I assume it wouldn't be possible for you to produce a fan supplement on your page for alternate Dark Eldar career ranks would it N0-1_H3r3?

Very much looking forward to getting my student loan and making Soul Reaver my first purchase with it XD. Possibly a couple Dark Eldar Venoms to go along with it…

N0-1_H3r3 said:

I will be desperately searching online for a place to play a Kaballite Warrior, and if I find one, I'll be sure to let you know! =)

I dont suppose you'd be able to reply on the Deathwatch forum to the DeathHeresyTrader thread, and give your feelings on how to balance that, assuming you have any? Heh.

Rennac said:

I probably could, but it's less a matter of willingness and more a matter of available time - I've got paying assignments that take priority over personal projects (because a professional assignment has deadlines and a contract, and because I need any extra money I can bring in at the moment), and other personal projects that I've started and should probably finish before I start on new ones (like my Forbidden Lore supplement for Black Crusade).

When I test a DEKW, I'm going to take a Skyboard as my free acquisition and get Pilot (Personal) with my starting xp. Superb mobility that grants extra AP and comes with a built-in weapon equivalent to a short-ranged shardcarbine - hell yeah!

Are there any Unnatural stats on the Dark Eldar, or modifications to the starting stats?

My copy of the book is theoretically on its way, but since Honour the Chapter is as well, I'm not too optimistic about swift delivery. I am, however, very interested in Dark Eldar as PCs!

T 20+2d10, Agl 30+2d10, Per 30+2d10, Fel 20+2d10, all others 25+2d10. Dark Eldar start play with Unnatural Agility (x2). At Rank 8 they can purchase Unnatural Agility (x3).

Thank you very much for the information.

Any chance of someone's thoughts on how possible it would be to use the Kabalite Warrior template as a basis for a not-insanely-evil character?

I'm thinking there's a lot of precedent for Eldar becoming Dark Eldar and vice versa, so perhaps something in this line (a disaffected Eldar who joined the Dark Eldar and found that wasn't to their taste either) would offer a character more palatable to those who aren't keen on all-out torture frolics.

I appreciate the characters have been designed with your average Dark Eldar in mind (though one that wants to leave Commorroagh in the first place must be a little unusual), but wonder if you could get away with cage-fighting in the underdecks and murdering enemies in defence of the Rogue Trader to sate needs, rather than demanding a ready supply of unwilling victims?

I ask because the game I'd like to use a Dark Eldar in has a Rogue Trader played by someone who hates the whole idea of Dark Eldar PCs. I'm hoping some compromise could be reached using fluff rather than bending or remaking the rules.

Yes, the dark eldar can sate his hunger in semi-acceptable ways by acting as a 'judicial champion' or such for the RT, or even from killing enemies. Also, if the ship has a brig, the dark eldar gain sustenance just by standing within (PB) meters of the suffering - he doesn't have to cause the suffering to gain from it. If he wants to be a bit morbid, he can gain this from walking through the medicae deck too. No matter what though, he's going to be a black hat from the point of view of the crew.

The novel Path of the Warrior has a Striking Scorpion that used to be an Incubi.

HappyDaze said:

He could probably disguise himself if he chose.

Thank you for the responses, that's really helpful and positive.  It sounds like Dark Eldar characters could be made to work in any game where the Rogue Trader is open to xenos aboard the ship and the benefits of non-Imperial personnel and technology in general.

I like the idea of concealing your true nature, but you'd need a very mature group of gamers to roleplay that sort of deception. With the right people, it could be a lot of fun.

Niqvah said:

Give them twinned swords and a panther companion?

But being serious now, there is some evidence to back this up (though the codex-only-as-canon folks would say otherwise) as in the Imperial Armour book about Mymeara it talks about how Eldar Corsairs are basically a bunch of rebellious Eldar delinquents who can't stand the regimented and cloistered life of the Paths, abandoning them to go off adventuring, and basically living the life of a natural Eldar (ie: being a prick to everything now Eldar). It talks about how sometimes these individuals get too caught up in the freedom and fall more and more in to excess, and eventually move on to join the Eldar of the dark city.

So yes, Eldar can become Dark Eldar apparently. Whether they're fully susceptable to the Thirst, and need to fight it in the usual ways… well, I'd say yes, since that's the whole point of the Paths and living on the Craftworlds. Once abandoned, they should logically suffer every bit as much as the Dark Eldar do, who don't have such a means of staving it off (their debauchery, and feeding on pain aren't 'really' a way of shielding themselves, just indefinetly delaying the draining of their soul). Though the codex also mentions that at this point, the Dark Eldar have practically diverged far enough to be a sub-species of the race.

Whether a Dark Eldar could repent and 'become' like the regular Eldar.. I won't say it's impossible, but it's one of those things that would be very difficult and a great rarity, due to just how corrupt the Dark Eldar are, their lifestyle indulges all the worst aspects of the Eldar psyche.

I haven't read the Dark Eldar codex fluff recently, but there are examples of Eldar becoming Dark Eldar and vice versa in recent Black Library publications. The different approaches they take to avoiding the predation of She Who Thirsts are, according to BL, interchangeable if one is willing to put the effort in.

Fortunately, the 40k roleplay games offer a wide range of grey shades, rather than being restricted by D&D's more black and white concepts of morality. I would not advocate playing a 'good' Dark Eldar (what is 'good' in the 41st millennium, anyway?), but I would like to play one who does not constantly grate with other crewmembers. It seems this is nicely catered for.

Seeten said:

There's a big penalty associated with trying to disguise yourself as a human. IIRC, it's listed as -30 in The Soul Reaver, so it's not something that's really going to work all that well.

Niqvah said:

One thing to remember is that Kabalite Warriors (who represent a fairly elite group - the majority of Dark Eldar never get the opportunity to venture beyond the Dark City, so even the least Kabalite Warrior is a ruthless, cunning and deadly individual) are innately political creatures. At its heart, politics is the art of acquiring and wielding power - the ability to exert more potential force than your rivals (through being stronger, through having more allies and followers, through knowledge or fear or whatever other methods you favour) means that you are more able to get what you want or deny them what they want. Trueborn are raised in this arena of vicious politics, while half-born ascend to it through cunning and murder. There are no true laws, only actions and consequences. In one situation, murder may be the best option, while in others it may have unfortunate repercussions. When you aspire to more power, the key is to maximise the effect of your actions while eluding the worst of the consequences… and this often means staying your blade when your thoughts turn murderous.

Those sorts of savage politics are common amongst Peers of the Imperium as well - when you're dealing with people for whom the normal limits of society do not apply, it becomes far more about alliances, threats and the capacity to bring force to bear to exert your will. In this regard, a Kabalite Warrior and a Rogue Trader are likely quite similar - they both know that there are many ways to exert one's will upon the universe, and are often ruthless enough to employ them all without hesitation.

A Kabalite Warrior allying him or herself to a Rogue Trader (who is, by any other measure, a crude mammal barely fit to dwell in caves let alone voyage amongst the stars) is doing it for selfish reasons. In order to achieve his or her own ambitions, that Kabalite Warrior is required by necessity and expediency to play nice with the humans… they may only be a means to an end, but it is foolish to rid yourself of a tool while your task still requires it. In essence, the Kabalite Warrior will not murder or torture or otherwise do something that would endanger his place aboard the Rogue Trader's ship… at least, not while the Rogue Trader's crew and vessel remain useful.