Topic: What is the deal with the Harlequin?

[Goyder]

I think my subject sez it all.

I dont play Eldar, but i have noted all over the GW community that people keep talking about the Harlequin and saying they should be brought back and where have they gone ect.

So whats the deal with them? What were they once like? I know my friend has the got the codex (from here) and a solitare, or something took out the Nightbringer in one turn! (slightly cheessy, some sort of wierd powerbllade combination that wounds on a 2+ with no saves and if you fail one you die or something) yeah, that was one nast stain on my memory for the harlequin.

So whats the big deal?

I would just like to know what the harlequins were once like. AND what are they?

[super...]

"a solitare, or something took out the Nightbringer in one turn! (slightly cheessy, some sort of wierd powerbllade combination that wounds on a 2+ with no saves and if you fail one you die or something) yeah, that was one nast stain on my memory for the harlequin."
 oh well you cant use the war gear in that way so they are not that bad, it's one of the sticky topics on this board. the harlequin are really neat eldar, just think of them like eldar but with way more rules and way less models.

[Goyder]

HEhe,

what i meant was that a 90pt character took out a 360pts ctan!   oh dear.

but what are the harlequin? Why less models? ect. Just really curious.

[Vice]

yeah thats impossible. that means he was combining the effects of Riveblades and a harlequins kiss which is illegal, and not to mention incredibly expensive.

Harlequins are pretty much devoted to destroying slaanesh, and they are kind of like dancers. well they are dancer... i play them but i'm not good at describing thier fluff... uhhh...... is that superman?


*runs out of the room, Car engine flooding noise ensues shortly before i yell "oh amphetamine parrot!"*

but seriously, just read the codex it has fluff in it

[€rystal]

The harlequins are a special form of eldar devoted to killing slanesh, they are involved in dancers to repilcate the harlequins fighting slaanesh in battle. They are limated in numbers because they are so specialised and because eldar dont make it past the rital dance. The harlequin have speical armor that plays on the mind and the enemy cannot focus on the harlequin causing the harlequins to have a 4+ coversave, unforantly this armor is usless in combat. But that is were that are good, i mean really good. That are very fasting having high I but low S but great WS. This is from the speical training and there dancers they preform. The soiltare is plays the part of of Slaannesh in all dancers and is the best of the harlequins, but lack in leadership of harlequins and acts alone, but by himself he can take out a unit or two, very scary.
Hope that helps describe them

[Brutal Moon]

...I've had my solitaire take out a C'tan with nothing but a kiss. Pretty lucky, but not impossible.

You do realize that the kiss has the 6s specail rule too, don't you? Though it does allow saves, but that's irrelevant to C'tan, as their saves are invulnerable, aren't they?

Of course, as I remember it, C'tan have a rule which discounts that anyway, don't they? If not, my friend lied to me.

[the solitaire]

A Solitaire can take out a C'tan, but only if the Necron player fails 5 out of 9 saves.

It would not make any difference if the Kiss Powerblade combo (which is not a legal option) would be used because the C'tan have invulnerable saves.

For the non-Harlequin players, A solitaire is a Harlequin elites choice. He has 4 base attacks, 1 from his additional hand weapon and has the blitz attack special ability that allows it to charge up to 12" and recieve charge bonus of 1 attack for every inch not charged from those 12" up to a maximum of 6. This lets the Solitaire have a total of max. 11 attacks (12 with powerblades).

With a WS of 8 the Solitaire usually hits on a 3+, and a Harlequins kiss wounds on a 2+ regardless of toughness.

[axabrax]

The Quins are more than just dancers.  They are more like the medieval troubadours. They form a masque--which is aessentially a company of dramatic players (or in this case dancers") that act out mythical allegories in order to preserve and reenforce the social fabric of Eldar society.  I also see them as the 40K equivalent of the Fantasy Battle Wardancers.

Does that jive, or a little more pompous than what you were looking for ?  Heh.

On the otherhand you can think of them as highly acrobatic eldar close combat gods who tend to be tinfoil tanks.  

[TheMightyPikachu]

A Solitaire can take out a C'tan, but only if the Necron player fails 5 out of 9 saves.

It would not make any difference if the Kiss Powerblade combo (which is not a legal option) would be used because the C'tan have invulnerable saves.

For the non-Harlequin players, A solitaire is a Harlequin elites choice. He has 4 base attacks, 1 from his additional hand weapon and has the blitz attack special ability that allows it to charge up to 12" and recieve charge bonus of 1 attack for every inch not charged from those 12" up to a maximum of 6. This lets the Solitaire have a total of max. 11 attacks (12 with powerblades).

With a WS of 8 the Solitaire usually hits on a 3+, and a Harlequins kiss wounds on a 2+ regardless of toughness.

the only benefit with the powerblade/kiss combo is the +1 attack that's usable with the 2+ wounding, but you either pick a near auto wound, or no armor saves

[the solitaire]

I'd go for the 2+ to wound any time, except vs T3 models.

[Hatchan]

 

I was the one that took out Ilpalazzo's Nightbringer using a Harlequins Kiss + powerblades config (YES! i do know its illegal, NOW. I thought it was legal back then, but i know better now).

PS: My Ilpalazzo picture is better than your, Ilpalazzo  

PPS: Nice picture of "The Kramer", Vice

[the solitaire]

Before you read the post that would be. The rule that forbids the use of more than one special CC weapon was in the codex Gav Thorpe produced a while back. The Nightbringer didn't even exist back then.

Then again. You can take out the Nightbringer with a Solitaire without the combo. It only needs to fail 5 saves. The Nightbringer hits you on 6+ (D-field). With a bit of luck you survive the first round of combat.

[€rystal]

Luck has got everything to with it. Harlequins are fast enough to move around the Nightbringer and shouldnt be in combat with the nightbringer. Soilatarie can kill it, but its unlikly, especitally with its shooting attack.

[the solitaire]

The shooting attack is not strong enough to insta-kill it (at least I thought so) so the Solitaire will get 1 wound per round from that. That would give you 3 rounds of Nightbringer Pinata.

[Zael Aetherwind]

Nightbringer Pinata... heh I like that.. but the thing I see is a solitare in the hands of an experenced player will ownage most models (except the few) watching a nids and a harlequin army battle was disgusting because both players were specialized in their armies... the harlequin won the 2000 point battle but seems to me that the nids had no chance once the tyrant fell to the solitare (he kept missing the solitare!) which is amazing to me...

[the solitaire]

Not quite. The D-field is a very good item. When the Hive |Tyrant is held up in HtH it is not so tough anymore and if it only hits on a 6+ then it isn't tough at all. OK I admit that once it hits the Solitaire is meat loaf but until then the Hive Tyrant should die! die! die!