Hey all!

I might be crazy (and that might be beside the point) but I THINK I remember someone doing Houserule stats for Dark Eldar combat drugs.

Has anyone done this yet?

L-

In Dark Heresy I had my acolytes investigate jetbike racing gangs on Scintilla. Turns out a group of noble born gangers had been winning far more than was reasonable and in the wake of a recent inquisition purge it was suspected that a rogue psyker had found sanctuary with them in return for aiding them with their races.

Turned out it was Dark Eldar combat drugs, which made for some frighteningly effective enemies when the acolytes rumbled them.

I had the drugs give +20 to dodge rolls, increased movement, +10 Weapon and ballistic skill and the user feels pain as pleaure as well as having generally heightened sense of sensation.

The down side was that the drugs caused the user to consume vast amounts of energy, leading to extreme fatigue and that they be nursed to health with huge quantities of food, drink and rest after use.

It all ended badly for everyone concerned. And thats the lesson for the day, don't do drugs kids! Especially xenos combat drugs!

I have some I have made, they are based on the ones in the new codex (both name and benefits) as closely as I felt was warranted, with some inspiration from the Eversor Assassin ones in Ascension. in all cases I have noted "The wych..." since they are the ones that ussually uses them. I normally rule that a wych that Dark Eldar drugs are sophisticate enough that a wych can have a near infinite amount as they only use highly compressed micro-agents etc. if a character should use them one dose would work 2d10 rounds. though to use combat drugs adapted to Eldar physiology would likely be poisonous to humans (after the benefits have elapsed take a Toughness Test, on a failure suffer 1d5 point of damage ignoring armour and toughness and 1d5 levels of Fatigue)

• Hypex: The Wych may perform two full actions per round though only one of these may be a Combat Action.

• Serpentin: The Wych may reroll all failed melee attacks during this turn.

• Grave Lotus: The Wych gains the Crushing Blow talent and the Brutal Charge trait and that Swift or Lightning attack are half actions when charging.

• Painbringer: All attacks made by the Wych gain the Tearing quality. If they already have this they may roll 3 dice and the highest.

• Adrenalight: The Wych may perform an additional attack with the Multiple Attack Action.

• Splintermind: The Wych counts as having performed enough kills to gain the next Pain Bonus.
(this last one is connected to some other rules I have made and would like not be of benefit to humans, or you may rule they gain the From Beyond trait or some such thing).

Dark eldar really start to sound like a mary sue faction when I hear about all these buffs. No weaknesses at all? I'm not familiar with their codex though, they were introduced after I stopped playing 40k tabletop...

They are the classic "soap bubbles with sledgehammers" that most Eldar have, just more so. Hit harder and very fragile, if you can hit them, though. At least that's how they work on the tabletop. Haven't seen stats for any of the rpg games.

Only 2 GW armies have never won their initial battle report in White Dwarf. Dark Eldar and Dark Elves.

Dark Eldar have never won a battle in any White Dwarf battle report.

Ever.

For the first two responses to my question, thank you!

You were most helpful and I will be using some of your suggestions! :-)

For the last three responses...Not helpful at all.

What question, exactly, were any of you responding to? Or did you even read above whatever comment sparked your nerd rage?

L-

Dear Kettle, I was beginning to notice the disturbing nature of your hue, you big nerd. - Signed, The Pot.

Your question was answered. We moved on to a more general discussion of Dark Eldar. Feel free to join it if you can avoid behaving like a jerk for five seconds. It helps if you can read the flow of a conversation without relying on quote bubble.

Fortinbras said:

Point taken.

However, while I also experience nerd rage, I keep it to myself, and stay on topic.

If I could not contain myself, I would at least start my own seperate thread regarding that general discussion.

Bringing whining or rage about the tabletop game into the 'House Rules' section of an RPG produced by a totally different company is something I would never do, Pot.

L-

HPLustcraft said:

No, you prefer more banal pursuits like griping about a thread being off-topic.

Are you done being a bitching baby?

L-

Fortinbras said:

-cough- Troll -cough-

On topic: Nice rules, Acernis Taine.

Johan B

It helps not to think of Mary sue factions but consider them via the fluff.

Eldar and Dark Eldar are (bar the Necrons) the most advanced races in the galaxy. Their technology is beyond compare and they have the knowledge to do pretty much anything with it. Their psykers (craftworld only) are the most powerful, most skilled and most well used. Their physical bodes are as strong as a humans but much quicker, more dextrous and capable of feeling greater sensations. Their minds are more powerful and like their bodies, better at feeling, in this case emotions. So yes, humans look like crude, clumsy monkeys (mon-keighs?) next to Eldar.

However, the Eldar are going extinct. They are effectively ended as a major power and are merely lingering, dying slowly a little more each year. The Dark Eldar are similar, just dying slowly in a much more gruesome fashion.

And despite their insane tech level, they simply don't have the resources to do much of what they are theoritically capable of. They might know how to build new craftworlds but without the resources and vast orbital docks of their former empire, they don't have the means.

Dark Eldar are similar. They don't have the capability for conquest, only raids. While they are deadly, they have no realistic options when it comes to fighting the Imperium, Orks or Tau in open warfare. Harrass, raid, even win the odd large battle, but not a full war. They just don't have the resources, primarily troops.

So while individually they might be mary sues, as a species they have already lost.

That said, in Rogue Trader they can be fearsome opponents as the game is conducted on the scale Dark Eldar can compete. And they should be truly terrifying, insanely skiled in combat, vastly cunning and utterly sadistic monsters. An encounter with the DE should really scare the hell out of your players.

SubtleCadaver said:

Ageed...and agreed!

L-

Gribble_the_Munchkin said:

My players don't really know that much about either the Eldar OR the Dark Eldar, so bonus!

I was thinking of introducing them to the Dark Eldar at first on a very small and personal level, where at first they think they are dealing with a deranged serial killer on-board or on a distant planet and then later on give them an 'Oh ****!' moment when they realize they are being boarded/attacked by several dozens of the aforementioned serial killers...and their pets.

The combat drug angle was mainly for the member of the party who thinks he can take anything he wants and never get addicted or have any negative effects (he's been careful with dosages and lucky with rolls so far)...As well as a possible trade angle, if they can find a supply-line, though The Emperor knows how they'd do THAT...

L-

HPLustcraft said:

Thank you, both of you

OOT but still about Dark Eldar.

I think there are some statistics for Dark Eldar in Dark Heresy books, Purge The Unclean (?) maybe.

About drugs, well, there are plenty of 'drugs' in the RT books (..and DH books, I guess).

And about the new codex... I only heard rumors though, that the drugs are bonuses only, that they gain rejuvenations from torture, that they are slavers from a twilight realms (not warp, not realspace).

Hope this helps, although quite out of topic.