wraithguard in harlequin armies

[dvs1]

Would it be totally inconceivable that a harlequin army would also include wraithguard? I was thinking that my troupe isn't above grave robbing, and have taken to using departed eldar souls to feed to the meat grinder, instead of their own dwindling kindred. As far as wraith bone technology and constructs go I don't see why not as they both frequent craft worlds, and may be able to enlist the aid of any like minded bonesingers they meet. In game terms, it would allow me to fill up troop slots without having to include guardians and the like. I'm not sure how i feel about rangers/pathfinders as mimes, even though I know they are moving towards aspirants(SG w/ enhance-lock) nowadays. So watcha think?

[The AKH]

By straight fluff, it makes more sense that actual Rangers or Pathfinders (Outcasts) would be accompanying the troupe, as they both sort of wander through the webway.

Although you've got the beginnings of a tidy little explanation for Harlequin Wraithguard there.

[harrybuttwhisker]

Erm no lol eldar absolutely abhor the idea of reawakening the spirits of the dead eldar into wraithbone chassis, be it wraithguard or wraithbone and will only do it in the direst of times. Plus harlequin troupes aren't an army they are a troop all those that follow it are someway involved in the performance.

This sounds a little too much like trying to create fluff to excuse using models that don't fit a theme for gaming effectivemess. Im not saying you cant have wraith constructs and harlequins in the same army, its just its not a harlequin army anymore.

[thelonegrif]

there was a experimental dex for harle's back for 3rd ed and a fan based one released for 5th though there is a entry for a variant of the wraith lord it is not possessed by a dead eldarbut rather the spirit of the lauging god so no there cause to use wraith guard in a harle army nor is there any variant in a harle army
PS i would build a harle army if GW released a Dex for them but alas dream wil be dreams

[dvs1]

So what your saying har, is that eldar absolutely abhor reanimation so much, that they have hosts of them in the various craft worlds, throughout the galaxy via wraith armies, and lords.. I understand that it is a big religious taboo for them to abuse the dead, but they are few, and war is many and it does happen...frequently. I'm just saying my troupe goes around either collecting battlefield remains, or perhaps extort it from their kin, in return for their priceless entertainment services.Plus I have an awesome modeling idea that involves marionettes. According to the current fluff, do all harlies not wear spirit stones anymore? I swear at one point in the past only the solitare went without one. I've visited the other sites to see their fan 'dexes and some odd reason, many of them have the wraith lord as an SM dreadnought ripoff. Something like a dying eldar is placed within the shell so it may fight on ...and all that. I prefer a wraith lord chassis with puppet strings ftw. Gotta be honest though, my army did start off strictly as a spirit host/ whatever army, but I have found that I like the harlequin concept so much, I'm willing to redo a bunch of stuff fluff/modeling/lists to accomplish this goal. I just really needed to fill in the troop choices without only taking rangers and the like.

[Gotthammer]

Currently Harlies don't wear stones - they are absorbed by the Laughing God when they die. The Solitaire has to be fought over due to their funky powers. The ritual of becoming a Harlie involves being possessed by a Slaaneshi daemon, and having it cast out (becoming Illuminated), dying, or in the case of Solitaires, having their sould displaced by the daemon but their original not being returned so it's still technically in the warp.

For how that can work with Wraithguard, the RT rules for Harlequins does mention they use dreadnoughts (as they were then) to do the robot on stage (seriously) and for battlefield support.




That can be translated to Wraithlords in that there were some Harlequins living/working incognito on a craftworld (the RT Harlie article has it happen with a Solitaire) and they are killed whilst disguised. The spirit stone they wore to blend in captures their soul and your Troupe collected it, putting it in a special Wraithlord until their 'final' death.
If using units of Wraithguard make them a 'special' Troupe for such instances, collecting all the Harlequins who have been interred in spirit stones in the galaxy.

[The AKH]

Iyanden is the only Craftworld that fields Wraithguard en masse, due to them taking such horrendous casualties in the war against Hive Fleet Kraken.

With regard to the Solitaire - I don't think there's any contest over the Solitaire's soul. The Solitaire forfeits their soul to Slaanesh so that the rest of the troupe's souls can be absorbed by Cegorach.

[dvs1]

thanks for the history lesson, my group and I started at about 2nd ed so a lot of the RT fluff is greek to us . My idea was to make the wraithguard and lords into marionettes. So now its staring to look like my troupe is starting their own harlie mortuary then!

[Freefall945]

You're look at a pretty extensive justification for having Wraith-harlies. As we know, GW lore changes over time, and while harlequins in RT might have occasionally bitten the shuriken while kicking around on a craftworld incognito, it doesn't seem at all possible. We know now that soul-stones are individually attuned to the wearer, which means a pseudo-soul-stone couldn't catch the harlequin, and it's hard to imagine them convincing the warlocks that they just lost the last one and could use a do-over.

It's also suggested that Eldar can leave soulstones voluntarily if they choose- and if you're a harlequin, why hang out in a rock when you could become one with the cosmic joker?

Naturally go by the path that you find coolest, but might suggest, perhaps, that a warlock and his wraithguard might easilly become indentured to serve a harlequin host as simply as the harlequins do likewise for craftworlds? Wraithguard painted up in harlequin colors would be... interesting to witness!

[Lordgimpet]

Freefall makes a good point. at the end of the day GW leave holes in lore to allow the creative spark to shine in al of us. if ya can find it get a copy of the Harlequin beta codex for 3rd ed for ideas also
I cant see why a particular Troupe stumbled apon a past battlefield and retrieved them or something
and use a shadowseer to act as its eyes instead of a warlock, making some fluff to go with your army idea
not only adds to your army but adds to the hobbie. and yeah Wraithguard in a holo scheme would look cool on the field