Editing Warhammer 40,000/9th Edition Tactics/Eldar Harlequins (section)

===Elites===

*'''[[Death Jester]]:''' The Jester retains its role as a sniper, but has some nasty tricks which make it better as a support unit. The first thing to note is that while in this edition it does actually get a melee weapon, it doesn't have a whole lot really going for it (S+1 AP-1 D1). So unlike most of your army, it will want to hang back, made a bit easier by its {{W40Kkeyword|character}} status. The next thing to note is that the gun ignores Look Out, Sir and is thus capable of sniping {{W40Kkeyword|characters}} regardless of whether they are the closest. However, there are still bodyguard units that'll interfere with this on occasion. Said gun is 30" Assault 3 S6 AP-2 D2, Shuriken. Probably a buff, given its previous incarnation, as this'll reliably threaten MEQ (average of 2.5 wounds dealt, which is 1.25 dead MEQ) and can scare your standard footslogging character. Death is Not Enough means any models this kills count as double for morale, meaning that you can pretty easily break units with a good round of shooting, especially if you throw more than just the Jester's shooting at it. Oh yeah, it also got bumped up to 5 attacks rather than 4, so there's that, I guess.
**'''Pivotal Roles:''' Unlike last edition, you can take any of these while keeping your attrition booster.
**:<tabs><tab name="Harvester of Torment"> Each time the jester shoots, a natural 6 to hit scores scores 3 hits instead of 1 (the equivalent of +2 to hit, mathematically - you now land, on average, 7 hits for every 6 attacks you make). While not as powerful as last edition, this is still a massive bonus to their firepower, especially against beefy characters. 
*The net benefit across the 3 attacks you make is that you should land, on average, 7/5 (1.4) times as many hits, or additively speaking, 1 additional hit (3.5, rather than the 2.5 a normal DJ lands).  Against almost all possible targets, Rift Ghoul is better for the same purpose, so don't take this on your first Death Jester.
**You can however, buff the hell outta this with Favour of Cegorach as it will let you reroll a failed hit, wound or save once per turn. Meaning you can guarantee at least one of these shots will work. Combine that with the Bladestorm stratagem can be used on this, getting you diminishing returns, as it will simply add another functional +1 to hit, taking you to a new accuracy of landing 4 hits every time you shoot your 3-shot gun.
***Note that this is exactly why it costs 40 points, almost a 50% price hike on your Death Jester if you take it though.
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--><tab name="Lord of the Crystal Bones"> Any time the jester hits a non-{{W40Kkeyword|Monster}} non-{{W40Kkeyword|Vehicle}} unit, the target will suffer -2 to movement and can't overwatch or set to defend. This can be very handy as it can both shut down potential aggression before your clowns can make their jumps but it also makes sure that they can't defend themselves once your clowns charge.</tab><!--
--><tab name="Rift Ghoul"> Any attacks the jester makes ignore cover and deal a mortal wound on a natural 4+ to wound, useful if you're dealing with armies that have plenty of cover boosts (like Genestealers) or just like to pretend they're in cover (Alaitoc, Raven Guard). This is also important for a dedicated character sniper, where dealing a mortal wound might be enough to take them down before needing to waste a second turn.  The net benefit is, in general, 1.25 mortal wounds. This doesn't specify shooting or melee attacks, which means that it'll work in both. That'll certainly catch at least one or two opponents by surprise should they try and charge him.</tab><!--
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*'''[[Solitaire]]:''' You know it, you love it - but for now at least, a pretty poorly performing unit, because literally all it can do is murder things in melee, and it's pretty costly at 110 points for how hard it can hit compared to, say a troupe master with the twilight fang. All the same, it's still an incredibly powerful single model, with melee potential that will threaten any other infantry or character in the game. Functionally, he hasn't changed much between editions, though he has gotten a couple of buffs. Tougher than your standard clown, at S4 and T4, with his weapons hitting even harder than the normal clowns with a bonus point of strength and AP, working out in total to 8 S6 AP-3 D2 attacks every fight phase. Ouch. Combine that with a 12" move, putting him among the fastest infantry in the game, and he's a very, very scary target to any of your opponents. His trademark Blitz is still here, letting him add 2D6" to his move and adding 2 to the number of attacks he makes to 10. Between these traits and his <s>3++</s>4++, you are looking at a highly mobile assassin more than equipped to take out characters. Oh yeah, he can use both the Harlequin's Kiss and Caress stratagems, the latter of which is almost certainly more useful for a character hunting Solitare. Sure, you might not be able to kill greater daemons and primarchs but you'll be able to tear through just about any footslogging character without a worry.  Be careful, though, as he suffers from the same squishiness as the rest of your army with volume of fire being able to easily wipe him out. The psychological power of this model is not to be taken lightly. This is a model you want your opponent to make mistakes over and alleviate pressure on the rest of your army. Very fitting method of fucking with their mind.
**A severe issue with this new codex version is its loss of the {{W40kKeyword|<Saedath>}} keyword. This not only forbids the solitaire from benefitting from the Shadowseer's powers, but it also means [[FAIL|it cannot use starweavers for transports]]. Sure, it's fast enough to not worry about movement with how much it will advance anyways, but it is now very exposed to snipers and walls of overwatching infantry.
**Solitaires can't take warlord traits, or relics this edition. There are only a couple relics that'd be worth considering taking on him but it's still a bummer.
**'''Pivotal Roles:''' Unlike last edition, you can take any of these while keeping your Blitz.
**:<tabs><tab name="Prince of Sins"> All enemies take a -1 to hit the solitaire and can't re-roll to hit. Considering how naked and exposed the solitaire has become, this has become a pretty easy auto-take to ensure they can actually survive until they can fight.</tab><!--
--><tab name="Spectre of Despair"> You may set this model up in deep strike during deployment. After being brought in from deep strike, following the standard 9" rule and declaring a charge, roll 3d6 and discard one of the results. Very nice, though arguably the weakest of all three, which is saying something. On one hand, it's a way to safely get your Solitare into position, though there are also normal strategic reserves, heroes' path, and webway gates to achieve similar results without spending points.</tab><!--
--><tab name="Thirsting Darkness"> The solitaire always advances 6" and can move an additional 3" when consolidating. If you're in a small enough field where you can expect to get into battle immediately and to always find in a nearby battle, this is a great tool for covering ground. That said, big fields remain a massive issue for the solitaire.</tab><!--
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