Warhammer 40,000 Homebrew Wiki:How to Create a Homebrew Eldar Craftworld

"A Craftworld is a sentient being, with a hundred thousand minds."

- High Inquisitor Bronislaw Czevak

This is a guide for those who wish to create their own Fanon Eldar Craftworld. A Craftworld is a massive, planetoid-size vessel crafted upon a skeleton of wraithbone whose structure extends throughout this gigantic voidcraft. These massive vessels travel through the void of space at sublight speeds, they act as sanctuary worlds, carrying the greater remnant of the Aeldari race after their Fall. Each Craftworld are effectively artificial worlds in space, each a self-contained biosystem. They are self-sufficient, each with its own distinctive culture and specialised military units.

(''Note: Much of the text here has been copied from the Warhammer 40K Online Forum under the Fair Use doctrine.)

Before Beginning
To begin, please ensure that you have read the rules and the article quality policy. These will give you an understanding about what you can, and cannot, write about when creating a Fanon Eldar Craftworld. When creating an Eldar Craftworld, be sure to utilise the Eldar Craftworld Infobox in order to keep your article uniform with other Eldar Craftworld pages.

There are five major Craftworlds mentioned throughout Warhammer 40,000 lore: Alaitoc, Biel-Tan, Iyanden, Saim-Hann, and Ulthwé. The names of these Craftworlds conjures an image of what you would expect to see in an army from any of these craftworlds - from its specific set of units, to their unique colour scheme associate with it. In order to begin the creation of your own fanon Craftworld, you will need to set it apart, so that others do not mistake it from the well-established canon Craftworlds.

Naming your Craftworld
The first thing you will want to do is to give your Craftworld a name to make it stand out. Ultimately, the name that you conjure up, is entirely left to your imagination. A gooding starting point would be the Eldar Lexicon on the Warhammer 40K Wiki. The primary convention for naming a Craftworld includes the name of the craftworld itself, followed by an identifier that gives a little information about that craftworld. Some examples are as follows:

As you can see by the naming conventions of the craftworlds listed in the chart above, most of these names are composed of soft vowel sounds and is generally polysyllabic, or composed of a compound of monosyllabic worlds. Also of note, is that most of these names end in a consonant sound, and tend to be somewhat guttural sounding, rather than lilting or fluid-sounding. You might have also noted that many of these craftworld names have a Celtic-theme to them, although many possess aspects of feudal Japanese culture (such as samurai, bushido and their constant drive for attaining perfection) which has obviously gone into developing the Aeldari, as well as the harsh sounding, guttural quality which sets out the Bu Shin of the Eldar (a style of life and a philosophy through which one seeks peace, in which the combat ability is oriented to the maintenance of peace). Each word is associated with an ideal, philosophy, concept or distinctive trait. The Aeldari identify very strongly with what they do, rather than what they are. If at all possible, please keep in mind that you want your name to fit the people it describes. You want it to sound right and fit in with well-established canon-lore, but keep in mind, you are making up words in a fictional language, therefore you can bend syllables however you need them, in order to obtain the right-sounding name. This is an ideal worth striving when you are trying to establish the name of your craftworld.

For further inspiration, you can carefully peruse through the various Eldar codices, or read through various Black Library novels or White Dwarf magazines for ideas. It also helps if you read through of some of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy of books or the prequel novel, "The Silmarillion", as it possesses an excellent lexicon in the back of the novel that can greatly assist you in your endeavours. This lexicon is known as the Qenyaqetsa or Qenya Lexicon, which was written in 1915 and finally published in 1998, and contains a very substantial Elvish vocabulary.

For further reference, please refer to the following external link:


 * Parma Tyelpelassiva - The Book of Silver Leaves by Thorsten Renk

Craftworld Traits
Unless your brand new to the Warhammer 40K setting you will want to give some thought to your Craftworld's traits. It is not necessary to commit to particular units at this point in the creative process, but having an idea of the type of units you want to include will go a long way to figuring out how you want your Craftworld's Aspect Warriors to look and feel. Some possible options are to have a fast, mechanised army, or a slower, infantry-based army. You may want to focus on high powered weapons, creating a hail of deadly shuriken rounds, or rushing headlong into combat. Having an idea as to the sort of army you would like to write about will also go a long way to establishing the history of your craftworld, providing you with a point at which to jump into its background. The units you exclude will also reinforce your craftworld's theme, so if there are any units that you particularly dislike, consider not using them.

