly, they sort of sucked. The minis blew, and the race wasn't popular, so sales were low. Really, it's only rabid fans of the stuff that you hear clamouring for Squats in the next 40k update.

I'll get to them later, I want to look at Eldar/Alfar instead.

Guardians (Assault Tier)

Aspect Warriors
* 3.1 Dark Reapers
* 3.2 Dire Avengers
* 3.3 Fire Dragons
* 3.4 Howling Banshees
* 3.5 Shining Spears
* 3.6 Striking Scorpions
* 3.7 Swooping Hawks
* 3.8 Warp Spiders

Exarchs

Phoenix Lords

Wraithguard

Wraithlords

Warlock/Witch Councils

Farseers

Not looked at: Harelequins, Eldar Pirates

Eldar Feats

Eldar Vehicles ( ._. )

Eldar Gear

---- that should be everything that need to be covered.

Also it's because dorfs are stupid and annoying. And I'm surprised your post didn't get cut off after you said the squ- word.

Anyway, I'm keeping out of this thread, as

A) I don't know enough about their units to help,

B) You're capable of handling it without me

and C) I think elfs and dorfs are annoying and applaud any game that just leaves them out, even in favour of including their own random things.

If you care, the space dwarves have been replaced with the Demiurg.

-Username17

I wouldn't put guardians in assault tier at all. I'm not even sure that regular aspect warriors should be in assault tier.

I don't know - they're about as good as Imperial Veterans, aren't they? Then the better ones would be on the same footing as Commissars and stuff. I certainly wouldn't put Spess Elfs (aside from Seers and possibly Harlequins) on Siege Tier, though some might be in the middle area of levels 6-10.

Sorry. For some reason I was thinking assault tier was the higher one. I'd put Guardians at the bottom, aspect warriors at the top of Assault, and Exarchs in the 6-10 zone.

Frank, yeah, I've seen that. Also... the Demiurg 'ships' look like the Highliners from Lynch's version of Dune.

Honestly though, Dverges can be sold. The trick is in the marketing.

Land trains are actaully mobile refineries.

Of Grains. They boil, ferment, process, and then seperate the mash from the golden stuff that remains.

Orks love to attack land trains b/c they can get drunk. Tyranids too. Heck, everyone that can get drunk knows what a Dvergean Landtrain means.

I "built" a landtrain at an anime con's "build a mecha" event. We had boxes of donated, and usually, broken toys, blocks of foam, and action figures or dolls. Me and a friend started to tape vehicle after vehicle front to back to each other, and strapped all sorts of guns and cannons to the tops and sides of each vehicle. Then shoved a mix of good guys and bad guys in there to man the thing.

It was kind of ugly, but with a good pitch people will come around, and think that it's at least funny.

The person who won the event built something that looked like a real toy, by putting a mix of things together to make some black plane-looking thing with a giant gatling in it's nose. Other people built well... crap. They put shit together that just looked like ass.

I also don't particularly like the cultures for either species/race. Does Alfar as Aryan/Dravian Indus Valley caste system work for most people? With elves having white/platinum skin and eyes like black agate work? Dverges get skin like grey ash, and opal-white eyes; they're also drunken norsemen/pirates.

The Space Elves do indeed have the Aryan caste system, that's why their craftworlds are named after Aryan calendar names like Samhain.

-Username17

Hmm, that's awesome.

It's not actually a pure Aryan system. They go through different castes during their life. Exarchs are locked in to the Path of War, and I think Farseers are locked into their path.

Well.... yeah.... I know that much about the difference between an Aspect Warrior, and an Exarch.

Classes for Assault Tier Gameplay:

Additionally, it is recommended the game start at level 2 or 3. At any rate, select your class. Note that the game goes up to level 6, and then you cannot advance further without the DM declaring that the magical world allows you to take levels in other classes (more on that later).

Alfar Race: I apologize creature, but I will have a cousin who your great-great-grand-daughter will endanger, and maybe kill. I hope you understand, I cannot allow my Kin to be endangered like that.

Appearance:
Alfar have white platinum skin, black agate eyes. They are slightly taller than most humans, however they also seem to be almost stick-like, making them seem frail.

Home Territory:
The Alfar live in a series of Wraith-worlds that each tries to celebrate one month of the Alfar calander. The other months are not observed, and only when the month that a specific Wraith-world celebrates comes to pass, do the Alfar of that Wraith-world finally celebrate in any manner. This situation is because of the events that resulted in the failure of the Wraith-worlds to be properly linked to each other. The original intent was for each Wraith-world to house the entire Alfar race for one month of the year via a cunning arrangement of layered and stacked pocket dimensions.

