Difference between revisions of "The Heretic"

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(Trivia)
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=Other=
 
=Other=
 
===Trivia===  
 
===Trivia===  
Originally released 2017.03
+
* Originally released 2017.03
 +
* The Heretic has been released in both plastic and metal/resin, with the plastic version coming in the 2017 Army Box
  
 
===Theme Forces===
 
===Theme Forces===

Revision as of 00:11, 17 February 2019

Grymkin Logo.jpg

The Heretic
Grymkin Warlock

"True and false are merely words, to turn the masses into herds."

The last of the Defiers to spurn Menoth, the Heretic is a self-styled god who rebelled against his creator. Believing all are able to become divine, he fashioned himself into a paragon of his own distorted virtues. Now the Heretic wishes to dethrone the God of Man and free all of his creation from his laws.

Basic Info

The Heretic
Missing Info
The Heretic.jpg
COST {{{cacost}}}
UNIT SIZE {{{casize}}}
FA {{{cafa}}}
Warcaster 0
BASE Medium
SPD 6
STR 7
MAT 7
RAT N/A
M.A. N/A
DEF 15
ARM 15
CMD 10
ESSENCE {{{essence}}}
FOCUS N/A
FURY 7
THRS N/A
HP 17
F. Field N/A
WJP {{{wjp}}}
WBP +28
IHP {{{ihp}}}
FA N/A
UNIT SIZE N/A
COST N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Warcaster 1
COST N/A
N/A
Understanding
the Statblock

Abilities

  • Warlock - All warlocks come with a stack of standard special rules - most notably being awesome. Click here for a newbie-friendly recap, or click here for the full rules.
  • Divinity - This model cannot become knocked down and never suffers Blind. Models do not gain back strike bonuses against this model.
  • Godlike Power - During its activation, this model can cast any non-animus spell that was cast by an enemy warlock or warcaster while in this model's control range during your opponent's last turn as if it were one of its own spells. This model cannot upkeep spells that do not appear on its card.
  • Sacred Ward - This model cannot be targeted by enemy spells.

Weapons

  • Execrator - 2" reach, P+S 13 melee weapon.
    • Magical dam symbol.jpg Damage Type: Magical
    • Dispel - When this weapon hits a model/unit, upkeep spells and animi on that model/unit immediately expire.
    • Guided - Attacks made with this weapon automatically hit.

Spells

  • |-

|colspan=7 style="text-align:left; font-size:110%; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff;"| |colspan=1 style="text-align:left; font-size:110%; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff; border-bottom: 1px solid #fff;"| |- |style="text-align:left; font-size:110%; border-bottom: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff;" rowspan=1| Fury ! style="border-top: 1px solid #A8A8A8;"| 2

! 6

! -

! -

! Upkeep

! No

|style="border-bottom: 1px solid #fff; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff; border-top: 1px solid #fff;"| |- |colspan=8 style="text-align:left; border-bottom: 1px solid #fff; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff; border-top: 1px solid #fff;"|Target friendly Faction model/unit gains +3 to melee damage rolls but suffers -1 DEF.

  • |-

|colspan=7 style="text-align:left; font-size:110%; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff;"| |colspan=1 style="text-align:left; font-size:110%; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff; border-bottom: 1px solid #fff;"| |- |style="text-align:left; font-size:110%; border-bottom: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff;" rowspan=1| Gallows ! style="border-top: 1px solid #A8A8A8;"| 3

! 10

! -

! 13

! -

! Yes

|style="border-bottom: 1px solid #fff; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff; border-top: 1px solid #fff;"| |- |colspan=8 style="text-align:left; border-bottom: 1px solid #fff; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff; border-top: 1px solid #fff;"|When an enemy model is hit by this attack, it can be pushed d6" directly towards Gallows' point of origin.

  • |-

|colspan=7 style="text-align:left; font-size:110%; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff;"| |colspan=1 style="text-align:left; font-size:110%; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff; border-bottom: 1px solid #fff;"| |- |style="text-align:left; font-size:110%; border-bottom: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff;" rowspan=1| Hex Blast ! style="border-top: 1px solid #A8A8A8;"| 3

! 10

! 3

! 13

! -

! Yes

|style="border-bottom: 1px solid #fff; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff; border-top: 1px solid #fff;"| |- |colspan=8 style="text-align:left; border-bottom: 1px solid #fff; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff; border-top: 1px solid #fff;"|Enemy upkeep spells and animi on the model/unit directly hit by Hex Blast immediately expire.