History
You will probably find it necessary to think about the history of your craftworld in order to develop its motivations and attributes. Where has it been, and what have its people seen? What important events, for better or worse, have changed its culture?

Most Eldar craftworlds date back to the period of The Fall, or shortly beforehand. It would be rare to find an Eldar craftworld that had developed into its own isolated nation long before The Fall, as during that time the Eldar civilization was a galactic empire which would make the empire of man look shabby by comparison. This is a good example as to why some background will be necessary, for if your craftworld was around as its own autonomous entity long before The Fall, were its people renegades or pioneers? Did the rest of the Eldar civilization commission them or hunt them down?

When writing your craftworld's history, you may want to do it as a timeline. This format is easily understood, and shows a sequence of events, which may reveal patterns useful in determining what sort of society your Eldar have evolved into. Consider expanding all the way back to The Fall, if not to the origin of the craftworld, and work your way forwards. Where has your craftworld been, who have its members seen, why did it end up where it is? Were there any important historical figures, epic battles, horrible defeats, or amazing advances? Why were these things so significant to your people? Give an account of the sort of events your craftworld experienced. Important historical figures, and their lives, make very good topics, especially as their stories help to write the history of the craftworld as a whole. For instance, an important Seer may have guided her people to a maiden world which they have since recovered from a Tyranid invasion. The defence of this maiden world may then make up a large part of your craftworld history. Alternately, you may consider where the craftworld is now, and work your way backwards to explain how it got to each step, for example, if the craftworld is currently fighting Chaos Space Marines, what is the reason?

Society
The period of The Fall offers a great starting point for a craftworld's society; perhaps better than most, as that period was riven with so much conflict, and there are numerous reasons why your Eldar society would have elected to break away from the empire. The Eldar path did not exist at this point in time, and Eldar civilization was degrading into hedonism, thus the Eldar themselves probably largely resembled the Dark Eldar in terms of lifestyle, although probably not in terms of appearance. Many Eldar left, in order to avoid this sort of social decay, while others probably felt [or scryed] the coming of Slaanesh, and sought to flee from her before she was born into the Warp. Once this happened, the psychic shockwave that followed killed Eldar by the millions as their souls were syphoned off to feed her power, and any craftworld too close to the Eye of Terror would have suffered horrendous casualties, as well as horrendous experiences. The planets previously held by the Eldar in that area would become the Crone Worlds.

To help you further develop your craftworld's social structure, try to answer the following questions:


 * What sort of government runs this society?
 * What sort of people are they in terms of relations to others?
 * Who do they interact with?
 * What sort of beliefs guide their culture?
 * How large is this society?
 * How much wealth is available to this society?
 * What sort of environment does this society exist in?
 * How do smaller units of this society relate to the whole (think of a province versus a nation)?

Government & Politics
While most craftworlds are fairly self sufficient, this need not always be the case, and there may be craftworlds that produce things at a higher quality than yours. Your craftworld may also lack certain Aspect Shrines, and need to send its Aspect Warriors out periodically to visit the shrines on other craftworlds. These types of dependencies help to shape the strengths of your craftworld, because, ultimately, nothing comes free. A craftworld without the right resources might have trouble producing wraithbone for grav-tanks, or even food for its civilians. A craftworld with a wealth of resources may gift or trade such materials or products with other craftworlds. Such a craftworld might even lord their wealth over other Eldar, demanding submission from lesser craftworlds. A society on a larger craftworld, or one that spans several craftworlds or colonies, may be less hesitant to commit more troops to a battle than a tiny craftworld or a single colony.

