101 - Terrain List

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This article is part of Warmachine University's Crash Course (101) series, which is "Basic Training" aimed at new players who are still learning the core rules.
 
The 101 series is intended to help you understand the rulebook, but you shouldn't be reading this instead of the rulebook.


This article is a quick reference guide for terrain types. The terrain rules itself are covered in 101 - Terrain Rules.

Common Terrain (Official)

Forest

Burning Forest / Acid Forest
Dimensions
  • Any size, but at most they should be about 6x4
  • Any size, but at most they should be about 6x4
Placement
  • Unrestricted
  • Restricted
LOS
  • Use forest LOS rules
  • Use forest LOS rules and use the cloud LOS rules.
This only comes up if the attacker can ignore forests for LOS but can't ignore clouds, or vice versa.
Movement Penalty
  • Rough terrain
  • Rough terrain
DEF type
  • Concealment to models fully within the terrain
  • Concealment to models fully within the terrain
Obstacle / Obstruction
  • No
  • No
Notes If a player has a spell that can make clouds expire (such as Wind Blast) and this spell clips the forest, the entire forest terrain piece is taken off the table. This is based on an Infernal Ruling as of 2021.06

Water

Acid Pool / Fire Pool
Dimensions
  • Any size, but at most they should be about 6x4
  • Any size, but at most they should be about 6x4
Placement
  • Unrestricted
  • Restricted
LOS
  • Does not block LOS
  • Blocks LOS,as per the cloud rules
Movement Penalty
  • Rough terrain
  • Rough terrain
DEF type
  • No bonus
  • Models fully within it gain concealment, as per the cloud rules
Obstacle / Obstruction
  • No
  • No
Notes If a player has a spell that can make clouds expire (such as Wind Blast) and this spell clips the forest, the entire water terrain piece is taken off the table. This is based on an Infernal Ruling as of 2021.06

Water

Acid Rubble / Burning Rubble
Dimensions
  • Any size, but at most they should be about 6x4
  • Any size, but at most they should be about 6x4
Placement
  • Unrestricted
  • Restricted
LOS
  • Does not block LOS
  • Blocks LOS, as per the cloud rules
Movement Penalty
  • Rough terrain
  • Rough terrain
DEF type
  • Cover to models fully within the terrain
  • Acid/Fire Rubble - Cover and concealment to models fully within the terrain.
These don't stack, so having both only makes a difference if the attacker ignores cover but does not ignore concealment.
Obstacle / Obstruction
  • No
  • No
Notes If a player has a spell that can make clouds expire (such as Wind Blast) and this spell clips the forest, the entire rubble terrain piece is taken off the table. This is based on an Infernal Ruling as of 2021.06

Cloud (aka Fog)

Acid Cloud / Fire Cloud
Dimensions
  • Any size, but at most they should be about 6x4
  • Any size, but at most they should be about 6x4
Placement
  • Unrestricted
  • Restricted
LOS
  • Use cloud LOS rules
  • Use cloud LOS rules
Movement Penalty
  • None
  • None
DEF type
  • Concealment to models fully within the cloud
  • Concealment to models fully within the cloud
Obstacle / Obstruction
  • No
  • No

Building

Burning Building / Acid Building
Dimensions
  • Any size, but at most they should be about 6x4
  • Making a building into Burning / Acid is only relevant to Ghostly models.
    • Normal models can't enter it, so can never get fire / corrosion from entering it.
    • Models with Flight can go over it without penalty. They never get fire / corrosion from terrain unless they land on it - and they can't land on a building.
    • Models with Incorporeal can go through it without penalty. They're immune to fire / corrosion.
    • Models with Ghostly are the only ones that can go through it and not ignore the fire / corrosion penalty.
Placement
  • Restricted
LOS
  • 3d terrain: Blocks LOS equal to its actual height
  • 2d terrain: Blocks LOS to a height as agreed with your opponent

Also agree with your opponent if you're using "vertical triangulation" rules for LOS.

Movement Penalty
  • Impassable
DEF type
  • Cover vs ranged/magic attacks if it's intervening and within 1".
  • +2 DEF vs melee attacks if it's intervening at any distance.
Obstacle / Obstruction
  • Obstruction


Trench

Dimensions 3"x4" rectangles joined together
Placement
  • Unrestricted
LOS
  • Does not block LOS
Movement Penalty
  • None
DEF type
  • Cover to models fully within the terrain
Obstacle / Obstruction
  • No
Other special rules
  • Models fully within the terrain:
    • Gain cover
    • Do not block LOS
    • Are immune to blast damage from AOEs that land outside the trench.
This is what most players mean when they say "wall".
It doesn't block LOS, it blocks most charges but is short enough a model with Pathfinder can charge over it, and it is solid enough to provide cover (+4 DEF).