  • |-

|colspan=7 style="text-align:left; font-size:110%; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff;"| |colspan=1 style="text-align:left; font-size:110%; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff; border-bottom: 1px solid #fff;"| |- |style="text-align:left; font-size:110%; border-bottom: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff;" rowspan=1| Rebuke ! style="border-top: 1px solid #A8A8A8;"| 2

! 10

! -

! -

! Upkeep

! Yes

|style="border-bottom: 1px solid #fff; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff; border-top: 1px solid #fff;"| |- |colspan=8 style="text-align:left; border-bottom: 1px solid #fff; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff; border-top: 1px solid #fff;"|Target model/unit cannot give orders, receive orders, or make power attacks or special attacks.

  • |-

|colspan=7 style="text-align:left; font-size:110%; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff;"| |colspan=1 style="text-align:left; font-size:110%; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff; border-bottom: 1px solid #fff;"| |- |style="text-align:left; font-size:110%; border-bottom: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff;" rowspan=1| Wall of Fire ! style="border-top: 1px solid #A8A8A8;"| 3

! CTRL

! Wall

! -

! Upkeep

! No

|style="border-bottom: 1px solid #fff; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff; border-top: 1px solid #fff;"| |- |colspan=8 style="text-align:left; border-bottom: 1px solid #fff; border-right: 1px solid #fff; border-left: 1px solid #fff; border-top: 1px solid #fff;"|Place the wall template anywhere completely within the spellcaster's control range where it does not touch a model's base, an obstruction, or an obstacle. (1) When a model enters or ends its activation within the wall template, it suffers an unboostable POW 12 fire damage roll and the Fire continuous effect. (2) Models within the template gain concealment.

Trump: Reckoning

  • Trigger - When an enemy model in The Heretic's control range destroys or RFPs a friendly Grymkin warrior model in The Heretic's control range.
  • Effect - For one round, friendly Grymkin models gain +2 to attack and damage rolls against the attacking enemy model/unit. If that enemy model/unit is destroyed or RFP'd, choose another enemy model/unit to receive the bonus against.

Grymkin warlocks use Arcana instead of feats.
At the start of every game, the Grymkin player chooses 3 Arcana Cards for that game. One card must be the warlock's unique Trump Card (above) but the other two are from the generic set.
During the game, the Grymkin player can use each chosen Arcana once, at any time that the trigger conditions are met.

Thoughts on The Heretic

The Heretic in a nutshell

The Heretic is a warlock with great tools for almost all situations. He is the closest thing Grymkin have to a generalist caster

He bears quite a few similarities with another divine person, The Harbinger of Menoth:

  • both share the Divinity trait, making them well-defended against pop-and-drop assassinations
  • has auto-hitting close combat attacks
  • and despite that, he is not a frontline warlock

The Heretic is also protected from spells, while his Godlike Power allows him to turn the most potent spells against his enemies.

Arcana thoughts

Reckoning is one of the best Arcana in the faction, and surely the best trump card among the Grymkin warlocks. It gives an army-wide equivalent of Prey, offering an outstanding turn where you can decimate your opponent. If you can capitalize it with a good support (such as stealing a key debuff with Godlike Power), few enemy will stand before you.

