Harlequins
Provided below are the house rules we use for Harlequin troupes.
The Harlequins are an enigmatic and unique sect with a lineage tracing back to the Fall of the Aeldari.
No Eldar is born a Harlequin, they are recruited from among the Craftworld, Drukhari, and Exodite communities to serve the enigmatic Eldar deity Cegorach, called the Laughing God.
Harlequins have pursued their trickster god's veiled agenda for over ten thousand years, playing out bizarre
"performances" and also on occasion unleashing intense and sometimes cruel violence for inscrutable reasons.
Harlequins always organise themselves into troupes, each member taking on a role chosen from a cast of archetypal characters
appearing in a set of formalized "performances" whose purpose seems to be to endlessly memorialize the legends of the Eldar's tragic Fall.
Several troupes can be combined to form a masque, playing out even grander or larger scale "performances".
Though their own records are hidden deep within the legendary Black Library,
the deeds of the Laughing God's servants are laced throughout the histories of their Eldar kin, the Imperium, the Tau,
and presumably other races. The one constant is that they appear suddenly, do unpredictable things,
and depart just as suddenly...often leaving devastation in their wake but not always.
They are famously non-partisan; seemingly able to take any side in any conflict, or assault all equally, or
even do no harm at all.
Though their activity seems random or even insane, there is presumably a method to the madness.
It is widely believed, by those who ponder such things, that the Harlequins know all the secret paths through the endless maze of the Webway.
Whether they literally know every mystery of the Labyrinthine Dimension or not, it is indisputable that their mastery of the Webway is unmatched,
and they use that mastery to galavant across reality in pursuit of their strange goals.
Gang Composition
A Harlequin troupe must follow these rules when it is founded, and when new fighters are added to the gang.
Fighters
A starting Harlequin troupe is made up of the following fighters. Harlequins use the
Eldar Characteristics Maxima
.
Secondary: Cunning, Ferocity
Starting: A Harlequin starts play with the Escape Artist skill and 1 skill chosen from their Primary skill sets
Access: A Harlequin can be equipped from the Harlequin Equipment List without restriction.
Holo-Suit: A Holo-suit is a Field device that grants a 4+ unmodified armor save roll. Modifiers have been applied directly to profile.
Eldar: This fighter is a Eldar; any game effect referring to Eldar is applicable to them. This fighter uses the Survivor Critical Injury table, and the Eldar Characteristics Maxima.
Escape Artist: If this fighter is Captured at the end of a battle, they slip away from their captors at the beginning of the Escaping Capture step of the Post-Battle Sequence.
This fighter returns to their gang unharmed with all of their gear intact, and gains an additional D3 XP immediately (if able).
Harlequin Skills
When a Harlequin would choose a Primary Skill, they may instead choose one of the following
Harlequin Skills.
Acrobatic: While moving voluntarily, this fighter may ignore other fighters and the 1'' rule but must still end their movement in a location where the 1'' rule is observed, unless they are currently allowed to Engage opponents
(if charging or consolidating, for instance).
Additionally when this fighter moves across a barricade, it does not cost 2'' of their move.
Fast Shot: This fighter treats the Shoot action as Simple rather than Basic. This skill cannot be used with weapons that have the Unwieldy trait.
Hip Shooting: If this fighter is Active, they can make the following action:
Run and Gun (Double): This fighter makes a Standard Move, adding +D3'' to the distance they can move. At any point along their move this fighter may make a single free Shoot action resolved normally, using a weapon they are equipped with that does not have the Unwieldy trait.
Iron Will:
While this fighter remains on the battlefield and is not Seriously Injured or Broken, they count as two (2) fighters for the purposes of Bottle tests.
Bottle Test: If not Seriously Injured or Broken, counts as 2 fighters.
Regroup: At the begining of the End Phase of the Battle Sequence before Bottle Tests are made, if this fighter is on the battlefield and is not Prone, they may attempt a Leadership check. If they succeed, all Broken fighters of their gang within line of sight are no longer Broken.
Resilient: When this fighter suffers a Lasting Injury, a Grievous Injury result is treated as an Out Cold result, and a Permanent Injury result is treated as a Grievous Injury result.
