Difference between revisions of "Wraithlord"

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{{ambiguous|subject=Eldar Dreadnoughts|disambiguation=Dreadnought}}
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{{EldarPortal}}
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{{Incomplete}}
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[[File:WLArt.png|thumb|right|250px|Wraithlord of [[Iyanden]]]]
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{{add'l cite}}
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'''Wraithlords''', known previously as '''Eldar Dreadnoughts''', and are gigantic [[Wraith Construct]]s made of [[Wraithbone]] and inhabited by the souls of dead [[Eldar]] heroes through [[Soul Stone]]s.{{Fn|3}} Towering far above their still-living brethren, the Wraithlord is a force to be reckoned with. Only the most [[Exarch|capable warriors]] of the [[Craftworld]]s are encased inside them, although the exact reason why is unclear. They can be armed with a myriad of weapons, including [[close combat|melee]], short-ranged, and long-ranged, with the ability to smash most enemies in combat.{{Fn|7}}
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[[Image:Wraithlord.jpg|150px|thumb|An Eldar Wraithlord]]
 
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'''Wraithlords''' (also known as '''Iron Knights''', '''Wraith-Giants''' and '''Eldar Dreadnoughts'''){{Cite This}}are giant constructs made of [[wraithbone]] and inhabited by the souls of dead Eldar heroes. Towering far above their still living [[Eldar]] brethren, the Wraithlord is a force to be reckoned with. Only the most capable warriors of the [[Craftworld]] are encased inside it. They can be armed with a myriad of weapons, including [[close combat]], short ranged and long ranged weaponry with the ability to smash most enemies in combat.
 
