Counts-as and Exodites

[Grey Mage]

So Ive been working on an exodite project for years now, and always on the lookout for ways to adapt existing models into my favorite laser-raptor-riding-amish-space-elves. Some units come out as exceedingly viable and appropriate, while others, like wraithguard, seem hard to countenance.

One of the keys to this kind of force is making sure that a conversion is consistent. An eldar riding a cold one should always mean an eldar on a jetbike, not sometimes a bike and sometimes having a jump pack. If your army is easy to explain and understand it will be more enjoyable to play against, and your opponent having fun is just as important as our own in the long run!

Another is painting. Heavy conversions like this are going to fall flat if they are not painted to a basic table top standard. It doesnt have to be gorgeous, object source lighting and a dozen shades of paint on every highlight... but making the effort here will pay off strong dividends in games played.



So far Im looking at a number of equivalents, and I feel these are staple units:

Shining Spears= Dragon Knights. Laser lances, fast movement, good armor. Now available en masse because of the outrider detachment! I honestly dont think this one needs alot of explaining. Currently the shining spear upgrade sprue and the Dark Elf cold one knight kit work wonderfully well together, with additional bits sourced from eldar plastic kits to keep the sci-fi feel and provide catapults.

Now, with Jetbikes working out reasonably as dragon-mounts, that also gives us:

Autarch Skyrunner- Exodite Lord *2nd ed anyone?* and mount. Has good wargear options as its an HQ choice, which works as one would expect a lord to be packing whatever they favored, the best equipment available.

Farseer Skyrunner- The Eldar are a strongly psychic race, and it seems unlikely that the exodites have or would be able to completely shun this aspect of themselves. Both Farseer and Warlock skyrunners seem an acceptable choice, though probably not spammable from a fluff standpoint.

Guardian Skyriders- Not everyone can be a Knight. We know that shurican weapons are relatively rare amongst the Exodite population, so the more expensive *and likely less effective* Scatterlaser might be a better choice here?


Theres also a good number of sources showing Triceratops, T-rex/allosaurus and Terradon equivalents, and some showing creatures quite akin to actual dragons. Many of these have weapons mounted via harness attached to the animal, and I feel that this opens up the following options:

Falcon/Waveserpent= Stegadon. With a bit of modification- ie Eldar crew, housing, and weaponry- a Steggie from the AoS range works well as a rampant jungle monster with a steady platform to fight from. Its not quite as wide, but certainly has the sheer mass to its favor and with the change in template weapons to a D(x) roll I think these will be acceptable.

FIre Prism/Nightspinner= Bastilodon. Though you could mount the weapon system on a Steggie, the Bastilodon provides additional visual cues, and the kit comes with a large crystal that would work well for a home-made prism cannon I feel. The Nightspinner would require more extensive conversion that I havent attempted, but seems very doable.

Wraithlord= old school Carnosaur. If you happen to have one of the previous generations of Carnosaur riders, theyre about the same size as a wraithlord. Mount some flamers  under the chin, a rider-wielded heavy weapon, and go to town.

Crimson Hunter/Hemlock Wraithfighter= Dragon with rider. Using the armored riders for the Crimson Hunters along with harness-mounted bright lances or the mage-riders as Hemlocks and mounted on the same oval base as a 40k flyer this gives some much appreciated air support.

Vypers= Terradons. mounting twin shuricats on either side of the body and a rider-wielded weapon of choice, 3 to a box and 3 to a squadron. Recruiting the riders for it can be a pain, but thats conversions for you.

Infantry:

Its harder to pull off guardian defenders or dire avengers as Exodites, simply because shurican weaponry is supposed to be rare. I would probably avoid these altogether until or unless guardians get the option to take lasguns again.

Rangers- we know they frequently visit Exodite worlds, seems like a shoe-in honestly.

Guardian Storm- not that another CC unit is needed in the army, but as militia this unit seems workable. Laspistols are are a reasonable equivalent, and a hodge-podge of CCWs or a number of well forged elf-blades seems equally viable.

Fire Dragons- with a small amount of customization the scaled armor and small unit size leads to a potential elite unit choice. Ive taken to calling them Hearth-guard, and fielding only one small unit of them. I think it works pretty well, and often in every different colors than the craftworld equivalents.

Warlock/Conclave- World-seers. While I personally feel a large unit of these is probably more than an exodite force would likely have, its possible. Do you still have the antler-wearing warlock sitting around? Maybe his time has come.

Most of the other aspect warriors seem hard to work into the fluff here. Either their equipment is particularly arcane- warp spider jump generators- or comes off as to maintenance heavy or ammunition hungry. A case could perhaps be made for Howling Banshees or Striking Scorpions, and as we know beautifully made and painted models tend to win over alot of skeptics....


Lords of War:

Wraithknight. This isnt even an adaptation. Millimeter for millimeter the Wraithknight stacks up to the Imperial Knight as the old Eldar Knights did. The weapon options are eerily similar. There is a strong case to be made for fielding a full detachment of these as support for any Exodite force.


So what do you think? What are some of your favorite Exodite conversions and how do you show your opponents easily and intuitively what they are facing?

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

So Ive been working on an exodite project for years now, and always on the lookout for ways to adapt existing models into my favorite laser-raptor-riding-amish-space-elves. Some units come out as exceedingly viable and appropriate, while others, like wraithguard, seem hard to countenance.

 

What if they kept a wraithguard or wraithlord in storage until a time of great need arose? I thought the exodites had access to all the same tech as the craftworlds but they intentionally chose a simpler existence of using the materials at hand on their new homeworlds. I think a wraith construct of some kind modeled and painted to look very aged and worn would fit in just fine.

[Grey Mage]

 

So Ive been working on an exodite project for years now, and always on the lookout for ways to adapt existing models into my favorite laser-raptor-riding-amish-space-elves. Some units come out as exceedingly viable and appropriate, while others, like wraithguard, seem hard to countenance.

 

What if they kept a wraithguard or wraithlord in storage until a time of great need arose? I thought the exodites had access to all the same tech as the craftworlds but they intentionally chose a simpler existence of using the materials at hand on their new homeworlds. I think a wraith construct of some kind modeled and painted to look very aged and worn would fit in just fine.

 

Think of it like American rednecks. You can build some awesome things out of half-scrapped cars, but to get something functional  you have to cannibalize alot of parts, fabricate your own, and getting military grade takes a true artist. I think its something like that. Obviously they can create and maintain knight-titans.... but its noted they shun ammo-intensive technologies. 

 

Theres also the difference between the world-spirit and the infinity circuit.... how easy is it to make a wtihdrawal?