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  WARHAMMER 40,000 DESIGNERS’ COMMENTARY
   DESIGNERS’ COMMENTARY
  Since the announcement of Warhammer 40,000, some 
  of you have been in touch with questions about the 
  rules. Here you will find some of the most frequently 
  asked of these questions, chosen by our group of expert 
  and experienced playtesters, along with the answers and 
  some guiding examples and commentary.
  Q: If a rule modifies a model’s Strength characteristic, 
  and that model is equipped with a melee weapon 
  that also has a modifier (e.g. ‘x2’), could you explain 
  the order in which the modifiers are applied to the 
  characteristics and the weapon’s Strength?
  A: First you must determine the model’s current 
  Strength characteristic. To do so apply all modifiers 
  to it that multiply or divide the value, then apply 
  any that add or subtract to it. Having done this, you 
  then modify this value as described by the weapon’s 
  Strength characteristic.
  For example, let’s imagine a model with a basic Strength 
  characteristic of 3 is under the effects of two psychic powers: a 
  friendly one that doubles their Strength characteristic, and an 
  enemy one that subtracts 1 from their Strength characteristic. 
  That model’s current Strength is therefore 5. If this model then 
  fights with a weapon like a power fist, which has a Strength 
  characteristic of ‘x2’, that attack will therefore be resolved at 
  Strength 10.
  Q: Are modifiers to dice rolls cumulative in the same 
  way that modifiers to characteristics are?
  A: Yes.
  For example, if a model has the benefit of cover (+1 to its saving 
  throw) and is wounded by a plasma pistol (AP -3, so -3 to its 
  saving throw), the total modifier to the model’s saving throw 
  will be -2.
  Q: Can a dice roll ever be modified above 6?
  A: Yes.
  Note that in some cases, a roll will only be successful on rolls 
  of 7+. Poxwalkers, for example, have a Save characteristic of 
  7+, meaning that without at least a +1 modifier to their saving 
  throw (such as that gained from cover) they will not be able to 
  pass the roll.
  Q: Can a dice roll ever be modified to less than 1?
  A: No. If, after all modifiers have been applied, a dice 
  roll would be less than 1, count that result as a 1.
  Q: If a rule or ability grants a re-roll on, for example, 
  ‘hit rolls of 1’ (such as a Space Marine Captain’s Rites 
  of Battle ability) does that effect trigger before or after 
  applying modifiers to the hit rolls?
  A: Re-rolls always happen before modifiers, so the re-roll 
  ability is triggered before applying modifiers.
  For example, let’s imagine a Space Marine (Ballistic Skill 3+) 
  moves and fires a heavy bolter (a Heavy 3 weapon) whilst 
  within range of a Space Marine Captain’s Rites of Battle ability 
  (allowing you to re-roll hit rolls of 1).
  The hit dice are rolled and result in a 1, 2 and 5.
  Re-rolls are applied before modifiers. In this example a single 
  dice is re-rolled because of the Captain’s ability, this time 
  resulting in a 3.
  Modifiers are applied after re-rolls. In this example there is 
  a -1 modifier to the hit rolls for moving and firing a Heavy 
  weapon. That means that the post-re-roll scores of 2, 3 and 5 
  are modified to 1, 2 and 4. Comparing the final results to the 
  model’s Ballistic Skill, only one shot hits the target.
  Q: When making a hit roll with a supercharged plasma 
  weapon, do you determine whether a ‘1’ was rolled 
  before or after applying re-rolls and modifiers?
  A: You apply all re-rolls and modifiers first.
  For example, if, after re-rolls and modifiers, the final result 
  is then a 1 (or counts as a 1, as explained above), then the 
  supercharged plasma weapon injures or kills the firer.
  Q: If a rule states that an ability triggers on, for 
  example, ‘hit rolls of 6+’, does this refer to the result of 
  the dice rolls before or after modifiers are applied?
  A: It refers to the final result, after re-rolls and modifiers 
  (if any) have been applied.
  The only exception to this would be abilities that specifically 
  state, for example, ‘unmodified hit rolls of 6’, or ‘hit rolls of 6 
  before modifiers are applied.’
  
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  WARHAMMER 40,000 DESIGNERS’ COMMENTARY
  Q: Can I use the Command Re-roll Stratagem to re-roll 
  a dice roll made by my opponent?
  A: No.
