Gargoyles are creatures adapted for sowing terror and confusion amidst the foe as they flap and wheel overhead on their leathery pinions. Gargoyles have been evolved to act independently from the hive mind, enabling them to range far and wide from the main Tyranid swarm. Gargoyles spray foes on the ground below with a highly corrosive, flaming bile that incinerates flesh and can boil a man within his own armor. Gargoyles are the bane of all enemy ground units, but prove especially damaging to Assault units.
The Swooping Hawks wear cunningly constructed wings made from vibrating feather plates. The pitch and vibration of these plates turns the wings into a blur of color, which carries the Eldar high into the air. From the air, Swooping Hawks wield Lasguns, enabling them to rain a hail of suppressing death upon foes below. The Swooping Hawks' costumes reflect the background color of the sky. Swooping Hawks defend the sky above their embattled brethren, engaging enemy aerial units before they can wreak havoc on the Eldar below.
Genestealers have the ability to infect other life forms with viral geneseeds, which rapidly twist the minds and very genetics of those infected. These people are then sent back into the society from which they came, but now with a fanatical and all-consuming loyalty to the great communal intelligence that is the Tyranid race. Thus, a handful of Tyranid can bring towns, cities, and even worlds to ruin in complete secrecy. Genestealers often form the vanguard of the Tyranid invasion. Once the hive swarms engage in battle, Genestealers form part of the first waves of shock troops that overrun the foe. They are well adapted for fighting in close combat and excel at it like no other creature in the galaxy. Genestealers excel at melee combat and can overwhelm nearly any enemy with their lust for battle and unparalleled killing skills.
The Howling Banshees are swift and mobile troops, most deadly in hand-to-hand fighting. Their Banshee masks contain psychosonic amplifiers that magnify their battle screams into mind-destroying barrages. Their screams inflict a severe shock to the central nervous system of the Eldar's foe, causing momentary paralysis. Banshees are excellent at terminating enemy troops caught in the open or in light cover, as their psychic screams prevent most opponents from even firing back. Most Howling Banshees are female, although any Aspect Warriors can be male or female. Howling Banshees are armed with power swords. A power sword consists of a powerful energy field surrounding a thin, taut wire. Howling Banshees make effective shock troops, as their stunned opponents are incapable of launching a full-force counter attack. If they themselves fall victim to a surprise assault, however, they can be vulnerable.
Those infected by the Tyranid Genestealers are driven to follow the compulsion of all Tyranid and breed new warriors for the Hive. The children of those infected by the Genestealers are born as Hybrids, hideous monstrosities bearing the traits of both Genestealers and their parents, including extra arms, claws, and armor. Hybrids share their parent's fanatical devotion to the cause of the Hivemind. The notorious Heavy Bolter used by Brood Auto Cannons can rain highly explosive shells on enemy positions, pinning them down while other Tyranid units move in for the kill. Brood Auto Cannons are most effective at range, providing critical support to Tyranid Assault and Tactical units at the front of the battle line.
Rugged and easily maintained, the Leman Russ is nonetheless vulnerable to being overtaken in battle and salvaged by the Tyranid for their own all-conquering designs. Taking as much pride in the absorption of these War Machines into their ranks as they do in the infection of the Leman Russ's crew, the Tyranid always repaint their acquisitions in the appropriate colors and markings to show their new allegiance. Brood Leman Russ are rugged enough to fight in places as varied as the blistering heat of an arid waste or the moist chill of a methane swamp. The Brood Leman Russ's armament can be varied considerably, but the turret mounted Battle Cannon is standard. Well-armored Brood Leman Russ Tanks prove deadly against the enemy, whether he is on foot or ensconced in his own protective War Machine.
Falcon Grav Tanks are the standard gravtank of the Eldar. They are armed with multiple shuriken cannons that strike with a frequency, accuracy, and force that few other weapons can match. This allows them to lay down an unceasing rain of fire. Shuriken cannon are unique to the Eldar and are built around a gravitic accelerator. The accelerator creates a peristaltic shift from the front to the rear of the firing chamber, hurling the shuriken missiles forward at a tremendous velocity. The individual missiles are solid discs of razor-sharp metal. A spinning shuriken disc can easily slice through flesh and bone, but can also penetrate a considerable thickness of metal or armor. Falcon Grav Tanks' shuriken cannons boast sufficient power to punch through most other mechanized or heavy units, and a rate of fire which proves very effective in anti-infantry actions.
The Dire Avengers represent the god Khaine in his aspect as an honorable, noble warrior. They are the most numerous of all the Aspect Warriors, with shrines on all the Craftworlds. Dire Avengers are the most tactically flexible of all Aspect Warriors. They are armed with the Shuriken Catapult - a weapon perfected by the Eldar and especially deadly in the hands of the Dire Avengers. The Dire Avenger is a well-balanced unit and equally suited for attack and defense on the battlefield.
The Fire Dragons are among the most specialized and least numerous of the Aspect Warriors. They carry powerful meltaguns which deliver a blast of intense heat, melting through armor, searing flesh, and leaving the target a charred wreck. Fire Dragons excel at hunting down enemy tanks, whose hulls they can rapidly slag with their fiery weapons. Fire Dragons excel at destroying War Machines, but prove vulnerable to well-coordinated melee assaults.
