Chapter Approved – Warhammer 40,000 Main Rules Clarifications (v1.0)
Shooting
1. Shots from a flamer may not be repositioned, but the flamer template must be placed so that it will affect the maximum number of models in the target unit.
2. When shooting at units partially in cover, hits are allocated to models in the open first. After hits are allocated, saves are taken.
3. When repositioning a Blast template on your unit after an opponent has hit it, you may reposition it so that it covers enemy models as long as it still covers at least as many of yours as it did originally.
4. When a unit fires multiple Blast templates on the enemy (say a Devastator squad firing four frag missiles), and several missiles hit, place one Blast template and multiply that by the number of hits to determine how many models might be wounded.
5. When a barrage lands in close combat, everyone underneath can be hit.
6. Troops assaulting a vehicle with a WS attribute may not be shot at, but those assaulting a vehicle without a WS attribute may be.
7. Pistols are just like rapid fire weapons in that if you fire twice you can't assault.
8. Markers that are placed by a player – whether they use the large or small Blast template – and which do not have to test for scatter may be repositioned.
9. A unit must test for pinning each time it suffers casualties from a pinning attack from an enemy unit.
10. The only circumstances in which crossfire does not destroy a falling back enemy unit are when the unit’s fall back path passes through:-
a unit that forced it to fall back in close combat;
a unit which is falling back itself;
a unit which is pinned;
a unit which is separated from them by impassable terrain (in this case, the falling back unit would divert around the impassable terrain anyway).
11. Only terrain & vehicles block line of sight to a vehicle.
12. If a model has +1 Strength and a power fist you should double their Strength before adding the +1.
1. Use the target model’s original Toughness for working out instant kills. No modifiers for things like bikes, wargear or other special abilities are taken into account (for example, in Codex: Chaos Space Marines, taking the Mark of Nurgle will add +1 to the model’s Toughness, but you’d use the original Toughness for instant kill purposes).
2. Sniper rifles affect the Wraithlord, Avatar, and Greater Daemons.
3. Cover from an Ordnance attack is determined from the location of the center of the blast.
4. Multiple types of grenades can be used in the same turn.
Assaults
Note: These clarifications refer to the rulebook assault system. They do not apply to the revised Assault rules presented in White Dwarf 273 (UK).
1. Outnumbering is calculated on a unit-by-unit basis, so even if one model from a unit is fighting, he’ll get the benefit of the rest of his unit backing him up when it comes to intimidating the opposition. Likewise, if the models actually fighting are killed but there are a million more of them in the unit, they’ll still
outnumber the unit they were fighting.
2. When determining if a side is outnumbered, work it out as whole sides, just like totalling up wounds inflicted in multiple combats.
3. A unit that declares a charge but fails to get any models into contact due to, for example, difficult terrain, does not fight a close combat even if it has models within 2” of the enemy. Note that if the charging models do not make contact they are not moved at all.
4. Because units can fight more than one enemy unit in a close combat, the attacks of the unit must be allocated before the dice are rolled. Attacks must therefore be allocated against enemy in base-to-base contact or within 2” if a model is not in base-to-base contact. If equal priorities exist then you may choose a target. Enemy characters (including unit upgrades such as Nobs) are always treated as being in a separate unit for the purposes of allocating attacks.
5. You may allocate attacks made by a character against a specific target model in an enemy unit if the enemy model is in base-to-base contact with him. These hits do not then carry through to hit other enemy models if the original target is killed.
6. You may allocate attacks against a model with different WS or T to the rest of the unit.
7. When removing casualties then the requirement that all models within 2” must be removed before those more than 2” away applies within each target unit as described above. For example, a unit of Chaos Space Marines with three men and a Champion in mêlée or within 2”, and three others more than 2” away, suffers five casualties on the unit and none on the Champion. The three Marines in melee and two of those in support are killed even though the Champion remains within 2”.
8. Models with multiple Wounds are removed when the unit they are in has taken enough wounds to eliminate one whole model regardless of whether the casualties were inflicted on different models. The owning player chooses which falls casualty. This is subject to the rule that characters may allocate attacks to a model in base-to-base contact.