Note that transferring damage does not cause the enemy model to destroy the model, so Reckoning can't be triggered due to transferring damage. Infernal

Spell thoughts

  • Fury - The bread & butter support spell, making any model in your army stronger. You almost always want to cast Fury every turn, parking it on whatever can do the most damage. Alternatively cast it on The Heretic himself and kill whatever you need to with his auto-hitting staff.
  • Gallows - Expensive spell, which can be great starting point for assassinations or for picking out critical but tough targets such as command attachements.
  • Hex Blast - Standard zapping spell, which sadly works only on a direct hit. Has the same dispelling effect as The Heretic's melee weapon, which strongly discourages enemy upkeeps finding themselves on your frontline.
  • Rebuke - Beside the self evident benefits (blunt charges, stop slams, prevent head-butts, and block tricks with trampling & reposition), do not forget about the orders. Losing "Press Forward" will bereft enemy units of run and charge (and thus, Assault). Also nullifies other orders, like "Cautious Advance", or "Shield Wall".
  • Wall of Fire - A great board control tool, and ideal deterrent for jamming units and light infantry. Combines nicely with the Desolation arcana. You can also pull targets into/through with Gallows or pull attacks seen on the Gorehound or Baron Tonguelick.

Drawbacks & Downsides

  • Average defensive stats. Like many other Grymkin models, the Heretic relies on his defensive rules to stay safe.
  • Medium base makes screening somewhat challenging. This being said there are several medium or larger base models in Grymkin which love the kind of support the Heretic provides.
  • Vulnerable to anti-magic tricks, especially ones which strip your upkeeps. Losing Fury on a key attack can be devastating.
  • Not much in the way of defensive boosts for his army. This can be somewhat mitigated by picking the right arcana - for example Heretic's high command range lets him trigger the Shroud arcana easily.

Tricks & Tips

  • Panic-dispel: if your unit suffers from a nasty upkeep, whack them into the back with the Execrator for instant dispelling.
  • Godlike Power, along with the Arcana mechanism offers you great flexibility. You should aim for the top spells on your enemy's card, which might be useful to you. Some examples from the most desirable ones:

List Building Advice

Strategy

    Attrition    
The Heretic has a strong attrition game thanks to his powerful spells, notably Fury & Rebuke. Fury can be used to allow cheaper models, such as Gorehounds or Murder Crows, to trade up for more much more expensive enemy targets. Rebuke takes away much of enemy infantry's output, especially jamming infantry which rely on defensive orders to do work (screw you Rocketmen!). The Heretic is a strong damage dealer himself, and his ability to leverage his enemy's spell list only gains in value as the game progresses and options leave the table.

    Scenario    
The Heretic's scenario game is much the same as his Attrition game; kill enemies efficiently by cycling Fury while leveraging his other spells & abilities as the opportunities present themselves. The big difference is a shift from killing big things, to killing things in zones.

    Assassination    
The Heretic has an amazing Assassination game thanks to a very offensive spell list and a strong desire to move up the table to maximize his ability to steal spells. Oftentimes Assassinations with the Heretic will take place later in the game, as Fury & Rebuke make their presence felt on the efficiency of the enemy army. This late game assassination is perfect for the Heretic, who can park Fury on himself for some more than robust personal output.

    Conclusion    
The Heretic is a warcaster who can take any model in the faction and make them better (Syvestro or Deneghra1 are good examples of this archetype). Fury is an extremely powerful spell which is good on pretty much every Grymkin model, and as such there are no obvious best choices with the Heretic.

Thus a good place to start your army is figuring out how to cover the Heretic's weaknesses:

Theme Thoughts

    Dark Menagerie    
Dark Menagerie is a very strong theme with the Heretic. Fury makes Grymkin's already above average melee 'beasts even scarier, and free Crabbits are ideal for protecting the Heretic from enemy fire. Gremlin Swarms can be used to trigger Reckoning, though as of Jan 2019 most Dark Menagerie Heretic lists also include a min or max unit of Dread Rots for this purpose.

    Bump in the Night    
In Bump in the Night the Heretic has more options, able to still rely on heavies and the Death Knell, but gaining access to an additional blocking option in the form of Piggybacks, a pair of amazing Fury targets in Hollowmen & Murder Crows, and many more warriors to trigger his arcana. It's worth starting here with the Heretic until you are familiar with how to maximize the Gremlin Swarms in Dark Menagerie.