Short Wall / Sandbags

Hedge / Fence

Dimensions
  • 4" long and 0.75" wide
  • 4" long and 0.75" wide
Placement
  • Restricted
  • Restricted
LOS
  • Does not block LOS
  • Does not block LOS
Movement Penalty
  • Difficult terrain
  • Difficult terrain
DEF type
  • Cover vs ranged/magic attacks if it's intervening and within 1".
  • +2 DEF vs melee attacks if it's intervening at any distance.
  • Concealment vs ranged/magic attacks if it's intervening and within 1".
  • +2 DEF vs melee attacks if it's intervening at any distance.
Obstacle / Obstruction
  • Obstacle
  • Obstacle

Uncommon Terrain (Official)

Complex Ruins

Depending on the size/shape of your ruin you may want to treat it as:

  • Patch of rubble
  • Patch of rubble with short walls (obstacles that Pathfinder works on)
  • Patch of rubble with tall walls (blocks Pathfinder)
  • Or even just treat it as a regular building, if it is mostly intact.


These pictures demonstrate the different ways you could play the same layout of terrain. Any of these 4 approaches is valid, so it's important to discuss with your opponent before the game starts how you want to play it.

  • Treat all the terrain, and the area between them, as rubble. Ignore the walls.
  • Treat just the area between the walls as rubble. Treat the walls as walls.
  • Treat the walls as walls, but ignore the bases.
  • Treat the pieces as rubble, but ignore the walls.

Craters

  • Rulebook version
    Treated the same as Rubble.
  • Steamroller 2020 version
    Treated the same as Trenches, except you don't put them in contact and form "Crater Networks" like you do with normal Trenches.

Crates / Boulders

Normally crates / boulders are arranged in irregular lines and treated as a wall, however you can have stand-alone pieces. In which case:

Small pile crates/boulders Giant pile
Dimensions About the size of a 50mm base. Same
Placement Restricted Same
LOS
  • 3d terrain: Blocks LOS equal to its actual height
  • 2d terrain: Blocks LOS to a height as agreed with your opponent

Also agree with your opponent if you're using "vertical triangulation" rules for LOS.

Same
Movement Penalty Difficult terrain Same
DEF type
  • Cover vs ranged/magic attacks if it's intervening and within 1".
  • +2 DEF vs melee attacks if it's intervening at any distance.
Same
Obstacle / Obstruction Obstacle Obstruction
Notes An obstacle can be charged over (if you have Pathfinder or similar), but an obstruction cannot. Same

Snowdrift

Dimensions Any size, but at most they should be about a 4" circle
Placement Unrestricted
LOS Do not block LOS
Movement Penalty
  • Models with Immunity: Cold - Open Terrain
  • Other models - Rough Terrain
DEF type
  • Models with Immunity: Cold - concealment for models fully within the terrain
  • Other models - No bonus
Obstacle / Obstruction No
Notes None
Appears in
  • Storm of the North Theme for Trollbloods
  • Crossroads of Courage Narrative League Season 1 (2016)

Tall Grass

Dimensions Any size, but at most they should be about 6x4
Placement Unrestricted
LOS Do not block LOS
Movement Penalty Rough terrain
DEF type
  • If you are medium-based or smaller: concealment for models fully within the terrain
  • If you are large-based or larger: No bonus
Obstacle / Obstruction No
Notes None

Tall Wall

Walls can be given a height relative to the base size(s) you want it to block (or you can measure it exactly).
Dimensions 4" long and 0.75" wide
Placement Restricted
LOS
  • 3d terrain: Blocks LOS equal to its actual height
  • 2d terrain: Blocks LOS to a height as agreed with your opponent

Also agree with your opponent if you're using "vertical triangulation" rules for LOS.

Movement Penalty Difficult terrain
DEF type
  • Cover vs ranged/magic attacks if it's intervening and within 1".
  • +2 DEF vs melee attacks if it's intervening at any distance.
Obstacle / Obstruction Obstruction
Notes Most players treat walls as short walls (see the previous section) but you can have big walls. Unlike "normal" walls, big walls cannot be charged over by models with Pathfinder. They are linear obstructions instead of linear obstacles.

Also, they will block LOS based on their height (as per the diagram).

