Hello, since there don't seem to be any rules for playable Eldar in the foreseeable future I'm trying to make a few myself complete with origin path and multiple careers (in the best case variants of existing ones. Here's a rough draft of the origin path http://fenvar.lima-city.de/Warhammer40k/RTPP/Eldar Pirates Origin Path v0.1.xls feedback is welcome, especially considering the holes . I'm going to post what each step does within the next days. The careers are supposed to be:

Bonesinger: Probably a completely new one.

Seer: Based on the Astropath.

Warrior: Arch-Militant variant(s)

Pirate Prince: Rogue Trader variant

Mariner: Void-Master variant

Haemonculus Engineer: Explorator variant

Xenos don't have origin paths, and generally there is one "main" career path, with a few elite advance ranks included. (I.E. all Orkz are Freebooters, but can specialize as Mekboys or Kommandos, etc.) Xeno origin path is usually just settled on what tribe of Orkz or what sub-species of Kroot they are. So for Eldar the way to do this would be to establish trait: Exodite-born, Craftworld-born, or Corsair-born.

Home brew Xenos do have origin paths. You just have to write them.

Attila-IV said:

If you're going to put in a position to replace the Rogue Trader, what you're probably looking to do is more of a total conversion than simply adding xeno rules for Eldar. I'm giving him advice on how he might want to simplify things.

Fortinbras said:

Much of that is due to the limits of space and book focus - it is theoretically possible to do Origin Paths and multiple careers for Xenos characters, but ideally they'd all be unique to a given species... but that takes up a lot of room. There's a difference between what is reasonable for a given presentation (in this case, two Xenos PC options in a book covering a lot of other ground) and what is possible given limitless space and effort (such as with a fan project - no worries about word count or page space, or other content), and there isn't really a wrong way to do the job, simply a selection of ways that are appropriate to different situations. Personally, I'd be inclined to do a full, unique Origin Path for Eldar characters as well.

In short: don't feel constrained by the way FFG do things - there are normally lots of reasons behind lots of different decisions that inform those methods, which don't impact upon fan projects.

N0-1_H3r3 said:

Sure there is. If you bring me a rewrite of the Rogue Trader rules that's thicker than a phone book, I'll give it a pass. I'm not interested in reading a graduate thesis. Simplicity is not a vice, and elaboration is not a virtue in all cases. One of the best things about Rogue Trader, as many people have already mentioned in many many threads, is how it simplifies what would otherwise be highly complex concepts, such as Profit Factor.

The main purpose of the Origin Path is to create intersections between the lives of different characters and create plot hooks, as well as simplify character creation. The reason Xeno's don't have origin paths is there is no real statistical probability that anything they have done up until this point has intersected with the lives of the other explorers. So they get traits instead without the actual origin description. If you want a guide that much, write yourself a backstory.

Fan projects have a tendency to get stuck in development hell when they try to do way too much or overpromise. Start small. Unless, as I said above, you want to do a total conversion from the start and run Eldar-themed campaigns.

Mjoellnir said:

Nifty idea. THe only thing I'd throw into the mix is a fairly large shake up, so probably not that useful for a fan project.

Make a single core path - the 'Eldar' career. Then create a bunch of specialised Elite career choices based off the Eldar path system (Path of the Warrior, Path of the Seer). Let people choose from them interchangably and have each different path have advanced ranks that build off of them. The downside for any Eldar who sticks to one path, of course, is that they get stuck there - maybe call for a willpower roll everytime they double up?

Hello, thanks for the feedback.

Fortinbras said:

That may work for da Orkz or da Krootz, but with Eldar it gets a bit more complex, because there are a few more differences between their races and cultures. Addtionally....

Fortinbras said:

...that's a long-time goal. Of course the things have different priorities, I plan to do the Eldar origin path first. Then the conversions for Arch-Militant, Astropath and maybe Void Master, what covers all the Eldar that make sense in the service of a human Rogue Trader. When Battlefleet Koronus comes out I hope there is enough data to reverse engineer Eldar ship components and make the other classes viable choices. However, this doesn't need a full conversion, just an expansion. And of course it allows for cross-overs. We already have the option for multiple Rogue Traders with their ships, why not a game with a Rogue Trader-Eldar Pirate alliance?

Fortinbras said:

It most definitely won't become as thick, and even though I'll never reach the same quality you make me wonder why you are buying expansions for RT? Because the purpose of what I'm planning is practically the same as Into the Storm. New race, new class variants/alternate advancement tables, new ship hull, new ship components and maybe a few new weapons.

Fortinbras said:

I want the same simple and flavourful character creation for the Eldar the humans get by default, and while it is improbable that Eldar and humans haven't met before the start of the game, Eldar can have met before.