A craftworld with a long history of warfare may be ruled by its military. A collection of several craftworld colonies might be run by a council of the family leaders. Because the politics of the Eldar are so infrequently delved into, the possibilities are quite open here. Next, consider the ethical rules of your society. These will often be influenced by their historical experiences. Many Eldar craftworlds have a number of taboos, which may not be broken under any circumstances. This means they will tend to utilise tools, and maintain social structures, which have not changed much over millennia. On the other hand, a corsair style society may use a wider range of exotic and innovative items than an ascetic and pacifist craftworld, strictly due to the lifestyle of corsairs. A more traditional craftworld may have a number of ritualistic embellishments that distinguish rank and accomplishment. Some of this may be reflected in the way in which you model your army.

Enemies
Almost no army goes to war without a reason for doing so, not even an army of Khorne Berzerkers (whose sole reason is that they must go to war)! It will, therefore, be necessary to think about the goals and aims of your craftworld's society, as well as its history, in order to get a sense of why its armies fight. Your craftworld may seek to rebuild the Eldar empire of old, or simply be out to plunder the galaxy. Your craftworld may be attempting to eradicate an Imperial colony that is colonising a system where many ancient Eldar artifacts were lost during the fall. Alternatively, perhaps your craftworld holds a grudge, owing to a grievous injustice suffered at the hands of other armies.

If you have a specific set of routine opponents, you may want to work them into your story. The colony your craftworld is searching for may have been destroyed hundreds of years ago by the Death Guard, and this is why you fight this player regularly. On the other hand, perhaps that colony was destroyed mysteriously and in your search for it you encounter these opponents who block your progress. Remember that the Eldar is a dying race, so its forces will not go to war without good reason, unless, of course, you come up with a reason to get around this. Fanatics of Ynnead, for example, may seek death in battle to strengthen their patron deity, while simultaneously weakening their foes.

Location
Knowing where your Eldar civilization is located, in relation to the sort of threats it is likely to face will be useful, as the enemies you face routinely will largely shape the sort of culture your craftworld has (who you can trade with, who you do battle with and how often, what sort of society you need to effectively deal with those threats, and what is available, in terms of resources, for your Eldar to make use of). Think about the other players you are likely to game with when fleshing this out, for example, if you do not know any Ork players, it may not be wise to make Orks your most hated enemy. Additionally, think about the sort of treaties your society may be involved in, i.e. consider armies that you are likely to play team games with, and whether adding an alliance to your background might make sense. Also, visualise where in the 40k universe your craftworld is located. Eldar inhabiting a system of ice worlds will have access to different resources compared to those inhabiting jungle planets.

Army Design
An army is a standing body of troops available for deployment in military engagements. This is different from an army list, which represents a particular detachment from the army as a whole and is fielded for particular engagements. The particular army lists fielded by a craftworld will probably vary from mission to mission, while the army as a whole should not. It is for this reason that it may be beneficial to think of your army as a set of conceptual models when you set about designing it, rather than as a particular list of units. This will allow you to alter what you field from game to game while maintaining a certain internal structure to your force.

Basically, the entire Codex: Eldar is available to players when they build an army list. Having an army design is a way to limit the options available in a way that makes sense and shows consistency without putting too much restriction on what is typically available to you. In designing your army, you will want to consider the craftworld you have developed so far, what this craftworld is like, and which of the selections available to you in the codex would not make sense for you to field given these considerations. Basically an army design is a set of restrictions you impose on yourself for the purpose of making your army more definitive.

A craftworld's history will affect how the army is developed, because the battles experienced in the past determine in large part the forces wielded in the future. If your craftworld has been horribly ravaged by a Tyranid invasion which they are still trying to expel, their equipment may be less specialized and more ubiquitous. It would need to be easily crafted in haste to be put to immediate use, and must be serviceable by whoever is wielding it. On the other hand, a craftworld with a long history of conquest may have carved a larger empire with several smaller craftworlds under its governance. Such a craftworld may feature detachments from several of its minions, with long-ranged shooting units clad in the colours of one pawnworld while the assault elements are enrolled from a different pawnworld. Additionally, the leadership may be somewhat fractious, so that each squad must have its own leader, and all the squads may only agree to serve simultaneously under the command of an Avatar, showing the willingness of the overworld to sacrifice for its pawns.

