Eldar Psykers

[Warrior47]

So, according to a lot of people and a lot of the fluff that is out there, Eldar are probably the strongest race psychicly speaking. However, as I was reading the Ravenor books, I started to think, has there ever been any mention of what level seers and farseers are at, or any other of their psykers for that matter? I know, I know, psychic level doesn't always reflect how strong a psychic is because training and mastery of the power can make them significantly stronger, but I would just like to know if anyone knew what magnitude Eldar psykers might be at.

[Zarak]

The problem with classifying Farseers is that Eldar use psychic ability in very different ways from human psykers, as you know. Mankind's psykers use powers that are very overt. Big explosions, entire groups of people being used as puppets, massive psychic shields that ward off las cannon blasts. Eldar farseers, however, though capable of more direct powers, are best known for their farseeing of course. How can you compare the ability to crush the skulls of one hundred enemies with a thought, to the ability to see the possible futures and then manipulate events so that a future where one thousand enemies get their skulls crushed by someone else? Yes, the Eldar's ability did not directly kill those enemies, though the effect was far greater. Their true power is so indirect, that it would be very hard to classify under the standards of the Imperium, which seems to focus more on the direct abilities of a psyker (heh, the Imperium has never been noted for its subtlety).

[Grand Master Belial]

One tidbit of fluff is that Farseers are the Exarchs of the Path of the Seer. They are trapped in it. Warlocks can switch to another discipline so they would not be as developed as a Farseer.

Since Eldar are so long lived, they have plenty of time to refine their art to a level so subtle that it would be imperceptable save to Astartes eyes.

Some of the older fluff about the weapons had them triggered by the thought of the user. No triggers. Making them unusable to the other races. This implies that all Eldar use psychic powers as a natural thing. Probably have never turned a doorknob in their entire life.

[The_Giant_Mantis]

Originally Posted by Grand Master Belial

Some of the older fluff about the weapons had them triggered by the thought of the user. No triggers. Making them unusable to the other races. This implies that all Eldar use psychic powers as a natural thing. Probably have never turned a doorknob in their entire life.

It's not just the older fluff.. even guardians are literally covered in psychic devices. Their communication systems are psychic, for one.. the wraithbone ammunition clips for their shuriken catapults come in a compacted form and are psychically manipulated prior to use (hence why the clips on their belts are smaller than the ones loaded into the guns.) Webway gates are switched on psychically..

All eldar have a degree of psychic power.. Seers are simply those who choose to refine it.

As mentioned, though, seers themselves are quite different from human psykers. They can throw tanks around and create storms of energy, but in many cases their psychic powers are subtle and imperceptable. They're also bound into using wraithbone runes as focusing aids (or else Slannesh would eat them) so their abilities are limited by the runes they channel through.

[Atma]

Let's not forget that human psykers are, currently, aberrations. They're the result of evolution riding a flaming air-car off a cliff. The fact that only a small percentage of them can be trained to be anything other than a danger to themselves and everyone around them is testament to that.

After all, Eldar psykers don't generally have their heads blow up. Or accidentally kill off an entire planet of people (theirselves included). Or, you know, open a gateway to the warp. Or because a gateway to the warp (enslaver plague, ouch).

[Warrior47]

It seems as if you could still quantify the magnitude of their power though since from some of the fluff I've read inquisitors, sorcerers, and even astropaths can all be put into categories such as gamma, beta, alpha, etc. I suppose Eldar are different however as a lot of their power and skills come from enormous lengths of time training in their path. Some good points made though, thanks.

I was just wondering whether anyone has ever seen a mention of eldar being put into any category.