Fortinbras said:

I know, that's why I'm starting small with an origin path and class variants instead of entirely new careers. I hope if I get stuck at some point (that can easily happen, the time for term papers is coming way too quickly) I already have something usable for single Eldar characters.

professor_kylan said:

I considered that, the problem is that Exodites and Dark Eldar don't follow any path while Eldar Pirates and Rangers follow the Path of the Outcast which is essentially the "Path of I don't care for Paths". Former aspect warriors are planned as an option under "Service to Khaine", I'm still undecided on former seers, that why there is a hole in the origin path.

For another set of possibilities for Eldar Corsair careers, I suggest you take a look at page 64 of Edge of the Abyss, in the section "Amongst the Crows". As that's one of the sections I wrote, I can tell you that the assortment of roles described there for the senior crew of Crow Spirits vessels was originally intended to suggest to people how the senior crew of an Eldar Corsair ship might operate, with rough analogues given for Rogue Traders (the Craftmaster, or Athkion - a term borrowed from the novel Shadowpoint , and one with an appropriate double meaning, both denoting somebody in charge of a space craft and honouring them with the acknowledgement of their mastery of the 'craft' of voidfaring), Arch-Militants (The Bloody Hand, or Kaelamen - named for the Bloody Hand of Khaine), Seneschals (The Silent Hand, or Istaurmen - if the 'Bloody Hand' is the overt one, the Craftmaster's right hand man, then the subtle master of information sits at his left hand), Astropaths (Voidspeakers - being Eldar psykers, the techniques they use may be quite different to those of humans) and Enginseers (Bonesingers - the techniques may be different, but both are focussed on technology) while deliberately avoiding terminology directly related to the Craftworlds.

I would definitely run an all eldar pirate game, so this is great stuff. I think a fan-based eldar supplement could have a lot of uses, both for players and GMs. So keep it coming!

N0-1_H3r3 said:

Thanks a lot, I wanted to wait for the PDF-version of Edge of the Abyss, but I caved in today, so I guess I will get the book Thursday evening or Friday.

deinol said:

Heh thanks, at the moment I'm collecting ideas for the first row of the origin path and trying to get determine a few base stats for the Eldar race. Unnatural Agility [x2] is a no-brainer but I'm unsure about things like the effect of corruption on them (I've never heard of an Eldar mutant, but I'm pretty sure that a too high corruption rating will deny you access to the World Spirit or Infinity Circuit) and if they should get penalties on social interactions with other races (so far no NPC's had them mechanically but it would make sense), Dark Eldar need rules for soul-drinking etc.

Mjoellnir said:

No NPCs have them, but the PC Xenos rules in Into the Storm contain two Traits that are designed to be part of all Xenos player characters: Non-Imperial, and Speak Not Unto the Alien, the latter of which imposes penalties on social interactions between species.

Mjoellnir said:

A high corruption score is likely to open the character's soul to Slaanesh's hunger - making him or her deader than dead on a rather short notice. There might be alternatives, but most would revolve around either using other souls as lures, or placing oenself under some other power's protection. .

N0-1_H3r3 said:

You're right, I forgot about that (already a bit to stuck on the idea of an all-Eldar crew it seems *headdesk*).

Manunancy said:

Yeah, I'm a bit stuck with that part. My problems are:

1) Eldar seemed to be unaffected by corruption (except that they wanted more), they laughed at everybody who told them that their actions would hurt them, until Slaanesh's birth, but there seemingly were no mutations or other physical disadvantages.

2) Eldar are extremely long-lived which means lots and lots of opportunities for getting corruption and insanity points. Still, Exodites and Craftworld Eldar seem pretty unaffected by both even though they are more than willing to get themselves into situations where they could get them. So I'm unsure if they should get some special resistance or if it should just be explained with willpower and maybe a bonus depending on path or lifestyle.

The only thing that I know for sure is that I want to make the number of souls a Dark Eldar needs dependent on his corruption score.

Okay, today I worked a bit on traits. Everything so far can be considered an early alpha version, so most of it will change and/or be complemented by additional rules. Unfortunately I won't have much time during the next week because I have a presentation about Utopia in science fiction.

(By the way, I got Edge of the Abyss today. )

Immutable: While the human form is unstable, constantly producing mutants or in rare cases metahumans Eldar are extremely unlikely to mutate, even the corrupted and vile Dark Eldar owe their disfigurements to their own and their Hameonculis insanity instead of the influence of chaos. Eldar are immune to all forms of mutation.

Forfeited Soul: The souls of the Eldar race are linked to Slaanesh by the Fall. The soul of a dying Eldar will automatically fall to Slaanesh if there are no steps taken to prevent it. Even while alive Slaanesh pulls at the souls of the Eldar. Mature Eldar have to pass an Easy (+30) Willpower test each day or take 2d10 damage to Intelligence, Willpower and Fellowship as Slaanesh drains a part of their soul. This damage does not heal automatically and if all three scores reach zero the character diesThe difficulty of the test increases by one step for each ten Corruption points the Eldar possesses.