  
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The creation of a Wraithlord involves empowering an Eldar [[Spirit Stone]] with the proper soul from an Eldar [[Infinity Circuit]] (usually the soul of an [[exarch]]). The soul is then placed into the forehead of a Wraithlord chassis.{{Cite This}}There is no way to extract a soul from a wraithlord, so the process is permanent.{{Cite This}}If a Wraithlord falls in combat then its soul is lost forever.{{Cite This}} The effect of the 'wraith life' on the warriors oftn means that they suffer from [[Wraith Sight]], meaning that they are often out of time with the world around them. This can be combatted by a [[Warlock]] trained to be a [[Spiritseer]].
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==Overview==
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[[Image:Ul-Khari Wraithlord.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Ul-Khari]] Wraithlord aiding a yet living [[asuryani]] out from under wreckage.{{Fn|16}}]]
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The creation of a Wraithlord involves empowering an Eldar [[Spirit Stone]] with the proper soul of an Eldar, plucked from the [[Infinity Circuit]]. The soul is then placed into the forehead of a Wraithlord chassis.{{Fn|2}} Should the Wraithlord fall in battle, the [[Spirit Stone]] will be recovered and either be placed onto another Wraith construct, or be returned to the [[Infinity Circuit]]. Despite the fact that the Wraithlord exists in the real world, the spirit which controls it is never able to be as alert as those still alive, inhabiting a dimension both in the 'real' world and the warp at the same time. This phenomenon is known as 'Wraithsight', and can affect the Wraithlord in battle by making them slower to act and occasionally stopping them from acting at all.{{Fn|1a}} As a result, a [[Spiritseer]] must remain in close proximity to Wraith constructs in order to guide their actions.{{Fn|1b}}
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[[File:WraithlordRune.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Wraithlord rune{{Fn|17}}]]
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Standard Wraithlord equipment include two [[Power fist]]s, with [[flamer]]s or [[Shuriken Cannon]]s attached to the side. In addition, some Wraithlords are equipped with heavy armaments such as [[Scatter Laser]]s, missile launchers, [[Bright Lance]]s, and [[starcannon]]s. Weaponry is often chosen to complement the soul of the spirit controlling the Wraithlord, as their predisposition towards different types of combat follows them beyond death - those who favoured close combat will still attempt to tear their enemies limb from limb or cleave foes with a massive [[Ghostglaive]].{{Fn|7}}
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==Variants==
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*[[Wraithseer]] - Contains the [[Spirit Stone]] of a powerful [[Warlock]], retaining some of its [[Psychic]] abilities and allowing it to serve much the same function – as a Warlock among [[Wraith Construct]]s.{{Fn|12}}
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*[[Harlequin Dreadnought|Harlequin Wraithlord]] – [[Harlequin]] [[Wraith Construct]]{{Fn|19}}
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==Famous Wraithlords==
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*[[Khiraen Goldhelm]]
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*[[Toralven Gravesong]]
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*[[Aethor]]
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*[[Althenian|Althenian Armourlost]]{{Fn|8}}
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==Images==
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<center><gallery widths=200 heights=200>
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Eldar Wraithlord White Dwarf 246 (UK) Pg 9.png|An Eldar Wraithlord{{Fn|15}}
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EldarDreadnought.png|An Eldar Dreadnought{{fn|3}}
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Dreadnoughtpicpg77.jpg|Eldar Dreadnought{{Fn|9}}
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</gallery></center>
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==Miniatures==
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<center><gallery widths=150 heights=150>
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EldarWraithlord.jpg|'''Wraithlord''' (4th edition){{Fn|6}}
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Wd175pg16.jpg|'''Eldar Dreadnought''' (2nd Edition){{Fn|14}}
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File:Warrobotwd101pg2.jpg|'''Spirit-Warrior''', labeled as '''Eldar War Robot'''  ([[Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader|Rogue Trader]]){{Fn|10a}}
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EldarDread1st.jpg|'''Eldar Dreadnought'''  ([[Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader|Rogue Trader]]){{Fn|5}}
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</gallery></center>
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==Trivia==
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{{Trivia}}
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{{Golden Demon}}
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[[file:Dark_Eldar_Wraithlord_Games_Day_2003_Golden_Demon_Gold_Winnter_by_Matt_Cexwish_.jpg|100px|right|thumb|[[Dark Eldar]] Wraithlord{{fn|18}}]]
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*A Dark Eldar Wraithlord was a 2003 [[Golden Demon]] Germany winning entry by hobbyist [[Matt Cexwish]]. On his personal art page, he would post his own version of hobbyist lore for it – the result of [[Haemonculus]] experimentation on [[Spirit Stone]]s.{{fn|18}}
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{{Clear}}
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===Development History===
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====Rogue Trader====
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[[File:EldarDreadnoughtColors.png|thumb|300px|right|'''Eldar Dreadnoughts''' painted in the colours of various [[Eldar Corsair]] warbands, including a pilot (second figure).{{Fn|9}}]]
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*First appearing as the '''[[Dreadnought#Eldar Dreadnoughts|Eldar Dreadnought]]''' in [[White Dwarf 100 (UK)]] in May 1988, alongside [[Imperium|Imperial]] and [[Ork]] [[Dreadnought]]s, the '''Eldar Dreadnought''' was a tall and elegant machine crafted by its pilot in a giant automated factory within a [[Craftworlds|Craft-Worlds]]. It was controlled either through manual controls and screens inside its bulbous cockpit or through a "mind-impulse link" which would use the [[Eldar]]'s own brain to run mental targeting programs and puppet the Dreadnought as if it were their own body, and powered by a [[Crystal Battery]].{{Fn|9}} The Dreadnought was described with three assembly patterns:
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**'''War-Demon''' Assault Dreadnought - Armed with hand-mounted [[Shuriken Catapult]]s{{Fn|9}}
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**'''War-Cry''' Assault Dreadnought - Armed with one hand-mounted [[Shuriken Catapult]] and a [[Laser weapon#Eldar|Laser Cannon]]{{Fn|9}}
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**'''Banshee''' Support Dreadnought - Armed with two hand-mounted [[Flamer]]s and a shoulder-mounted [[Missile Launcher]].{{Fn|9}}
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{{Clear}}
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[[File:Demolisher.png|thumb|right|150px|'''Eldar Dreadnought''' with [[Demolisher (Melee Weapon)|Demolisher]] (left){{Fn|13a}}]]
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*[[Warhammer Siege]], released to coincide with the [[White Dwarf 100 (UK)]] to provide scenarios for the use of the new dreadnoughts included two additional patterns:
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**'''Breach-Stalker''' - A siege pattern equipped with a [[Demolisher (Melee Weapon)|Demolisher]] wrecking ball and an [[Eldar Missile Launcher]]. Its [[Mind Impulse Unit]] also comes with a built-in [[Targeter]].{{Fn|13b}}
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**'''Night-Howler''' - A siege pattern equipped with a [[Demolisher (Melee Weapon)|Demolisher]] wrecking ball, an  [[Lascannon]], a [[Shuriken Catapult]] and a [[power field]] generator.{{Fn|13b}}
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{{Clear}}
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[[File:SpiritWarrior.png|thumb|150px|right|The Spirit-Warrior fights beside two [[Ghost-Warrior]]s{{Fn|10b}}]]
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*One month later in June 1988 [[White Dwarf 101 (UK)]] would introduce a new concept: the [[Infinity Circuit]], by which the memory and personality patterns of a dead [[Eldar]] could be transferred into a machine body via a ''Soul-Graft'', as well as a new unit: the '''Spirit Warrior''' similar in every way to the Dreadnought with the notable exception that this Infinity Circuit would replace the living pilot.{{Fn|10b}} This new '''Spirit-Warrior''' would retain the psychic mastery of the soul that embodied it running on circuits of Memory, Emotion, Logic, and Perception.{{Fn|10b}} The '''Spirit Warrior''' could be built with the same patterns of the Dreadnought, '''War-Demon''', '''War-Cry''', and '''Banshee''' with an additional pattern:
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**'''Vampire''' Spirit-Warrior - Armed with a [[Plasma cannon|Heavy Plasma Gun]] and hand-mounted [[Shuriken Catapult]].{{Fn|10b}}
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====2nd Edition and Beyond====
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*[[Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition)]] in 1994 would formally combine the two concepts, describing an '''Eldar Dreadnought''' as having been innately imbued with the intellect of the long-dead eldar through a [[Spirit Stone]] – in effect establishing the '''Spirit-Warrior's''' [[Infinity Circuit]] as the common version of the Dreadnought.{{Fn|3}} On the same page, the codex introduced a smaller [[Wraith Construct]] troop known as a [[Wraithguard]].{{Fn|3}} [[Codex: Eldar (3rd Edition)]] in 1999 would introduce a new name for the model, differentiating it from the [[Imperial]] [[Dreadnought]] and giving it a name with linguistic similarity to Wraithguard: the '''Wraithlord'''.{{Fn|11}}
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==See also==
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*[[Harlequin Dreadnought]]
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*[[Wraithseer]]
  