9. You determine whether a unit falling back from an assault is destroyed by the pursuit based on the dice rolled not the final position of the models.
10. All Morale check modifiers are based on the situation at the time the test is taken.
11. When unengaged models move in to help their comrades under the Partial Contact rule, they do not count the +1 Attack for assaulting.
12. Any squad with line of sight and range to the target can shoot at a squad making a sweeping advance.
13. When a unit contains models which can move at different speeds, all models move and assault at the speed of the slowest.
14. Models that are charged in a sweeping advance may fire their weapons as if they had been stationary during the Movement phase.
15. When making an advance after wiping out the enemy, you only need to advance towards the enemy. So, as long as you end up closer to at least one enemy unit more than when you started, all is well.
16. A squad partially in base-to-base contact that has failed a Barrage Pinning test may not move the unengaged models into combat.
17. Voluntary fall back may not be used unless specifically stated in competition rules or agreed with your opponent before the game.
18. Any models that are part of a unit in close combat and are supporting the combat (ie, are within 2" but not engaged) count as being locked in combat and may not shoot or move.
19. Grenade types, such as frag and plasma, are only ever used when the unit possessing them is assaulting. In other words, if they are being assaulted by a unit in cover (ie, a unit with Stormcaller cast on it or a unit of shadowskinned Mandrakes) the grenades are not used.
20. After an assault, if one side flees and the other pursues, each side rolls its dice and adjusts the score for the terrain which will be encountered during the fall back or pursuit. The modified scores are then compared to determine if the fleeing unit is caught. The actual placement of the models is never relevant.
Morale
1. A single squad can be forced to make multiple pinning checks in a turn, or a pinning check and a Morale check.
2. You may not make a last chance regroup attempt on the same turn you were defeated in an assault and forced to fall back.
3. Morale, Pinning and Regrouping are all Leadership tests. Psychic tests are different, and do not count as Ld tests as far as the rules are concerned.
4. If a unit is broken in close combat and falls back into a unit that is currently still in close combat, you treat the mêlée as a piece of impassable terrain and fall back around it.
Characters
1. Characters joining a unit do not increase its size for Morale checks.
2. If a character is within 2" or less of two or more squads, he must designate which, if either, he is in, although he may change the designation from turn to turn.
3. You can’t shoot at an Independent Character if he’s within 6" of a unit, unless he's the closest model at short range.
4. An Independent Character cannot leave a unit he joins which subsequently falls back until it regroups, and therefore if the group can't regroup, the character can’t leave it!
5. If an Independent Character has joined a unit which later falls back and is subsequently eliminated (by shooting, for example), the character can then test for regrouping by himself.
6. Note that Independent Characters with their own retinue do not entirely cease to be Independent Characters. The statement to this effect in various Codexes is really only there to indicate they may not wander off and leave their retinue, instead staying in unit coherency. If the retinue is wiped out, the Independent Character status is reinstated. The character and retinue are counted separately for victory point purposes so if the retinue is wiped but the character is unhurt you would get the VP for the retinue and not half of the VP for the character and unit combined.
7. If a unit is wiped out by shooting except for the character, he does not have to take a Morale check as if he were the last man as long as he is an Independent Character who only joined the unit. He then regroups without worrying about the rule for being in a unit below 50%.
8. If a fearless character has joined a unit which is not fearless and subsequently falls back, the Independent Character must fall back with it. If a fearless unit is joined by a non-fearless character then the unit must take Morale tests and will fall back if the character does.
9. In Codex: Dark Eldar, in the Reaver description it says “Characters riding a Reaver jetbike may only be armed with single-handed weapons, and may only use one at a time (they need the other hand free to control the jetbike).” This applies not only to the Reaver jetbike but to all other bike-mounted models unless their Codex specifies otherwise (Orks, for example, may use additional close combat weapons).
10. An Independent Character within 2" of a squad is not automatically part of it, you must state that he joins it during the Movement phase (and only the Movement phase).
11. Only vehicle characters (ie, Master of the Ravenwing) can join vehicle units.
12. It is permissible for an Independent Character to join a unit consisting of a single Wraithlord or Talos. Independent Characters may always join units with a normal (non-vehicle) profile but they may not, however, join other Independent Characters.