As a result, each Wraith-world seems completely desolate, designed to house a whole species, and instead having at most one tenth of the total Alfar population. This fact makes the Alfar feel the pain of their nearly annihilated race that much more sharply, as each and every Alfar lives in a living world that was designed to have ten times as many people. Instead of massive plazas filled with Alfar, the public spaces have small groups that gather at the same place. While the rest of the area is left unused.

Alfar Racial Modifiers
Medium Creature
Speed 40'
Low-Light vision
Damage Reduction equal to Hit Dice/Steel
+2 On all Spot, Listen, Search Checks; Alfar who pass within 5' of anything hidden or are automatically able to make a single Spot, or Search check as if they were actively searching

Guardian:
“All Alfar fight”

Hit Die: 1d6
Skill Points: 6+Int
Base Attack Bonus: Full
Good Saving Throws: Reflex and Will

Level	Benefits
1	Dilettante, Fleet of Foot
2	Grenadier, Hail of Shuriken
3	Wardance, Special Weapons training

Dilettante: Guardians had previous lives, sometimes that applies to their current life on the path of the Guardian. Pick one skill-based feat as a bonus feat.

Fleet of Foot: All Alfar warriors know how to leverage speed over accuracy. A Guardian can take two move actions in a round, and attack normally with their weapons, however, each square of movement past their land speed imposes a -1 penalty to hit.

Grenadier: Can throw Grenades as a swift action

Hail of Shuriken: Can shoot as if more than one person. Each Guardian adds their BaB to the ranged damage rolls of all allies within Close Range (25 + 5/character level). Yes, squads of Guardians are super shooty. Deal.

Wardance: An Alfar Guardian may make Perform (Dance) checks instead of having to make melee attack rolls.

Special Weapons Training: The Guardian may now use other weapons such as: Fusion Guns (Melta Gun); Reaper Missile Launcher (Heavy Bolter); Missile Launcher (Missle Launcher); and Laser pistol (Laspistol).

Starting Equipment: Mesh Armour (Flak armour with no max dex and no ACP or ASP); Shuriken Rifle, Wraithbone sword (adamantine longsword), Photon Grenades

Proficiencies: Light and Medium Armour, Simple and Martial Weapons, Rapid Fire.

Prestige Classes: Guardians can take levels in any aspect Warrior Prestige Class

Grenades:
Photon Grenades: 10' Radius, 30' range increment; Blinds an opponent if they can't make a DC 20 Ref save

Rapid Fire:
Shuriken Rifle: 100' Range; 3d6 Adamantine/Wood damage; Clip-50;

[Yeah, it's a bit bare, I need to play some more Dawn of War with Eldar to get some more ideas, I've been using everything except them for a while ever since I got this addon; Imps, Chaos, SM and Orks all got beefed up; Tau sort of did, but lost Kroot warriors (a big fucking deal imo, not having melee in the early game is brutal). I just really haven't seen how the Eldar were treated by this addon, so yeah.]

God fucking damn, Eldar are really not suited to my play style at all. Far too much micro management is needed for these guys. I'm going to tone down the difficulty down from Insane/Harder down to... Easy.

Ok, some more stuff:

Fire Dragons:
“We bring the flames of our ancestors”

Hit Die: 1d10
Skill Points: 6+Int
Base Attack Bonus: Full
Good Saving Throws: Fort and Will

Level	Benefits
1	Super-heated Barrels, Throw Melta Bomb
2	Fusion Gun Barrage, Point Blank Shot
3	Variable Settings, The Dragon's Maw

Super-heated Barrels: Fire Dragons may use their Fusion Guns as melee weapons, they deal damage equal to the damage they would deal if they shot their weapon at the target
Throw Melta Bomb: Fire Dragons can throw Melta Bombs with a range increment of 10'

Fusion Gun Barrage: As a full round action, a Fire Dragon may target 10 squares that are connected to each other. All creatures take damage as if they had been shot by the Fire Dragon's Fusion Gun, a reflex save of the Fire Dragon's attack modifiers + 10 is the DC of this saving throw.

Point Blank Shot: As the feat, may take a different [Combat] feat if the character already has it

Variable Settings: May treat the Fusion gun as if it is any other Dungeon Crusade firearm that can deal fire damage. If the firearm being mimiced deals damage aside from fire, the Fire Dragon's fusion gun does not deal it.

