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Structure

This page details military structure of Dark Eldar forces including Detachments, Formations and Apocalypse Formations.

Detachments


Realspace Raiders Detachment

Codex: Dark Eldar details a unique Detachment – the Realspace Raiders Detachment – that reflects the lightning fast nature of a Dark Eldar raid. This follows all the Detachment rules presented in Warhammer 40,000: The Rules.


RESTRICTIONS
All units in this Detachment must have the Dark Eldar Faction (or have no Faction).

COMMAND BENEFITS
Hunt from the Shadows: During the entire first game turn, and during any turn in which the Night Fighting rules are in effect, all Troops units from this Detachment have a 5+ cover save, and all other units from this Detachment have a 6+ cover save.

Realspace Raider: If this Detachment is your Primary Detachment, you can re-roll the result when rolling on the Warlord Traits table in Codex: Dark Eldar.

Reborn Warhost

The combined forces of the Aeldari take to the battlefield as a Reborn Warhost. These warriors have heard Yvraine’s words or the call of Ynnead, and fight free from the fear of soul death. This collection of the Aeldari’s most skilled warriors is more than equal to the burden that destiny has placed upon them.

The Reborn Warhost is a special type of Detachment that can be included in any Battle-forged army. Unlike the Detachments shown in Warhammer 40,000: The Rules, it has a Force Organisation Chart whose slots are a combination of Battlefield Roles and Formations from multiple Factions. However, it still has compulsory and optional elements, as well as Restrictions and Command Benefits, just like any other Detachment.

Although units cannot normally belong to more than one Detachment, units from a Formation that is part of a Reborn Warhost are an exception. They count as part of both their Formation and the Detachment, and have all associated Command Benefits and special rules. If your Warlord is part of a Formation or an Army List Entry that makes up part of a Reborn Warhost, that entire Reborn Warhost is your Primary Detachment.

The Reborn Warhost Army List divides the units available into several categories, according to their Battlefield Role. With the exception of the Ynnari and Black Guardians units, you must use the profiles, points costs, equipment, options, special rules and any Dedicated Transports available to each unit as described on their codex datasheet. Each entry will include an abbreviated reference to the codex where their appropriate datasheet can be found, denoted as follows:

HQ
1-2
Troops
2-6
Heavy Support
0-3
Fast Attack
0-3
Elites
0-3
Lords of War
0-1
Formations
any number
HQ
One of the following:
 • Yvraine
 • The Visarch
 • Eldrad Ulthran (E)
 • Prince Yriel (E)
 • Illic Nightspear (E)
 • Asurmen (E)
 • Jain Zar (E)
 • Karandras (E)
 • Fuegan (E)
 • Baharroth (E)
 • Maugan Ra (E)
 • Autarch (E)
 • Farseer (E)
 • Warlock Conclave (E)
 • Spiritseer (E)
 • Archon (DE)
 • Court of the Archon (DE)
 • Succubus (DE)
 • Lelith Hesperax (DE)

FAST ATTACK
One of the following:
 • Wave Serpent (E)
 • Swooping Hawks (E)
 • Warp Spiders (E)
 • Shining Spears (E)
 • Crimson Hunters (E)
 • Vyper Squadron (E)
 • Hemlock Wraithfighter (E)
 • Beastmasters (DE)
 • Raider (DE)
 • Venom (DE)
 • Reavers (DE)
 • Hellions (DE)
 • Razorwing Jetfighter (DE)
 • Scourges (DE)
 • Skyweavers (H)
 • Starweaver (H)

FORMATIONS
TROOPS
One of the following:
 • Guardian Defenders (E)
 • Storm Guardians (E)
 • Windriders (E)
 • Rangers (E)
 • Dire Avengers (E)
 • Kabalite Warriors (DE)
 • Wyches (DE)

HEAVY SUPPORT
One of the following:
 • Dark Reapers (E)
 • Vaul’s Wrath Support Battery (E)
 • Falcons (E)
 • Fire Prisms (E)
 • Night Spinners (E)
 • War Walkers (E)
 • Wraithlord (E)
 • Ravager (DE)
 • Voidraven Bomber (DE)
 • Voidweaver (H)