  Note that the rules assume that a player always rolls their own 
  dice (instead of asking their opponent, for example, to roll hit 
  rolls, saving throws, etc. on their behalf). That being the case, 
  you can only use the above-mentioned Stratagem to affect dice 
  rolls you make, and not those made by your opponent.
  Q: What happens if a unit that has become split up 
  during battle cannot re-establish unit coherency the 
  next time it moves?
  A: In this case the unit cannot move.
  Note that the rules concerning unit coherency apply any 
  time that a unit is moved, including charging, piling in, 
  consolidating, etc. Again, if a unit cannot end such a move in 
  unit coherency, it cannot make the move.
  Q: Can Characters only perform a Heroic 
  Intervention against enemy units that charged this 
  turn, or can they do so against any enemy unit?
  A: They can do so against any enemy unit.
  Note that they can only do so if they end up closer to the nearest 
  enemy model, whether it charged this turn or not.
  Q: Some Character units can include non-
  Character models – the Genestealer Cults Patriarch 
  and its Familiar ‘upgrade’, for example. Can such a unit 
  be shot at even if it isn’t the closest visible enemy unit?
  A: No. The restrictions on targeting Characters 
  applies to a unit whilst any model in the unit has 
  the Character keyword (and none have 10 or 
  more wounds).
  For example, if a Patriarch takes a Familiar as an upgrade, the 
  Patriarch is a Character, but the Familiar is not. Neither 
  has 10 or more Wounds. Enemies can therefore only target the 
  pair if they are the closest visible enemy models. If the Patriarch 
  is slain and the Familiar is not, enemy units could then target 
  the Familiar freely.
  Q: If a model cannot shoot at the closest visible enemy 
  unit for some reason (e.g. it is within 1" of one of 
  your units) but the next closest visible enemy unit is a 
  Character, can that model then target the character?
  A: No.
  Q: When rolling for abilities such as ‘Disgustingly 
  Resilient’ or ‘Tenacious Survivor’ against attacks 
  which inflict multiple wounds, do you roll to ignore 
  each individual wound inflicted by the attack, or do 
  you roll only once to ignore all the wounds inflicted by 
  the attack?
  A: Roll to avoid each wound lost separately.
  For example, if a model with Disgustingly Resilient fails its 
  saving throw against an attack made by a thunder hammer 
  (Damage 3), you would roll three dice and for each result of 5+ 
  you would ignore a single wound.
  Q: When determining whether a model benefits from 
  cover, does the model’s entire unit need to be fully on 
  or within terrain, or just the model making a particular 
  saving throw?
  A: All of the models in a unit need to be at least partially 
  on or within terrain if any of the models are to receive 
  the +1 bonus to their saving throw.
  Note, however, that it is possible for a unit to gain the benefit 
  of cover as it suffers casualties during the Shooting phase by 
  removing those models that are not on, or within terrain. As 
  soon as the last model that was not on or within terrain is 
  slain, the rest of the unit immediately starts to receive the benefit 
  of cover.
  Q: What happens when a model fires a weapon that 
  can shoot at targets that are not visible to it (such as 
  a mortar) at a target it cannot see, if the target unit 
  is within range of a piece of terrain that grants it the 
  benefits of cover only when it is obscured by a certain 
  amount from the point of view of the firer (such as a 
  unit within 3" of Imperial Statuary)?
  A: The unit receives the benefit of cover.
  Q: Is a unit’s charge roll the same thing as its 
  charge distance?
  A: Yes.
  Q: Can you declare charges against units that are not 
  visible to the charging unit?
  A: Yes.
  Note however that the unit being charged still obeys the 
  normal rules for targeting when it fires Overwatch, and so, 
  if a model cannot see the charging unit, it will not be able to 
  fire Overwatch.
  Q: If any of your units are eligible to fight in the Fight 
  phase, can you choose for them not to fight this turn? 
  Also, if any of your units charged in the Charge phase, 
  do they have to fight first in the Fight phase, or can you 
  choose for them to wait until later in the phase?
  A: All eligible units must fight in the Fight phase; they 
  cannot ‘pass’ and wait for another phase. Additionally, 
  a unit must fight when it is its time to do so; it cannot 
  ‘hold’ in order to fight later in the phase. So if a unit 
  charged in the preceding Charge phase, it must fight 
  before any non-charging models in the Fight phase 
  (barring any related abilities).
