FAQ
This page presents commentary from game designers to clarify and expand on rare and more complex rules.
Line of Sight
| Q: | When establishing Cover lines and determining the point at which they cross terrain features or bases, what are the specific points that you should measure from, in particular for determining Cover and Obscured? |
| A: | Cover and Obscured require the operative to be at a certain distance from ‘a point’. This means it is any point at which a Cover line crosses a terrain feature – it does not need to be the closest point.  In this example, Operative A is not more than from the closest point at which the Cover line crosses , however it is more than from a point at which it crosses , therefore it is Obscured. |
| Q: | When establishing Cover lines for Obscuring, parts of an Obscuring terrain feature within of the active operative are not treated as Obscuring. Does that mean if the active operative is within of a terrain feature that is Obscuring, the whole terrain feature is not treated as Obscuring? |
| A: | No. Only the specific parts of the terrain feature within of them are not treated as Obscuring (see example in above).  In this example, all parts of the terrain feature within of Operative B are not treated as Obscuring . However, there are parts of the terrain feature more than from it that are Obscuring . Therefore Operative A is obscured. |
| Q: | Does a Cover line have unlimited height above and below the line drawn between two bases? In other words, if a Cover line is drawn above or below a terrain feature, does it cross that terrain feature? |
| A: | No.  In this example, a Cover line drawn to operative B does not cross a terrain feature, therefore operative B isn’t in Cover or Obscured. |
| Q: | Is an operative Visible to itself? |
| A: | Yes. |
Characteristics
| Q: | How are modifiers to the Movement characteristic applied? |
| A: | The modifier is applied to the total, rather than to each increment. For example, if an operative has a Movement characteristic of 3 and was added to it, the modified characteristic would be 3 1, not 3 3. |
| Q: | Do modifiers to the Movement characteristic affect how far an operative can move when it performs a Dash action? |
| A: | No, unless a rule specifically mentions the Dash action. For example, if was subtracted from an operative’s Movement characteristic, it would still move up to when performing a Dash action. However, if a rule states ‘each time an enemy operative performs a Dash action’, then it would be affected. |
| Q: | If an operative’s Action Point Limit is modified during its activation, will the action points it generated for that activation be affected? |
| A: | No, unless otherwise specified. Action points are generated after determining an operative’s order for its activation, so modifiers after that point won’t affect how many action points it has for its activation. Modifiers to an operative’s APL when it is activated (e.g. if the KOMMANDO NOB uses its Get it Dun! ability on itself) could affect the action points generated, as this happens before it generates action points. |
Moving
| Q: | If an operative moves onto a Vantage Point, must its base be wholly on it, or can part of its base be over the edge? |
| A: | So long as the operative can be placed without falling, its base can be over the edge. |
| Q: | When climbing and dropping, does an operative get any free horizontal movement? |
| A: | No. All horizontal movement must be measured as well. Being within simply qualifies it to begin a climb or drop, but you must still measure the horizontal distance as normal. Therefore if an operative does not have enough movement to be placed on that terrain feature without falling, or enough to fully move its base off that terrain feature, it cannot complete that climb or drop. |
| Q: | Can the FLY keyword allow a friendly operative to perform an action in which it moves that would ordinarily be prohibited while within Engagement Range of an enemy operative, e.g. a Normal Move action? |
| A: | No. The rules for FLY apply when the operative would be physically moved, however being within Engagement Range of an enemy operative prevents the operative from performing a Normal Move action in the first place. Therefore it must perform a Fall Back action to move. |
| Q: | How does an operative move across stairs or an angled slope? |
| A: | Unless specified otherwise, the operative can move across them freely (they do not need to climb them). |
Shooting Attacks and Fighting in Combat
