A Closer Look: Part III

Hello everyone, and welcome to the newest installment of A Closer Look.  From the get go I'll have to inform you that this series hasn't seen some attention in quite some time, and for a simple reason.  It was started as a way to take an in-depth look at some of the more commonly used aspects of the game, and how we as players might forget or neglect certain elements over the years.  As 5th edition was about 4 years old during the start of the series, it was pretty easy to see some elements misplayed due to sheer mis-memorization.

But now we stand at the entrance of a new era.  6th edition has come, and with it, a massive overhaul of many of the game's basic, and detailed sections.  Very few aspects of 40k were not shifted in some manner or another.  As this is the case, I have decided to dust off the old series, and reinvent it as well.  A Closer Look will take us deep into the new rulebook, and bring to light many of the changes we now face as players.  I don't intend to cover every change, as many of them are pretty universally understood now.  Some examples of these big topic issues that people know are the changes to Feel No Pain, and Disembarking rules.  What I want to look into are the smaller, less frequent rule's that have slipped in which can make or break situations should they not be player correctly.

As there is a huge tome of information to sift through, I have decided a great place to start is the Universal Special Rules section.  These effect almost every army, and are fairly frequent in the 40k games of 6th edition.  So learning the key points of how 6th has changed them is crucial.  So crack open your text books to page 32, and get ready to learn!


Acute Senses
Instead of night fight, it's now re-roll those outflank rolls.  A pretty steep change, and one that most people know.  My interest in this rule is that it only requires one model in a unit to have the rule to gain the benefit.  Interesting, but it makes sense.

Adamanitum Will
This rule is almost never scene, and I think it's only current use in in the new Chaos Boon table.  +1 to your Deny the Witch.  Not bad, and I can imagine most Librarian or Psycher / Anti-Psycher units might see this in the future.

Blast Weapons
We all know blasts, and how they work... but there is an interesting new clarification.  The model with the blast weapon must be in range, and be able to see the target (barring things like barrage).  In a unit with multiple blast weapons (missile Devastators for example), it is handled in the same manner as above.  Why this is interesting is that it does not say that all blast must be centered in the same place as the other models who fire, and in some cases, may not be possible to do at all (perhaps one can not see the initial target of the other 3).  This means you can place blasts where you please per model.  Note that the unit still takes casualties as per closest to closest between the two units, lest it be barrage weapons like mortars or artillery.

Barrage Weapons
I have already covered this major change in a previous article titled Sniping Big Targets with Big Guns.  Check it out!

Blind
The whole unit is effected if a model within that unit is hit by a "blinding weapon".  Not sure how, but we'll run with it I suppose.

Concussive
This only effects models hit by weapons with that property.  It does not effect other models in the unit like that of Blind.

Counter-Attack
This rule is granted to a unit if even one model has the special rule.  Interesting, as it seems counter-intuitive (get it :P ) to the concept of the unit moves at the speed of the slowest model, but I guess whoever has it spurs them into a charge.

Crusader
Again, one model grants to all models.  Important to note this as currently there are few units that get this rule (if any) while at least some single models (example: C.S.M. Warlord trait) can be granted this.  Makes the rule viable in that case.

Fearless
For the most part this rule is the same... but they were very sneaky and added in a new caveat.  First off it's a one to many rule.  But the new little caveat that might be missed is that the unit can not opt to Go To Ground.  This could really make or break a unit.

Deep Strike Mishaps
This was changed.  1 means death to the unit.  2-3 means the enemy places.  4-6 is a delayed result.  Very important to note the roll result changes, otherwise they are all handled the same way as the previous edition.

Gets Hot
It specifically states that Armor saves or Invulnerable save may be taken.  The lack of cover saves listed seems to indicate that they may not be claimed.  This is however speculation as it does not say you can not...  It's not 100% clear either way, but it's more clarified than it has been previously.

Independent Character
This change is slightly amusing to me.  It states that they may not join vehicle squadrons or single model units... HOWEVER, they may join other Independent Characters to form "a powerful multi-character unit."

Other points of interest about I.C.'s is that if they join a squad, that squad can't move any further, as well as if an I.C. is present in a squad, it does not require snake eyes to regroup if below 25%, but rather regroups normally.  Quite handy indeed.

Master Crafted
Okay, this rule did not change from that of 5th edition.  I only point it out because in the leaked play test copy of 6th edition, this rule was changed to work differently.  It should be noted that units with multiple master crafted weapons still roll individually.  Hopefully this clarifies any confusion the leaked copy might have caused.

Move Through Cover
This one to many rules still grants an extra D6 on movement phase through difficult terrain.  It does however now state that a unit with this rule automatically passes Dangerous Terrain rolls.  The sad part is that this rule has no effect on movement done for charging and can't be used for impact tests (for sort of an obvious reason).

Night Vision
This rule still works much the same as it always has.  Interesting point of note is that it is a one to many.  Something we might forget from time to time.

Pinning
Nothing about the rule's mechanics has changed.  But much like the Master Crafted rule, this was also mentioned with an additional caveat which does not apply in the official rules.  to clarify, by the official rules, a pinned unit may still hold an objective.

Poisoned
Basically this rule still works the same as it did before.  The great thing about it is that they make mention that if you would otherwise wound on a lower result than the bracket, you may use that result instead (while still getting the benefit of the re-roll should your strength be equal to or greater than the target's toughness).  This means toxin sacks on Monstrous Creatures actually work the way they should now.

Slow And Purposeful
This is much like it was in the old days in that they can move and fire weapons that normally you would not be able to.  However, instead of rolling a random move distance you now move at the full speed as per your unit type, but you can not run, turbo-boost, move flat out, or sweeping advance.  The big one is that you can not fire overwatch if you have this rule.

Specialist Weapons
These weapons no longer have to be the same weapon.  So long as you wield two specialist weapons, you have duel armed.  Example: a model is duel armed wielding a Lightning Claw and a Chainfst.

Split Fire
Nothing about this rule is different than how it has been in the Space Wolves codex.  I only make mention of it as it is now a Universal Special Rule... so it is likely this rule will be added to more units in the future.  I have a good bet that Tau with their emphasis on shooting and advanced technology would be a good candidate for this.

Tank Hunters
This one to many rule is now a re-roll or armor penetration rolls instead of the old +1.

Twin Linked Template Weapons
While this isn't a change, it should be noted that the re-roll to armor penetration still exists.  Granted infantry is generally the more common target for template weapons, vehicles might still be a great target when you get a re-roll to penetrate against them.


So there you have it.  A quick run through of the USR section of the Big Rule Book.  There are of course several new rules which came from 6th edition which are not covered.  Hopefully this look will help you clear up some of those minor details that come with each of these rules.  Overall the biggest little rule change I found was the Fearless units may no longer opt to Go to Ground willingly.  It makes a whole lot of sense, but I never noticed it until this review.  I hope this helps for the community moving forward into the future.  I'll keep my eyes peeled and report back with another article should I find any other hidden changes.

Cheers!