  Note that when a model fights, it must do all of its close combat 
  attacks if it can do so – you cannot choose for it not to do so 
  (though you can still choose which weapon it uses for each close 
  combat attack).
  
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  WARHAMMER 40,000 DESIGNERS’ COMMENTARY
  Q: If a unit starts the Fight phase within 1" of an 
  enemy unit but, due to casualties suffered and models 
  removed, it is no longer within 1" of any enemy units 
  later in the phase, can it still be chosen to fight?
  A: No, unless the unit in question charged this turn it 
  cannot be chosen to fight if there are no longer enemy 
  units within 1". Note that it is possible – if heavy enough 
  casualties have been incurred – that even a unit that 
  did charge may not be close enough, even after a pile-
  in move, to make close combat attacks. It can still, of 
  course, consolidate.
  Q: If a unit starts the Fight phase with no enemy units 
  within 1", but then enemy units that have been chosen 
  to fight move to within 1" of it as a result of their pile-in 
  or consolidation moves, can that unit then be chosen to 
  fight when it is your turn to choose a unit?
  A: Yes.
  Note, however, that units can only be chosen to fight once 
  per phase.
  Q: When piling in and consolidating, does a model 
  have to move as close as possible towards the nearest 
  enemy model, or do they just need to move closer to it?
  A: If a model moves at all when piling in or 
  consolidating, it only has to end its move closer to 
  the nearest enemy model than where it started. It 
  is not necessary to move as close as possible (i.e. 
  base-to-base contact).
  Note that if a model is in base-to-base contact, it cannot possibly 
  end a move closer to the enemy, and so cannot move when its 
  unit piles in or consolidates.
  Q: If a unit piles in or consolidates into a unit it didn’t 
  declare a charge against in the preceding Charge 
  phase, does that unit get to fire Overwatch?
  A: No.
  Remember though that units that charged can only make close 
  combat attacks against units that they declared the charge 
  against, even if pile-in moves, etc. bring them within 1" of a 
  different unit.
  Q: When is a unit considered to be ‘completely 
  destroyed’ or ‘wiped out’?
  A: These two terms are used synonymously. A unit is 
  considered to be completely destroyed when the last 
  model in that unit is destroyed (also referred to as slain) 
  or flees.
  Q: Which player rolls the D6 to see if a vehicle 
  explodes, or if a monster has death throes, etc. when it 
  is destroyed?
  A: The player whose model has been destroyed rolls 
  the D6.
  Q: In missions where players alternate deploying units, 
  do units that are set up somewhere other than the 
  battlefield still count as a player’s deployment choice? 
  What about units that begin the battle embarked within 
  a transport?
  A: Units with abilities on their datasheets that allow 
  them to be set up somewhere other than the battlefield 
  must still be ‘set up’ in that locale, and so still count 
  as a deployment choice. When you choose to set up a 
  transport, declare what units (if any) are embarked 
  inside – these are not separate deployment choices.
  For example, two players are deploying their armies for the Only 
  War mission. The mission instructs them to alternate deploying 
  their units. Player A starts by setting up a unit of Ork Boyz 
  on the battlefield. Player B then sets up a unit of Intercessors 
  on the battlefield. Player A then sets up a Battlewagon on the 
  battlefield – as it is a transport, Player A declares it will start 
  the battle with a Warboss and a unit of Tankbustas embarked 
  inside. Player B then sets up a unit of Terminators, but uses 
  their Teleport Strike ability to set them up in a teleportarium 
  chamber instead of on the battlefield. Player A then sets up their 
  next unit, and so on.
  Q: Can a Battle-forged army ever have fewer than 0 
  Command Points?
  A: No.
  Regardless of how many Auxiliary Support Detachments 
  you take, you can never start a battle with fewer than 0 
  Command Points.
  Q: What is the difference between a unit’s Power 
  Rating and its points value? Can I play a matched 
  play game using my army’s Power Level instead of its 
  points total? Can I play a narrative play mission using a 
  points total?
  A: A unit’s Power Rating is a measure of its efficacy on 
  the battlefield. The higher the Power Rating, the more 
  powerful the unit. An army’s Power Level is calculated 
  by adding up the Power Ratings of all the units in 
  the army, so an army with a high Power Level is more 
  powerful than one with a low Power Level.