The Lictor is a silent and predatory stalker that seeks out species for the swarms to consume. Though it may stand some twenty feet tall and wield enormous Scythe Claws that can easily rend flesh and armor, the Lictor's genetically engineered agility and alertness, combined with its covering of chameleonic scales, make it virtually undetectable. When stealth has served its purpose, a Lictor uses its flesh hooks to ensnare its foes and bring them into the deadly embrace of its massive Scythe Claws. These masters of stealth demonstrate a fury in battle that cannot be matched by the Scouts of their opponents.
The Harlequins are warrior troubadours who wear exotic multicolored costumes, brightly patterned to represent figures from the Eldar myth cycles. They never show their real faces but conceal them beneath a shifting costume mask that can assume any image at the will of the Harlequins. When the Harlequins fight in battle their masks are said to cause their foes to quail with supernatural fear. Harlequins are armed with the Harlequin's Kiss, a tubular weapon that straps to the back of one's forearm. By punching forward, the Harlequin activates the weapon and releases a tightly curled 100 meter long mono-filament wire which pierces armor and flesh to instantly uncoil inside the victim's body. Within the space of a heartbeat, the enemy's insides are reduced to the consistency of soup. With their Harlequin's Kiss, these stealthy scouts can make effective hit and run attacks against a more powerful enemy.
Those infected by the Tyranid Genestealers are driven to follow the compulsion of all Tyranid and breed new warriors for the Hive. The children of those infected by the Genestealers are born as hybrids, called the Brood, hideous monstrosities bearing the traits of both Genestealers and their parents, including extra arms, claws, and armor. Brood share their parents' fanatical devotion to the cause of the Hivemind. The Brood Missile Teams use their missile launchers to take a toll on enemy War Machines and Aerial units alike. They can set up ambushes and crossfires that leave enemy vehicles twisted, burning wrecks. Brood Missile Teams have an effective ranged attack, but they are quite vulnerable to close quarters combat.
Whirlwinds are a variant of the common troop carrier called the Rhino, made by attaching a multiple missile launcher to its roof. Like other Imperial War Machines, Whirlwinds can be overtaken in battle and salvaged by the Tyranid for their own all-conquering designs. Taking as much pride in the absorption of these War Machines into their ranks as they do in the infection of the Whirlwind's crew, the Tyranid always repaint their acquisitions in the appropriate colors and markings to show their new allegiance. Brood Whirlwinds are used to provide a withering barrage as the Tyranids advance by launching salvos of its missiles into the enemy. Brood Whirlwinds prove tough competition for most War Machines and Aerial units, for they sport excellent armor and boast a relatively high mobility for Artillery units.
The Eldar originally devised Scatter Lasers for use by some of their more powerful War Machines, though the Eldar Guardians quickly adapted a version to be fitted to the anti-grav platform. This weapon comprises six separate laser chambers that can be fired simultaneously, at the same or different targets. Scatter Lasers are similar to Imperial Lasers, but infinitely more refined. Scatter Lasers are often employed to soften targeted positions before a full assault of Eldar troops is launched.
When a psychically active being is infected by the Tyranid, that being may become a Magus. A Magus is a Psyker who is unwaveringly loyal to the Hivemind, and uses his vast powers to aid the swarm in its conquest and consumption of all other life. The Magus frequently acts as an organizer and controller of the Hybrids and Genestealers in an area, functioning as the psychic relay for the brood. The Magus's standard attack is a Psychic Blast. Like all Psyker units, the Magus can use one of four Psyker Powers per turn, depending upon his experience level. Wounds do not slow a Magus in battle, as his number of attacks stays constant, even near death.
The Warlock Champion is a step along the path of devotion that can take an Eldar from Warlock to Farseer. At this stage, a Warlock Champion can now focus his energies in destructive as well as supportive ways, sending psychic blasts hurtling from his mind. The Warlock Champion is armed with a Witchblade, a weapon only Eldar Psykers can wield. Inside the sword is interwoven a powerful psi - convector, a special material formed into a precise serpentine helix which concentrates and directs psychic energy. This makes the Force Sword a weapon to be feared in the hands of an experienced Warlock Champion. Like all Eldar Psyker units, the Warlock Champion can use one Psyker Powers per turn. Wounds do not slow a Warlock Champion in battle, as his number of attacks stays constant, even near death.
Those infected by the Tyranid Genestealers are driven to follow the compulsion of all Tyranid and breed new warriors for the Hive. The children of those infected by the Genestealers are born as hybrids, called the Brood, hideous monstrosities bearing the traits of both Genestealers and their parents, including extra arms, claws, and armor. Brood share their parents' fanatical devotion to the cause of the Hivemind. Brood Guard are armed with Bolters, a weapon which fires armor piercing, explosive shells. Brood Guards are equally suited for all tactical combat situations. Their fanatical devotion to the Hive makes them willing to sacrifice themselves in all situations.
