"It seemed there was but one way of escaping Her and that was to flee their homes and leave the physical world
behind forever. We came here, into the realm between worlds that we created to traverse the galaxy safe from
harm. Here, the Great Enemy's grip is weakened, yet to our Lord's horror it was not wholly broken. He had
bought his people time, a little instant of time but nothing more. Others followed him, each choosing a place for
themselves, building new shrines and around them great palaces. Here, where you sit now, is one of the chambers of the original Temple of the Black Heart. You are very privileged, you know. Not many survive to get this
far. Most of them break before they even reach the second level."
Asdrubael Vect, Lord of the Kabal of the Black Heart
Commorragh is the city-state belonging to the Dark
Eldar race. It is said to be impossible for outsiders to
find, and anarchy and terrorism are a well-established
way of life for its debased inhabitants. It is widely believed to be hidden deep within an inter-dimensional
labyrinth known as the Webway, described by the Eldar
as a "dark stain" growing within their holy pathways. It is
a city known to have "wandering shadows that tear
apart the unwary" and is bathed in a crimson half-light.
For more on Dark Eldar see Purge the Unclean
THE LOST
The Dark Eldar are utterly, irrevocably evil and corrupt in
every sense. Not only do they enjoy the infliction of pain
and suffering more than anything else, they also take
gratification from the callous manipulation of the weaker
beings they prey upon. When these twisted creatures
emerge into the galaxy from their twilight realm of Commoragh, it is as piratical raiders, striking swiftly and without warning from their arrow-quick craft. A Dark Eldar raid
is a horrific sight, merciless aliens slaughtering the majority of those they encounter and carrying the enslaved survivors back to their nightmarish domain.
The Dark Eldar delight in toying with their enemies, the
full measure of their alien intellect is given to the pleasure of playing upon their prey's fears. Their warrior sects
strike swiftly and without warning, screaming into the
enemy lines on baroque skiffs before leaping into their
ranks so they may experience the joy of slaughter firsthand. Sprays of arterial blood and spasming corpses
mark their passage, the deranged and cruel laughter of
these murderous aliens ringing in their dying victims'
ears as they search for new playthings.
To these depraved individuals, the sweet fruit of terror is as
pleasing as the caress of a razor-sharp blade across soft
flesh. They delight in breaking the bodies and souls of their
captives, their tortures an art refined over long millennia.
They revel in every nuance of anguish and woe until their
captives are gibbering wrecks pleading for an end to their
miserable existence - a mercy the Dark Eldar will never
grant.
In this Apocryphal Text we study the basic members of a
Dark Eldar raiding party, from the agile and cruel warriors
that fill the ranks of the blood frenzied hordes to the wyches and leaders who champion the cause of pain, suffering and slavery to the beasts that are created and enslaved
by these twisted cousins of the noble Eldar. This text also
lists a armoury of these foul pirates and raiders, including
their common vehicles, weapons, drugs and exotic items.
warrior while moving. Splinter cannons are a general
weapon against armies that rely on numbers rather
than armor.
Dark Lance - This is the Dark Eldar equivalent to the
lascannon, as it is designed to destroy armoured units.
It employs the use of 'Dark Matter' to cause armoured
units to violently explode regardless of the armour or
totally vaporising a single unit. The main cannon in a
Dark Eldar army against enemy vehicles.
Dark Eldar weaponry is made from light weight materials that are unknown to the Imperium. Dark Eldar have
a very small choice of long range weaponry, but can be
extremely deadly if designated at the correct foes.
Combat Blades– Can be added to Splinter Pistols and
Splinter Rifles and cause these weapons to be treated
as Mono-Spears in melee combat.
Disintegrator - Similar to the dark lance, but designed
to destroy infantry units. This weapon can be fired in
two different ways - one large blast of 'dark matter'
that explodes like a plasma cannon, or several smaller
blasts which can decimate well-armoured enemy
troops. Both shots carry a fantastic AP value but don't
damage the vehicle like lesser plasma weapons would.
Destructor– A specialised Dark Eldar weapon that fires
Poisoned Blades - A pair of blades with vicious poisons a high pressured stream of acid, poisons and toxins
that will quickly kill any being that is cut by it.
that can eat through armour.
Agoniser - A weapon that directly affects the enemies
nervous system, causing an incredible amount of pain.
A character armed with this weapon can hurt any creature.
Punisher - Similar in shape to a halberd but designed
to be able to slash through anything from a grunt to a
tank. Punishers are typically wielded by incubi.