Army

  • Gorehounds are very strong with the Heretic, able to abuse Fury to deal critical damage to much larger targets. The speed also means that the Gorehound can often start in the Heretic's cast range, then rocket out to whatever part of the table needs something dead.
  • A Cage Rager should always be considered with the Heretic, less for the anti-magic aura (Heretic does that himself, although doubling up on effects is a good strategy for attrition or scenario based lists) and more for the arc node. Threatening Rebuke across the board is killer, especially as a way to deliver a Fury-laden Gorehound or Rattler.
  • The Death Knell is often paired with the Heretic, due to the immense value of its defensive aura to a caster who wants to be in the centre of the table for most of the game.
  • A Clockatrice or two is really strong in a more control oriented Heretic build, able to limit charge lanes and threaten over terrain with Flying. The Clockatrice's Assault & spray combination also make it quite a good Fury target, able to hit multiple enemies at once (effective POW 17 ain't shabby on a 'beast which can fly and is immune to frenzy).
  • Baron Tonguelick is a worthy inclusion, as you are always going to be able to use his free upkeep (for Fury or Rebuke) and are likely to want his cloud (to help put the Heretic further up the table where he wants to be). Spell Slave + Gallows is cute, allowing you to squeeze out just that little bit more threat.

Bump-only

  • Piggybacks, especially with the Officer, are very good with the Heretic, acting as a beefy skirmishing unit which also happens to take Fury extremely well.

Other

Trivia

  • Originally released 2017.03
  • The Heretic has been released in both plastic and metal/resin, with the plastic version coming in the 2017 Army Box

Theme Forces

Template:Grymkin warlock themes

Other Grymkin models

Grymkin Logo.jpg       Grymkin Index       (Edit)
Battlegroup
Warlocks

The Child - The Dreamer - The Heretic - The King of Nothing - The Wanderer - Old Witch 3
Arcana
Warlock Attachment: Baron Tonguelick

Warbeasts

Lesser: Crabbit

Light: Frightmare - Gorehound - Rattler

Heavy: Cage Rager - Clockatrice - Skin & Moans

Gargantuan: Slaughterhouse

Units, Solos, & Battle Engines
Units

Dread Rots - Hollowmen - Mad Caps - Malady Man - Murder Crows - Neigh Slayers - Piggybacks - Twilight Sisters

Solos

Baron Tonguelick, Lord of Warts - Cask Imp - Defiled Archon - The Four Horseymans - Glimmer Imp - Grave Ghoul - Gremlin Swarm - Isiah, Dread Harvester - Lady Karianna Rose - Lord Longfellow - Trapperkin - Weird Wendell - Witchwood

Battle Engines Death Knell
Theme Forces Minions
Dark Menagerie - Bump in the Night Refer to Category: Grymkin Minion
This index was last updated: 2021.08

Video Battle Reports

Rules Clarifications

RC symbol.png

Rules Clarification: Arcana     (Edit)

  • Normally Arcana can only be triggered during the enemy turn. However, sometimes a free strike will allow you to trigger an Arcana during your own turn.
    • This can potentially lead to having two Arcana active at the same time.
  • Arcana can be triggered/used while the warlock is knocked down.
  • Any given warlock can't have duplicates of the same Arcana.
  • In a multi-warlock game, each warlock can't have duplicates of the other's Arcana.
  • In a Steamroller tournament:
    • You choose your Arcana cards before the start of each game.
    • You choose them on your clock. ie during your deployment time.
    • In a Grymkin vs Grymkin mirror match, one player chooses on his clock, then the other on their clock, then both reveal, then deployment starts.

The Child - Wrath   [Show/Hide]
  • Determine which warbeasts are currently in The Child's CTRL range before increasing her CTRL range. (Infernal Ruling)
  • You can trigger this if The Child herself is damaged.
    • Say you have a warbeast at max fury that you want to transfer to. You cannot have The Child suffer damage, then trigger Wrath, then transfer the damage to the now-not-at-max-fury warbeast. Because, as per Appendix A Timing Sequence, damage transfer occurs at step 9g, but damage to The Child that lets her trigger the Arcana occurs at step 10a.
  • You can trigger this if a warbeast out of your CTRL range is damaged (although they won't get the benefit).
  • When your FURY stat drops back down to normal, any excess fury tokens are discarded.
The Dreamer - All Fall Down   [Show/Hide]
  • Once triggered, there is no range limit to which models can be affected. An enemy model could be fighting a Grymkin model on the opposite side of the board from the Dreamer, and it'll still get knocked down.

