Welcome to Codex: Exodites, a book entirely dedicated to collecting, painting and gaming with an army of the deadly Exodite warriors of the Eldar.

Overview Of The Exodites

During the Fall the degeneration of the Eldar was not complete, for many Eldar resisted the temptations of hedonism. Some, the more farsighted, began to openly criticise the decadence of their fellow citizens, and to warn against the insidiousness of the pleasure cults. These people were mostly ignored or else treated as narrow minded self-righteous fools and fanatics. Soon the general collapse of society convinced even the most resolute amongst them that there would be no end to the reign of death and depravity. Some decided to leave the Eldar worlds, and settle new planets free of the creeping corruption.

These Eldar are known as the Exodites. Of the entire Eldar race they were uniquely farsighted. Amongst a race naturally indulgent and hedonistic they were reviled as dour self righteous fanatics obsessed with misery and selfdenial. There were some whose dire premonitions were perhaps yet another form of insanity, simply one more conceit taken to inhuman extremes. Others were genuine survivalists who chose exile over degradation and destruction. In an assortment of spacecraft the Exodites abandoned their homes. Some reached new worlds only to be slain by marauding Orks or natural predators. Many more survived. For the most part they headed eastwards as far away from the main concentration of Eldar worlds as they could reach.

Upon the fringes of the galaxy the Exodites made new homes. The worlds they settled were savage and life was often hard for a people unused to physical work and self-denial. When the final cataclysm erupted, most of the Exodite worlds were far from the psychic epicentre and survived. The resultant psychic implosion wiped out the rest of the Eldar race and left a gaping hole in the fabric of space, but out on the fringes of the galaxy the Exodites were safe.

The Craftworld Eldar regard the Exodites as rustic and rather simple folk, vigourous and wild in a way that is quite unlike their own introverted societies. The Eldar path determines the way of life for all Craftworlders but not for the Exodites. Because of this they seem wild and individualistic compared to other Eldar, more independently minded and adventurous by far than their cousins. They can survive in this fashion because they are distant from the Eye of Terror, the hole in the fabric of space which still acts as a psychic focus for the destructive influence of Slaanesh. This alone is not enough to protect them, but it is a significant factor. More importantly, the Exodite societies are more rigourous and physical than those of the Craftworlds. Where the Craftworlds cling to the past and preserve all they can of their fallen civilisation, the Exodites have turned their backs upon ancient traditions in favour of a simpler and harder way of life. Their minds are tougher and more straightforward but not so subtle and ultimately less powerful than the Craftworld Eldar. However, they have survived, and of all the Eldar they seem most likely to continue to do so.

-- Lieutenant Braun looked up as the sunlight pouring through the gap in the forest canopy dimmed. A large triangular shadow passed overhead, changing shape as the massive wings flapped slowly. He gripped his weapon in silence and motioned for his squad to do the same, a surreptitious gesture to avoid attention. The Catachans were well-trained; they stood motionless in defiance of their instinct to find somewhere to hide, as the slightest movement could give them away. The light brightened as the creature was hidden by the trees once again, but the squad remained still. That had been a large one; large enough to carry one of the aliens. He hadn’t seen any sign of a rider, but these Eldar were adept at concealing their presence. Any of the flying beasts could carry a scout, but killing every one just in case was not an option. If the animal didn’t scream as it died, the sound of gunfire or the flash of infrared on the alien scanners would tell their enemy exactly where the Catachans were.

Braun moved on, trusting his squad to follow – even turning his head would be an unnecessary risk. As he did so, he thought furiously. He remembered the beast that had taken Grice, a fanged biped taller than the trooper’s Sentinel. Then as well, Braun had had to choose – risk detection by shooting the animal, or abandon the struggling soldier to his fate as he was lifted from his walker’s cockpit. Leaving him hadn’t been easy.

But that had been a monster, designed for life as a jungle predator. Each member of the squad had grown up in an environment every bit as dangerous, fought on countless worlds with similar terrors. Braun remembered the stalker on Methuselah, before the survivors were evacuated. It had picked off his fellows one at a time, hunting them. He’d never seen it and never knew what it was. It was probably still there, preying on the traitors who’d taken the world. You never saw the stalker until it was too late, you didn’t survive its attack when it came. You only heard rumours, and wondered, and waited for the death which came to everyone who didn’t reach the transports, but you knew it was out there and you knew it was coming.

Here it was different. Here you didn’t even know if you were being stalked, whether your movements were being tracked, you simply had to assume the worst. The monsters weren’t the enemy. Creatures adapted to be perfect hunters lived on instinct, they were predictable. Here, the enemy wasn’t a beast, but an alien which relied on tactics and cunning, which had learned to make use of its environment, and that frightened him more than all the stalkers he could imagine.

His train of thought was interrupted by a sudden motion in the undergrowth to his left. Alien scouts, or frightened beasts? Beasts, he thought bitterly, only they let you know where they are. He’d heard rumours, from some of the survivors. Rumours of stampeding beasts, driven to flight by the Eldar. The alien beastriders would be among them, and in the confusion as you dived to avoid flailing claws you wouldn’t know which animals carried Eldar until they attacked. They didn’t do it all the time; too predictable. Sometimes, when the herds were spooked, it was something else entirely. Like the fliers, you’d only know the aliens were there when they were ready for you to.