Terrorfex Grenade - These special grenades contain a
nerve gas which the Dark Eldar have dubbed
"Terrorfex" this gas induces hallucinatory visions of
pain and suffering, these disturbing images are devastating to the morale of the Dark Eldar's enemies, effectively blinding the enemy. These grenades could be
compared to photon flash grenades and require a WP
test at –20 or suffer from Table 8-4 page 233 Dark Heresy Core rules.
Splinter Rifle - The standard weaponry of a Dark Eldar
warrior. The ammunition crystal is broken down and
propelled through the barrel at high speed, these
splinters are often mixed with toxins or other harmful
chemicals to cause immense pain to the enemy.
Splinter Pistol - A smaller version of the splinter rifle
with blades attached for use as a close combat
weapon as well as a gun.
Splinter Cannon - A highly efficient weapon for killing,
as the weapon not only has an automatic firing mechanism but it also has no recoil. It can be fired by the
Note that because the Dark Eldar revel in the torture
of other people, most of their weapons don't actually
kill the opponent. Instead, they cause him/her such
immense amounts of pain that they are incapacitated
while still alive. This allows the Dark Eldar to "flavour"
their soul. After battle the opponents will be killed and
their souls consumed- the unlucky ones go back to
Commoragh as slaves.
Name
Splinter Pistol
Splinter Rifle
Splinter Cannon
Disintegrator
Dark Lance
Shredder
Destructor
Class
Dark Eldar
Dark Eldar
Dark Eldar
Dark Eldar
Dark Eldar
Dark Eldar
Dark Eldar
Class
Dark Eldar
Dark Eldar
Dark Eldar
Dark Eldar
Range
30m
100m
100m
100m
250m
30m
10m
Rld
2 Full
2 Full
2 Full
Full
3 Full
Half
3 Full
Special
Tearing*
Tearing*
Tearing*
----See Below---None
Reliable
Flame, Toxic
Dark Eldar Ranged Weapons
RoF
Dam
Pen
Clip
S/3/6 D10R
3
120
S/3/10 D10+1R 3
200
S/8/10 D10+4R 5
200
---------See Below------- 50
S/-/4D10+4R 8
30
S/2/4 D10+6R 1
20
S/-/D10+4E D10
1
Dam
1D5+1R
1D5+1R
1D10+2 R
1D5R
Special
Tearing
None
Power Field, Tearing
--See Below--
Wt
3kg
1kg
2kg
10kg
Dark Eldar Melee Weapons
Pen
5
1
3
-
Wt
1kg
2.5kg
15kg
45kg
50kg
2kg
3kg
Cost
NA
NA
NA
Cost
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
Avail
Rare
Rare
Rare
V. Rare
V. Rare
Rare
V. Rare
Rare
Avail
V. Rare
Scarce
V. Rare
Disintegrator: The Disintegrator can be fired in two forms, sustained and maximized. When fired on sustained the weapon’s damage is D10+4, has a Pen of 6, a RoF of S/3/3 and
the Scatter special trait. When fired on maximized it inflicts 2D10+7 damage with a Pen value of 9.
* Tearing Quality is only when weapon is fired on semi or full auto.
Name
Agoniser
Combat Dagger
Punisher
Wych Weapons
AP
3
2
6
3
1
4
Wt
9kg
4kg
15KG
6kg
3kg
3kg
Cost
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
NA
Dark Eldar Armour
Locations Covered
Arms, Body, Legs
Body
Arms, Body, Legs
Head
Body
Arms, Body, Legs
Availability
Rare
Very Rare
Very Rare
Rare
Scarce
Very Rare
Wych Weapons: Wych Weapons function like any normal melee weapon unless wielded by a character with the Melee Weapons (Wych Weapons) talent. When wielded by a person properly trained in their use (mainly Wyches), Wych Weapons have the following Special Qualities: Accurate (when thrown), Balanced, Defensive, Flexible, Snare and Tearing. If not wielding two Wych Weapons, the user can not use the Defensive or Flexible traits in the same round, though they may choose which ability they have from round to
round.
Armour Type
Warrior
Wych Armour
Incubi Battle
Raider Helm
Body Spikes
Xeno Mesh
COMBAT DRUGS: One of the most dangerous aspects of facing Dark Eldar attackers is their tendency
to be hopped up on some form of combat drug of
one nature or another. These tend to give them enhanced reactions and strength as well as ferocity.
Treat any Dark Eldar on combat drugs as having the
Frenzy and Fearless Talents as well as having +5 WS.
In addition they may choose to have +5 S, T, and Ag
but suffer 1 Wound of damage for each one of these
additional bonuses taken.