ELITES
One of the following:
 • Howling Banshees (E)
 • Striking Scorpions (E)
 • Fire Dragons (E)
 • Wraithguard (E)
 • Wraithblades (E)
 • Incubi (DE)
 • Death Jester (H)
 • Shadowseer (H)
 • Solitaire (H)
 • Black Guardians
 • Black Guardian Windriders
 • Black Guardian Vyper Squadron
 • Black Guardian War Walkers

LORDS OF WAR
One of the following:
 • Wraithknight (E)
 • The Yncarne

RESTRICTIONS
This Detachment must include at least one HQ choice and two Troops choices. It may include one more HQ choice, up to four more Troops choices, up to three Elites choices, up to three Fast Attack choices, up to three Heavy Support choices, one Lords of War choice, and any number of Formation choices. Only the datasheets listed here may be included in this Detachment.

COMMAND BENEFITS
Leader of the Reborn: If this Detachment is chosen as your Primary Detachment, you can choose to re-roll the result on the Ynnari Warlord Traits table.

Our Souls We Entrust: Units from this Detachment have the Stubborn special rule. In addition, if a unit from this Detachment is within 7" of another unit from this Detachment, it does not have to take a Morale check when it loses 25% or more of its current models during a single phase (measure the distance at the end of the phase).

Warhost of Ynnead: If this Detachment includes 7 or more units, you can select one additional unit to make a Soulburst action each time a unit is destroyed.

Formations


Kabalite Raiding Party

FORMATION
 • 1 Archon
 • 1 Court of the Archon
 • 1 unit of Incubi
 • 1 Ravager
 • 6 units of Kabalite Warriors
 • 1 unit of Scourges
 • 1 unit of Hellions
RESTRICTIONS
All units in this Formation, except the Archon, must take a Raider or Venom Dedicated Transport if they have the option to do so. The Archon may choose whether or not to take a Venom Dedicated Transport.
SPECIAL RULES
Architect of Agony: If the Archon in this Formation is your Warlord and he is alive, all units in this Formation with the Power from Pain special rule treat the current turn as being one higher than it actually is when determining what special rules they benefit from. This is cumulative with the Agonising and/or Master of Pain special rules.

Hunt from the Shadows: During the entire first game turn, and during any turn in which the Night Fighting rules are in effect, all Troops units from this Formation have a 5+ cover save, and all other units from this Formation have a 6+ cover save.

Realspace Raider: If this Formation is your Primary Detachment, you can re-roll the result when rolling on the Warlord Traits table in Codex: Dark Eldar.

Blackheart Talon

FORMATION
 • 1 Flyer Wing consisting of:
  - 2 Razorwing Jetfighters
  - 2 Voidraven Bombers
RESTRICTIONS
One of the Voidraven Bombers must be the Wing Leader.
SPECIAL RULES
Close Escort: If the Formation is in an Attack Pattern then the Razorwing Jetfighters receive the Interceptor special rule until the start of their next turn, in addition to the other benefits that the Attack Pattern confers. In addition, enemy Flyers cannot engage the Voidraven Bombers from this Formation in a Dogfight if any of the Razorwing Jetfighters from this Formation are also in Reserve.

Priority Target: After deployment is complete, pick one enemy unit as the Priority Target for this Formation. All of the Flyers in this Formation have the Preferred Enemy rule when they attack the Priority Target.

Purge Coterie

FORMATION
 • 1 Archon
 • 1 unit of Kabalite Warriors
 • 1 Raider
 • 1 unit of Reavers
RESTRICTIONS
None.
SPECIAL RULES
Marked for Death: Such is the power at their disposal that, with but a simple gesture, an Archon can order the swift demise of those that displease them. At the start of each friendly turn, pick an enemy unit within line of sight of Archon. All other units from the Purge Coterie have the Preferred Enemy special rule against the unit you picked until the start your next turn.

Apocalypse Formations


Carnival of Pain

APOCALYPSE FORMATION
 • 1 Haemonculus Ancient or Urien Rakarth
 • 0+ Haemonculi
 • 0+ units of Wracks
 • 0+ units of Grotesques
 • 3+ Talos or Cronos (in any combination)
RESTRICTIONS
None.
TYPE
 • Battle Formation

SPECIAL RULES
Pain Amplifiers: All non-vehicle enemy units within 12" of a Talos or a Cronos from the Carnival of Pain have their Toughness characteristic reduced by one.

