Would a raptor lie in wait - seeing the enemy but seeing also that they are part of a greater force - would they ever choose not to strike if given an opportunity? Would a raptor turn back to defend a havoc caught in melee - or would they think only of cutting ever deeper into the enemy ranks? A raptor is without discipline - not because they do not know discipline - but because they choose to always be assaulting. A Banshee is both stalker and sentry - we may allow the vulnerable to pass right by - so as to lure more valuable prey, or to keep our eye always on our strategic goal. If undetected, we may ignore our foes entirely and strut directly into their unguarded fortress - take just what we came for - and leave the same way. This is the Eldar way - not combat for combats sake - each cut serves a purpose - never more cuts than are needed. What Raptor could say the same?
This is where I feel it goes into the person or character with a splash of ideals. A general description doesn't fit all especially if it's a player character. Your Raptor example of them wanting to be first strike - not the final blow is true in some cases but also false in other cases. I say that in looking at the WH40K universe not referencing any specific story or anything. A rookie Raptor compared to a Chosen Raptor for example and even then it's no set description or mindset of how each will act, because that goes into the person or character which can even go into sub-factions. Chaos in particular can vary further depending on how much warp/daemonic influence they have or aversion to warp influence. Sure they have their tendencies but they are trained warriors making up parts of an army too and armies adapt and overcome opposition, that goes into combat role & strategy. What you say about the Banshee I see as an ideal not what each individual one is at a constant pace. A banshee can be a distraction force one moment but then the primary killing force the next, involving say Dark Reapers being a distraction force for the Banshees. When would that happen? Depends on so many scenarios that can vary in so many details. Person or character + combat role & strategy vs enemy opposition can take unlimited forms & scenarios. This applies to every faction. When I play Raptor I am going to be the first blow AND the final blow. I'll also hang back at times to counter initiate enemies jumping on my team who have taken an advantageous position. I'm even fine with dealing no blows so long as the team gets something out of it and ideally should I die the guy or gal that kills me had better be killed by my teammate(s). Whatever suits the situation at hand. Same for when I play banshee which will be my main. You actually describe well how I'll try to play banshee since I tend to fall into supportive play styles over head hunting. But sometimes I'll just want to go on a frenzy be it for my own reasons of variety being good or team needs a Banshee to go on a frenzy. Er I mean a disciplined and methodical frenzy executed with perfect form and skill. Yeah. That hopefully will be comparable to if Jain Zar took to the field (hahahahaha not happening. But I can dream!).
Interestingly, I have always seen the Banshees as a surgical strike unit, a guided missile if you will. Whereas the Scorpions are built for mitigation, distortion field and heavy armor for defense to be a front line fighter, a brawler. Banshees have power weapons and are faster after all, they speed forward and carve out the heart.
Funny enough, even with Eldar executions being faster, the amount of time taken on them is still roughly the same amount as everyone one elses I guess all the time taken in between needlessly flourishing your blade, redoing your nails, and declaring your superiority over the corpse all adds up in the end.
First off the Flourishes aren't needless they are there to clean the blade of the enemies filthy blood, honestly Ew who knows where it's been! You know other then my blade or on the ground... While the declaring of our superiority isn't just over your corpses, we're doing it as we're killing you too... it's just hard to hear over your screaming and dying is all. As for our nails... that isn't until the after battle get together! I mean really, why redo them when they're just going to get mucked up by Ork, Mon'kiegh or Chaos bits again?
Why'z you'z kleanin da bludd off dat buttah nife you'z kall a Choppa It'z jus gunna get bludd'eed up again...'less we'z zog ya furst, an we'z will, don't you'z wur'ree 'bout dat An all da bludd makez ya fastah, but you'z daft az a squig, so you'z dontz uze it proppa Wait, skratch dat, datz insultin ta squigz
We prefer our blades nice and shiny, not coated in the blood of the lesser races. We don't need "red onez go fasta", we are already much faster than you, you ponderous mushrooms!
----Very off topic. But amusing----- "Ew who knows where it's been!" Not sure how this is confusing but okay. Take a seat. Lesson time. First, let's find a helper. <A wild ork appears!> Ah, here we go. Yeah this chap is sufficient for this demonstration. Go ahead and greet the ork with your battlecry. You go to fight the ork because all they do is business stuff and fighting, and this one is all out of business. Plus your battlecry interrupted his phone call. Quite an irritated look on his mug so the business might have gone bad. Ready? FIGHT! (Don't step on his shoes or tug on his tie, that'll just make him angry while opening yourself up to an attack.) So you two start fighting. He's swinging his axe and hollering stuff you can't even understand. What you do understand however is the big grin he now has on his face. Perhaps the business really was bad, he seems to be a little grateful for the distraction you're providing. Then at some point during the fighting you cut the ork with your sharp edged pointy stick. Here's where ya need to pay attention. Look down at your blade. There is now blood on your blade! Which you evidently already realized happens yourself. Now look back at the ork. The ork is now visibly cut! Blood has appeared there. Not warpy appearing mind you. Blood just appears like that when biological beings are damaged enough. That's where their blood comes from, inside their bodies. So I do know where their blood has been. Now you do too.