The Heretic - Reckoning - None yet

The King of Nothing - Taste of Ashes   [Show/Hide]
  • There is no range limit on who gets damaged. If the nearest model(s) is 48" away, it'll get damaged anyway.
  • The warbeast that you trigger the Arcana on will also cause d3 damage to d3 models. It's not just "from then on".
  • You roll a separate d3 damage for each damaged model.
  • If multiple warbeasts are killed by a single attacker (such as with an AOE) you resolve the "d3 damage" sequentially, one warbeast at a time.
    If the original attacker is destroyed by this damage, the rest of the "d3 damages" fail to trigger because the attacking model is no longer in play. (Infernal Ruling)

The Wanderer - Divergent Path - None yet


  • Note that The Shadow and the Shroud Arcana have the trigger tied to your lower CMD range.
Accursed   [Show/Hide]
  • Enemy models can regain the abilities they lost. For instance, having Zombify cast on them.
Ill Omens   [Show/Hide]
  • Note that there is no range limit on the effect of Ill Omens.
Ruin   [Show/Hide]
  • For Ruin, refer to the clarifications on Arcane Vortex. It's essentially the same in-game effect and has the same clarifications.
Sacrifice   [Show/Hide]
  • Kreuger1's feat puts AOEs in play which causes damage immediately, then damages anyone walking around in them later. Sacrifice can be triggered by the damage when the AOEs are first put in play, but not from damage taken when walking around in the AOE. (Infernal Ruling)
  • Sacrifice can be triggered from damage taken the Sunhammer spell. (Infernal Ruling)
  • Sacrifice can be triggered from stuff like Electro-Leap and Chain Lightning. (Infernal Ruling)
  • If your warlock transfers damage and that kills a warbeast, it doesn't count as the enemy destroying the warbeast and Sacrifice can't be triggered. (Infernal Ruling)
  • Sacrifice can be triggered from a Steamroller objective, or can be used to heal an objective. (Infernal Ruling)
The Shadow   [Show/Hide]
  • The model that is advanced into must be smaller-based than the enemy model doing the advancing.
  • The only restrictions on the new warbeast are what are stated. You can cast spells on it, force it, give it corpse tokens, whatever you like.
  • You cannot trigger this by taking control of an enemy model, because it's not an enemy model while under you control.
  • If you trigger it during your opponent's turn, the warbeast will be in play for the remainder of your opponent's turn, you can activate it during your next turn, and it'll expire at the end of that turn.
  • If you manage to trigger it on your own turn (an enemy model got an Admonition move, or something) then you can activate the warbeast this turn, and it'll expire at the end of your opponent's next turn.
  • Whether you need the actual physical model for something that is only in play for one round, or whether you can use a marker instead, is a decision that must be made by the Event Organiser. A PP event will always require the correct model. (Infernal Ruling)


RC symbol.png

Rules Clarification:  : Magical Damage      (Edit)
(Click Expand to read)

* The "Damage Type: Magical" is not inherited by "secondary" damage from a weapon. That is, stuff like arcs (Electro Leap) or hazards (Scather). (Infernal Ruling)
  • All spells have "Damage Type: Magical" (refer errata).
    • This is inherited by "immediate" secondary damage (such as Eruption of Spines). (Infernal Ruling)
    • and might be inherited by "lingering" secondary damage (see below).
  • If a spell leaves a template in play that does damage to models that walk around in it, then:
    • if it is not described as a hazard it will do magical damage to models that walk around in it. (Example: Razor Wall)
    • if it is a hazard then it will not do magical damage to models that walk around in it. Instead, it does whatever damage type is specified by the spell description. (Example: Breath of Corruption).
    • (Infernal Ruling)
  • If a weapon/spell includes Magic Damage and another kind of elemental damage it will still damage Incorporeal models. Incorporeal models are not affected by the rule "if an attack does multiple types of damage and a model is immune to at least one it is immune to the entire attack."
    The phrase "immune to non-magical damage" should be interpreted as "immune to damage that doesn't include Damage Type: Magical" (not interpreted as "has immunity to Corrosion and Electricity and Cold and etc.")
RC symbol.png

Rules Clarification : Dispel      (Edit)