| Q: | When fighting in combat, some abilities (e.g. Storm Shield in Kill Team Compendium) cause a parry to discard two of your opponent’s successful hits. How does this interact with normal and critical hits? |
| A: | If the operative parries with a normal hit, they select up to two normal hits from their opponent to be discarded. If the operative parries with a critical hit, they select up to either two critical hits, two normal hits, or one critical and one normal hit from their opponent to be discarded. |
| Q: | How does an operative not equipped with a melee weapon interact with fighting in combat? |
| A: | Do not select a melee weapon or roll attack dice for it. It cannot provide combat support. |
| Q: | If an operative is incapacitated and is affected by a rule that states it isn’t removed from the killzone yet (e.g. In Death, Atonement Tactical Ploy, VETERAN GUARDSMAN, and Only in Death Does Duty End Tactical Ploy, SPACE MARINE & GREY KNIGHT), what happens when it fights in combat? Specifically in the Resolve Successful Hits step, it states you resolve your successful hits until one operative in that combat is incapacitated. Does that mean the VETERAN GUARDSMAN can’t resolve successful hits, as it is already incapacitated? |
| A: | Yes. As such, being incapacitated (but temporarily remaining in the killzone) will not allow the operative to resolve hits in combat. |
| Q: | If a shooting attack is made against an operative in Cover with a 6+ Save characteristic, if the Defender would retain a defence dice as a result of Cover, would it still be a successful normal save, or would it be a successful critical save as they couldn’t otherwise roll a normal save? |
| A: | It would still be a successful normal save. |
| Q: | If there are no valid targets for a shooting attack made from a Manifest Psychic Power action, what happens? |
| A: | The action isn’t resolved and the action points are refunded. The operative must then perform a different action, or if it knows more than one psychic power, it can perform that action again to select a different psychic power. |
| Q: | Can an operative parry, even if the opponent has no successful hits to discard? |
| A: | Yes. |
| Q: | If a weapon has more than one profile, one of which has the Blast X special rule, can an operative perform the Overwatch action with a profile that doesn’t have the Blast X special rule? |
| A: | Yes. |
| Q: | If a rule inflicts additional damage (e.g. Hammerhand psychic power, GREY KNIGHT), then my opponent uses a rule to ignore the damage inflicted from an attack dice (e.g. Just a Scratch Tactical Ploy, KOMMANDO), is the additional damage ignored? |
| A: | No. Only the damage from the attack dice is ignored, the additional damage is still inflicted. |
| Q: | Do you have to declare the use of all re-rolls before the dice are re-rolled? |
| A: | No. You can see the result of a re-roll before deciding on a different re-roll. |
| Q: | Some rules require you to roll a dice ‘as if that operative is fighting in combat’ or similar, e.g. CORSAIR VOIDSCARRED Slicing Attack action. |
| A: | Q1: Is the target considered to be fighting in combat too? A: No. Q2: Is combat support applied? A: Yes. Q3: Can rules that take effect when the target is incapacitated in combat be used, e.g. LEGIONARY Unending Bloodshed? A: Yes. This differs from Q1 because the target is still incapacitated in combat, even though it wasn’t fighting in the combat itself. |
Special Rules and Critical Hit Rules
| Q: | When fighting in combat or making a shooting attack, if an operative has multiple special rules and critical hit rules that would take effect at the same time, in what order are they resolved? |
| A: | The operative’s controlling player can choose the order for rules that would take effect at the same time. Note that this is an exception to the usual method of resolving simultaneous rules, in which the player with the initiative determines the order. Also note that if one rule stated ‘in the Roll Attack Dice step’ and another stated ‘at the end of the Roll Attack Dice step’, they do not take place at the same time (the latter must be resolved last). |
| Q: | If an operative has a rule that allows it to repeat a specific combat or shooting attack (e.g. as a result of the Veteran of the Long War Tactical Ploy, TRAITOR SPACE MARINE), can it do so if a weapon with the Limited special rule was selected for that combat or shooting attack? |
| A: | Yes. In this instance, you could use the weapon again, even if it has the Limited special rule. |
| Q: | If an operative has a rule that allows it to repeat a specific combat or shooting attack (e.g. as a result of the Veteran of the Long War Tactical Ploy, TRAITOR SPACE MARINE), must I select the same target? |
