I was asked if I was going to do a post about the new updates that have finally come out for 6th. I was told I was getting all "hobby" on people since I haven't been doing tactics posts and strategy but more painting and modelling stuff. Which is true. I want to say that either type of post is fine in my eyes as it is all apart of the same hobby and I strive to explore and be better at the hobby over all and not just in one area. I also have specifically been holding my tongue while I test out concepts in 6th, to see what we learned from Nova, and for GW to release FAQ's. All of these things now have happened so expect a little bit more posting of tactics and what not from this point on.. There is much data, concepts, and discussion I would like to touch on. However first off I want to start off with the 40k FAQ's.
So let's discuss a few things in the main FAQ first and just jump right into this.
Page 16 – Shooting Phase, Look Out, Sir
Change the second sentence of the second bullet point to:
“Determine which model in the unit is closest to the character,
and resolve the Wound against that model instead.”
Page 26 – Assault phase, Look Out, Sir
Change the fourth sentence of the first paragraph to:
“Determine which model in the unit is closest to the character,
and resolve the Wound against that model instead.”
Clearing up the character abuse starts right away, no longer is it withing 6 inches now only the models closest to you can attempt to lunge themselves into the path of incoming fire all secret service like.
Page 22 ¬ Charge Move, Charging Through Difficult Terrain.
Change the first sentence to read “If, when charging, one or
more models have to move through difficult terrain in order to
reach the enemy by the shortest possible route, the unit must
make a Difficult Terrain test (see page 90).”
This is a clearing up ruling. This is how we always play it but I seldom go to a event where this question doesn't come up at least once. This is a rule that will knowing will make a difference in tourney play often. So something to keep in mind when a charge is very close or when going through terrain means they may strike last.
Page 49 – Flying Monstrous Creatures, Grounded Tests.
Change the second sentence of the third paragraph to read “A
Grounded Flying Monstrous Creature is treated as if it is in
Glide mode with immediate effect, and can therefore be
targeted normally and charged in the following Assault phase.
Furthermore, the model automatically loses the Jink special
rule (if it had it), but can otherwise revert to Swoop mode
again in its next turn.”
So no more bouncing FMC's. Now if you get shot and fail your grounding test you lose your swoop status. This clears up a annoying badly written rule.
Page 71 – Vehicles, Difficult and Dangerous Terrain.
Change the final sentence to “A vehicle that fails a Dangerous
Terrain test immediately suffers an Immobilised result from
the Vehicle Damage table, including losing one Hull Point”
Another good thing to keep in mind while playing. Those random one's that come up on the terrain tests can out right kill a vehicle in this edition if down to its last hull point.
Page 80 – Flyers, Zoom.
Change the fourth sentence to read “If a Flyer Zooms, it has a
Combat Speed of 18" and a Cruising Speed of up to 36".”
Simple update to resolve the argument by some people that you have to move EXACTLY 18 or 36.
Page 115 – Fortifications, Skyshield Landing Pad.
Ignore the reference to Access Points & Fire Points.
Page 410 – Reference, Profile, Codex: Grey Knights, Paladins.
Change unit type to Infantry.
Page 411 – Reference, Profile, Codex: Space Wolves, Wolf Guard.
Change unit type to Infantry.
Page 413 – Reference, Profile, Codex: Orks, Nob.
Change unit type to Infantry and add the following Designer’s
Note:
Page 413 – Reference, Profile, Codex: Orks, Warbiker Nob.
Change unit type to Bike.Page 413 - Reference, Profile, Codex:
Tau Empire, Crisis Shas’vre
Change unit type to Infantry (Jump).
and
Page 413 - Reference, Profiles
Add the following Designer’s Note:.
Designers Note: Wolf Guard, Nobz, Nobz Warbikers, and Crisis
Shas’vre that lead a unit (for example an Ork Nob leading Ork
Boyz, a Wolf Guard leading Grey Hunters) have the unit type
Infantry (Character).
This is a clear changing RAW to RAI. It appears in whatever magically play testing that GW does they did not notice the wound abuse that making entire units Characters does. Also having a unit of characters always you to abuse the challenge system they added. This not only clears that up, but also that wolf guard and nobs leading units are supposed to be characters. Paladins and Nobs just took a Nerf.
Q: Does a weapon that hits automatically, still hit automatically when
making a snapshot? (p13)
A: Yes.
This is interesting and I off the top of my head haven't a clue why this is in here? If you have a example please comment below.
Q: Can the BS1 of a snapshot ever be modified by special rules that
modify the BS of a model’s Shooting attack (such as Tau markerlights,
Space Marine Signums or Sergeant Telion’s Voice of Experience)? (p13)
A: No
Clearing up arguments about marker lights and again defending snap shots and flyers.
Q: Can psychic shooting attacks be fired as snapshot (assuming that
the Psyker has enough Warp Charge available and requires a roll to
hit)? (p13)
A: Yes, but only in your own Shooting phase. This means that
psychic shooting attacks cannot be made when firing
Overwatch.
