6th ed rules lawyering part 2

Looks like that headache was the first symptom of a minor flu.  I’m over it now (hopefully) so, back to the salt mines!

-p 49: Flying monstrous creatures get their own special rules which are quite complicated.  They can “Glide” which makes them Jump Monstrous Creatures, or “Swoop” which makes them behave like Flyers.  There’s not a lot of these.  One tyranid character and some forge world guys, unless they errata it later that Hive Tyrants with wings can do this, which seems a bit out of character for them.  “Swooping” comes with a price.  Every unit that causes a successful “hit” causes a Grounding test.  3+ and you’re fine, or else you take a S9 hit, no armor saves!  Note that it says “hit” not “wound” so even a lasgun could force this test.  A ten man guard squad with one special weapon is almost guaranteed to get at least one “hit” and with a platoon of 3 units, that MC is going DOWN.

-p 52: There’s a new gun type: Salvo.  Salvo weapons fire max range with max shots if they don’t move.  If they move, they fire 1/2 range with a reduced number of shots (specified in the profile).  Something called a Shellstorm cannon.  I don’t know what has this.

-p 57: Missile Launchers now have a third type of missile: Flakk.  S7 AP4 Heavy 1 Skyfire.  Four of these will definitely put the hurt on most flyers.  For maximum annoyance, one ML in each squad will cause multiple “grounding” checks in the hope of knocking the thing out of the air at a distance.

-p 61: OK, they have significantly changed how Power Weapons of all types work.  Now any close combat weapon has an AP value, just like a gun.  Power Swords, Axes, Mauls, and Lances are all different things.  I really don’t like this idea, as it makes it hard to be creative with power weapons.  Now the various Axes Swords, Etc. are actually different things with different effects. Swords are AP3, Axes are AP2 with +1 Str, but makes you I 1.  Mauls are AP4, but are Concussive so they make multi-wound models I 1 until the end of the next turn like a Thunder Hammer.  Lances are better on the charge than at all other times.

-p 61-62: GRENADES!  You can THROW almost any grenade now!  Oddly only one model per unit can throw a grenade each shooting phase. Perhaps this is what your Heavy Weapon guy can do before charging?  Also, most grenades have a seperate profile for close combat against vehicles AND MONSTROUS CREATURES.  The thing that I have wanted since 3rd edition!  I always wondered why you could clamp a melta bomb onto a vehicle, but couldn’t shove it up a Carnifex’s ass.  In the end, only Melta Bombs are useful against most MCs as they usually have a 3+ or better.

-p 63: Characters.  They get Precision Shots like snipers, and even get precision strikes in close combat?  I guess characters are really good at hitting.  Now at least my Veteran Sergeants are worth the extra 15pts.

-p 64-65: Characters can issue and receive challenges.  Like Fantasy, they fight without anyone helping them.  However, if fighting a single enemy, every 5 models in your unit that are not fighting give you one re-roll for hits, wounds, or saves.  This is small consolation for a Guard sergeant faced with a Daemon Prince, but fantastic for an Ork Nob smashing a Chapter Master!  Multiple characters in a combat can “tag out” between turn with an Initiative test.

-p 66-69: Psykers.  Psykers have Mastery Levels, just like in the Grey Knights.  Each Mastery Level lets you cast one Psychic Power or use a Force Weapon, just like before but now they call it a “warp charge.”  *COUGH* focus *COUGH* Bad news: Now EVERYONE resists ANY psychic power on a 6+, or a 5+ if you’re a psyker, or a 4+ if you’re a BETTER psyker.  Luckily Psychic Hoods have been nerfed as a result.  Now Psychic Hoods do nothing for the model or unit with them, but let you take these “deny the witch” tests for any unit within 6″.  Yes, a paltry 6″.

-p 70-71: Vehicles have wounds called “hull points” now.  Vehicle weapons that previously couldn’t fire can now take “snap shots” as long as that weapon type is allowed to do that.  All vehicles can only move up to 12″ in the movement phase.

-p 72-73: Now all vehicles can move an extra 6″ in the shooting phase to move “flat out,” but cannot make snap shots. Blast weapons now do full damage no matter what, regardless of the hole in the template.

-p 74-75: Glances now do one Hull Point of damage with no other effect, slowing you to “glance vehicles to death” again.  Pens do one HP but also roll on the damage chart.  It’s a bit different but not by much.  Now an Immobilized vehicle that gets another Immobilized result loses a hull point rather than suffering a Weapon Destroyed result.

