Archon Cloning Questions

So I read in the 8E codex that archons sometimes get clones of themselves made for a variety of reasons, and that really piqued my interest. However, I was wondering how exactly these clones function...

Do they know they're a clone? Do they have to induce suffering to keep their soul from withering away? Do they even have a soul?!

I'm wondering since I wanted to create some Kabal fluff about three archons that run a Kabal, where two of them are clones of the original. The problem is, nobody knows who the original archon is, not even the archons themselves.

Generally, the clones don't activate and function until the original croaks. Then the soul is transferred to the new body.

However, I think you custom fluff is AWESOME. Lots of great background stories are built around corner cases, where the normal rules go awry. An archon whose clones woke up sentient is a great start for an awesome story.

Clones tend to be the route to immortality, an Archon replacing their body if damaged (in battle, or by assassination usually).

Path of the Archon I believe does feature a clone of Asdrubael Vect, used as a body double (but kept on a metaphorical lead).

Yeah, that new addition to archon fluff really made me think on how exactly it works. Since souls are tangible in 40k, there are several ways this can be done:

1) The clones are soulless sleeves that simply wait in stasis until the archon dies in combat
2) The clones are soulless sleeves that the archon activates one at a time by transferring his soul, allowing him to operate all over the realspace, if needed
3) The clones are with soul, and can act simultaneously, knowing that the others are clones too, but not sure who's the original
4) The clones are with soul, can act simultaneously, but the original archon has the ability to swap souls with a clone that's out of danger before death, so that his soul does not go to Slaanesh (think Yllithian and his cousin or Bellathonis and Kharbyr from the Path of the Dark Eldar)
5) The clones are soulless, but a manifestation of the archon's soul can be placed in them to give them some form of autonomy (Vect in Path of the Dark Eldar)
6) Some other wacky haemonculus super science, the possiblities are endless!

It's one of those background changes that really opens up how you want to fluff your army and I really like that about 8e.

Squidmaster wrote:

Clones tend to be the route to immortality, an Archon replacing their body if damaged (in battle, or by assassination usually).

Path of the Archon I believe does feature a clone of Asdrubael Vect, used as a body double (but kept on a metaphorical lead).

I don't believe the body double in PotA is a clone; if I recall correctly he's a drukhari or some corner-case-alien who has special training and body modifications to act as a professional stand-in. I might be misremembering though.

I think I recall mention somewhere in the Codex that some Archons get multiple clones of themselves so they can savour the suffering across multiple fronts at once. Bugger knows I can remember where though...

Update!:

Page 15, middle row.

Also mentions that multiple copies of the same Archon can appear on the field together to revel in torment.

Agathus wrote:

I'm wondering since I wanted to create some Kabal fluff about three archons that run a Kabal, where two of them are clones of the original. The problem is, nobody knows who the original archon is, not even the archons themselves.

Please say that your Archon(s) look and talk like Dr. Doom.

Yes, Archons can have many clones, but from my reading lore over the years (Sometimes lore changes, so please let me know if any of this isnt cannon any more, they have lots of propaganda and recon lore in 40k).

From my understanding, very few Archons actually have clones as the knowledge to do it is very hard to find and it is incomplete, only Vect and some other higher end characters/Haemonculus know how to do this. Archons will have clones of themselves moreso for body doubles, to stay alive, but time to time they will use them in battle, however this is a rarity.

An older fluff once said (I cant find it sorry will look more) that powerful Archons will have a Haemonculus make many copies of themselves, but they need a part of their Souls to have them be useful, so once they are all up and running around they have different personalities and that can cause problems, but if they keep the clones not active then they dont need to split their soul (This was pre 5th if i remember). That story might be recon now, but i thought i was neat. They talked about how Vect has an unknown amount of clones in disguise hiding all over the city and Vect himself is no longer tided to any 1 body but can use them all as he pleases.