Harlequins Equipment List
When creating a new Harlequin troupe or buying Common equipment during a Post Battle Sequence,
Harlequins may select from the following Harlequins Equipment list.
Weapons (CCWs)
Weapons (Pistols)
Weapons (Specials)
Grenades
Wargear
Campaign
The following changes to the standard Gang War rules are in effect when using Harlequins
in campaign mode. Sections not mentioned follow the standard rules.
Stash and Credits
A Harlequin troupe has no Stash. Anything that would go to the gang's Stash, including credits,
are instead lost. After gang creation a Harlequin troupe loses any credits not spent, and will never gain
any credits after the campaign begins.
Turf Size and Special Territories
Harlequins have a Turf Size of 0 and never gain or lose Turf.
At the start of each Cycle after the first when gangs draw income from their Turf,
Harlequins gain no credits.
Injury
The Injury rules are slightly modified for a Harlequin troupe.
Out of Action
When a fighter takes a Harlequin Out of Action, that fighter gains 2 XP plus 1 XP for every 5 Advancements
the Harlequin has, rounded up. For instance a Harlequin with 3 Advancements is worth 3 XP when taken Out of Action by an enemy.
Capture
If a Harlequin is captured and fails to escape, they are deleted from the gang's roster immediately.
Guilders will pay 250 credits to a gang that sells them a captured Harlequin and all of the Harlequin's gear via the Sell to the Guilders Post-Battle Action.
Harlequins sold to the Guilders are never heard from again.
Any gang can choose to kill a Harlequin they have captured during the Post-Battle Sequence.
Gangs that do this add the captured Harlequin's gear to their gang's Stash immediately.
Bounties
If using the
Bounty
system defined in our house rules,
Harlequins cannot take out Bounties on other gangs.
As the Guilders will pay credits for captured Harlequins, all Harlequin fighters are considered to have a Bounty on them for the purposes of hiring Bounty Hunters.
Pre-battle Sequence
The controlling player of a Harlequin troupe follows the standard Pre-Battle Sequence step by step in the normal fashion,
but with the following alterations applied where noted.
0) Reset
Any credits a Harlequin troupe has accumulated or have remaining from gang creation are lost at this step in the sequence.
1) Buy Advancements and Recruit Hired Guns
Harlequins cannot hire Hired Guns, but can apply Advancements.
2) Determine Scenario
In scenarions with an attacker and a defender, Harlequins are never the defender.
3) Set-up Battlefield
Harlequin troupes are objective based. After the battlefield has
been set up normally, one or more specific objectives for the Harlequins to accomplish during the battle must be selected.
The controlling player must select at least 1 objective and may select up to 3 objectives. Alternately, in an Arbitrated
scenario, the Arbitrator may choose the objectives.
Harlequin troupe objectives represent their inscrutable behavior in their ongoing service to the schemes of the Laughing God.
Some sample objectives are provided, but objectives specific to a given battlefield or scenario
are permissable as well as long as all players involve agree to the specifics.
Example Objectives
It is permissible to add an object such as a box or a terminal or something similar as
the target of a Harlequin objective. However, placement of such objects should be fair
and reasonable to all players involved. For instance, placing such an object in a deployment
zone would typically be a poor choice. On the other hand, placing such an object so that it
would be unreasonably difficult for the Harlequin troupe to accomplish the objective is also
not desirable. If players cannot agree on the placement of such an object, an opposing player may
place the object within 6'' of the center of the battlefield in an accessible spot (not in a pitfall or
an unreachable part of the battlefield, etc) and the Harlequin troupe player may then adjust the position of the object
so that any part of the object is within 3'' of the spot where it was originally placed.
4) Choose Crews
A Harlequin troupe ignores scenario specific directions for how to choose their crew, and
always uses the Custom Selection (X) method where X is equal to the number of Harlequins
in the gang who are not in Recovery.
Choose Leader
A Harlequin troupe does not have a Leader per se, being a collection of equals. However,
at the start of each battle after the crew has been selected, randomly select
one of the Harlequins in the crew to become the Troupe Leader for the battle; that fighter is considered to be the Leader
for any scenario specific text that refers to or requires a Leader, such as tallying Victory Points or
gaining an additional XP at the end of the battle in which the crew was victorious.