Weapons too will generally be determined by the history of a craftworld. A craftworld with an extensive history of fighting Orks would probably have little need for including Bright Lances and Starcannons in its army, while a craftworld who fights the Chaos Space Marines frequently might field those heavy weapons exclusively. A craftworld that faces off against Tyranids may rely on a mechanized approach to safeguard its warriors, as Tyranids have a hard time destroying Eldar armour. An Eldar force that faces the Imperial armies on the other hand may include many units that benefit from rapid assaults, closing into the Imperial lines quickly and destroying them in combat. It would not make sense to claim such a heritage in developing your craftworld only to abandon this heritage once you hit the field - after all, an army with a history of facing particular opponents will be optimized for those opponents, and will have more difficulty facing others.

The type of society your craftworld maintains will determine how it is composed. A tribal structure may see the craftworld form up into separate divisions for battle which work more or less autonomously, or possibly in teams from a particular clan. A craftworld with a rigid hierarchy will have a strong top-down style of command, and probably field units built to one particular role which only those units will engage in; one would expect to see Fire Dragons designed exclusively for AT duties while Dark Reapers shot heavy infantry, with combat restricted to assault specialists. Vehicles would be equipped to match the units they were carrying, so that you would expect bright lances on wave serpents that carried Fire Dragons, and starcannons on those carrying Dark Reapers. If your society is an agrarian society on some backwater Maidenworld, it is likely that a large number of Guardians would be fielded, probably without the benefit of support weapons.

Philosophy extends outwards from society to warfare. If your craftworld values order above all else they will have a different manner of waging war than a craftworld that values individualism. Your society's artistic preferences will influence the design of your weapons of war. A craftworld that values nobility would seek face to face confrontations, while one that values the appearance of cooperation may carry out assassinations where battles need to be fought - such a craftworld may have an alliance with the Imperium and yet have a need to obliterate an element of the Imperial forces to further the interests of the craftworld. This can only be done in secret.

If your craftworld is made up of merchants who value trade, and therefore need to be able to conduct their affairs peaceably and quickly, the army available to such a craftworld would differ from that maintained by a craftworld where theology was the primary concern. In the first case the craftworld would probably feature a large militia and make use of transports which could be deployed from space or low orbit; perhaps even their merchant vessels have been fitted with weapons. Warfare would probably be conducted from a distance with a premium placed on avoiding direct engagement, both to mask their identity and because the army is not composed of dedicated warriors. On the other hand, the craftworld focused on theology would feature a large number of Seers and their Aspect Warriors may be dedicated to the particular god who most embodies their way of war. If a militia was fielded it would probably be only under the supervision of the clergy, who may take to battle in the role of Warlocks.

All of these are things to consider when designing an army. Saim-Hann is Saim-Hann because of their colours and their lack of non-mechanised units; failing either of those benchmarks would cause others to doubt that they were indeed facing a Saim-Hann force. An Iyanden army without Wraithguard or Wraithlords would be dubious at best. Fielding an Ulthwé army that was painted pink would probably also fall short of conveying their identity. A Biel-Tan Swordwind army relies on altered composition somewhat; failing to include some form of close combat Elite choices would hamper the image of the Bahzhakhain.

Craftworld Archtypes
An archetype is a sort of pattern or theme that reappears throughout many stories. The following are some examples of possible archetypes to use in developing your history and society. They are based on possible points of origin for your craftworld in an historical sense, and can be used to decide where the story of your craftworld began and how it evolved into what it is today. The questions included in each section are posed to help you flesh things out. The archetypes listed are just some ideas of how a craftworld may have come into existence, the possibilities are pretty much endless.