Something good to note as this is discussed often at least in my play circle.
Q: Can I choose to make a snapshot rather than a normal shot?
(p13)
A: No
This is also interesting and I wonder why you would choose to make a snap shot? However I believe if you shoot a unit you have to shoot everything you can't choose to not shoot some weapons so this would be along those same guidelines I suppose.
Q: How do maelstroms,Novas and beams– or indeed any weapon
that doesn’t need to roll To Hit or hits automatically – interact with
Zooming flyers and FMC? (p13)
A: Only Snap Shots can hit Zooming Flyers and Gliding
Flying Monstrous Creatures. Therefore, any attacks that use
blast markers, templates, create a line of/area of effect or
otherwise don’t roll to hit cannot target them. This includes
weapons such as the Necron Doom Scythe’s death ray or the
Deathstrike missile of the Imperial Guard, and psychic
powers that follow the rule for maelstroms, beams, and
novas.
Again we defend flyers and the concept that they are hard to hit and stopping methods of trying to get around the current system of you need 6's or skyfire. Although initially it seems like this is in contradiction to the above rule that weapons that hit automatically still can hit automatically when snap shot. So what does roll to hit, BUT also hits automatically in the game?
Q: Can a character make a attempt to pass a Wound
from an overheating Gets Hot weapon onto another member of his
squad? (p16)
A: No.
Also something good to note as several characters have plasma pistols.
Q: Can I charge an enemy unit that I can’t hurt? (p20)
A: Yes.
Clearing up what I thought this was odd but I have heard people argue this both ways.
Q: Can you use a power when resolving Overwatch? (p21)
A: No.
A repeat of a ruling they just talked about above. Clearly it is very important we know this.
Q: Do models that ignore when moving or charging
still fight at Initiative step 1 if they charge through difficult terrain?
(p22)
A: Yes.
I am pretty sure this means that Wraiths now strike at init 1 when going through terrain as does the Ctan models and warp spyders perhaps.
Q: Do you get to pile in twice in Fight sub-phase if you fight at two
different Initiatives (i.e. a Techmarine with servo-harness)?
(p22/23)
A: No. You Pile In once, at your highest Initiative step.
Q: Does a model with an unwieldy weapon pile in at its normal
Initiative step and then fight at Initiative step 1? (p22/23)
A: No – it Piles In and fights at Initiative step 1.
This is a nice clearing up of countless arguments when it comes to pile in.. However I am guessing the Techmarine now actually resolves attacks at two different Init steps during the combat. So it would be possible for him to pile in and make his normal attacks then die before he can swing his init 1 harness.
Q: Two of my units are involved in a multiple combat against an
enemy unit that has been reduced to a single character. If that
character is currently fighting in a challenge with a character from
one of my two units, is it possible for my unengaged unit to
consolidate and leave the combat? (p27)
A: No, though they do count for Moral Support re-rolls.
This is confirming that you can tarpit units by abusing the challenge system in the game. A great tactic that everyone should consider while playing and list building.
Q: In a barrage , do you determine all of the hits and all of
the Wounds separately for each blast, or do you resolve all of blasts
in one go? (p34)
A: Work out the total number of models hit by the multiple
barrage, then proceed to allocate Wounds and remove
casualties all in one go..
This is very confusing to me personally since you take models closest to the hole in the blast marker when resolving wounds. Do they mean you determine all wounds first then go on to resolve wounds of each blast in a row or do they mean you resolve all wounds together when done. In which case how do you determine what the closest model is when doing so?
Q: Can the FNP special rule be used to resist a Wound
suffered from the Perils ? (p35)
A: Yes.
This is interesting because you can't take inv saves currently but FNP seems to trump INV saves when getting brain attacked from the WARP?
Q: Can FNP rolls be made against unsaved Wounds
inflicted by weapons that have the Instant Death special rule? (p35)
A: No.
Q: If a model has the eternal warrior and fnp special
rules, can it still make Feel No Pain rolls against Wounds that
inflict Instant Death (Eternal Warrior states that the model is
immune to the effects of Instant Death, after all)? (p35)
A: No.
Clearing up how FNP works, and that means that Characters and Demon models take a slight nerf since they too can lose the FNP roll now when hit with high strength weapons. Sorry Plague bearers 6th edition hates you.
Q: The rulebook states "A unit that makes a Scout redeployment
cannot charge in the first turn." Does this mean that if your
opponent has the first turn and you go second, your Scouting unit
can charge? (p41)
A: Yes.
This is interesting and gives a slight boost to being able to scout I feel.
Q: Flyers are entitled to choose whether or not to use the skyfire special rule at the start of each Shooting phase. Can swooping FMC's also do this? (p49)
A: Yes.
If there was any doubt FMC have skyfire.
Q: Does a FMC that arrives via Deepstrike
count as arriving in Swoop mode? (p49)
A: Yes.
This means that all demons with wings CANNOT arrive in glide mode.. Not sure why you would though?
Q: Can a Swooping FMC make a Vector strike
against a zooming flyer ? (p49)
A: Yes.
Q: Can a character on a that is also a chariot Skimmer make a swoop attack
against a Zooming Flyer? (p82)
A: No.
These two rules are important to keep in mind if you have flyers because FMC I also want to point out that this really again goes a long way to show that one of the best ways to deal with flyers (MCs or planes) is clearly to bring your own flyers. (also another blow to the necron command barge that already took a heavy nerfing with the new rules)
Q: Do you have to take a grounding check for a swooping FMC
that has only been hit, or for one that has
suffered a Wound? (p49)
A: For a Flying Monstrous Creature that has been hit
A simple clear up again I thought this was clear before but I have heard this argued during a game before.
Q: If the Blood Lance or Jaws of the World Wolf psychic power
(or any power for that matter) passes through more than one
enemy unit, does my opponent get to make a deny the witch roll for
each unit affected?
A: No. The first unit affected by the psychic power can
attempt to Deny the Witch, but if that test is failed, every
enemy unit is affected as normal.
This is a good ruling to know people will attempt to deny the witch on every squad until this is common knowledge
Q: Do embarked passengers with ‘ , such as the
Big Mek’s Kustom Force Field, measure the range of such items from
the hull of the transport they are embarked upon? (p78)
A: Yes.
This is something that wasn't specifically listed in the new edition, so I have seen several people play this both ways.
Q: Can powers use a Transport’s firepoint (s) to manifest powers
that require line of sight whilst still embarked? (p78)
A: No. Note, however, that witchfire powers specifically allow
you to do so and are the one exception to this rule
This is clearing up a fuzzy grey area. It's interesting that you can shoot powers out of a vehicle but you can't hide in your safety bunker and debuff or buff the people around you..
Q: If passengers disembark from a that has suffered a
or result, do they still suffer these effects in their
next Shooting phase? (p80)
A: Yes.
I have lost this argument several times with people and I want to say I told you so lol It gives you more risk for staying in your metal box of safety which seems to be a theme in this edition. They really toned down the power of the transport to try to balance the game a bit more.. This is also something to keep a close eye on because units having to snap fire because you did damage to the transport last turn can dramatically reduce fire power. Also this again makes fortitude shine a bit in this edition and shows the what a strong ability this can be for GK's. When playing other GK players though keep in mind, that if you damage the vehicle, then kill it they have no chance to use fortitude so its possible they have units that can only snap fire regardless.
Q: If a unit disembarks from a wrecked vehicle during the enemy
turn, can it assault in the Assault phase of its own turn? (p80)
A: No, unless the vehicle in question was an Assault Vehicle.
I normally wouldn't add this as a highlight you should know but I remember the 11th company talking about this in length as Neil was really taking apart things written in the rule book. Always nice to have things put in black and white so people can't bicker about minor RAW vs RAI issues.
Q: Can flyer in hover mode still choose to use the skyfire special
rule? (p81)
A: No
Another important ruling to keep in mind. Normally people hover to get passengers out. Keep in mind that having your passengers in a plane is very dangerous if the plane dies. So normally unless your Necron's you want to get your unit out of the planes sooner than later as it can be a bit of a gamble.. So this forces people to choose between having skyfire and being hard to hit, and continuing to gamble the unit inside. This along with remembering that your opponent needs to pick at the start of the shooting phase what mode the plane is going to shoot in can be very important for forcing your opponent to make tough choices.
Q: Can you deploy the Aegis Defense Line sections in two or more
groups of two or more sections apiece (this way, they will still be in
base contact with at least one other section)? (p114)
A: No – the Aegis defence line sections must be deployed in
an unbroken chain, though they can be connected end-toend such as in the example shown on page 114
This completely kills how I was testing the defense line personally. By Raw I was deploying it in sections about the board to assist my army depending on mission. With this ruling I am not really sure if the defense line will fulfill the purpose I was taking it for in my list now..
Q: If you leave combat airspace with all of your flyers and have no
other models on the gaming board at the beginning of your
opponent's turn, do you automatically lose the game? (p122)
A: Yes.
Supporting the basic idea that if at any time you have no models on the board you lose...
Which leads into the next ruling
Q: If all of my units are either flyers or embarked upon Flyers, will I
automatically lose the game as there are none of my models on the
gaming board at the end of Turn 1? (p122)
A: Yes.
Which is completely funny to me and not something you need to know per say.. I just find it amusing that by the rules you could make your entire army flyers per Necrons for example embarking your HQ and all your troops on flyers and it would be a legal list. Then at the end of turn one you lose. =P
Q: Do modifiers that apply to such things as reserve rolls , apply to
units from an allied detachment? (p124)
A: No
This is interesting and good to know. I find it odd that you cannot modify things that will be used on allies.
So that wraps up me touching on the generic 40k FAQ's Since this is so long I will see about posting up a run down of some things that note that changed in the army specific FAQ's that you should keep in mind. Look for that Tuesday of this week. As always if you think I am off base or missed something feel free to drop a comment below.