Objective Secured

The Shadow Seers are the psychic arm of the Harlequins and are no slouches in this arena. Combined with the deadly speed and skill that all harlequins share and you have a versatile and deadly package. In the past they came in a few different forms with the best being the match of any eldar farseer on the board. While they can’t match the awesome power of these eldar seers, they still pack a few tricks…

Background

Shadowseers use manipulation as their foremost weapon. In battle, they turn their victims’ senses against them, blinding eyes, driving brave men mad, or gouging fatal psychosomatic wounds. At the same time, they shield their allies from harm, wreathing them in veils of illusion until the moment comes to strike. Enigmatic masters of trickery and misdirection, the Shadowseers’s prodigious psychic abilities are a powerful tool in the ongoing war against the servants of chaos.

In the Harlequins’ performances, the Shadowseers playthe role of Fate. They act as narrators, speaking in monologue, song or rhyme while their fellow players whirl and spin around them. It is the Shadowseers’ subtle psychic abilities, coupled with the hallucinogenic creidann grenade launchers they wear upon their backs, that provide diverse illusions for their shows. Blasts of multi coloured light, glowing swirls of blinding mist and white hot illusory flame – all are conjured forth with consummate showmanship.

Shadowseers are skilled in reading the skeins of the future. However, their second sight is differently hones to that of farseers; they are less concerned with the literal manipulation of events, but rather the fulfilment of the mythic roles that other unknowingly assume. Concealing their identies with stage name, Shadowseers act as envoys to their craftworld or Commorrite kin, their faceless masks revealing nothing of their thoughts or intentions.

(From Codex – Harlequins, Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2015.)

A puzzle within a mystery wrapped up in a conundrum!

On the Table

Lets start with the simple stuff – he is cheap at only 60 points base and like most of the harlequins, has very little in the way of optionsthough the ones that matter make him such a sought after prospect. He occupies the same elite section of the codex as The Solitaire and The Death Jester but is probably the best of the 3 of these choices.

Looking at the statline, its a very solid for the cost. WS 6 is fantastic though BS 4 is a let down to be honest. His combat potential is significant though and his close support role means you can expect him to be in combat at some point in the game. S & T of 3 is standard fare for the Eldar so there is nothing new there. 2 wounds is nice though the low T and low save make this less useful than you might expect. Initiative of 7 is spectacular and unlike the Death Jester, he has weapons to make it meaningful. 3 attacks is also nice, with 4 in reality thanks to 2 close combat weapons. Leadership 10 is expected for an eldar character and like all the Harlequins, no armour save for him.

Rules wise, its a typical of the Harlequins – Fear, Fleet, Furious Charge, Hit & Run along with Independent Character and Psyker (Mastery Level 1).

Psyker is what you are buying the Shadow Seer for. He has access to Phantasmancy (the unique Harlequin discipline) as well as Daemonology (Sanctic) and Telepathy. Anyone who plays much of 40k will know just how good Telepathy can be for assault forces with Shrouded and Invisibility the go to options in this discipline. The other powers here are all good for the LD  manipulation that the Harlequins do so well with Terrify, Dominate and Hallucination all being very suited to the style of warfare the harlequins use. Sanctic is another good discipline with Hammer Hand making the Harlequins hit harder, Sanctuary making them harder to kill and Gate of Infinity moving the larger masques about the table. The other powers in this discipline are also useful but I think the best mileage will come from these 3. Phantasmancy will needs is own topic entirely to cover well but suffice to say its an interesting mix of protective, witch fire and maledictions with a primaris that’s difficult to turn down!

On the wargear front he packs a handful of tricks. His holosuit and flip belt are the standard fare but he also carries a Hallucinogen Grenade Launcher, a Shuriken Pistol and a Mist Stave. He also has the option for haywire grenades as well as the option for a single relic. He can replace his Shuriken Pistol for a Neuro Disruptor as well and can increase his mastery level to 2.

I covered the Flip Belt and Holosuit in previous spotlights but suffice to say he picks up freedom of movement and a 5++ save thanks to these. The Shuriken Pistol is standard eldar fare (12″, S4, Ap5, pistol, blade storm).

The Hallucinogen Grenade Launcher is a curious weapon. Its statline is largely unimpressive. 18″ range, a S of 1 and no AP. It fires a single small blast with its own unique rule – Hallucinogenic. This rule forces a unit to take a pinning test if it suffers one or more hits in the shooting phase and in addition, if it fails the test, the unit will take a single wound with no armour or cover allowed which is allocated randomly. This weapon is highly situational and relies on the LD debuffs that the harlequins and their allies can provide to be properly effective. The biggest drawback is of course that Fearless and Zealot are all to common rules.