  • Dispel can't be used versus upkeeps that are not "on" a model/unit (such as Rock Wall, Void Gate, etc), because you can't "hit" them.
  • Because Dispel causes spells to expire on a hit, it will prevent spells that trigger on a hit from triggering at all.
    • For instance, the defensive animus Spiny Growth causes any model that hits the target to suffer d3 damage. This damage will not occur if it's hit by a Dispel weapon.
  • Anti-Upkeep vs a unit (Edit)
    • If an upkeep is on a unit, then all you need to do is make it expire off any member of the unit and the spell will expire from the entire unit.
    • It doesn't matter if the target is in formation or not. (Locked thread)
    • However, if an upkeep is on a single model within a unit (such as Scything Touch) then you need to dispel it off that particular model to make it dispel. (Infernal Ruling)
RC symbol.png

Rules Clarification : Guided      (Edit)

  • Attacks which are out of range will auto-miss, even with Guided. Refer to Appendix A: Range is measured at Step 3, and Guided resolves at Step 4.
  • Guided does not 'get around' Stealth. Refer to "Attacks That Hit or Miss Automatically" in the main rulebook.


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Rules Clarification:  : Warlock      (Edit)
(Click Expand to read)

 
  • General
    • Damage from a feat is neither an attack nor Damage Type: Magical (unless the feat says it is).
    • FURY (uppercase) is the stat printed on the warlock's card. Fury (lowercase) refers to fury points a model currently has.
    • Your CTRL area is double your FURY stat, not double your fury points. (Infernal Ruling)
    • Casting spells or using feats is an anytime ability with the added restriction that you can't use them on the same turn you run even before you run.
      • See also the clarifications on Any Time abilities (below).
    • Some warlocks are also Battle Engines and thus follow all the Battle Engine special rules.
      There is no particular interaction between the Battle Engine rules and the Warlock rules.
  • Reaving & Leeching
    • If you choose to Reave, it's all or nothing. You must Reave all the Fury (up to your limit) and you can't choose to "let some disappear". (Locked thread)
    • If your warbeast is Removed From Play, you can still reave fury off it. (Locked thread)
    • If your warbeast is destroyed or RFP'd while under your opponent's control then:
      1. You cannot reave fury off it. Because it is still enemy at the time it was destroyed/RFP'd, and you can't reave from enemy warbeasts.
      2. After it is taken off the table, it returns to your control and is eligible for Spirit Bond and (possibly) Return to Play stuff (like Thagrosh1's feat).
  • Transferring Damage
    • If both the warlock and the warbeast are damaged by the same attack (such as an AOE), then you need to apply the 'normal' damage to the warbeast before the transferred damage. This distinction can be important when you're working out who/what actually destroyed the beast. (Infernal Ruling)
    • If there is too much damage for the warbeast and it "overlaps" back to the warlock, then that damage is considered ... unsure at this time. (Infernal Checking)
  • Restrictions on "Any Time" abilities     (Edit)         [Show/Hide]
    • "Any Time" abilities can be used at any time during a model/unit's activation, except:
    1. Before any compulsory forfeiture of movement/action. See step 2 of the activation sequence, appendix A.
    2. After the model with the "Any Time" ability has had their activation end "prematurely". By this I mean you resolved something which includes the phrase "its activation ends". Examples include:
      • Running, failing a charge, or failing a slam.
      • Abilities that include "then its activation ends" (such as Reposition and Teleport).
    3. In between declaring your charge target and making your charge movement. (Infernal Ruling)
    4. In between completing your charge movement and determining whether it was a successful charge. (Infernal Ruling)
    5. When you're in the middle of moving. (Note: Impact Attacks count as being in the middle of movement).
    6. When you're in the middle of an attack. Which also includes effects that occur "after the attack is resolved".
      (Although the attack is "resolved" at Step 11, in terms of using an "Any Time" ability the attack is not "finished" until after Step 14. Refer to the first paragraph of Apdx A.)
    7. Your opponent interrupted your activation to trigger one of their own abilities (such as Countercharge).
    8. Warcasters/warlocks/etc can normally cast a spell or use their feat "At any time". However, there is a core rule saying they cannot do so on the same activation that they run. So, they are subject to all the same restrictions listed above, plus they can't cast/feat before running.
    9. Units: See below.