Note that the selected fighter doesn't gain Leader abilities such as Group Activation or Lead by
Example; their Leader status is only for purposes of resolving any scenario specific
rules text that refers to a Leader.
Invite Dramatis Personae
If a Harlequin troupe has at least 10 Reputation the Harlequin troupe's controlling player may choose to add a
Death Jester to their Crew for the upcoming battle.
5) Draw Tactics Cards
Harlequins do not use Tactics Cards. Instead, the gang's controlling player
may select one of the following abilities, called a Saedath, to be in effect for the duration of the battle.
Cegorach's Revenge: For the duration of the battle, when any of your fighters hit a target fighter with one or more attacks
but fail to inflict any wounds, the target fighter must make a successful Initiative check
or suffer a Flesh Wound immediately. If multiple targets are hit, this ability is resolved for each target individually.
Great Harlequin: For the duration of the battle fighters from the gang within 6'' of the Troupe Leader (including the Troupe Leader themselves) may re-roll hit rolls that are natural 1's.
Hundred Swords of Vaul: For the duration of the battle any close combat attacks made using a Harlequin's Blade or a Power Sword that hit are treated as having rolled a natural 6 for purposes of weapon traits.
Isha's Weeping: For the duration of the battle when a Harlequin from the gang is taken Out of Action, all other Harlequin fighters from the gang who remain on the battlefield may remove a Flesh Wound from their fighter cards immediately.
Laughing God's Jest: For the duration of the battle enemy gangs add 1 to the result of any Bottle tests they must make, and enemy fighters suffer a -1 penalty to all Nerve tests and Cool checks.
Waltz of the Webways: For the duration of the battle, at the end of each End Phase fighters from the gang who are currently Reinforcements or who were removed from the battlefield using the Webway Escape ability may be re-deployed onto the battlefield as Reinforcements and may be set up on the battlefield as if they had the Infiltrate skill.
6) Deploy
There are no changes to this step.
7) Begin the battle
There are no changes to this step.
Battle Sequence
The controlling player of a Harlequin troupe follows the standard Battle Sequence step by step in the normal fashion,
but with the following alterations applied where noted.
1) Priority Phase
Harlequins have access to the mysterious Webway, which allow them to step outside normal reality and traverse the universe.
All Harlequin troupes have the following special ability, which may be used in any Round of the battle except for the first Round.
Webway Escape
During the Priority Phase immediately before priority has been determined, the controlling player of a Harlequin troupe may choose to voluntarily remove any or all of their fighters from the battlefield.
Fighters removed in this way count as being Out of Action, but do not suffer any Lasting Injury rolls.
Harlequin fighters that are Engaged who would be removed from the battlefield in this way must make a successful Initiative check.
Those who pass are removed from the battlefield unharmed, those who fail are not removed from the battlefield.
If this ability is used to remove the last fighter from the gang from the battlefield and the Harlequin troupe has not failed a bottle test during the battle, the Harlequin troupe is not considered to have bottled out.
2) Action Phase
There are no changes to this step.
3) End Phase
There are no changes to this step.
Post-battle Sequence
The controlling player of a Harlequin troupe follows the standard Post-Battle Sequence step by step in the normal fashion,
but with the following alterations applied where noted.
1) Wrap Up
There are no changes to this step for a Harlequin troupe, except the Resolve Bounty Hunters step.
Resolve Dramatis Personae
If a Death Jester
joined the gang's Crew for this battle they depart now; if the Death Jester
did not take at least one enemy fighter Out of Action during the battle
the Harlequin troupe loses D3 Reputation immediately.
2) Collect Income
At the start of each Cycle after the first when other gangs draw income from their Turf, a
Harlequin troupe does not participate in this process.
3) Receive Rewards
Harlequins do not gain credits during the Receive Rewards step after battles.
Any credits they may have gained are discarded.
Gaining, Losing and Stealing Turf
Harlequins never gain or lose Turf. If a reward lets a Harlequin troupe steal Turf
from another gang, the latter gang's Turf Size is decreased, but the Harlequin's Turf Size remains 0.