Vehicles
1. In the commentary on Tank Shock, in the Ultimate Secrets section, it says that a tank cannot try to shock models in close combat. If a squad has any members in close combat then the entire squad is taken to be in combat and therefore cannot be the target of Tank Shock.
2. If a model is run over by a vehicle using Tank Shock, the direction it evades in is irrelevant because models resume their positions when the tank passes. If their placement is important, assume that they are as near as possible to their original position.
3. If a vehicle moves 12" or less, you may disembark from it. This is subject to some special rules – for example, Red Paint Job.
4. A character riding a Juggernaut (or any other mount for that matter) cannot be transported in a Rhino (or a Land Raider for that matter).
5. Smoke launchers convert a penetrating hit into a glancing hit. If the weapon that hits is an Ordnance weapon, the damage roll will be on the glancing hit table. Ditto for occasions when a vehicle is hull down.
6. Line of sight from sponsons is drawn from the weapon to the target; you must turn the gun so it points at the target. If the gun is glued in place we just assume it could turn as far as if it were not glued. In other words, use 'real' fire arcs based on the model.
7. When shooting at a character (see page 75 of the Warhammer 40,000 rule book) a viable target is deemed to be one that the firing unit has at least one ranged weapon capable of wounding or scoring a glancing hit against.
8. A vehicle being assaulted by infantry MAY fire its guns during its Shooting phase. The troops assaulting the tank may be fired upon, but watch out for those template weapons!
9. A transport vehicle may only transport the unit it was bought as an upgrade for. Characters that join a unit with a transport may be carried in it too, as long as they will fit of course. Vehicles that are not bought as an upgrade but which have transport capability (ie, Land Raiders and Falcons) can carry anybody they like (though still only one squad at a time plus a character that joins the squad). This is a deliberately harsh ruling, designed to stop players treating transports as some form of Warhammer 40,000 taxi service. There may be specific exemptions to this rule though, the ability of the Ork Kult of Speed mobs to fall back to any transport, for example.
10. If a squad makes a sweeping advance into a vehicle on its turn, the vehicle may fire at the troops as they assault as per the normal sweeping advance rules, or it may move away (in its normal Movement phase) before it is attacked.
11. Disembarking before a vehicle moves does count as movement for the models, so heavy weapons can’t be fired. Rapid fire and pistol weapons can only shoot once.
12. An auspex can only be used to benefit the squad to which its owner belongs. The squad’s transport vehicle (if any) does not benefit.
13. A unit that buys a transport need not be inside it at the start of the game but must deploy at the same time.
14. Template weapons be may fired from a vehicle – just assume the shooter aims over the vehicle’s hull from their fire point.
15. A transport vehicle need not fire at the same target as the unit it is attached to, even if the original unit is inside the vehicle.
16. Skimmers can only claim to be moving at over 6" if the distance between their start and end points is greater than 6”. Flying in circles doesn’t count!
17. According to the rules for the searchlight, if a vehicle uses it at night it “can be fired on by any enemy units in their next turn…”. The enemy must have a valid line of sight to the vehicle with the searchlight; they just don’t have to check whether they can see it in the dark.
18. The crew stunned and crew shaken results on the Vehicle Damage charts apply to embarked troops. Stunned troops will be unable to fire or disembark. Shaken troops will be unable to fire but may disembark and assault as normal. Note that they may not Fleet of Foot.
19. If a Dreadnought is immobilised by enemy fire while making a sweeping advance, it fights just as though it was immobilised at the start of the Assault phase.
20. If a unit destroys a walker in close combat it has the usual option to consolidate etc.
21. A unit may not advance or consolidate after destroying a vehicle in an assault.
22. A unit may disembark while the vehicle it is in is engaged in an assault, but models must deploy within 2" of the vehicle and 1" away from any enemy models.
23. Vehicle squadrons allocate close combat hits between them in the same way infantry would.
24. Transported troops are prohibited from shooting if in a vehicle that has discharged smoke launchers.
25. Models do not block the line of sight to a vehicle. A model is anything which doesn't have Armour values and a Type entry. By the same token a ‘vehicle’ is anything that does have these things.