-p 76: Vehicles can’t overwatch.  All regular vehicles are WS 1 if they moved, or WS 0 if they didn’t move.  This is much more realistic than hitting on a 4+.

-p 77: Whoa.  If you’re the bomb at assaults, you can hit one tank in a squadron and blow up another tank entirely.  I would have treated each vehicle as a separate unit in assault.  Luckily abandoned squadron members no longer die immediately.  You can’t abandon someone with a Crew Shaken result though, so this can bog down squadrons if you’re unlucky.

-p 78: Units can move normally after disembarking from a vehicle that moved 6″ or less, but can’t disembark if it moved farther.  However, they must end their movement wholly within 6″ of an access point.  This means you don’t get the extra 2″ anymore.  Models that disembark can’t charge.  Ah, to have the Rhino Rush again…  Units can also make an Emergency Disembarkation if access points are covered, but then can’t do anything else that turn.  They must be too busy climbing out windows or shoving enemies.

-p 80: Embarked units can take Overwatch shots at people assaulting their transport.  Shaken and Stunned affect the unit’s ability to shoot in the next shooting phase.  Wrecked vehicles cause the unit to disembark within 3″ and then take a pinning test.  Exploded vehicles cause one Str 4 hit per model and a pinning test.  You can still charge the unit that came out of a vehicle that you wrecked in the shooting phase.

-p 80-81: FLYERS!  Measure to the hull of the flyer, which means ranges to flyers are going to be longer than they look.  Damn Pythagoras.  You can move underneath a flyer if you fit, but you still must stay 1″ away from the base.  All flyers can Zoom and some can Hover.  Zooming flyers move 18″ or 36″.  If it moves less than 18″ for some reason it dies.  It can turn 90 degrees and then must move in a straight line, like Swooping Flying Monstrous Creatures.  Zooming flyers can shoot 4 weapons.  Zooming flyers can only be shot at by Snap Shots unless the gun has Skyfire.  Zooming Flyers can also make a Flat Out move of 12-24″.  Flyers can take evasive action to get a Jink save, but then can only fire Snap Shots.  Immobilized Zooming Flyers suffer from Locked Velocity. This means they MUST move the distance they used last turn for the rest of the game, can’t Evade, and can’t go Flat Out.  It can still turn though.  If the Flyer is destroyed mid-zoom it drops a S 6 AP – large blast on the board, and anyone aboard the flyer takes a S 10 AP 2 hit.  Flyers can choose at the beginning of their turn to have ALL their guns have Skyfire.  Flyers can shoot Missiles anytime, but can only use Bombs while zooming.  Flyers with the Hover type can choose to Hover instead of Zoom, which makes them Fast Skimmers.

-p 82: Chariots!  I’m guessing this is for Necrons and Daemons.  They can Sweep Attack during the Movement Phase, and the Character aboard can fight from the chariot.  Open Topped vehicles are the same.

-p 83: Heavy Vehicles Can never move more than 6″, but always count as stationary.  Fast vehicles can shoot more guns and go faster for Flat Out.  Skimmers look the same.

-p 84: Walkers are the same, except that they can no longer perform Death or Glory! attacks.  BOOOOO.  I liked punching Ork Trukks that rammed my Dreadnoughts.  However, rammed walkers CAN fight back during the Assault Phase if they survive!

-p 85-86: Oddly, tanks that Tank Shock can’t move Flat Out.  You’d think they’d want to go as fast as possible. Artillery can Death or Glory with either Guns or Crew, so Grots can Death or Glory with their Shokk Attack Gun!  Ramming is the same.

-p 91: There’s Lethal terrain now, which is Impassable Terrain which ou can choose to go on but you die automatically, duhoy.  Mysterious Terrain has a Random Effect table based on what kind of terrain it is (forest, river, etc.)

-p 92-94: Buildings can now be entered like vehicles and destroyed like vehicles.  Damaging a building reduces its Armor Value, and can hurt people inside.  You can throw a grenade inside if you are within 2″ of a fire point, so a building with a lot of windows can be a death trap.  Template Weapons now do D6 hits instead of hitting everyone.

-p 95-96: There are rules for being in “battlements” which is a fancy way of saying “on the roof.”  Models can jump down and possibly be hurt doing so!  You can throw grenades on the roof too.

-p 98-107: Ruins look the same.  All other types of terrain get “mysterious” rules.  Battlefield Debris is diverse and has in-game effects to models, such as ammo dumps giving re-rolls of rolls of 1 to hit.  There’s also Archaeotech, which is a 2D6 chart of madness.

That’s all for now.  I’ll wrap it up in Part 3 later.