Keller had been right, he thought, remembering the Commissar’s words. All Eldar, he had lectured upon their arrival, are masters of the battlefield. You can prepare, you can know every inch of your world, and still the well-planned Eldar attack will use your own planet against you. Know that the Eldar are able to fight you on your world and win, and never forget that this is their world. All the Catachans had thought he was exaggerating, that he didn’t understand just how well-equipped the jungle fighters were to fight on this sort of world, that he had underestimated them. Only now did Braun understand that this was an Eldar planet in more than name, or lines on a map. The Catachans fought for their world, keeping the jungle denizens at bay and fortifying their settlements, or abandoning them and moving on. But the aliens didn’t fight against their planet; they owned the very soul of this world, they used the world, and when they needed to they would use it as a weapon. He knew that if he looked into the eyes of any soldier following him, he would see the same understanding there. Braun knew that every one would fight to the last for the Emperor, but he also knew the truth had sunk in. The aliens wouldn’t attack until they needed to; they didn’t hunt, or stalk, because the humans’ own fear and ignorance had already cost them the battle.

There was no stampede, no flying scout. Balls of plasma erupted from nowhere, incinerating three soldiers. Braun didn’t even register who they were. All pretence at concealment gone, the Guardsmen flung themselves to the ground. Four never rose; a brief glimpse of a tall long-necked biped and its rider, the fate the Eldar wanted their enemies to see, and a fine mesh seemed to solidify out of the air and trap the prone humans, lacerating their bodies. Braun struggled to his feet, only to be knocked sprawling as another biped rushed straight for him. The rider trained some sort of weapon on him as he fell back, and then fired. --

Why Collect An Exodite Army

Like other Eldar armies, the Exodites are for the connoisseur gamer. They have many special rules to remember; complex wargear, abilities and psychic powers which must be used to best advantage for victory. They require subtle tactics on the battlefield - gamers who prefer a straight stand-up-and-fight army would do better with Space Marines or Imperial Guard! Painting a Exodites army also requires a reasonable degree of skill. However, Exodite armies are relatively small in terms of the number of models needed, so painting an army is not so much of an endeavour as it would first appear.

All of these things mean that the Exodites are a great second force to collect, after you have collected a more 'mainstream' army such as Space Marines, Tyranids or Chaos. They are quite unlike any other army in the Warhammer 40,000 game and as such make an interesting choice for those of you looking for a new gaming challenge to overcome. Most tempting of all is the fact that there is probably no sight more spectacular than a wellpainted Exodite army riding across the battlefield, tearing apart its enemies with ruthless efficiency!

What's In This Book?

This Codex breaks down into the three main sections listed below, written to help you collect and field a Exodite force on the war-torn battlefields of Warhammer 40,000:

The Army List. Tells you about the different characters, troops, weapons and vehicles available to a Exodite army, and how to select an army for use in a Warhammer 40,000 game.

The Painting and Conversion Guide. Describes details of assembling, converting and painting models and vehicles. This section also shows examples of a host of Exodite colour schemes and markings, gives advice on choosing your own schemes and tips on modelling.

The Exodites. A section dedicated to background details and extra information about the mysterious and savage Exodites.

EXODITES ARMY LIST

On the pages that follow you'll find an army list which will allow you to field a Exodite army in games of Warhammer 40,000. The army list allows you to fight battles using the scenarios included in the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook, but it also provides you with the basic information you'll require in order to field a Exodite army in scenarios you've devised yourself, or as part of a campaign series of games.

The army list is split into five distinct sections. All of the squads, vehicles and characters in an army list are placed in one of the five sections depending upon their role on the battlefield. In addition every model included in the army list is given a points value, which varies depending upon how effective that model is on the battlefield. Before you can choose an army for a game you will need to agree with your opponent upon a scenario and upon the total number of points each of you will spend on your army. Having done this you can proceed to pick an army as described below.

Using A Force Organisation Chart
The army lists are used in conjunction with the Force Organization chart from a scenario. Each Force Organization chart is split into five categories that correspond to the sections in the army list, and each category has one or more boxes. Each box indicates that you may make one choice from that section of the army list, while a dark toned box means that you must make a choice from that section.

Using The Army Lists

To make a choice, look in the relevant section in the army list and decide what unit you wish to have in your army, how many models there will be in the unit, and which upgrades that you want (if any). Remember that you can not field models that are equipped with weapons and wargear that is not shown on the model. Once this is done subtract the points value of the unit from your total points, and then go back and make another choice. Continue doing this until you have spent all your points. You're then ready to lead your Exodites into battle.

Each army list entry consists of the following:

Unit Name: The type of unit, which may also show a limitation on the maximum number of choices you can make of that unit type (0-1, for example).

Profile: These are the characteristics of that unit type, including its points cost. Where the unit can have different warriors, there may be more than one profile.

Number/Squad: This shows the number of models in the unit, or the number of models you may take for one choice from the Force Organization chart. Often this is a variable amount, in which case it shows the minimum and maximum unit size.

Weapons: These are the unit's standard weapons.

Options: This lists the different weapon and equipment options for the unit and any additional points cost for taking these options. It may also include an option to upgrade one squad member to a character. If a squad is allowed to have models with upgraded weaponry (such as heavy weapons), then these must be given to ordinary squad members, not the character.

Special Rules: This is where you'll find any special rules that apply to the unit.

Exodites in other armies: In large enough battles, an Exodite detachment may be taken by an Eldar or Harlequin player as an allied force. Unlike Harlequins, individual Exodite units do not travel the webway or have any hidden objective which requires their participation in specific battles, so Exodite units may not be taken outside an Exodite detachment.

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