Roll a D6 and subtract the amount by which the
other gang’s Turf Size decreased. On a result of 0 or less,
they lose one of their Special Territories chosen
randomly as normal, but the Harlequins do not gain this Special Territory.
Reputation
A Harlequin troupe gains and loses Reputation as normal. In addition, for each objective
the Harlequin troupe accomplished in the battle the Harlequin troupe gains 1 Reputation, and for each
objective the Harlequin troupe failed to accomplish in the battle the Harlequin troupe loses 1 Reputation.
XP
Harlequin fighters gain XP as normal. In addition, each fighter in the Harlequin troupe who participated in the battle gains 1 additional XP for each objective the gang accomplished during the battle.
3) Post-Battle Actions
Harlequins do not take Post-Battle Actions; skip this step.
4) Use Special Territories
A Harlequin troupe skips this step.
5) Update Roster
The following simplified guidelines replace the standard Update Roster step of the Post-Battle Sequence for a
Harlequin troupe.
At this step permanent changes can be made to a gang's roster
and fighter cards. It is important that these steps be followed in
exact order, otherwise unintended outcomes can occur.
- Manage Fighters
- Update Gang Rating
A) Manage Fighters
At this step fighters may be removed or added from a gang's roster.
While going through the steps, don't recalculate
Gang Rating until the Update Gang Rating step at the end.
Delete Dead Fighters
Dead fighters will be removed from the gang's roster during this step.
A dead Harlequin's equipment is lost to the warp and is not recovered.
All dead fighters are removed from the gang's roster now, and their fighter cards (along with
any lost equipment listed upon them) are removed from the gang's deck of fighter cards.
The fighter cards of dead fighters can be erased and reused or kept as a keepsake if prefered. Dead
fighters cannot be rehired or reused as they are dead and gone. However, the models
used to represent dead fighters can be repurposed and brought back to represent a new
fighter.
Delete Retiring Fighters
At this point you may choose to retire one or more gang members. For instance, if you have a fighter with
Lasting Injuries that have rendered the fighter ineffective, you might choose to retire them.
A retiring Harlequin takes the equipment currently on their fighter card with them.
All retiring fighters are removed from the gang's roster now, and their fighter cards (along with
the equipment listed upon them) are removed from the gang's deck of fighter cards.
The fighter cards of retiring fighters can be retained with their current Characteristics Profile,
XP, Advances, and any equipment they took with them for later reuse.
Buy and Hire
Once per Post-Battle Sequence, during this step the controlling player of a Harlequin troupe can choose to take either the Upgrade Accoutrements step or the Casting Call step which are described below.
Upgrade Accoutrements
Select one fighter on the Harlequin troupe's roster, and then select one item of equipment from the Harlequins Equipment List.
Roll 1D6 x 25; if the result is greater than or equal to the credit cost of the selected item, that item is added to the selected fighter's card.
This may temporarily take a fighter over the maximum number of a particular type of item they are allowed to have (for instance, they may temporarily have
more than two weapons).
Casting Call
If the Harlequin troupe currently has fewer than six fighters on its roster, the controlling player may add a new Harlequin equipped with up to
2D3 x 25 credits worth of equipment from the Harlequins Equipment List to the gang's roster for free.
Alternately, a previously retired Harlequin fighter along with any equipment they were equipped with when they were retired
may be added to the gangs roster, for free.
Distribute Equipment
During this step equipment can be redistributed directly between available fighters currently on the Harlequin troupe's roster, by being removed from one fighter card
and being added to another fighter card (adjusting the Fighter ratings of each fighter card appropriately down and up respectively to account for the credit cost of the items being redistributed).
If, after this step has concluded, any fighters do not comply with the Gang Composition guidelines restricting equipment, the controlling player must delete
one or more items from those fighters' fighter cards until each fighter complies with the Gang Composition guidelines.
B) Update Gang Rating
Recalculate the gang's Gang Rating by adding up the individual Ratings of all the fighters
on the roster, and update the roster accordingly.
6) Report Results
There are no changes to this step.