We need another shooty troop choice... how about wracks?

Lets be honest, 6th edition took an amazing book with fantastic internal balance and ROFL stomped any semblance of internal balance out of it, and the troops section was hit the worst of all. Now wyches are a suicide unit, hellions are a joke, and wracks pretty much just sit on objectives and don't contribute much. Now the only really viable troop choice that can contribute to the game and be alive to claim objectives is the warrior.
This is a simple change that would make wracks a great troop alternative to warriors.

Any wrack may exchange both of his poisoned close combat weapons for a hexrifle for 5 points.
There you go.

That's all you would need to do to make the unit infinitely better without being overpowered and actually give them a role. Basically they would be a sniper squad with access to a flamer, which is pretty fantastic when you think about it.
It would be a really simple change to implement too since all games workshop would have to do would include more fine cast sprues with the hexrifle in each package.

Thoughts?

I'm not sure about the hexrifle. Maybe one per unit. A hole unit would be Very OP in the current edition what with so many large monsters
Maybe a small blast sprit votex
Or a "Spirt rifle"
Range 24 strength 3 ap 4 assault 1
If the unit kills one or more enemy models with a Spirit rifle choose one unit within 12" of the unit (this can be the wracks themselves) that unit immediately gains a pain token

Wracks with hexrifles would hardly be OP when there are many units in other armies that already do the same thing. 5 points might be a bit low, but why shouldn't we have snipers?

On the other hand, it isn't as bad as all that. Wyches... yeah, they were hit bad. Helliions are still as good as they were and arguably even better. And Wracks do okay; more people are probably using them now than before.

Bibitybopitybacon wrote:

It would be a really simple change to implement too since all games workshop would have to do would include more fine cast sprues with the hexrifle in each package.

Ha ha!

If you take a 10 man wrack unit and target monsters.
If a monster takes a wound it has to pass a wound test and 6 is always a fail and if they fail they lose all wounds with no saves allowed. If you fire for a couple of turn at a large and valuable monster chances are he is going to fail it sooner rather than later.
I agree we should have a sniper squad but I imagine a subtle unit that sneaks around being hard to spot and hit, maybe with awesome tech maybe a teleport or jetpack to allow them to quickly reposition to avoid troops and find the place of best advantage at anyone time
I don't imagine them as a big, heavy and slow (in comparison) unit like wracks
Yes they do need ranged weapons but I think that they would be at the front line dishing out pain left right and centre by rifle and combat then they could still hold objectives shooting anything that got too close and able to deal with threats in combat maybe not the spirit rifle or maybe make it rapid fire. You could have a hexrifle or two, or someother powerful weapon as long range support
But please dont make them into a unit that hides behind out if the way sitting in cover just shooting long range

The point with the unit is its an easy change on an existing kit that would give the DE the option of changing one of their 3 cc troop choices into another shooting troop choice in a shooting phase dominate edition.

I don't really see where your coming from claiming that multiple hexrifles would be overpowered. Mathhammering it out. Two thirds of the shots hit only half of them wound and a third of those are rending then assuming the MC is T6 or over a one in six chance at ID.
Thats not that impressive considering its a 150 point unit for fewer points you can get 2 venoms with 24 shots between them. Which one do you think a player with an MC would fear more, ten shot that wound on 4s and id on an additional role of 6 or 24 poison shots from venoms?

Suppose your right and it would be an easy change
How ever I still stand by what I say about wracks should be out in the front or near it
Not lurking at the back.

Adron wrote:

How ever I still stand by what I say about wracks should be out in the front or near it
Not lurking at the back.

I second that, Wracks are geared up for being a close assault unit, and a constantly underestimated one at that. They disembark from their transport, melt some guys with a liquifier shot, survive the overwatch because of their decent toughness and feel no pain, then put a load of wounds on something with their poisoned attacks.

Some variant kabalite build would make more sense, but what you're suggesting isn't the Dark Eldar way. Standing around shooting? When they could be flying over tortured enemy combatants in the thick of battle, drinking deep of their pain and suffering? I don't think so! A shooty troops choice might be a competitive, but I just don't think it's that fluffy. Besides, think of the amount of shots a couple of warrior Venoms will put out at rapid-fire range. No opponent, no matter how fair and even handed they are, could possibly see you pick up 22 dice for one five man squad in a transport and think you need a shootier troops choice!