The Mist Stave is a favourite of mine. The Pimp Cane of the laughing god (as I like to call it) is a +2 S melee weapon with no AP. It does however have fleshbane and concussive. This is a fantastic combo when paired with the Shadowseers considerable combat statline. He will be wounding on 2+ against any model with a T value in the game and with S6 or S7 on the charge, he will threaten vehicles in most cases as well. Concussive is great to help manipulate the combat sequence or even delay an enemy hero (via a challenge) so that the Troupe can kill the heroes unit before he gets to fight. This weapon alone gives the troupes options in combat against units they might otherwise struggle with.

The options the Shadow Seer has are like the other elites – brief in the extreme. Relic wise, you get access to Crescendo for a perfectly reasonable price of 5 points which is a Shuriken Pistol which uses the bearers Attack value as the number of shots it fires. Its limited in its application here and better served on a Troupe Master. The Starmist Rainment can be ok as in most cases as you will be running to reach combat while The Laughing Gods Eye is ok – granting him Adamantium Will and combined with his own psychic status, this can really help protect the fragile troupes from witchfire and maledictions. The main relic you want though, is the Mask of Secrets. This remarkably cheap item gives the bearer fearless for starters and then goes on to apply a -2 penalty to LD for all enemy models within 12″. The effect this item has when combined with his grenade launcher and the multitude of psychic powers which work on LD can not be understated! I would go so far as to say that this item is mandatory for at least 1 Shadow Seer if you are able to take them. He should then be paired with Phantasmancy for maximum effect. Haywire grenades are also solid for him giving him more flexibility in the target he and his troupes can engage and beat. The last upgrade – the Neuro Disruptor is an option for the end of an army build and you have points to spare. Its a pistol with 12″ range, S1 and AP2 but packs the fleshbane special rule. Yep – 12″ range with 2+ to wound and Ap2. Watch those gargantuan creatures cringe!

Its also worth nothing that you can upgrade to a mastery level of 2 – though why its an option I don’t know. ALWAYS – yes ALWAYS – buy this upgrade. Its makes the Shadow Seer far more flexible and effective. They should have just made him 85 points and level 2 but never mind.

Like the other elite models in the Harlequin list there are only a couple of ways to add a Shadow Seer (or 3!) to your army.

The Harlequin Masque detachment gives him (and every other harlequin in the detachment) the fantastic rule Rising Crescendo and thanks to his combat orientation and support of the assault troupes, this works well for him – though as you will be running in almost every phase, his shooting abilities will be limited – though his psychic attacks will not. This formation is the most flexible to run a full harlequin force allowing you to run up to 7 of the enigmatic seers!

Putting the required 3 Shadow Seers into the Cegorach’ Revenge formation gains them Consummate Performance which will considerable assist in their survival thanks to the reroll 1’s for saves it provides. You are on the other hand limited to running a fixed 3 Shadow Seers in the force. Regardless of this – combining the Starmist Rainment and the fact again you will be running a lot will up the survival of one of the seers considerably.

The Cast of Players is a reflection of the old unit from 4th/5th edition consisting of a single troupe with a Shadow Seer and Death Jester who may not leave the troupe. This works fine with the Shadow Seer as the troupe wants to be in combat and he is most effective when right there with them. As previously mentioned, I would always run a Shadow Seer as a level 2 so with that in mind – I would be taking a roll on Telepathy looking for invisibility and if I failed that – taking Psychic Shriek in its place. Then, if I got invisibility, I would roll on sanctic hoping for sanctuary or hammerhand. If I had to take psychic shriek, I would be rolling on Phantasmancy but regardless of the result, taking veil of tears. This combo means I would always have a way of protecting the valuable troupe as it crossed the table.

The last (and easiest) way to field a Shadow Seer is in the formation – The Heroes’ Path. This formation gives the 3 models in it shrouded, stealth and infiltrate – all of which help the Shadow Seers role on the table. He can deploy where he wants and will generally pack a 2+ cover save to do his work at the expense of his ability to join units. Its probably be the most common way you will see a Shadow Seer in battle forged armies as it requires very little buy in from a points or cash standpoint. Due to his solo role in this formation, I would be rolling on Phantasmancy once – looking for an offensive power and then probably once on telepathy and then taking the primaris power.

How do you use him?

I would suggest that his best role is that of disruption and protection. He can pin units, make them flee, kill them and fight in combat. He is a great all round addition to the troupes and one you can’t go to far wrong with. I like the idea of an allied Eldar Seer Council with a Shadow Seer attached (or maybe 2) – this powerhouse combo could be very good!

Have you used the Shadow Seer in your games? How did you find him? Do you agree with my thoughts on him? Let me know in the comments!