Rare Terrain (Official - Altered or New)

In addition to the following, Privateer Press has used terrain pieces that players may interact with in order to attack an opponent or create a randomly placed AOE. Some were given special abilities like "warrior models suffer -1 MAT/RAT," or "gain eyeless sight." Although not all of these terrain pieces are included in this list, it is worth noting for players or EOs who wish to add a narrative element to their tables that there is a precedent.

Barb Wire Hazard

Dimensions 4" long and 0.75" wide
Placement Restricted
LOS Does not block LOS
Movement Penalty Rough Terrain
DEF type Concealment, as if it were an obstacle
Obstacle / Obstruction No
Notes Models entering or ending their activation in the template suffer 1 damage point.
Appears in Crossroads of Courage Narrative League Season 2 (2016)

Bridges

Dimensions 12" long and 6" wide (minimum of 4" wide is recommended, and may be shorter than 12" long as long as it spans the thing it needs to cross.
Placement Special - It should cross a river or similar feature.
LOS Blocks LOS except for models on the bridge.
Movement Penalty None - Open Terrain
DEF type +2 DEF against ranged and magic attacks
Notes Grants arcing fire to models on it.
Appears in 2018 Criterion

Brittle Forests

Based on Forests
Special Rules When a Brittle Forest is touched by an AOE ranged or magic attack, all models within the forest suffer a POW 6 blast damage roll, and then the Brittle Forest is removed from play.
Appears in 2019 Winter Rampage

Crates of Dynamite

Based on Obstruction
Dimensions 2" x 2" x 2"
Special Rules Each maintenance phase, the active player rolls to see if the crates explode (1 on 1d6). Place 5" AOE with center touching crates and remove the crate from play. Models in the AOE suffer POW 14 fire damage roll.
Notes None
Appears in Crossroads of Courage Narrative League Season 1 (2016)

Deep Mud

Dimensions No more than 3" in length and width
Placement Unrestricted
LOS Does not block LOS
Movement Penalty Rough Terrain.
DEF type None
Special Rules
  • Small based models gain concealment if completely within.
  • If a large and medium based warjacks or warbeasts begins their activation in the Deep Mud, roll a 1d6. If you roll a 1, the warjack or warbeast suffers a -4 to SPD, and cannot run, charge, trample, or slam for one round.
Appears in Crossroads of Courage Narrative League Season 2 (2016)

Devil's Gasp Cloud

Based on Cloud
Dimensions 3" AOE
Special Rules
  • When a model enters or ends its activation within a Devil's Gasp Cloud, it suffers 1 damage point.
  • This cloud effect cannot be removed from the table
  • Spells and effects that ignore clouds when determining LOS do not ignore Devil's Gasp Clouds when determining LOS.
  • At the start of the turn, the active player must move one Devil's Gasp Cloud. Choose one, pick a direction, and place it 2d6" in that direction.
Notes There is some interaction with the coins handed out in that season of narrative play.
Appears in Crossroads of Courage Narrative League Season 2 (2016)

Frozen Shallow Water

Based on Water
Special Rules
  • Models with Amphibious do not gain benefits from Frozen Shallow Water.
  • Instead of moving at half-rate through Frozen Shallow Water when slammed or thrown, Add +4" to the distance if it contacts the Frozen Shallow Water at any point during its slammed or thrown movement.
Notes Was based on Shallow Water, but Deep and Shallow water are now just Water.
Appears in 2019 Winter Rampage

Mine Entrance

Based on Obstruction
Dimensions 4" x 6"
Placement Do not place in deployment zones. Ensure at least two are placed on the table.
Special Rules When a non-huge-based model begins its activation within 1˝ of a Mine Entrance, you can choose to place the model within 1˝ of another Mine Entrance, then its activation immediately ends.
Notes None
Appears in Crossroads of Courage Narrative League Season 1 (2016)

River

Dimensions No more than 6" wide, but spans the length of the table.
Placement Special - It should be placed horizontally at the center of the table, and have bridges spanning it.
LOS Does not block LOS.
Movement Penalty
  • Huge bases - Open Terrain
  • All other bases - Impassable Terrain
Appears in 2018 Criterion

Snow-Covered Hills

Based on Raise Earth or High Ground
Special Rules Raised Earth or High Ground templates are treated as rough terrain, and provide concealment to small and medium-based models completely within their perimeter.
Notes Originally based on Hills, but Hills are now defunct. To achieve the same effect, apply Raise Earth or High Ground rules to the terrain piece, and add the Special Rules listed above.
Appears in 2019 Winter Rampage