Regardless, all Dark Eldar on combat drugs must take
a Toughness Test (at +10) or suffer –10 to Int, Fel ,
Per and WP while using the drugs. In addition if this
test comes up as doubles (11, 22, 55, 99) the user
suffers wound damage equal to the number that is
doubled (so a roll of 33 results in 3 wounds damage).
Combat drugs are usually used by Wyches and Archons, but may be present at any level among the
Dark Eldar warriors.
Any Dark Eldar with the Chem-Use skill can use this
skill and any associated modifiers for Talents in place
of their Toughness to resist the negative side effects
of Combat Drugs.
SHADOWSKIN: It is unsure if Shadowskin is a piece of
clothing known only to the Dark Eldar of if it is a mutation found in some of its members who have been
overly exposed to the Webway. Regardless, any Dark
Eldar deemed by the GM to have Shadowskin is
known as a Mandrake and has his abilities modified
as follows: Ag +10, Silent Move +20, Acrobatics +20,
Climb +20. The Shadowskin also provides an AP of 1
and increases the wearer’s chance of surprising his
foes by 20 (i.e., netting a –20 on perception tests to
locate the Mandrake).
WYCH WEAPONS: Wych Weapons are special weapons wielded by Dark Eldar Wyches. They are usually
small and wickedly designed, often built as paired
weapons. In the hands of a Wych (or anyone with
Melee Weapon Training (Wych Weapons) Talent)
they are especially dangerous and deadly weapons,
useful for defensive and offensive fighting.
POISON: Dark Eldar often coat their melee weapons
in poison. Any melee weapon can be considered to
have the Toxic weapon trait if the GM desires.
Dark Eldar Warriors
Archon/Dracon
Dark Eldar Warriors are the most often encountered
type of raider. They perform the hard work of the
raiding parties, piloting the vessels, fighting on the
front lines and risking their lives in direct confrontation with their victims. While they can be as sneaky
and crafty as the other Eldar, their training is usually
geared toward front line fire fights and direct assaults. Their actions are usually covers for infiltration
and other subterfuge from the remainder of a raiding party.
The Archons and Dracons of Commorragh lead the
Kabals of the Dark Eldar into battle. The Archons are
fierce warriors who lead their Kabals ruthlessly,
claiming any and all spoils of battle.
Movement: 4/8/12/24
Wounds: 10
Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +10, Climb (S) +10, Deceive
(Fel), Dodge (Ag), Intimidate (S), Navigation (Int),
Pilot (Raider or Ravager or Reaver or Scourge) (Ag),
Silent Move (Ag), Survival (Int).
Talents: Basic Weapon Training (Dark Eldar), Blind
Fighting, Catfall, Decadence, Disarm, Hard Target,
Jaded, Leap Up, Melee Weapons Training (Dark
Eldar).
Traits: Unnatural Agility (X2).
Equipment: Warrior Armour, Splinter Rifle, Combat
Dagger. Some Dark Eldar warriors may have Shadowskin if so replace Splinter Rifle with Splinter Pistol.
Some warriors may ride Reaver jet bikes or use
Scourge winged jet packs.
"Dark Eldar thrive on domination and power, and
those who are vicious and ruthless enough will
quickly rise to positions of authority. The Dark Eldar
Lords lead their servants into battle in the search for
slaves and souls, leaving worlds in ruin with a veritable mountain of dead heaped in their wake."
There will generally only be one Archon or Dracon
per kabal and each kabal will encompass the entire
group of warriors, wyches and other Dark Eldar in
the raiding party. It is not uncommon for kabals to
have a special talent, skill or trait common to all of
them. If the GM so desires, he may assign a bonus
skill, talent or trait as he sees fit.
The characteristics below are for a Dracon. An Archon would have similar stats, but will usually have a
bonus of +D5 to WS, BS, Ag and Per and 1 additional
wound. In addition, a Archon is considered to have
equipment of the best craftsmanship.
Movement: 5/10/15/30
Wounds: 14
Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +20, Climb (S) +10, Command
(Fel), Common Lore (Dark Eldar) (Int), Dodge (Ag)
+10, Interrogation (WP) +10, Intimidate (S) +10,
Navigation (Int), Pilot (Raider or Ravager or Reaver
or Scourge) (Ag) +10, Silent Move (Ag) +10, Survival
(Int) +10, Tracking, Trade (Slaves) +20.
Talents: Basic Weapon Training (Dark Eldar), Blademaster, Blind Fighting, Catfall, Dark Soul, Decadence,
Disarm, Hard Target, Jaded, Leap Up, Lightning Attack, Lightning Reflexes, Melee Weapons Training
(Dark Eldar), Pistol Training (Dark Eldar), Sound Constitution (x3), Wall of Steel.