Ascetics
This is an archetype typical of many craftworlds that broke from the Empire during the fall. Such Eldar are sick of the spiritual malaise of the Eldar race, and seek to cure it by avoiding the excesses of the Eldar Empire that brought about the awakening of Slaanesh. Such a craftworld would be composed of many Eldar following a Path, whether in the form of the Artisan, Artist, Warrior, or something else. There would probably be many Aspect Shrines on such a craftworld, as well as many other shrines to the other gods of the Eldar, and the paths associated with such gods (consider a shrine to Vaul with the associated Eldar on the Path of the Smith...). Such Eldar might exhibit the infamous Eldar arrogance and be cold and dispassionate. They might also have a strong sense of honour, which may or may not be extended to the less worthy inhabitants of the galaxy. The question becomes, which Paths do such Eldar walk? What is the focus of their society? Are all Eldar in this society striving towards a common goal, or is their goal simply to exist without degrading? What are they known for? Do they craft things with unparalleled beauty, or do they prefer dull simplicity to further avoid excess? Are they hesitant to deal with other Eldar who may not live up to their standards, or do they try to convince others to further embrace a focused and sparse lifestyle?

Betrayers
These are the Eldar which have decided to serve on the side of Slaanesh, or one of the other Chaos gods, as a result of their time in the Eye of Terror or their experiences during the fall (if they did not get drawn into the Eye). Perhaps they summon daemons rather than awakening Avatars? Perhaps their psychic powers come from more sinister sources? These are not Dark Eldar, who live at the mercy of Slaanesh as hopeless pawns, but rather Eldar who have found a new path - the Path of Glory. They willingly serve their new masters and seek to gain untold power in their service, to perhaps rival and overthrow their dark masters. Necromancy is not a thing to fear, but a means of overcoming death and continuing to gain power. Spirit stones become warp focuses that enhance the powers of the bearer, possibly through the experience of the Eldar spirit trapped inside, but possibly through something darker lurking in it. What experiences shaped their culture in the Warp? How did they come to ally with Chaos, and why? Do they deal with other Eldar still, or seek to stomp them out? Are they involved with the traitors of mankind? Have they suffered mutations? What sort of promises have the Chaos gods made them? Which powers do they serve?

(Editor's Note: Chaos Craftworld Eldar is not very likely as a concept, but small remnants of destroyed craftworlds, inhabitants of the Crone Worlds, or pirates, outcasts or corsairs turning to Chaos is possible. Please see the WH40K Wiki Main Article: Kher-Ys.)

Pioneers
The question is mainly at what point in time were your Eldar building colonies, and how did that impact their experiences? If it was long enough before the event of the Fall, they were probably far enough away from the Eye of Terror to escape relatively unscathed. Maybe they were reclaiming renegade Eldar worlds or craftworlds, or perhaps they were settling new planets? Does your Eldar society know the secrets of the maiden worlds and has set about awakening them? Do your Eldar crusade against the mon-keigh in an attempt to retake worlds that have since fallen into human hands? Alternatively, did their wave of exploration finally break, causing them to settle at the fringe of the galaxy without interest in striking out further into the unknown? Do they embrace the Path, or do they still wander (in Exodite fashion)? Being relatively disconnected from the rest of the Eldar, do they maintain relations or have they been forgotten?

Prophets
Such Eldar would have relied heavily on the powers of psychics to see that they were bringing their own doom upon them, and that the only way to ensure survival was to leave the empire, and embrace a much more stringent lifestyle. The Fall may have caught them, but since they had fair warning, did it hit them as hard as others or were they relatively untouched? Have the Seers and mystics of such a society become a sort of revered cult, or is their status something else? How did they manage to read the skeins of fate where others failed? Why did they neglect to save other Eldar, if they even had the chance? Where are the strands of fate leading them now? Do they feel the need to intervene in the activities of others to bend fate to their will, or do they prefer to ride the times, hoping to avoid calamity through careful observation?

Refugees
These Eldar did not escape the fall, though they were far enough away from the event that they escaped the Eye of Terror. Many of their kin were probably slain in the psychic apocalypse as Slaanesh was born, and the survivors probably had to battle their way to safety, either against creatures of the Warp, possessed Eldar, or Eldar who were simply driven mad, further weakening them. In such a state they probably limped through the galaxy, avoiding contact with others where possible as they nursed their wounds. The question is, did they recover? Are these refugees still downtrodden, undersupplied, and fighting to hang on? Do they get caught in battle because others find them easy prey, or do they fight to take what they need? Are they wandering pirates, or have they finally found a place to settle, and begun to rebuild? What impact has their experience had on their ability to make a society? Are they close-knit and reliant on each other for support, or have they experienced such horror that they have become grim and despondent?