Strange Crows AOE

Dimensions 3" AOE
Placement Unrestricted - but two of them should be in play at a time.
Special Rules When a model begins its activation completely within the AOE, it can sacrifice its movement to be placed completely within another Strange Crows AOE. Remove the model from play if there is no room to be placed in the other Strange Crows AOE.
Appears in Crossroads of Courage Narrative League Season 3 (2016)

Tent

Based on Obstacle
Dimensions 2" x 2""
Placement Do not place in deployment zones. Ensure at least two are placed on the table.
DEF Grants Concealment instead of Cover.
Special Rules Remove the Tent from play if a medium or large based model contacts it.
Notes None
Appears in Crossroads of Courage Narrative League Season 1 (2016)

Rare Terrain (Homebrew)

Razor Wire Hazard

Dimensions 4" long and 0.75" wide
Placement Restricted
LOS Do not block LOS
Movement Penalty Open Terrain, but models cannot end their movement overlapping it.
DEF type None
Obstacle / Obstruction No ... unless you're thrown/slammed into it.
Notes Barbed wire is a hazard. Models that move over barb wire suffer a POW 8 + 1d6 damage roll per advance.
  • Add an extra 1d6 if the moving model is running, charging, slamming, or trampling.
  • Remove 1d6 if the model has Pathfinder.
  • Barb wire does not affect models with Flight, Incorporeal, Ghostly, etc
  • Models cannot end their movement overlapping barb wire.
  • If a model is thrown and lands on top of the barbed wire, or is slammed through the barbed wire, ignore the above and instead treat the barbed wire as an obstacle. Rewind the movement so it just contacts the wire, and add an extra d6 damage.

Chasm / Fissure

Dimensions Any size, but at most they should be about 6" x 4"
Placement Restricted
LOS Do not block LOS
Movement Penalty Difficult Terrain
DEF type None
Obstacle / Obstruction No
Notes Models can be thrown or slammed over a chasm without slowing down. However, if they land on the chasm, move them directly forwards or backwards to the edge (whichever way is closer) and add an extra d6 to the throw/slam damage roll.

Dust Storm / Sandstorm

Dimensions Any size, but at most they should be about 6" x 4"
Placement Unrestricted
LOS Use the same LOS rules as clouds, but are explicitly not clouds (so normal anti-Cloud tech doesn't work on them).
Movement Penalty Open Terrain
DEF type Concealment to models fully within the terrain
Obstacle / Obstruction No
Notes In addition to the above, Dust Storms affect ranged attacks range:
  • Models completely within a Dust Storm suffer -3 RNG to their ranged weapons
  • Ranged attacks targetting a model completely within a Dust Storm suffers -3 RNG
  • This RNG penalty does not stack with any other RNG penalty (such as Wind Storm). Instead, just use the greater of the Dust Storm penalty and the other penalty.

Lava

Diet Lava Extreme Lava
Dimensions Any size, but at most they should be about 6x4 Same
Placement Restricted Same
LOS Cloud Same
Movement Penalty Difficult terrain.
Pathfinder does not work on difficult terrain. Difficult terrain cannot be crossed unless you have Flight, Ghostly, etc, and can get all the way to the other side.
Models that cross over Lava suffer the Fire continuous effect.
Impassable terrain.
It cannot be crossed by anyone. (It's so hot it'll even melt ghosts and flying creatures!)
DEF type None Same
Obstacle / Obstruction No ... unless you're thrown/slammed into it. Same
Notes If a model is thrown/slammed into the lava, ignore the above and instead treat the lava as an obstacle. Rewind the movement so it just contacts the lava, and add an extra d6 damage. Also, apply the Fire continuous effect. Same

Wall with Windows

"Battlefield in a box" walls with windows are quite common in my area

I don't know how common these battlefield-in-a-box kits are overseas, but they're here so much we made house rules for them:

Dimensions Varies
Placement Restricted
LOS
  • Models within 1" of a window - Models this close can see and shoot out the windows. As such they can ignore the wall for LOS purposes. However they suffer -2 to ranged and magic attack rolls (to reflect the narrowed range of view through the windows)
  • Models further than 1" from the wall - If you're targetting a model within 1" of a window, you can ignore the wall for LOS. (If they can shoot out, you can shoot in!). Your target will, of course, get the cover bonus.
Movement Penalty Difficult terrain
DEF type
  • Cover vs ranged/magic attacks if it's intervening and within 1".
  • +2 DEF vs melee attacks if it's intervening at any distance.
Obstacle / Obstruction Obstruction
Notes Alternatively, you can pretend the windows have been blocked up with sandbags or whatever, and treat the whole wall as a long skinny building that fully blocks LOS.