Traits: Unnatural Agility (X2).
Equipment: Warrior Armour, Splinter Pistol, Combat
Dagger, Agoniser or Punisher, Terrorfex Grenades,
Combat Drugs.
Grotesques
Grotesques are
twisted and deformed Dark
Eldar, due either
to their own
need to inflict
pain or the attentions of a
Haemonculus (a
Dark Eldar specialising in the
horrors of torture, insanity
and blasphemous surgery)
although the
now twisted
forms of other races (usually humans or Eldar) have
been found amongst their ranks, having been experimented on by the Haemonculi. They are immune to
pain and fearless in battle. Due to this immunity
these creatures are used by Dark Eldar raiders as
living shields, drawing heavy weapon fire away from
other less resilient members of a raiding party. Grotesques are particularly effective in "Take and Hold"
since they are able to absorb a significant amount of
damage while retreating with the objective.
Movement: 2/4/8/16
Wounds: 16
Skills: Climb (S) +10, Intimidate (S) +20,
Talents: Berserk Charge, Combat Master, Hardy, Iron
Jaw, Resistance (Pain, Fatigue), Sound Constitution
(x4), Street Fighting, True Grit.
Traits: Dark Sight, Fear 1, Regeneration 3, Unnatural
Toughness (X2).
Equipment: Usually none, they are too mindless to
actually use weapons and the other Dark Eldar do
not trust them enough to give them weapons or armour.
Wyches
Wyches (singular
Wych) are gladiatorial warriors of the
Dark Eldar. They
fight in arenas in
duels with one another, aliens and
warp beasts, few
survive their first
duel but those who
live learn quickly.
Ruled over by their
succubi, the wyches
are highly proficient
at close-quarters
combat, practicing
their skills for their
entire lives. Wyches
use a cocktail of combat-enhancing drugs to improve
their performance on the battlefield. Due to their
very weak armour the Wyches generally use Dark
Eldar warriors to screen their approach to have a
chance of survival and remain effective in close combat. If wyches get into close combat, however, they
become a very dangerous foe, having weapons and
talents that give them a remarkable range of options
and manoeuvres.
Movement: 4/8/12/24
Wounds: 11
Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +20, Chem-Use (Int) +10,
Climb (S) +10, Dodge (+10), Intimidate (S), Silent
Move, Survival.
Talents: Ambidextrous, Basic Weapon Training (Dark
Eldar), Battle Rage, Berserk Charge, Catfall, Combat
Master, Decadence, Disarm, Frenzy, Hard Target,
Leap Up, Lightning Reflexes, Melee Weapons Training (Dark Eldar, Primitive, Wych Weapons), Pistol
Training (Dark Eldar), Rapid Reaction, Swift Attack,
Two Weapon Wielder.
Traits: Unnatural Agility (X2).
Equipment: Wych Weapons (2 or more), Splinter
Pistol, Wych Armour, Combat Drugs. At the GMs discretion, any weapon wielded by a Wych may be
coated in poison and thus have the Toxic weapon
trait.
Warp Beasts
VARIATIONS
A Warp Beast is a creature harnessed by Wych cults
and is a living embodiment of the fear and terror
that slaves experience. They are extremely predatorial in nature and will attack whatever they see. They
are always led by a Wych beastmaster to ensure that
they attack the intended target.
The following are two variations to the common Dark
Eldar, in all other respects they have the same basic stats
as normal Eldar Warriors unless otherwise noted.
Without its beastmaster a Warp Beast will have the
stats as below. With its beastmaster in tow however,
it will have a +10 modifier to all skills, Will Power and
Fellowship, provided the beastmaster passes his
Wrangle skill test on the same round. A beastmaster
is the same as any normal Dark Eldar warrior but
also has the Sprint talent and the Wrangle (Warp
Beast skill) (Int) +20.
Movement: 4/8/12/24
Wounds: 10
Skills: Awareness (Per), Silent Move (Ag), Tracking
(Int) +10.
Talents: Berserk Charge, Heightened Senses
(Hearing, Smell), Sprint, Takedown.
Traits: Bestial, Dark Sight, Natural Weapons (Bite)
(1D10+6R), Quadruped.
Equipment: None.
Notes: The stats above are for Warp Beasts that
have been bound by the Dark Eldar, for unbound
Warp Beasts see Purge the Unclean.