Renegades
Your Eldar society is probably not too fond of other Eldar, having had to fight them for untold millennia to retain their independence. The tragic plight of the Eldar as a whole would probably not bother your craftworld - the other Eldar brought things upon themselves. You probably have few, if any, Aspects; and the ones that are available would certainly not have been founded by Phoenix Lords (as these would have been fought off), but they may have the same fighting style. Are your Eldar fiercely individual, or do they form close bonds of kinship? How well equipped are they? What sort of epic battles have they fought against other Eldar that has allowed them to establish their own society? Are they well known and infamous, looked up to, or unknown? Have they worked to reattach their ties of kinship, or do they detest all other Eldar still? Have they become pirates, seeking to loot and plunder the wealth and resources of any other races they encounter? These are the sorts of questions that might be asked of such an Eldar society.

Survivors
These Eldar were hit the hardest, being totally inside the Eye of Terror as it formed, and they were, therefore, sucked into a nightmare realm where the unimaginable became reality. They have spent millennia living in the worst possible circumstances, where the Warp and reality entwine. They have probably had to deal continuously with fending off the depredations of daemons. Eventually, they have emerged from the Eye. How did they escape? What sort of things did they experience? Do they have any knowledge of the Crone Worlds? Did they encounter Chaos Space Marines during their time in the Warp? How long were they stuck there, and did time pass at the same speed for them as it did for those outside of the Warp? Are they to be trusted (Altansar is viewed suspiciously...)? Have they since been able to form a society, or are they merely the last remnants of an army whose sole purpose is to survive until they are wiped out? Do they have dealings with anyone else? Do they even know they have escaped from the warp? Are they still sane?

Craftworld Philosophy
If nothing else, Eldar are known for their grace, intellect and philosophy. Eldar, having a lifespan many times that of a human, will have centuries to deliberate upon the mysteries of the universe, as well as to master any task they set their minds to. Such deliberation will often develop into very specific means of viewing the world, often through the scope of one's field of expertise, so that every encounter an Eldar has is connected in some way to every other encounter. The most obvious manifestation of this aspect of the Eldar psyche is in the Farseer, who is able to view these connections and even manipulate them to change destiny. However, this seems to be just a more powerful vision of the relationships between the various elements of an Eldar lifespan.

Think of an Eldar as a a consummate craftsman. Whatever he sets his hand to, he will seek to perfect. In order to obtain this perfection, he will begin to see how every action is a means of expressing the perfection of his handiwork. The turn of a head, the exchange of a few words, or a still moment spent viewing one's surroundings, if performed by an Aspect Warrior, are but links in a chain, leading to the next perfect kill. An Eldar artisan's choice of meal may become a part of the process of their handicraft. Ultimately, the actual life of an Eldar becomes a way of life, and defines the Path that they follow.

The Path exists on a level that is larger than the individual as well. It describes the journey taken on the road of destiny by entire Eldar civilizations; it may even define this journey for all Eldar, much as many tributaries create a river. The infinite scope of all possibilities may therefore be viewed through the lens of the whole or its parts, and while an individual Eldar may have no knowledge of the impact his fate has on others, the channel he creates through his philosophy determines in small measure the course that the destinies of all Eldar will follow.

This may be the reason behind the strict adherence to a particular school of thought arising in any given Eldar society, which sets the rhythm and pattern of the lives of all Eldar who belong to that society. The more a particular Path is followed, the greater it is reinforced, in the same manner that a small trail, when walked frequently, may eventually carve a highway through a forest. The more influence a craftworld has through its philosophy, the more likely it becomes that the particular course of destiny they seek to realize will come to pass. Eventually, a craftworld becomes known for a particular Path, and a particular set of associated values.