26. A vehicle using a searchlight must roll for distance to see how far it can see in the night. It may then illuminate one enemy in that rolled distance.
27. If a vehicle starts the turn in difficult terrain, but does not move at all that turn, it does not have to take a Difficult Terrain test.
28. Models with jump packs may not be passengers in transport vehicles.
29. Models inside a transport that suffers a penetration roll of 5 (vehicle destroyed and the wreck scatters D6" randomly) count as lost if the scatter is enough to take the vehicle off the table.
30. Only models that are actually going to be moved over in a Tank Shock can make a Death or Glory attempt.
31. Multiple Death or Glory attacks by a squad are resolved sequentially.
32. Death or Glory attempts may only use ranged weaponry. Multi-shot weapons, like autocannon, get only one shot, but since it hits automatically there's nothing to complain about.
33. Casualties suffered by a unit when a transport they are in is destroyed do not cause a Morale test.
34. Destroyed vehicles are only removed if specifically stated by the Vehicle Damage chart. They should otherwise be marked with smoke. Wrecks can be moved across as difficult terrain and continue to block line of sight normally. Models on the wreck may count as being in cover. You may not continue to fire at wrecks in the hope of blowing them up.
35. If a Dreadnought has been damaged (ie, immobilised more times than it has attacks), any troops fighting it in hand-to-hand can move away, as if they were fighting a vehicle without a WS characteristic.
36. When a transport is blown up, do not roll individually to see which passenger models have to make a save unless they have a different saving throw. Thus, if a ten man Space Marine Tactical squad in a Rhino with a Veteran Sergeant, meltagun, and flamer is aboard a Rhino that blows up, you roll 10D6 then take an armour save for any 4+ rolled and remove casualties in the same fashion as though the squad was shot at.
37. A tank can Tank Shock more than one enemy unit in the course of its move. However, if the tank is destroyed by a Death or Glory attempt then no further units are affected.
Other stuff
1. Troops with jump packs may not move over enemy troops.
2. Space Marines, Sisters of Battle, Tau, Orks, Dark Eldar and Eldar with jump packs but who also have legs, do not have to use the jump packs when they move, they can simply walk instead. This means they can enter difficult terrain like normal infantry and won’t have a chance of being killed.
The Battle Book - Scenario Special Rules
1. Troops deploying from Deep Strike cannot assault that turn, so must be placed at least 1" away from the enemy (you're not allowed to move to within 1" of the enemy except in the Assault phase). If they are unable to do this, they are destroyed.
2. When placing Deep Strike models it is permissible to overlap bases by the minimum needed to fit the unit onto the template. When placing daemons (not strictly deep striking although in this case the principle is the same) it may be necessary to extend out from the edge of the template if the unit is particularly large.
3. Claiming table quarters: When an eligible unit is straddling two (or more) quarters evenly they may only claim to be ‘in’ one of them. Which one, is chosen by the controlling player. If the sequence of declarations is important, it should be written down.
4. A squad with a transport vehicle may not Infiltrate.
Army Selection Q&A
Q. Some transports have a box around them in the army lists. It seems to separate transport entries from the section they are in. Should the location of a transport entry be taken as significant?
A. No, they are upgrades and as such their 'location' in the list is more a matter of convenient layout than anything else.
Q. On page 167 there is a rule that states that if you upgrade your weapons, you lose all weapons you started with. Does this mean all the weapons are lost or just some?
A. You lose all the model's original weapons apart from grenades. Note that character wargear is bought in addition to the model's normal weapons, and doesn't replace them.
Q. Choosing weapons from the Armoury for Space Marines. The sentence reads: "Characters can have up to two single-handed weapons, or a singlehanded weapon and a double-handed weapon."
Does this mean:
a) No character can ever have more than two single, or one single and one double (basically, once you're done with all the purchases, you can never wind up with more than that)?
b) When choosing from the weapons list in the Armoury, a character cannot choose more than two singles or one single and one double (and therefore could wind up possibly with more than those, due to existing weapons)?