In addition, friendly units chosen from Codex: Dark Eldar that are within 12" of at least one model in this formation and have one or more pain tokens have their Feel No Pain special rule improved by one - usually to Feel No Pain (4+). A Dark Eldar unit with four or more pain tokens instead has its Feel No Pain special rule improved by two - usually to Feel No Pain (3+).

Dark Olympiad

APOCALYPSE FORMATION
 • 1 Succubus or Lelith Hesperax
 • 0+ units of Hekatrix Bloodbrides
 • 2+ units of Wyches
 • 1+ units of Hellions
 • 0+ units of Beastmasters
 • 1+ units of Reavers
RESTRICTIONS
None.
TYPE
 • Battle Formation

SPECIAL RULES
Frenzied Beasts: Beastmasters, Donorian Clawed Fiends, Khymerae and Razorwing Flocks in a Dark Olympiad all have combat drugs in addition to their other wargear.

Orgy of Scarlet: Once the game has begun, whenever a unit from the Dark Olympiad gains a pain token for destroying an enemy unit, choose a Dark Eldar unit within 24" and within line of sight; that unit also gains a pain token.

The Grand Finale: An army that includes a Dark Olympiad rolls an extra dice on the chart when determining which combat drugs are available, and applies two of the results generated instead of the usual one. Note that an army that includes a both a Dark Olympiad and Duke Sliscus could roll three dice and choose two results.

Kabalite Web Strike

APOCALYPSE FORMATION
 • 1 Archon
 • 0+ units of Kabalite Trueborn
 • 1+ units of Incubi
 • 2+ units of Kabalite Warriors
 • 1+ Ravager
RESTRICTIONS
The formation’s Infantry units must begin the game embarked in Raider or Venom Transports.
TYPE
 • Battle Formation

SPECIAL RULES
Arterial Strike: All units in the formation must be held in Strategic Reserve. They may enter play in any of the owning player’s turns. To represent the element of surprise, in the Shooting phase of the turn they enter play, all units in this formation may re-roll failed To Hit rolls.

Arterial Webway Portal: When deploying fortifications at the start of the battle, you must set up an Arterial Webway Portal. The Arterial Webway Portal functions in exactly the same way as an activated Webway Portal, except that it uses the large blast marker and can be used by vehicles. It may be placed anywhere on the table outside of the opposing side's deployment zone.

Ravager Titan Hunters

APOCALYPSE FORMATION
 • 3-5 Ravagers
RESTRICTIONS
None.
TYPE
 • Armoured Spearhead

SPECIAL RULES
Shadow Dancing: Any Ravager in the spearhead within 6" of the Command Vehicle (including the Command Vehicle itself) has the Shrouded special rule.

Shadow Ray: The Command Vehicle has a shadow ray built into the heavy weapon on its prow in addition to its other armaments. This is treated as being part of the heavy weapon on its prow in all respects, and is fired in addition to the heavy weapon when it fires. Resolve the shadow ray's attack first, before any other shooting attacks are made by the squadron.

If the ray hits a target, then for the rest of the turn, any subsequent hits inflicted on that target by any Ravager in the same squadron will ignore the effects of all void shields, power fields and Eldar Titan holo-fields. The shadow ray has the following profile:

RangeSAPType
36"1-Assault 1

Sickle Squadron

APOCALYPSE FORMATION
 • 3-5 Razorwing Jetfighters
RESTRICTIONS
None.
TYPE
 • Flyer Wing

SPECIAL RULES
Sicklewing Fields: In the Movement phase, the Sickle Squadron may attack with its sicklewing fields. Pick one non-vehicle enemy unit that was moved over by at least one model from the formation. Units that are locked in combat may not be selected. The target unit suffers D3 Strength 8 AP3 hits for each Razorwing from the Flyer Wing that moved over it this turn. Furthermore, you may allocate a single Wound caused by this attack to any single model in the enemy unit for each Razorwing that moved over the unit this turn. The rest of the Wounds are distributed using Random Allocation.