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Standard Wraithlord equipment is two [[Power Fist|power fist]]s, with [[flamer]]s or [[Shuriken Cannon|shuriken cannon]] attached to the side. In addition, some Wraithlords are equipped with heavy armaments such as [[Scatter Laser|scatter laser]]s, missile launchers, [[Bright Lance|bright lance]]s and [[starcannon]].
 
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<br><br><br>
 
 
==Sources==
 
==Sources==
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*[[Codex: Eldar (3rd Edition)]]
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*1: [[Codex: Eldar (4th Edition)]]:
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{{EldarUnits}}
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**{{Endn|1b}}: pg. 47
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**{{Endn|1b}}: pg. 28
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*{{Endn|2}}: [[Fulgrim (Novel)]], {{Cite Marker End}}
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*{{Endn|3}}: [[Codex: Eldar (2nd Edition)]], pg. 21
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*{{Endn|4}}: [[Warhammer 40,000 5th Edition Rulebook]], pg. 157
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*{{Endn|5}}: [[White Dwarf 236 (UK)]], pg. 84
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*{{Endn|6}}: [[Warhammer 40,000 6th Edition Rulebook]], pg. 275
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*{{Endn|7}}: [[Codex: Eldar (6th Edition)]], pgs. 50 & 103
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*{{Endn|8}}: [[Valedor (Novel)]], Chapter Two
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*{{Endn|9}}: [[White Dwarf 100 (UK)]], pgs. 67-79
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*10: [[White Dwarf 101 (UK)]]:
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**{{Endn|10a}}: pg. 2
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**{{Endn|10b}}: pgs. 52-53
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*{{Endn|11}}: [[Codex: Eldar (3rd Edition)]], pg. 15
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*{{Endn|12}}: [[Imperial Armour Volume Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara]], pgs. 181- 185
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*13: [[Warhammer Siege]]:
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**{{Endn|13b}}: pg. 108
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**{{Endn|13a}}: pg. 120
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*{{Endn|14}}: [[White Dwarf 146 (UK)]], pg. 2
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*{{Endn|15}}: [[White Dwarf 246 (UK)]], pg. 9
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*{{Endn|16}}: [[Wrath & Glory - Aeldari - Inheritance of Embers]], pg. 113 - ''A Sundered Kin''
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*{{Endn|17}}: [[Codex: Craftworlds (8th Edition)]], pg. 61
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*{{Endn|18}}: [[Games Day]] 2003 Germany [[Golden Demon]] (see [[Wraithlord/Sources]] for more details){{GDE}}
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*{{Endn|19}}: [[The Citadel Journal 44]], pg. 38 - ''Codex Harlequins Update'' {{FE}}
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{{EldarVehicles}}
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[[Category:Vehicles (Eldar)]]
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[[Category:Walkers]]
  
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[[Category:Eldar]]
 
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[[Category:Eldar Vehicles]]
 
 
[[de:Phantomlord]]
 
[[de:Phantomlord]]
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[[fr:Seigneur fantôme]]

Latest revision as of 05:52, 2 April 2026

Wraithlord of Iyanden

Wraithlords, known previously as Eldar Dreadnoughts, and are gigantic Wraith Constructs made of Wraithbone and inhabited by the souls of dead Eldar heroes through Soul Stones.[3] Towering far above their still-living brethren, the Wraithlord is a force to be reckoned with. Only the most capable warriors of the Craftworlds are encased inside them, although the exact reason why is unclear. They can be armed with a myriad of weapons, including melee, short-ranged, and long-ranged, with the ability to smash most enemies in combat.[7]