    • In general you can use "Any Time" abilities while you're knocked down or stationary (except Spells and Feats which specify you can't).
    • If you have a gun with a random ROF, you can use an "Any Time" ability inbetween rolling the number of shots and actually making the first attack. (Infernal Ruling)

    Units with "Any Time" abilities
    • You cannot use an "Any Time" ability before issuing/receiving orders. See step 1 and 2 of the activation sequence, appendix A.
    • A model in a unit can't use an "Any Time" ability after they run (Infernal Ruling) or fail a charge. Because that makes that specific model's activation to end even though the unit's activation is still ongoing, and you can't use abilities on models that are not active.
      • You can use an "Any Time" ability before running, however.
    • A model in a unit can't use an "Any Time" ability after anyone in the unit has begun a Reposition move. (Infernal Ruling)
  • Warcaster/Warlock Cavalry ( Edit )
    • Warcasters/Warlocks can't cast spells or use their feat while resolving Impact Attacks. Because Impact Attacks occur during movement - you can use spells or feat before moving, or after moving, but not during movement.
      • Exception: If your Impact target(s) include your charge target, then your movement has ended (refer rulebook, last paragraph of 'Impact Attacks') and thus you're fine to use "any time" abilities before starting the Impact attacks.


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Rules Clarification:  : Warcaster Unit or Warlock Unit     (Edit)
(Click Expand to read)

This summary is specific to Warcaster/Warlock units. You may also want to check the Warcaster and Warlock pages respectively, for the "regular" rules clarifications.
  • All models in the unit count as part of the battlegroup. So, for instance, Butcher3's argus can be moved via his Energizer spell.
  • Warcaster units can have attachments. They can even attach units (such as the WSC). (Infernal Ruling)
  • The non-caster models are trooper models but are not normally Grunt models. Therefore they're not normally eligible for stuff like Revive.
  • If any member of the unit start to do their reposition movement, the warcaster or warlock in the unit would no longer be able to feat.(Infernal Ruling)
  • Press Forward Order vs Spells cast at Any Time (Edit)
    • You must issue orders before anything else. If you issue a Press Forward order, you must run or charge.
    • If you cast spells before moving, you can't run so you must charge.
    • If you cast spells before moving, then start the spellcaster's Normal Movement but have no valid charge targets, you are in a situation where you must charge but cannot charge.
      In this situation the spellcaster must either:
      • forfeit their Combat Action, use their Normal Movement to make a full advance, then their activation ends. (Note that you cannot cast more spells after the full advance).
      • forfeit their Normal Movement, then their activation ends.
      • (Infernal Ruling)
  • Steamroller 2018
    • The non-caster models can contest scenario zones & flags.
    • The caster model cannot contest.
    • The caster model can control zones and flags by itself, but:
      • to control a zone, the entire unit remaining in play needs to be in formation.
      • to control a flag, the entire unit remaining in play must be within 4" of the flag.
  • Units Buying Attacks (Edit)
    • If you make attacks with model [A], then start making attacks with model [B], you cannot 'go back' and buy more attacks with [A]. Because:
    • A model can only buy additional attacks during its Combat Action.
    • A model in a unit must complete its Combat Action before the next model starts theirs (with some exceptions, like CMA).
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Rules Clarification : Unit of Warcasters or Warlocks     (Edit)

  • Even though they're warcasters, if they're out of formation they suffer the normal penalties (can't make attacks, actions, spells, etc).
  • They can't upkeep each other's spells.
  • They can only dominate one SteamRoller scenario element at a time.
  • Each warlock/warcaster can have different upkeeps on them if those upkeeps are "target SELF" or "target model". If you cast an upkeep that is "target model/unit", that is the only upkeep any of them can have.
  • Units Buying Attacks (Edit)
    • If you make attacks with model [A], then start making attacks with model [B], you cannot 'go back' and buy more attacks with [A]. Because:
    • A model can only buy additional attacks during its Combat Action.
    • A model in a unit must complete its Combat Action before the next model starts theirs (with some exceptions, like CMA).
  • The Legion Twins
    • Rhyas cannot dominate a zone while out of formation.
    • Rhyas can use the feat while out of formation.
  • Haley3
    • Only Haley Prime is an 'actual' warcaster model, and as such she is the only one that can dominate a scenario element.
    • The echoes can Control/Contest scenarios like a normal unit.
    • Haley Prime can dominate an element even if the echoes are out of formation.