It has been said that Eldar fluff is drawn of the Greek civilization, while the Space Marines are drawn from the Romans. This illustration may be useful because the mon-keigh have built their empire on the ruins of the former Eldar empire (as Rome did to Greece). Each of the Greek city-states was known for particular strengths. In addition, each city-state had a different ethos, placing value on particular philosophies not unlike the different craftworlds. So, below we will demonstrate how one can develop a simple philosophy for their craftworld modelled from those of various city-states:


 * Athens (strategy, knowledge) - Such Eldar would value flexibility and variety, as well as ingenuity, and would seek constant improvement while confounding the machinations of rivals


 * Sikyon (artwork) - Such Eldar would place great importance on their artists and artwork [wraith constructs, vehicles], and would attempt to always achieve the perfect form.


 * Corinth (merchants, artisans) - Mobility and traders would be prized by such Eldar, who would probably seek advantageous alliances or treaties when possible.


 * Sparta (valour) - Military excellence would be the apex for such Eldar, and their society would be highly defined by their warfare.


 * Thebes (legends) - Such Eldar would place great focus on the rare, exotic, and bizarre elements of their society, seeking uniqueness and individuality along with perfection.


 * Argos (artists, able warriors) - Such Eldar would prize its citizens and strive for endurance, whether in leaving lasting impressions through their monuments upon future generations or persisting in defiance of extinction.


 * Mykenae (seafarers, conquerors) - Such Eldar would require the ability to travel through space as well as military might, seeking to bring others under their heel or their blade, while developing their knowledge of unknown areas.


 * Delphi (seers, visionaries) - Such Eldar would value the knowledge of the past as well as the future, looking to their history in an attempt to discover their destiny.


 * Olympia (religion, unity) - Such Eldar would express diversity as well as prizing the mystic elements of its society - others would probably be welcome to benefit through belonging to this society, once they accepted their proper place in it.

What Your Craftworld Possesses
When creating your own Craftworld, these are the absolute basics that must be included. You cannot make a Craftworld without them:

Webway Gate
All Craftworlds contain Webway gates that connect tunnels through the Warp. The Webway links the Craftworlds to each other as well as to thousands of planets scattered across the territory of the lost Eldar Empire, allowing the dispersed Eldar civilization some measure of cohesion. Because the Webway is labyrinthine and impossible to accurately map, many Craftworlds are effectively lost, unknown and cut off from the greater part of the remaining Eldar civilization.

Infinity Circuit
In a very real sense, the Craftworld is a living entity, powered by psychic energy and responding in an organic way to the stimuli of psychic forces. The power contained within it can be expended as light and heat, and most ship-board devices could not actually function without the wireless psychic power grid that runs throughout the substructure of the Craftworld. The Eldar refer to this grid as the Infinity Circuit, a metaphysical neural structure studded with the Spirit Stones of the Craftworld's dead, their gestalt psychic collective serving as the source of the great vessel's power--and its ghostly sentience. Within this matrix, the souls of all the Craftworld's dead reside in a form of group consciousness, providing both a well of psychic power for the ship and a massive ancestral mind to advise and guide the living. With the birth of Slaanesh, "She Who Thirsts," the Infinity Circuit is the closest thing that the Eldar now have to an afterlife; for if their souls are not captured at death and integrated into the Infinity Circuit, they will be lost into the Warp and devoured by Slaanesh. For this reason the Eldar will defend their Craftworlds with a fury and tenacity that is almost unrivaled amongst sentient species; they risk losing not only their home but the souls of their ancestors as well.

Warp Spiders
The Infinity Circuit is tended by tiny arachnid-like creatures that act as it's immune system, searching for and destroying any taint of Chaos that would otherwise corrupt the entire infinity circuit.

Craftworld Colours
Now is a good time to consider some cautionary measures, so that your craftworld is not confused with others (namely, the five major craftworlds). Alaitoc, Biel-Tan, Iyanden, Saim-Hann, or Ulthwé all have long standing traditions, and tend to be easily identifiable based on two themes: color scheme and unit selection. The most important thing to avoid is 'crossing the streams' (ie. choosing the same types of units and methods of warfare). You can find the color schemes for each of these craftworlds in the Eldar codices, however, for the sake of completeness, here is a quick list of colors, along with the types of forces these craftworlds tend to field. If you wish to avoid your craftworld being misidentified, do not choose a color scheme from a craftworld along with a similar army design.