A. The first option is correct. Basically, the Codex limits should apply at all times, so a character can either have two single-handed weapons, or one singlehanded weapon and one double-handed weapon. The character may retain any of his original equipment within these restrictions, ie, he doesn't have to give it up unless he wants to in order to take replacement items.
Here are some examples:
A Chaplain has a crozius. The Chaplain could take additional weapons, but he cannot wind up with more than the “two single/one single & one double” combination.
A Terminator Veteran Sergeant already has a power sword and a storm bolter. If he were to choose a chainfist, he would have to drop one of the existing weapons (to meet the restriction of no more than two singles or one single and one double).
As a note, weapons like power fists and lightning claws stop you using the hand they are attached to for anything else. Having one such weapon means that you can only use one other weapon at the same time, while having two stops you using any other weapons at the same time.
Q. In order to start a second army, and thus a second Organisation chart, must the first army be totally full?
A. No, but you must have taken all compulsory choices.
Q. If I have two detachments, can I take, say, one Space Marines detachment and one Imperial Guard detachment?
A. Yes.
Q. Are the sponson costs listed in the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook, Codex: Space Marines, and any other Codex which does not specify (Codex: Chaos Space Marines for example) per weapon (ie, two lascannon sponsons on an Annihilator cost 50 points) or for the pair (ie, 25 points for above).
A. The costs for sponson weapons is for the pair. In your example, the total is 25.
Q. If you are fielding two or more detachments, do the limits for wargear/units/vehicles that are limited in number (0-1 Battlewagons or Iron Halos for example) still apply?
A. Yes, unless the armies are discrete, ie, in a Blood Angels/Ultramarines alliance each could have an Iron Halo.
Q. I am having a small problem. The rules lawyer at the local store insists that you cannot mix weapons in a Terminator Assault squad. We have debated it at length and it comes down to the wording in the weapons description for Terminator Assault squads. I quote “All models in the squad are armed with either a pair of lightning claws or a thunder hammer and storm shield.” He insists that since it says “All models”, everyone has to have the same weapon. Is this right?
A. No it isn’t. You can mix Terminator assault weapons in the squad. I can't think where you could find empirical evidence of this except in a battle report, and we all know you can't trust them too far.
Chapter Approved – Codex: Armageddon Q&A (v1.0)
Speed Freaks
Q. Must Deth Kopta (or even ordinary bikers) use their psycho blasta attack on the first close combat round? Do they have to use it even when going up against vehicles?
A. In answer to your question, the way I read it is that the warbikes' psycho blasta attack is a very extreme form of special close combat attack like a powerfist. Therefore, like a power fist, it can be eschewed if desired.
Q. Can Speed Freaks use the normal Ork vehicle upgrades from the Codex Orks or are they limited to the ones in Codex: Armageddon?
A. They can use both lists.
Q. If you take a Battlewagon for your Speed Freaks Warboss, does this count as your one and only Battlewagon?
A. Now it’s a transport option so it doesn't count against the limit.
Q. So how many Battlewagons can they take?
A. Six in total, one heavy support and up to five as transports.
Q. Can a Warboss and his Mob ride in a looted vehicle instead of taking a Wartrukk or Battlewagon? The letter of the law says only Wartrukks or Battlewagons, but it seems right to put him in a huge tank!
A. Letter of the law applies.
Q. Can a Speed Freek Warboss be mounted on a bike?
A. Yes, use the rule specified in WD270 on page 89.
Q. Can all units in reserve be attacked by an Ork fighta-bommer?
A. Only those that will be arriving on the table normally via the table edge. Units such as Daemons (which are summoned), and Terminators that will deep strike, are not affected.
Salamanders
Q. Is the second flamer in the Tactical squad an error? Should it be a heavy flamer?
A. No it isn't a typo, it means precisely what it says (for once) – you can trade in your heavy weapon slot for an extra flamer (not heavy flamer) for 10 pts. It costs more because two flamers are more than twice as good as one.
Q. If a special character has a wargear item that is limited (for example, one per army), does that limit count towards anyone else in the army? I’m asking as the Emperor's Champion has an Iron Halo, which is one per army. We also saw the cool conversion for the High Marshal in White Dwarf giving him an Iron Halo. You must take an Emperor’s Champion in your army, so by having those two together it would mean that two Iron Halos were in use. We had assumed that a limit would hold, even for special character use, but seeing the model made us want to be sure.