| A: | Yes, assuming it’s still a valid target. If it isn’t, you can’t repeat that combat or shooting attack. |
| Q: | When making a shooting attack with a weapon that has the Blast X special rule, if the original target moves before the subsequent shooting attacks are made (e.g. as a result of the Medic! ability, VETERAN GUARDSMAN), do you determine the subsequent attacks from its original or new location? |
| A: | Its original location. Make a note of the valid targets (if any) before the operative moves. |
General Principles
| Q: | How do you resolve contrasting rules? For example, the Contagion Strategic Ploy (DEATH GUARD and CHAOS DAEMON) means enemy operatives are treated as being injured, but the Emperor’s Chosen ability (TALONS OF THE EMPEROR) means the operative cannot be injured. |
| A: | In such circumstances, ‘cannot’ takes precedence; the Emperor’s Chosen ability would prevent the operative from being injured as a result of the Contagion Strategic Ploy. There may be some rules where specific wording overrides this though. For example, a rule might say ‘the operative is treated as being injured, regardless of any rules that say it cannot be injured’. In this instance, the Emperor’s Chosen ability would not prevent the operative from being injured. |
| Q: | Does Overwatch count as an activation? |
| A: | No. |
| Q: | If an operative would be injured from more than one rule, are the effects applied more than once? For example, an operative has fewer than half of its wounds remaining and is within of an ANATHEMA PSYKANA operative with the Creeping Dread Strategic Ploy (TALONS OF THE EMPEROR). |
| A: | No. In such instances, the Creeping Dread Strategic Ploy would have no additional effect on that operative. |
| Q: | Some rules such as the PHOBOS STRIKE TEAM Track Target action interrupt an activation after an enemy operative performs an action. If it’s the last action of an activation, or even the last action of the final activation of the Turning Point, can that activation still be interrupted? |
| A: | Yes. |
| Q: | Is an operative equipped with the weapons it can use from psychic powers? For instance, can psychic power weapons be upgraded with rare equipment from the Core Book? |
| A: | No. Note that this means being injured won’t affect that weapon’s characteristics. |
Missions
| Q: | When setting up additional barricades (e.g. the Fortify option in the Scouting step), can they be set up on a terrain feature? |
| A: | No, unless that terrain feature has the Insignificant trait. |
| Q: | The Consecrate Ground action (Mission 1.2 Consecration, Critical Operations mission pack, Kill Team Core Book) modifies an operative’s Action Point Limit characteristic (APL) until the start of the next Turning Point. As this modifier doesn’t generate any additional action points for the operative’s activation (as explained in the Characteristics commentary above), what is the effect of this? |
| A: | It means the operative is better at controlling objective markers and tokens until the start of the next Turning Point (which is determined by APL). Note that ‘until the start of the next Turning Point’ is an exception to the usual APL modifier time frame, which is usually until the end of the operative’s current or next activation (whichever comes first). |
| Q: | The Rob and Ransack Tac Op card differs from that presented in the Core Book. Which one is correct? |
| A: | The one printed in the Core Book. Use the card to generate the Tac Op, but use the rules presented in the Core Book. |
| Q: | Are drop zones considered to be unlimited height? For example, if a rule specifies ‘within of your opponent’s drop zone’ and you’re measuring from a Vantage Point, do you measure the horizontal distance only? |
| A: | Yes. The same does not apply to the ‘centre of the killzone’. This distance should be measured specifically to the central point of the killzone floor. |
Spec Ops Narrative Play
| Q: | When I add an operative to my dataslate for a Spec Ops campaign, and that operative has options for what it must be equipped with, do I have to select one of the options? |
| A: | Yes. Note this means that operative is then equipped with that option for the duration of your Spec Ops campaign. |
| Q: | When using the Equipment Drop Requisition, how do you determine the points worth of equipment that has a split cost? For example, High Capacity Magazine (1/3EP), WARPCOVEN. |
| A: | Use the lower cost. |