  Power Ratings are designed to give players, at a glance, 
  an idea of how mighty a unit is on the battlefield, 
  irrespective of the weapons and wargear it can take (they 
  are actually based on a calculation of the unit’s average 
  value, after considering all possible combinations of 
  weapons and wargear the unit can have). They can 
  therefore be used as a quick guide to establish the 
  comparative might of each army, and are intended 
  primarily for open and narrative play games.
  Points values are similar, but are designed specifically 
  with matched play in mind because they offer more 
  granularity. Whilst it takes a little longer to work 
  out each unit’s points value, doing so enables you to 
  differentiate between two similar squads equipped with 
  different weapon options, as the points values listed in 
  our books reflect the fact that some weapons are more 
  powerful than others.
  
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  WARHAMMER 40,000 DESIGNERS’ COMMENTARY
  There is a relationship between the two – a unit with 
  a high Power Rating will also have a high points value. 
  As a result, it is perfectly legitimate to play a matched 
  play game using Power Ratings instead of points values. 
  Likewise, if you wish to use points values in a narrative 
  or open play game, you can. We recommend both 
  players use the same method as each other, but as long 
  as you both agree, you can decide which method you 
  prefer to use.
  Q: If I can choose a keyword for a unit, such as 
  <Regiment> for Astra Militarum, could I choose 
  that keyword to be, for example ‘Blood Angels’ or 
  ‘Death Guard’?
  A: No.
  In the example above, ‘Blood Angels’ is a Chapter of the Adeptus 
  Astartes and ‘Death Guard’ is a Legion of the Heretic Astartes 
  – neither of which are Regiments of the Astra Militarum.
  Q: If I create an Astra Militarum Regiment of my own 
  and name them, for example, the ‘Emperor’s Finest’, 
  and I then also create an Adeptus Astartes Chapter of 
  my own choosing, and also call them the ‘Emperor’s 
  Finest’, do the abilities that work on the <Regiment> 
  and/or <Chapter> keywords now work on both the 
  Astra Militarum and Adeptus Astartes units?
  A: No.
  The intent of naming Regiments, Chapters, etc. of your own 
  creation is to personalise your collections and not to enable 
  players to circumvent the restrictions on what abilities affect 
  what units. It is also not intended to circumvent the restrictions 
  on which units are able to be included in the same Detachment.
  Q: When a model does not have a base, as is the 
  case with many vehicles, what exactly is the ‘hull’ of 
  the model?
  A: The hull of these models refers to the main body of 
  the model. It does not include things such as turrets, 
  sponsons, aerials, banners, spikes etc. If there is 
  still doubt, we recommend both players agree about 
  what constitutes the hull of such models before the 
  battle begins.
  Q: What is the difference between a keyword and a 
  Faction keyword?
  A: The only real difference is that Faction keywords are 
  used when building an army; when Battle-forging an 
  army, for instance, you will often only be able to include 
  units in the same detachment if they share the same 
  Faction keyword. Also, if you are playing a matched 
  play game, you will need to have an Army Faction – this 
  is a Faction keyword that is shared by all of the units 
  in your entire army (with the exception of those that 
  are Unaligned). Once the battle has begun, there is 
  no functional difference between a keyword and a 
  Faction keyword.
  For example, when creating a Battle-forged army for matched 
  play, I take two Patrol Detachments; the first contains only 
  units with the Heretic Astartes Faction keyword, and the 
  second contains only units with the Daemon Faction keyword. 
  My Army Faction is ‘Chaos’ because this is a Faction keyword 
  every unit in the entire army shares.
  Once the battle has begun, the distinction between keywords 
  and Faction keywords no longer has any effect – both are used 
  to interact with abilities identically. Imagine, then, that the 
  Heretic Astartes Detachment contains a unit of Possessed 
  (which does not have the Daemon Faction keyword, but 
  does have the Daemon keyword), and I choose for them to 
  replace their <Mark of Chaos> keyword with Khorne. If 
  the Daemon Detachment contained a Herald of Khorne, his 
  ability to ‘add 1 to the Strength characteristic of all Khorne 
  Daemons’ would also apply to the unit of Possessed, as they 
  have both the Khorne and Daemon keywords.
  Q: Several missions refer to different types of victory – 
  minor victory, major victory, heroic victory, etc. Do the 
  different types of victory mean anything?
  A: Only for determining bragging rights post-battle.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warhammer/40k/UNSORTED (help requested)/1st-8th Edition - Warhammer 40K Archives/8th/FAQ & Errata/Warhammer_40000_Designers_Commentary.pdf