A. The intention is that the Emperor's Champion gets the army’s one and only Iron Halo. Don't be fooled by that halo-like growth on the back of the Force Commander's back in the photos - that's his UHF aerial (ahem!).
Planetary Defence Force
Q. From which area of the Force Selection chart do Hive Gang Militia come? Are they Troops or something else entirely? We didn't see anything stated, but we may have missed it.
A. They count as Troops. Probably shouldn't have put the word 'Defence Force' in front of it.
Q. Chaos Cultists get AP5 heavy stubbers while Hive Militia get ones that are AP6. Which of these is right, or does each unit get the rules listed in their list?
A. AP 6 for both. Codex: Armageddon takes precedence over the White Dwarf on Cultists.
Black Templars
Q. The Black Templars mixed Armour save rule does not say that it applies only to shooting, as the Space Wolves Armour save rule does. Does it apply to ALL wounds taken or just to shooting, like the Space Wolves?
A. Yes, as with Orks and Space Wolves, this rule only applies to shooting attacks.
Q. The rules for the Emperor's Champion state that he is always an independent character and cannot get a Command squad, but does this preclude him from ever joining another unit like a normal independent character can?
A. He’s an independent character. That is correct as stated.
Q. Do Black Templars Terminators get to make a sweeping advance when they take the ‘Accept Any Challenge, No Matter The Odds’ vow?
A. No.
Steel Legion
Q. Under the Chimera special rules it states "They may also be used for Chimeras in a standard Imperial Guard army as long as both players are aware of the rules before the game starts”. Does this mean that they are optional rules and that if your opponent doesn't want to play that way you
can’t (like special characters). Or can you use them, but only if you 'educate' your opponent just before the game?
A. They aren't optional, but they can't be 'sprung ' on a player either. Whether telling someone what they are just before a game counts as those special rules being sprung on them depends on the player, I imagine.
Q. Under the Chimera special rules it doesn't say that the lasguns are 'vehicle mounted'. Are they then standard infantry lasguns for the purposes of rapid firing or are they actually considered vehicle mounted?
A. They count as standard infantry weapons.
Q. "Armageddon Sentinel" – do the rules mean that to use the special option for a lascannon you need to field:
(a) Any Imperial Guard force
(b) Only Steel Legion (ie, Mechanised Company)
(c) Steel Legion & Planetary Defence Force
(d) Something else?
A. Well, it says in the rules ‘any Armageddon force’, which I would interpret as (a) in effect since there are plenty of Imperial Guard forces on Armageddon. It's a new piece of kit for Imperial Guard players and I think it would be rather unreasonable to limit it to the duration of the campaign or to just Steel Legions.
Q. Codex: Armageddon (p.29) "All units in a Steel Legion Mechanised Infantry Company(SLMIC) must either be vehicle units, or have a Chimera transport vehicle. Units that don't normally have the option of taking a Chimera transport vehicle, such as heavy weapons teams, must do so at +70pts, plus the cost of any upgrades taken." "Deathworld Veterans units from Codex: Catachans may not be used in a SLMIC" They allow any unit not normally allowed a Chimera to take one, and list units not allowed in the SLMIC. Assassins are not mentioned, but other Codexes are. I know several people are running SLMICs, and if this is legal, I want to know before it's sprung on me by some nefarious types. More important than if it’s OK, if it isn't, why not? Will a Chimera roll up, and
neural shredder my Blood Angels? When I finish my SLMIC, will I be able to field an Assassin? By strict reading of the rules, it seems that the Assassin would be required to buy a Chimera, and will not be able to infiltrate (like Storm Troopers in Codex: Imperial Guard).
A. Units taken from the Heroes of the Imperium can join a unit, so I'd say that since they could join, and therefore be transported, that they have to be. Assassins cannot join units, so can't join a unit inside a transport, so they would be exempt. Making a Vindicare ride around in a Chimera would lead to bad sniping I'd imagine.
Q. Other Heroes could hitch a lift with a unit though?
A. Yup.
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