| Q: | When an operative makes multiple shooting attacks from one Shoot action (e.g. Blast or Torrent), does the Sharpshooter battle honour apply to all the shooting attacks from that one action, or just the first one? |
| A: | All of them. |
Killzones
| Q: | For Scrap Pile terrain features in Killzone: Octarius, can an operative perform a Dash action in the same activation in which it performs a Charge Over action, even though a Charge Over action is treated as a Charge action? |
| A: | Yes. That is an exception for that terrain feature. |
| Q: | For Scrap Pile terrain features in Killzone: Octarius, how far is an operative treated as moving when performing a Scramble Over or Charge Over action, e.g. for the purposes of a WARPCOVEN RUBRIC MARINE operative’s All is Dust ability? |
| A: | The distance it has travelled from the start to the end of that action. |
| Q: | For Scrap Pile terrain features in Killzone: Octarius, can operatives that perform free Normal Move or Charge actions perform the Scramble Over or Charge Over actions respectively instead? For example, during the free Charge action as a result of the WYRMBLADE LOCUS operative’s Quicksilver Strike action? |
| A: | Yes. |
| Q: | For terrain features with Hatches in Killzone: Chalnath, what parts on the terrain feature are a Hatch, and therefore what parts can an operative move through? |
| A: | The area specified in the diagram below:  |
| Q: | Some terrain features such as pipes would realistically provide Cover for an operative, but as they are slightly elevated off the ground, Cover lines drawn to the operative would not cross the terrain feature. In such circumstances, should they still provide Cover? |
| A: | If terrain features like this should realistically provide Cover, treat small gaps between the bottom of a terrain feature and the killzone floor as part of the terrain feature. Be sure to discuss this with your opponent in the Determine Killzone step, and use common sense to resolve it. |
Visible
For an intended target to be Visible, the following must be true:- You can draw an imaginary, unobstructed straight line (known as a Visibility line) 1 mm wide from the head of the active operative’s miniature to any part of the miniature of the intended target (not its base).
In the rare instance that bases prevent an intended target from being Visible to the active operative, such as when the active operative is directly below or above the intended target, treat those bases as being invisible.
Some rare rules will require you to select a point that is Visible (e.g. a point on the killzone). In such circumstances, you must be able to draw an imaginary, unobstructed straight line 1mm wide from the head of the active operative’s miniature to the point you would select.
Engagement Range
Engagement Range is the zone of threat that operatives present to their enemies. Many rules in the game use Engagement Range, such as when moving and fighting. Engagement Range is mutual, therefore operatives are within each other’s Engagement Range if one of them is Visible to and within of the other.
Actions
Actions are categorised as follows:- Universal actions can be performed by all operatives. They are detailed below.
- Unique actions are actions detailed on an operative’s datacard that only they can perform, such as the Dakka Dash action found on the example datacard.
- Mission actions are specific to the mission you are playing, and will be detailed by that mission’s briefing. Missions can be found here (Open Play mission) and here (Spec Ops Narrative missions).
- Free actions can only be performed when another rule specifies. Each time an operative would perform a free action, the following rules apply.
- The operative can perform the action, so long as the requirements of the action are met.
- The player does not subtract any additional AP to perform the action.
- The operative would still count as performing the action for all rules purposes. For example, if it performed it during its activation, it would not be able to perform the action again during that activation.
For example, when a KOMMANDO DAKKA BOY performs a Dakka Dash action (see unique actions, above), it can perform a free Dash and free Shoot action without subtracting any additional AP (other than the AP spent on the Dakka Dash action). However, it is subject to those actions’ requirements, therefore it cannot perform the free Dash action if it is within Engagement Range of enemy operatives, and cannot perform the free Shoot action if it is within Engagement Range of enemy operatives or has a Conceal order. In addition, for each of the free actions it performs, it cannot perform them again during its activation.