The Dragon's Max: As long as they have a working Fusion gun, the Fire Dragon may make a Breath Weapon attack as if they were a Red Dragon with a CR equal to their character level. This ability may only be used once every 5 rounds, and is represented by the Fire Dragon sweeping their Fusion gun back and forth while firing it.

Additional Equipment: Carapace Armour, Fusion Gun (Melta Gun), Melta Bombs

Prestige Classes: Fire Dragons can become Fire Dragon Exarchs

Thoughts?

"Blood and fire! Who truly deserves to live? They shall see their futures lain bare and terrible."

"We have but one recourse left... THE AVATAR OF KHAINE!"

"Behold, the fiery destroyer of worlds. I walk again, a god among the immortals.

So we meet upon the field of battle. By my bloody hand, the enemy shall not live past this day... Ah, more enemies to fight. More walking sacrifices to Khaine."

...Okay, I'm done. "Death and Fate" by Imperator Dominatus makes me want to like Eldar, even if I *DESPISE* playing as them.

This looks promising so far. Keep it up.

Yeah, that's what I realized. Once you give it enough good abilities, you like it.

Howling Banshees:
“Our blades shall form an impassable wall!”

Hit Die: 1d10
Skill Points: 6+Int
Base Attack Bonus: Full
Good Saving Throws: Fort and Will

Level	Benefits
1	Banshee Brashness, Banshee's Howl
2	Impassable Wall of Blades, Fear Incarnate
3	Blood-splattered, Banshee's Shrieking

Banshee Brashness: Ignore terrain penalties. Ignore damage from modified terrain, but not damage that is natural to a terrain or environment (caltrops and Spike Stones, but not Lava or fire).

Banshee Howl: Cast Fear as a swift action, no HD cap, CL = Character level. DC 10 + 1/2 Char lvl + Cha Mod.

Impassable Wall of Blades: Add Melee attack bonuses that are not BaB to Sheild bonus to AC.

Fear Incarnate: Intimidate is not an action, and can be done once per round; Intimidate can be done within Close range, not just melee range.

Blood-splattered: Every time that the Banshee attacks with a melee weapon, and hits, they gain a +2 bonus to their Intimidate checks, and +1 to the DC of any [Fear] effects that they have. This lasts for one minute. This ability stacks, up to once per character level, and new attack does not reset the timer.

Banshee Shrieking: Cast Wail of the Banshee at will, Caster level = Character level. DC is 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha mod.

Additional Equipment: Carapace Armour, Power Sword, Shuriken Pistol

Prestige Classes: Howling Banshees can become Howling Banshees Exarchs

Dark Reapers:
“All who love life, fear the reaper.”

Hit Die: 1d6
Skill Points: 4+Int
Base Attack Bonus: Full
Good Saving Throws: Ref and Will

Level	Benefits
1	Bulging Biceps, Herald of Death, Reap from Afar
2	Blood-soaked Cannon, We bring Heavy Weapons to crush the enemy
3	Advancing Artillery, Unsilencable Cannons

Bulging Biceps: As per the Dungeon Crusade ability

Reap from Afar: Gain proficiency with Reaper Autocannons, as well as other heavy weapons.

Herald of Death: Anyone hit by a Dark Reaper's ranged attacks becomes the centre of a 10' Radius [Fear] effect; DC is 10 + 1/2 Character level + Cha mod.

Blood-Soaked Cannon: Gain the Point Blank Shot [Combat] feat, or an other [Combat] feat if already selected.

We bring Heavy Weapons to crush the enemy:When firing a heavy weapon, if the Dark Reaper did not move the previous round, they may treat their fire-arm as if it was twin-linked (all misses may be re-rolled once). If the weapon already is twin-linked, they instead gain 50% more attacks.

Advancing Artillery: Treat Reaper Autocannons as if they were [Assault] weapons. All other heavy weapons are treated as [Rapid Fire] weapons.

Unsilencable Cannons: When firing a Heavy Weapon, the weapon now deals 1d6 Sonic damage per 2 Character levels. This bonus damage is added after critical hits, and damage multipliers of any kind etc. have been calculated.

Additional Equipment: Carapace Armour, Reaper Autocannon

[Exotic] Reaper Autocannon: 200' Rapid-Fire, 4d6 Piercing, Adamantine;

Prestige Classes: Dark Reapers can become Dark Reaper Exarchs