Mantle of the Laughing God

I think I completely misread the rules for this relic from Codex Eldar. My thoughts were that my allied Jetseer could join my reavers in deployment, but as he lost IC status, he would be regarded as a Sergeant type character(?). I wanted all the cool stuff like Hit and Run, Stealth and Shrouded for my reavers. He could get a bit of night vision and skilled rider in return. Does this relic actually make the jetseer an unjoinabale yet near invincible force purely unto himself?

If the Mantle removes the Independent Character rule, then it means he can't join units as an IC usually could and counts as an unit in his own right (though he could in theory be joined by another Independent Character).

Squidmaster wrote:

If the Mantle removes the Independent Character rule, then it means he can't join units as an IC usually could and counts as an unit in his own right (though he could in theory be joined by another Independent Character).

Actually, couldn't be joined by another independent character. Independent characters can't join units that are purchased in a unit count of 1. (i.e. can't join monsterous creatures etc.)

but otherwise Squidmaster has it right.

Long time lurker, rare poster.  

Since the Mantle removes "Independent Character", the Autarch cannot join anything...understood.  Does this also change the Autarch into "not a Character"?  Therefore, he cannot challenge, be challenged, or produce precision strikes?  Looking at the unit entry, I think that this is the case.  The Autarch is just left as infantry...not a character at all.

3++ had a great article on using The Solitaire where this observation occurs in the comments but no one ever directly answered or addressed it.

So is a model with the Mantle no longer a character because he is no longer an independent character, losing all the benefits/problems therein?

The Autarch's unit type is Infantry (Character) and he has the Independent Character special rule. The Mantle removes the IC rule but he remains In (Ch) and can therefore challenge, be challenged etc.