Obscured
Regardless of whether a target operative has an Engage or Conceal order, if an Obscuring terrain feature is in the way, an active operative may be unable to have LoS to them. For an intended target to be Obscured, the following must be true:- The intended target is more than from a point at which a Cover line crosses a terrain feature that is Obscuring (see Terrain Traits). However, if the active operative is within of a point at which a Cover line crosses a terrain feature that is Obscuring, that part of the terrain feature is not treated as Obscuring.
Cover
If an operative positions themselves in Cover, they will use it for protection while they have an Engage order, or hide behind it while they have a Conceal order. For an intended target to be in Cover, both of the following must be true:- The intended target is more than from the active operative.
- The intended target is within of a point at which a Cover line crosses another operative’s base (unless that other operative is not itself in the active operative’s LoS), or a terrain feature that provides Cover (see Terrain Traits).
Note that an intended target that has an Engage order can gain a defensive benefit for being in Cover as specified in the shooting sequence.
Blast x
Each time a friendly operative performs a Shoot action and selects this weapon (or, in the case of profiles, this weapon’s profile), after making the shooting attack against the target, make a shooting attack with this weapon (using the same profile) against each other operative Visible to and within X of the original target – each of them is a valid target and cannot be in Cover. X is the distance after the weapon’s Blast, e.g. Blast . An operative cannot make a shooting attack with this weapon by performing an Overwatch action.
- An operative performs a Shoot action, selects a ranged weapon with the Blast special rule, and selects operative A as the target.
- After making the shooting attack against operative A, it makes a shooting attack against operative B, determining if it is a valid target as if operative A was making the shooting attack.
- It cannot make a shooting attack against operative C, as when determining if it is a valid target in this manner, operative C is not Visible to operative A due to the terrain feature between them.
Fly
Each time an operative makes any kind of move, if it has the FLY keyword, it can move around, across and over other operatives (and their bases) as if they were not there, but must finish its move following all requirements specified by that move, and cannot finish its move on top of other operatives (or their bases).
EQUIPMENT DROP1RP
For some kill teams, acquiring new equipment might involve being sent wargear by their commanders. For others it might mean stealing said weapons before the rival can collect it. On occasion a kill team might be issued with trial weapons - depraved creations from sadistic minds, highly advanced technologies developed by brilliant scientists or anything in between.
Purchase this Requisition before or after a game. Select up to 5 points worth of your faction’s equipment and add it to your stash.
Ceaseless
Each time a friendly operative fights in combat or makes a shooting attack with this weapon, in the Roll Attack Dice step of that combat or shooting attack, you can re-roll any or all of your attack dice results of 1.
ROB AND RANSACK
Seek & Destroy – Tac Op
You can reveal this Tac Op when an enemy operative is incapacitated by a friendly operative within of it, and that friendly operative is more than from other enemy operatives.
- You score 1VP.
- At the end of the battle, if you achieved the first condition and that friendly operative has not been incapacitated, you score 1VP.
Modifying Characteristics
Some rules will modify the characteristics of an operative and/or their weapons. All modifiers to a characteristic are cumulative.If a characteristic refers to the result required when rolling a D6 (i.e. Save, Ballistic Skill and Weapon Skill), the modifier will specify to improve or worsen the characteristic. As a lower result is a better characteristic, the modifier should be applied accordingly. For example, if a Ballistic Skill of 4+ is worsened by 1, it would be modified to a 5+.
If an operative’s APL is modified, it lasts until the end of its current or next activation (whichever comes first). Regardless of how many APL modifiers an operative is affected by, the total modification can never be more than -1 or +1 from its normal APL. For example, if an operative has an APL of 2, and two rules say to add 1 to the operative’s APL, until the end of its next activation it would have an APL of 3.
The KOMMANDO NOB keyword is used in the following Kommando datacards:
The KOMMANDO DAKKA BOY keyword is used in the following Kommando datacards:
IN DEATH, ATONEMENT1CP
Tactical Ploy
Use this Tactical Ploy when a ready friendly VETERAN GUARDSMAN operative is incapacitated. That operative is not removed from the killzone until the end of your next activation or the end of the battle (whichever comes first) and does not count as being injured.
