Ruleshammer Q&A: December 3rd 2020

Another week and another installment of Ruleshammer Q&A, this week I've covered a few extra bits about Necron Reanimation and a few of the small details about the Overwatch and Look Out Sir rules. In case anyone missed it last week I recently updated the Ruleshammer Terrain Guide with lots of new diagrams and explanations, if anyone has any questions about that in the next few weeks the details for sending them in are at the bottom of this article!

Question 1 - Placing Necrons Ahead

Through Necron reanimation protocol & Pox walkers returning. Can they be placed ahead to chain ahead of unit prior to get “free” movement continually placing units down ahead in a chain while maintaining coherency? - Joseph

Yes, so long as each model you add to the unit maintains unit coherency you can place them ahead of where they were previously. Be aware though that reanimation adds models to the unit one by one, and that you need a valid position for each added model. So once the unit reaches 5 models the 6th model requires the unit to still be coherent with the extra coherency limitations (models have 2 models within 2”).

Question 2 - Look Out Sir and Ongoing Combats

If a character is the second closest unit to a shooting unit, and the closest unit is engaged in combat (while still being within 3" of the character), does that mean that there are no valid targets for the shooting unit? - Trevor Brown

Assuming the firing unit has no other non-character or non-engaged targets within sight or range then you are correct and there are no valid targets, as it would not be able to choose either of the two units specified.

Question 3.1 - Overwatch with For The Greater Good

Playing a bit more, we got a couple of doubts: 1-.T'au overwatch: Thunderwolves charge T'au Crisis unit, they fire overwatch and a nearby T'au Commander wants to do support overwatch too, but as it was in defensible terrain Tau player stated he got overwatch 5+, but SW player argued that as he wasn't charging the commander it would be only 6's (RAW defensible) Who is right? - Txousman

The Space Wolf player was correct. First let’s look at the wording of defensible.

If every model in an INFANTRY unit is on or in an Area Terrain feature with this trait then it can either Hold Steady or it can Set To Defend when an enemy unit declares a charge against it. If every model in an INFANTRY unit is is within 3" an Obstacle terrain feature with this trait, then it can either Hold Steady or it can Set To Defend when an enemy unit declares a charge against it if, were you to draw a straight line, 1mm in thickness, between the closest parts of the bases (or hulls) of the two closest models in the two units, that line would pass over or through that terrain feature.

A unit cannot Hold Steady or Set To Defend whilst it is within Engagement Range of any enemy units. If a unit Holds Steady, any Overwatch attacks made by a unit this phase will hits on rolls of 5+. If a unit Sets to Defend, it cannot fire Overwatch this phase, but you add 1 to hit rolls when resolving attacks made with melee weapons by models in that unit until the end of the end of the next fight phase.

So the trigger for choosing one of the two buffs for this terrain piece is having the enemy declare a charge against you. The Tau commander hasn’t had a charge declared against them, and For The Greater Good no longer says “as if targeted” with it’s latest wording.

Each time an enemy unit declares a charge against this unit, this unit can fire Overwatch before the charge roll is made.

While a friendly unit with this ability is within 6" of this unit, each time an enemy unit declares a charge against this unit, that friendly unit can fire Overwatch before the charge roll is made. If it does so, until the end of the phase, that friendly unit cannot fire Overwatch again.

So only Tau units that are actually targeted by charges can make use of the 5+ Overwatch ability based on the current wording of their rules.

Question 3.2 - Overwatch and ignoring Look Out Sir

2-. Do units that ignore ""Look out, Sir!"" rule also ignore rules that state you cannot shoot a unit? I suppose they can't because they are not given a look out rule. E.g. Cryptothralls "While a friendly CRYPTEK unit is within 3"" of this unit, enemy units cannot target that CRYPTEK unit with ranged weapons". Thanks for your amazing job and clear explanations. - Txousman

Thanks for the feedback! Now regarding Overwatch and Look Out Sir. Look Out Sir is clearly made exempt by the Overwatch rule.

In addition, when a model fires Overwatch, it does so at the charging unit. Any rule that states the unit cannot be targeted unless it is the closest target (e.g. Look Out, Sir) does not apply when firing Overwatch. [Core PDF pg20]

However rules like the Cryptohralls, and others like Old One Eye’s Alpha Leader are not “unless it’s the closest target” type rules. They simply cannot be targeted whilst near the required unit. As such, based on current RAW Overwatch does not allow a model to ignore these abilities. Sometimes this will make sense, as picking out Old One Eye from a pack of other Carnifexes would be harder than picking out some of the fancier looking Necron Overlords from a sea of normal Warriors. I guess for Crytothralls the effect is created via techno-sorcery for the mean time.

Editor's Note: It's saying while we're on the subject of Crypteks there are still some non-Look Out Sir effects that prevent a unit being targeted unless they are the closest eligible target, such as the Prismatic Obfuscatron Cryptek Arcana. Because these use the "unless they're the closest" wording that is called out in the rule above, you can fire overwatch at these even if they charge from behind another unit.

Question 4 - Fight Range and tight gaps with oversized models.

Recently this happened to us playing Space Wolves vs Tau. There was the edge of the map on the left side of a Broadside and a big rock on the right. In between there were ca.45mm. Behind this gap was the Broadside and in front of it was Ragnar. Ragnar charged the Broadside and the result was high enough. I could place him within 1", but because the big gun of the Broadside stuck enough in the gap that I couldn't move further in. Ragnar can't reach the ½" to attack. My Opponent and I thought this is silly and just put the gun out the way, but we didn't find anything about this in the Rulebook. My Question is, if your Opponent doesn't want to move, can you attack them? And what if the gun was built the way that even the charge couldn't end within 1". And can you block an entrance between two obstacles with say three of them with this and put a lot of drones behind the broadsides, so as long as they aren't removed through shooting, they can't be charged? - Tape

Okay so there’s a few things to unpack here.

First of all the “sticky out bits” of a model that isn't "measure to hull" shouldn’t ever be used to block movement of any kind. The rules forbid you from moving the bases of your models across bases (or hulls for units that measure to them) of other models, but don't prevent you moving through "sticky out bits".

Whenever you move a model, you can pivot it and/or change its position on the battlefield along any path, but no part of the model’s base (or hull) can be moved across the bases (or hulls) of other models. [Core PDF pg10]

They might make exact model placement tricky but in general slightly shuffling large guns to accommodate the actual position a model has reached is totally expected. Creating a model that is uncharge-able by extending it over 1” from it’s base would be a case of the sometimes mythical “modelling for advantage” and such a model would not be usable, or at least need some clear agreements worked out pre-game or with a TO! Secondly I think you’ve been working under a false impression about fight range. The ½” requirement is for the “second rank” of a fight not the first. To be able to fight a model must either be within Engagement Range of a target OR within ½” of a model in it’s unit that is within ½” of a target.

If you have successfully charged a unit to be within 1” of it, then the models that are within 1" can definitely fight, so Ragnar would be fine here. I don’t think there are any models that could create an unchargeable barrier. There may have been some in 8th where Engagement range didn’t have the 5” vertical component.

That’s it for this week. If you have any questions or feedback, or a rules question you want answered, then drop us a note in the comments below, ask a question in our Ruleshammer form, or head over to r/ruleshammer to discuss.

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