Overview

Ul-Khari Wraithlord aiding a yet living asuryani out from under wreckage.[16]

The creation of a Wraithlord involves empowering an Eldar Spirit Stone with the proper soul of an Eldar, plucked from the Infinity Circuit. The soul is then placed into the forehead of a Wraithlord chassis.[2] Should the Wraithlord fall in battle, the Spirit Stone will be recovered and either be placed onto another Wraith construct, or be returned to the Infinity Circuit. Despite the fact that the Wraithlord exists in the real world, the spirit which controls it is never able to be as alert as those still alive, inhabiting a dimension both in the 'real' world and the warp at the same time. This phenomenon is known as 'Wraithsight', and can affect the Wraithlord in battle by making them slower to act and occasionally stopping them from acting at all.[1a] As a result, a Spiritseer must remain in close proximity to Wraith constructs in order to guide their actions.[1b]

Wraithlord rune[17]

Standard Wraithlord equipment include two Power fists, with flamers or Shuriken Cannons attached to the side. In addition, some Wraithlords are equipped with heavy armaments such as Scatter Lasers, missile launchers, Bright Lances, and starcannons. Weaponry is often chosen to complement the soul of the spirit controlling the Wraithlord, as their predisposition towards different types of combat follows them beyond death - those who favoured close combat will still attempt to tear their enemies limb from limb or cleave foes with a massive Ghostglaive.[7]

Variants

Famous Wraithlords

Images

  • An Eldar Wraithlord[15]

  • An Eldar Dreadnought[3]

  • Eldar Dreadnought[9]

Miniatures

Trivia

TriviaScrollTrans.png

The following information is not to be regarded as officially sanctioned and/ or is not written from an in-universe point of view. A detailed explanation of the term "Trivia" as used in the Lexicanum can be found here.

Golden Demon Award 2006 Australia Booklet.jpg

This article or article section is based on entries to the Golden Demon competition such as those featured on White Dwarf, or similar public events showcases (e.g. exhibits at Warhammer World and local GW stores, Armies on Parade, Warhammer Championships, etc.) published by Games Workshop. These showcases regularly feature miniatures and content submitted by hobbyists, and as such, their content may or may not be in contradiction to established background lore.

Dark Eldar Wraithlord[18]

Development History

Rogue Trader

Eldar Dreadnoughts painted in the colours of various Eldar Corsair warbands, including a pilot (second figure).[9]
  • First appearing as the Eldar Dreadnought in White Dwarf 100 (UK) in May 1988, alongside Imperial and Ork Dreadnoughts, the Eldar Dreadnought was a tall and elegant machine crafted by its pilot in a giant automated factory within a Craft-Worlds. It was controlled either through manual controls and screens inside its bulbous cockpit or through a "mind-impulse link" which would use the Eldar's own brain to run mental targeting programs and puppet the Dreadnought as if it were their own body, and powered by a Crystal Battery.[9] The Dreadnought was described with three assembly patterns:
Eldar Dreadnought with Demolisher (left)[13a]
The Spirit-Warrior fights beside two Ghost-Warriors[10b]
  • One month later in June 1988 White Dwarf 101 (UK) would introduce a new concept: the Infinity Circuit, by which the memory and personality patterns of a dead Eldar could be transferred into a machine body via a Soul-Graft, as well as a new unit: the Spirit Warrior similar in every way to the Dreadnought with the notable exception that this Infinity Circuit would replace the living pilot.[10b] This new Spirit-Warrior would retain the psychic mastery of the soul that embodied it running on circuits of Memory, Emotion, Logic, and Perception.[10b] The Spirit Warrior could be built with the same patterns of the Dreadnought, War-Demon, War-Cry, and Banshee with an additional pattern:

2nd Edition and Beyond

See also

Sources


Craftworld Eldar Vehicles
Light Vehicles Jetbike (Raptor Jetbike) • Hornet • Vyper
Walkers War Walker • Wasp Assault Walker • Scout Walker
Wraith Constructs Wraithblade • Wraithguard • Wraithknight • Wraithlord • Wraithseer
Artillery Anti-Aircraft Platform • Support Weapon Batteries (D-Cannon • Vibro Cannon • Shadow Weaver)
Grav-Tanks Falcon • Fire Prism • Firestorm • Night Spinner • Warp Hunter • Wave Serpent
Super-Heavy Grav-Tanks Cobra • Lynx • Scorpion • Storm Serpent • Void Spinner
Super-Heavy Walkers Eldar Knight • Eldar Titan (Revenant • Phantom • Warlock)
Aircraft Hemlock • Nightwing • Nightshade (Crimson Hunter) • Phoenix • Vampire Raider • Vampire Hunter • Dawnsail •
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