ONLY IN DEATH DOES DUTY END1CP
Tactical Ploy
Use this Tactical Ploy when a ready friendly SPACE MARINE operative is incapacitated. That operative is not removed from the killzone until the end of your next activation or the end of the battle (whichever comes first) and does not count as being injured.
HAMMERHAND
Until the end of the Turning Point, each time this operative fights in combat, in the Resolve Successful Hits step of that combat, the first time it strikes, inflict 1 additional damage on the target.
The KOMMANDO GROT keyword is used in the following Kommando datacards:
JUST A SCRATCH1CP
Tactical Ploy
Use this Tactical Ploy in the Resolve Successful Hits step of a shooting attack or combat, when damage would be inflicted on a friendly KOMMANDO operative (excluding KOMMANDO GROT operatives) from an attack dice. Ignore the damage inflicted from that attack dice.
UNENDING BLOODSHED1CP
Tactical Ploy
Use this Tactical Ploy when a ready friendly KHORNE operative is incapacitated in combat by an enemy operative. Before that friendly operative is removed from the killzone, select one melee weapon it is equipped with and roll one attack dice as if it is the attacker fighting in combat. If the result is a successful hit, you can immediately strike an enemy operative within Engagement Range of it. Then remove that friendly operative from the killzone as normal.
The HERETIC ASTARTES keyword is used in the following Traitor Space Marine datacards:
VETERAN OF THE LONG WAR1CP
Tactical Ploy
Use this Tactical Ploy in a friendly HERETIC ASTARTES operative’s activation, after it fights in combat or makes a shooting attack. If the target did not lose any wounds as a result of that combat or shooting attack, repeat that combat or shooting attack.
Limited
This weapon can only be selected for use once per battle. If the weapon has a special rule that would allow it to make more than one shooting attack for an action (e.g. Blast), make each of those attacks as normal.
CONTAGION1CP
Strategic Ploy
Until the end of the Turning Point, while an enemy operative is Visible to and within of a friendly DEATH GUARD operative, that enemy operative is treated as being injured (only subtract from its Movement characteristic as a result of being injured if it is activated within of a friendly DEATH GUARD operative).
The ANATHEMA PSYKANA keyword is used in the following Talons of the Emperor datacards:
CREEPING DREAD1CP
Strategic Ploy
Until the end of the Turning Point, while an enemy operative is within of a friendly ANATHEMA PSYKANA operative, worsen the Ballistic Skill and Weapon Skill characteristics of ranged and melee weapons respectively that enemy operative is equipped with as if it were injured.
CONSECRATE GROUND1AP
An operative can perform this action while within of a non-Consecrated objective marker it controls. Until the start of the next Turning Point, that objective marker is Consecrated, and that operative’s APL and Defence characteristics, and the Attacks characteristic of its melee weapons, are increased by 1.
HIGH CAPACITY MAGAZINE [1/3EP]
Select one autopistol, inferno bolt pistol or inferno boltgun the operative is equipped with. That weapon gains the Ceaseless special rule for the battle. If you selected an autopistol, this equipment costs 1 EP; otherwise, it costs 3EP.Torrent x
Each time a friendly operative performs a Shoot action or Overwatch action and selects this weapon, after making the shooting attack against the target, it can make a shooting attack with this weapon against each other valid target within x of the original target and each other, x is the distance after the weapon’s Torrent, e.g. Torrent .
- An operative performs a Shoot action, selects a ranged weapon with the Torrent special rule, and selects operative A as the target.
- After making the shooting attack against operative A, it makes a shooting attack against operative B and C, determining if they are a valid target as normal.
- It cannot make a shooting attack against operative D, as while that operative is within of operative A and C, it is not within of operative B.
The WARPCOVEN and RUBRIC MARINE keywords are used in the following Warpcoven datacards: