Dire Avengers
Warhammer 40,000 Characters
Power Level 9 ( 135 PP )
ABILITIESFarseer Caerys of Ulthwé wrote:They shall come, expecting the obvious, the simple, the artless. They shall stab at the shadows with confused minds and troubled hearts. Meanwhile, we shall appear unseen from ten directions, and from every one strike a fatal blow.
Strength 2
Stamina 3
Agility 3
Dexterity 2
Fighting 6
Intellect 0
Awareness 1
Presence 0
SKILLS
Athletics 6 (+8), Acrobatics 4 (+6), Close Combat [Unarmed] 4 (+12), Expertise [Path of the Avenger] 8 (+8), Perception 7 (+8), Ranged Combat [Eldar Weapons] 6 (+12), Ranged Combat [Thrown] 4 (+10), Stealth 1 (+4)
ADVANTAGES
Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Benefit (Ambidextrous), Close Attack (2), Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll (2), Equipment (5), Evasion (2), Improved Defense, Improved Iniative (2), Move-By Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack (3), Seize Initiative, Takedown (1), Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge
POWERS
► Eldar Physiology [ 9 PP Total ]
• Long-Lived Enhanced Advantage 2 (Eidetic Memory, Well-Informed); Immunity 1 (Aging [1]) [ 3 PP ]
• Hypercognition Quickness 3 (Mental: One Minute in Six Seconds Physical: 12 Seconds in Six Seconds; F: Limited to Mental [Two Ranks]) [ 2 PP ]
• Inhuman Grace Leaping 1 (15'); Speed 1 (4 MPH) [ 2 PP ]
• Keen Eyesight Senses 1 (Visual: Extended [1], Ultravision [1]) [ 2 PP ]
► Dire Avenger Armor ( 30 PP Base; F: Removable) [ 24 PP Total ]
• Auto-Senses Senses 4 (Visual: Direction Sense [1], Distance Sense [1], Infravision [1], Time Sense [1]) [ 4 PP ]
• Psycho-Plastic Plating Protection 5 (E: Impervious [5]) [ 10 PP ]
• Environmentally Sealed Immunity 5 (Environmental Cold [1], Environmental Heat [1], Radiation [1]; Suffocation Effects [2]) [ 5 PP ]
• Vox Link Communication 3 (Radio: Long Range; E: Subtle [2]; F: Limited to Eldar from same Craftworld) [ 11 PP ]
EQUIPMENT ( 25 EP )
► Dire Avengers Standard Issue
• Avenger Shuriken Catapult Damage 6 (E: Improved Critical [3], Multiattack, Ranged) [ 21 EP ]
• AE: Bladestorm Technique Damage 6 (E: Area [60' Cone], Improved Critical [3], Ranged; F: Activation [Move, -1]) [ 1 EP ]
• AE: Combat Blade Damage 3 (Strength-Based; E: Accurate [1], Improved Critical [1], Penetrating [2]) [ 1 EP ]
• AE: Plasma Grenade Damage 5 (E: Area [30' Burst], Ranged) [ 1 EP ]
• AE: Krak Grenade Damage 8 (E: Penetrating [5], Reach [1], Triggered [timer]; F: Innaccurate [1]) [ 1 EP ]
DEFENSE
Dodge (8) Base 5
Parry: (8) Base 2
Fortitude: (8) Base 5
Toughness: (8/10) ——
Will: (10) Base 9
WORKSHEET
Attack: 12 Effect: 2 Total: 14 (Unarmed)
Attack: 12 Effect: 6 Total: 18 (Avenger Shuriken Catapult)
Attack: —— Effect: 6 Total: 6 (Bladestorm Technique)
Attack: 10 Effect: 5 Total: 15 (Combat Blade)
Attack: —— Effect: 5 Total: 5 (Plasma Grenade)
Attack: 8 Effect: 8 Total: 16 (Krak Grenade)
Dodge: 8 Tough: 8/10 Total: 16/18
Parry: 8 Tough: 8/10 Total: 16/18
Fort: 8 Will: 10 Total: 18
ABILITIES [ 34 pp ] +
SKILLS [ 20 pp ] +
ADVANTAGES [ 27 pp ] +
POWERS [ 33 pp ] +
DEFENSES [ 21 pp ] =
135 PP TOTAL
Background:
The Dire Avengers are preeminent amongst the Aspect Warriors of the Eldar. They represent the Eldar War God in his role as The Noble Warrior. They are merciless to their foes and tireless in their devotion to their people.
Most common of all the Aspect Warriors, the Dire Avengers can trace their line back to Asurmen, first of the Phoenix Lords. They are famed for being as deadly on the attack as they are stalwart in defense, and are widely regarded as the most tactically flexible of all the aspects. A famous Eldar legend tells of a single squad of Dire Avengers holding a nightmarish tide of daemons at bay to allow their comrades to escape. Such acts of valor are commonly echoed by their modern counterparts.
Dire Avengers are armed with master-crafted shuriken catapults —— a weapon especially deadly in the hands of these Aspect Warriors. They consider the wielding of the shuriken an art form and even carry these lethal discs under their robes when outside the shrine. In this way even an apparently unarmed Dire Avenger can slay an opponent with a swift gesture.
When in battle, Dire Avengers use their shuriken catapults to create an impenetrable storm of monomolecular blades. They have an uncanny knack of knowing when to follow this onslaught with a lightning-fast assault and when to carefully draw the enemy forward out of position. It is rare to find an Eldar force without a squad of these graceful warriors at its heart.
Mini-Rant:
I'm an old grognard that remembers the Dire Avengers as being one of the scariest units in the game! You see, in the early editions Eldar Guardian's all used lasrifles and only the Dire Avengers and a few vehicles used shuriken catapults. In those days, every shuriken catapult used the Sustained Fire rule. Every single time a Dire Avenger shot you rolled a Sustained Fire die which would generating a 1,1,2,2,3, or Jam. If you got the Jam result you couldn't shoot this turn or next, otherwise you got that many shots. Which meant a full ten-elf squad of Dire Avengers could potentially throw a bucketful of thirty dice each shooting phase, with an average of fifteen dice. A lucky round of Sustained Fire dice and To Hit dice could delete squads of enemy infantry.
The decision to make shuriken catapults the default small arm for the entire faction does make a lot of sense and helps distinguish them from the mon-keigh. This necessitated toning down the rate of fire for the weapon, of course. So no more Sustained Fire dice. GW did give the Dire Avengers a special version of the shuriken catapult and some special rules to make the most of it.