Major Craftworlds
If you plan on using one of the colours and units above, it would be advisable to avoid the associated colour scheme (at minimum), unless you are developing a craftworld derived from one of the five major craftworlds.

Colour Considerations


Livery Example: If you want your force to seem really noble you'd more than likely want them to appear bright and gleaming, like knights on the march. Dark colors would not really be suitable to this force. The addition of pennants to the Aspect Warriors could look really cool, and what units can take them would wield interesting swords. You might also want each unit to represent a specific order, yet it would also be important that they retain their ties to their Aspect Shrines and craftworld. Therefore, the pennants can reflect the craftworld and their order, while the colours on the Aspect Warriors themselves would reflect their order and their Aspect Shrine, or barring membership in a shrine, the colours of the craftworld.

In this case, I might want a silvery-white for armored portions of the Aspect Warriors, with a brightly dyed fabric texture to the bodysuit elements. Vehicles would stick to the dye colors though not have a fabric-like texture. Each order will have its own colour, with the craftworld's colours (in this case) being blazing orange on a white field. The symbol for each squad's order would be in blazing orange, detailed with the colour of their order. All of the colours are to be bright.

From the colours of the craftworld and the idea of this particular craftworld's methods of war, I would have a better idea of what I would want it to be known for. This craftworld is uncommonly trustworthy and known for its valor in aiding those against the Forces of Chaos. They are a light against the grim darkness of the 40K universe, and hold the virtues of honour and justice above all else.

Craftworld Battlecry
The battlecry of a Craftworld is a rallying cry for its people and its Aspect Warriors. These can range from famous sayings by notable Farseers to the famous last words of an Eldar hero. A battlecry is a phrase or saying that is used to make people support an idea, a cause, etc.

This portion of the article, as described earlier, is simply a set of questions which may help if you feel at a loss as to where to begin. By simply answering any of these questions that you can, you will be starting the design process for your craftworld, and building material for your craftworld's background will become much easier:

Is your society based on a craftworld or elsewhere? If elsewhere, assume the questions refer to something appropriate when they state "craftworld".

When was your craftworld first established?

How was your craftworld established?

Did it exist before or after The Fall?

Did the Fall have an effect on your craftworld? If so, how? If not, why not?

Does your craftworld deal with other Eldar? Has this always been the case?

Does your craftworld deal with other races? Why, or why not?

How large is your craftworld? How large is its population?

How wealthy is your craftworld?

Does your craftworld have colonies, establishments, or settlements?

Does your craftworld have preferred or mortal enemies? If so, why?

How often does your craftworld wage war?

Where in the 40k universe is your Craftworld located? Is it close to the Imperial center or farther away?

What races control areas of space closest to your craftworld?

What sort of beliefs govern your society? What does it consider most important?

Who leads your society? What sort of government does it have?

Are there any important historical figures? Why are they important?

What are some important battles your craftworld has fought?

What does your craftworld look like, on the inside and on the outside?

What sort of people make up your Eldar society? Are they dark and grim or airy and aloof?

What is the art of your craftworld like? What sort of artistic principles govern their technology?

How are disputes between different members of the craftworld resolved?

How large is your craftworld's army?

What are the craftworld's important symbols or colors?

What are your craftworld's taboos? What is expected of its members?

Does your craftworld have access to other craftworlds? The webway? The Black Library?

Does your Craftworld deal with Commorragh? The Forces of Chaos? Creatures of the Warp?

What is your craftworld known for?

What names is your craftworld known by?

Do members of this society have a good deal of social mobility? Is there a caste system?

What are some of the trademark units fielded by this army?

What sort of units are avoided by this army? Why?

Is this craftworld an offshoot of a larger craftworld, such as Biel-Tan?

Are there any characteristics which distinguish Eldar of your craftworld from other Eldar?

What sort of tactics does your craftworld employ in battle?

How do your Eldar treat others? Fairly, or without respect?

Are there any sources outside of 40k that inspire you? For instance, if you enjoy Arthurian legends, how can this be reflected by your craftworld?