Incubi
Dark Eldar Incubi are a neutral faction of Dark Eldar that
are hired to become a Lord's heavily-armoured bodyguards, and the only warrior in a Dark Eldar force to use
heavy armour. They are often needed to protect their
master from his own power-hungry followers as much as
from his enemies. They are equipped with great powerweapons in the form of halberds that are able to cut
through armour with ease. Their helmets have neurallylinked splinter pistols mounted on them that can be fired
using mental commands. The first Incubus is rumoured
to be the dark Phoenix Lord, Arhra, who originally
founded the Craftworld warrior Aspect the Striking Scorpions before rebelling against the other Phoenix Lords
and disappearing into the Webway. Striking Scorpions
are indeed known to have a particular hatred for Incubi,
who they term 'Fallen Warriors'.
The Incubi are some of the most effective melee combatants of the Dark Eldar.
Incubi have the Unshakeable Faith talent, wear Incubi
armour, and use Punishers and splinter pistols. That are
mounted in their helmets and use their WP for attack
rolls instead of BS.
Mandrakes
A Mandrake is a type of Dark Eldar whose physique has
adapted to make him camouflaged almost anywhere.
Advanced infiltrators, Dark Eldar Mandrakes strike from
the shadows, surprising and rending their enemies apart.
They have Shadowskin, which is possibly from warp exposure that makes them incredibly hard to see when
combined with their stealth. Mandrakes are often cannibalistic and wild, living separate from other Dark Eldar.
This makes them among the most feared of all Dark
Eldar.
Some Dark Eldar warriors have Shadowskin like Mandrakes, but true Mandrakes have +10 WS, BS and AG in
addition to the modifiers for Shadowskin.
Corsairs
For information on Dark Eldar Corsairs, see the Purge the
Unclean adventure anthology.
Hellion
Special: None
A Dark Eldar Hellion is a "skyboard", a flying platform, from
which they assault the enemy forces before they have a
chance to fire back. It can hold one rider and allows the rider
to move fast and swiftly.
Reaver
Type: Hover
Size: Scrawny
Armour: Hull: 10
Traits: Open
Narrative Speed: 40kph/100kph
Combat Speeds: 15/50/100/150/200
Armaments: None
Handling: Pilot (Hellion) +10
Crew: 1
Passengers: 0
Access Points: Open Topped
Special: Charge (When a rider charges into melee combat on
the back of a Hellion they are considered to have the Berserk
Charge talent).
A Reaver Jetbike is a form of hover-bike used by the Dark
Eldar for two main roles. The first role is tank hunting. These
speedy vehicles are perfect for hunting and destroying enemy
armour, especially when using the infamous Dark Eldar
Blaster. The second option is anti infantry and they excel at
hunting down vulnerable slow moving targets.
Type: Hover
Size: Hulking
Armour: Front: 14 Hull: 14 Rear: 14
Traits: Open
Narrative Speed: 80kph/200kph
Combat Speeds: 15/70/140/210/280
Armaments:
Handling: Pilot (Reaver) +10
Crew: 1
Passengers: 0
Access Points: Open Topped
Special: None
Raider
The Dark Eldar Raider is a light transport vehicle used by the
Dark Eldar. Dark Eldar Raiders transport up to ten Dark Eldar
around a battlefield. They are exceedingly fast, yet lightly armoured and are highly vulnerable.
Type: Hover
Size: Enormous
Armour: Front: 14 Hull: 14 Rear: 14
Traits: Open
Narrative Speed: 65kph/125kph
Combat Speeds: 15/45/90/135/180
Armaments: Splinter Cannon
Handling: Pilot (Raider) +10
Crew: 3
Passengers: 10
Access Points: Open Topped
Special: None
Ravager
The Dark Eldar Ravager is an anti-grav skimmer gunship. It
carries heavy armament, sporting three Dark Lances which are
often upgraded to Disintegrators. It, like the Dark Eldar Raider,
is lightly armoured.
Type: Hover
Size: Enormous
Armour: Front: 20 Hull: 20 Rear: 14
Traits: Open
Narrative Speed: 50kph/100kph
Combat Speeds: 10/35/70/105/140
Armaments: 3 Dark Lances
Handling: Pilot (Raider)
Crew: 3
Passengers: 10
Access Points: Open Topped
Scourge
A Dark Eldar Scourge is a wing-like jump-pack. Unlike other
species, which have assault-oriented jump-troops, Scourges
often carry heavy weapons into battle.
Type: Hover
Size: Scrawny
Armour: Hull: 10
Traits: Open
Narrative Speed: 40kph/100kph
Combat Speeds: 15/50/100/150/200
Armaments: None
Handling: Pilot (Scourge)
Crew: 1
Passengers: 0
Access Points: Open Topped
Special: None