Spirit Stone: Eldar with this trait carry an attuned spirit stone. It stores their soul in case of death and allows them to ignore the effects of Forfeited Soul as long as they only have up to 20 Corruption points. After that they have to pass their daily tests but treat their Corruption score as 20 points lower. It is unnecessary to say that an Eldar does everything to keep his spirit stone or reacquire it if it has been lost. (At the GM's discretion it could be possible to attune a new one in lengthy ritual.)

Soul Devourer: Dark Eldar have their own way of fighting Slaanesh's thirst. They constantly replenish their soul energy by consuming the souls of slain enemies. Whenever someone dies within 5 m of a Dark Eldar he can make an Elementary (+50) Willpower test either as a reaction or as a free action in the following turn to consume the victim's soul. This allows the Dark Eldar to ignore the Forfeited Soul trait for a number of days equal to the victims Willpower bonus (twice the Willpower bonus if the victim is a psyker or Eldar, half rounded down in case of Necrons) + 1 for each 10 points of the victims insanity score. Pariahs don't have a soul that could be devoured. Dark Eldar can devour the souls of multiple victims and store a number of days up to their Willpower reduced by their Corruption score. Should the result be 0 he has to devour one soul each day and can't store any excess days, if the result is negative it is the number of "days" the Dark Eldar has to consume for one day. This trait is also one of the few ways to restore any characteristic damage from the Forfeited Soul trait by retroactively spending 5 "days" for each day they were under the influence of the Forfeited Soul trait. Devouring souls also brings the already slow aging process of Eldar to a complete halt. However it is such a vile practice that each use increases the Corruption points by 1d4.

(Okay, maybe this got a bit mathy....)

Don't Suffer Corruption: Dark Eldar don't suffer from Corruption, they enjoy every bit of it. Unlike other races Dark Eldar can still be played when their Corruption Score reaches 100.

Path of the Outcast/Idle Hands are the Tools of the Great Enemy: [insert Craftworld/Exodite-specific flavour text here] The Eldar can reduce all Corruption points he gets by half is Willpower bonus (rounded up) to a minimum of one.

Very nice, Mjoellnir!

Looks all very reasonable, I especially like the interdependent mechanic of Forfeited Soul and Spirit Stone .

However, I'd like to add a bit to the Dark Eldar's Soul Devourer , as it is not exactly souls they consume but rather their strong emotions, especially the high pitches of pain and suffering. While the death of an enemy could indeed be used as you wrote, it shouldn't be the only possibility. Why not keep a hapless victim in your cell for a bit of torturing action in order to replenish one's soul damage? Or prick an unfortunate hive ganger's eyes in order to delight in his screams? Or make them chew poisoned razors, or... ok, you get the idea.

In game terms a Dark Eldar thus could ignore the effects of Forfeited Soul for one day per hour he spent relishing in a victim's suffering. This also applies to any kind of torture the character witnesses, although Dark Eldar are much more proficient in this respect. Pain inflicted in such a manner by a non-Dark Eldar halves its effect on the character (meaning that 2 hours of torture are needed for the same effect). Is the torturer a Haemoncolus or a Wrack, however, the effect is doubled (i.e. half an hour has the desired effect), as those belong to the masters of pain infliction.

Oh, and since Dark Eldar have lost the psychic potential of their Craftworld cousins, they can never have a spirit stone attuned to their soul (just to bar this way for players who aren't entirely familiar with Eldar fluff).

I don't know about Soulgem users, but I'd have handled the Dark Eldar differently.

Trait: The Thirst

The debauchery of the Dark Eldar amuses She Who Thirsts, and allows them to avoid their eternal torment by causing enough agony on their own. Each day the Dark Eldar doesn't cause intense pain to a sentient being, he receives d5 Corruption Points, not subject to reduction from any Talents that affect the accumulation of Corruption. Furthermore, the Dark Eldar can never reduce their Corruption score by spending Experience points.

To reduce the accumulated Corruption, the Dark Eldar may spend a Fate Point whenever witnessing a sentient being suffering intense pain at the hands of another sentient being - the Dark Eldar can cause this pain itself, but doesn't have to - and make a Challenging (+0) Perception test. Should the test succeed, he loses one Corruption Point, plus one for each Degree of Success rolled.

Killing an enemy in combat, causing any critical damage, brutal interrogation, or torturing someone just for this purpose all qualify as causing intense pain. The GM may apply circumstantial modifiers to the test based on the "quality" of pain - elaborate torture, using painful toxins and adding mental anguish to physical agony are certainly more "nourishing" than a clean kill or witnessing a crude interrogation.

Dark Eldar Corruption rules:

Blah blah withering blah blah Fellowship and Toughness damage perhaps blah blah. (Sorry don't have this part figured out in detail yet.)

Once the Dark Eldar reaches 100 Corruption, he dies, and his soul is devoured by Slaanesh - a fate from which not even the dark arts of the Haemonculi can save one.