The Parched

So these guys.
They are the beggars and poor people of Commorragh, but I thought they could have a place in our army.

What I thought that they could do is turn Dark Eldar closer to a swarm-type of army, like orks. Although I am sure they would work just fine with any DE list as an additional spice.


The Parched
Lowly Dark Eldar, thirsting for violence, herded by kabals or wych cults into combat. They are rarely armed with more than improvised clubs, and they are not capable of using ranged weapons efficiently, but they have a dangerous potential against enemies they find. Once a parched finds his first victim, he becomes faster and much more motivated to fight.

WS 3 BS 2 S 3 T 3 W 1 I 4 A 1 LD 6

Point cost: Not sure, I was thinking 3 to 6 per model?

Composition: 10-20 parched

Wargear: A CC-weapon, no armour

Special rules: Power From Pain, Night Vision

Rabble: The Parched are lowly Dark Eldar, and all other of their kin take care not to be too close to them. The Parched cannot be joined by any independent characters.

Extended Pain: The Parched gain more effect from pain tokens than regular eldar do, and they gradually become even more effective.
The Parched gain special effects from pain tokens as follows:
- 1 Pain Token: Feel no Pain (+5), Initiative +1, Weapon Skill +1, LD +1
- 2 Pain Tokens: Furious Charge, Fleet
- 3 Pain Tokens: LD +1, Attack +1
- 4 Pain Tokens: Fearless, Feel no Pain (+4)


As for additional options, I have thought of a new dedicated transport for them (and even a new weapon for it), and the ability to give 1 per 5 parched models an additional CC-weapon.


New Dedicated Transport

Dungeon Barge
Essentially a floating cage, the Dungeon Barge is used as a terrifying tool to open up the transports of enemies so that the barge's inhabitants could be released on to the fleshy contents within.

Same style as a raider, but shorter and taller. It would have a big cage in the middle (which makes it taller), and sealed front and bottom.

Type: Fast Skimmer (NOT open topped!)

Access Points: 2, on the sides (basically one under the cage, and the parched are dropped and they pour from under the vehicle)

Fire Points: 0

Transport Capacity: 15

Special Rules: Assault Vehicle

Wargear:

1 twin-linked Shotgun-blaster



Shotgun-blaster: Range: 12 S8 AP1 Assault 2 Lance
(Too OP?)



So basically, you load a bunch of beggars in a barge, send it to battle, have it hover to a transport, blow it up and drop the troops on it.


I also thought of a few ways of making them more interesting and helping out with pain tokens.

New special rule for DE whips (or other weapons they happen to carry):

Instill Rage
The archon slashes mercilessly at the shambling mob, trying to awaken their lust for murder.

At the beginning of the shooting phase, if an archon is within 3" of a unit of parched, he may forfeit his shooting and instead make a special test for this unit.
The Parched must take a leadership test.
If it succeeds, the unit must move up 3" to any direction. The unit may still run or charge this turn.
If the test is failed, the unit takes D3+1 Wounds, allocated by the player, and must also move 3", like above. After the wounds are resolved, the unit gains a pain token.




So what do you like in this idea? What would you change?
Can you see good strategies to do with them? Are they viable?
Is the unit too weak? Too OP?
Would you buy a unit like this if GW made it? What kind of models would you like them to have?

Comments, thoughts, suggestions!

This has loads of character and is very cleverly designed, but if I have to be honest... I wouldn't use them. They would be - I'm very sorry to say - worse than Mandrakes. They start out with nothing and only start getting slightly better once they start getting pain tokens, and how are they going to get those?

And they are... uncouth. They probably have no dress sense and display atrocious manners!

But their transport is better than what proper dark eldar have. Not being open-topped and with an Assault 2 Lance, wyches would refuse to set foot on the filthy thing, but secretly be a little jealous!

But they would be cheaaaap!


And yeah, that transport is maybe too badass for them...

what about a bunch of parched rabble dragging an archon's chariot?

Here's a thought, make them buffable.
I think for what you describe, the Power From Pain rules here are a little off character. They give too much to what is supposed to be quite a lowly and pathetic speimen of the species. So I'd recommend removing the Power From Pain, and alter the Instill Rage to make it more characterful. How about, instead of making a test for the unit, the Archon shoots them. He maybe gets a shot, or intant kills one, and this gives the unit Furious Charge for that turn only.

Squidmaster wrote:

Here's a thought, make them buffable.
I think for what you describe, the Power From Pain rules here are a little off character. They give too much to what is supposed to be quite a lowly and pathetic speimen of the species. So I'd recommend removing the Power From Pain, and alter the Instill Rage to make it more characterful. How about, instead of making a test for the unit, the Archon shoots them. He maybe gets a shot, or intant kills one, and this gives the unit Furious Charge for that turn only.

That could work too ^^
My basic idea for having a better PfP was that they started out worse than a basic dark eldar would have for their stats, and more pain would gradually bring them up to what it is and more.

Furious charge for one turn is actually pretty good, but I would still think some way to bring up their initiative a bit.