Rules Clarification : Divinity - None yet. (Edit)

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Rules Clarification : Godlike Power      (Edit)

  • The Heretic can still cast copied enemy upkeep spells, he just can't upkeep them between rounds.
  • Godlike Power doesn't apply to Infernals, Lesser Warlocks, or "Junior Warcasters".
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Rules Clarification : Sacred Ward and/or Spell Ward     (Edit)

  • Sacred/Spell Warded models can still be affected by spells. For instance, CTRL area spells, AOE that deviate, and/or sprays that target a nearby non-warded model.

Rules Clarification : Fury - None yet. (Edit)

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Rules Clarification : Gallows      (Edit)

  • The target is pushed directly toward the point of origin, not the caster. This distinction is important if the spell is channeled.
  • Push - General     (Edit)   [Show/Hide]
    • Pushed models do not change their facing.
    • Pushed models move at half rate through difficult terrain. Also, Pathfinder doesn't apply during pushes.
    • Pushed models stop if they contact anything - a model of any size, or any obstacles or obstructions.
    • You don't get free strikes against pushed models, because it is "involuntary movement" and therefore does not count as an advance.
    • Pushed models suffer the effects of anything they move through (such as acid clouds).
    • If you use a Push vs a charging model (via a free strike for example), this will stop the charge movement (refer core rulebook).
      • However, if the pushed model is in melee range of its charge target after the push, then it is considered a successful charge. (Infernal Ruling)
      • In that scenario, you measure whether the charging model moved 3" or less excluding the push distance. (Infernal Ruling)
    • If you push a model to a position where it regains Incorporeal (for instance you push it out of range of an Exorcist) then what happens is (Being Checked by Infernals)
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Rules Clarification : Hex Blast      (Edit)

  • If you miss and deviate onto a different target, no upkeeps or animi expire. You need a direct hit.
  • Anti-Upkeep vs a unit (Edit)
    • If an upkeep is on a unit, then all you need to do is make it expire off any member of the unit and the spell will expire from the entire unit.
    • It doesn't matter if the target is in formation or not. (Locked thread)
    • However, if an upkeep is on a single model within a unit (such as Scything Touch) then you need to dispel it off that particular model to make it dispel. (Infernal Ruling)

Rules Clarification : Rebuke - None yet. (Edit)

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Rules Clarification : Wall of Fire      (Edit)

  • The size of the wall template is 0.75" by 4". (Infernal Ruling)
  • The wall template is not a wall. It does not provide cover/concealment to models within 1" the same way regular wall terrain (linear obstacle) does. (Infernal Ruling)
  • Templates that do damage (Edit)   [Show/Hide]
    • Most templates that do damage to models that walk into them are defined as "Hazards" (such as Burning Ground) but there are a few that aren't Hazards (such as Creeping Barrage and Wall of Fire). The differences are:
      • A hazard is a terrain element
      • Damage from a hazard template is never considered to be from the model or weapon/spell that put it into play. So hazards never gain special rules of the weapon/spell (such as a Damage Type or Poison), nor does it gain special rules of the model (such as Hand of Fate).
      • Damage from a non-hazard template is considered to be from the model that put it in play. So non-hazards do get stuff like Hand of Fate. (Infernal Ruling)
      • Damage from a hazard is not from an attack (so won't trigger stuff like Vengeance)
      • Damage from a non-hazard is also not from an attack. Instead it will be a Special Action (Covering Fire), or a "instead of making an attack, place a template" (Creeping Barrage), or etc.
     
    • Damage templates from spells is complicated:
      • (Infernal Ruling)
      • Spells that leave templates that are not hazards (such as Razor Wall) do Damage Type: Magical.
      • Spells that leave templates that are hazards (such as Breath of Corruption) follow the rules for hazards, which are most likely not magical damage but it varies by the hazard.
      • The initial damage when you place the template, if any, is Damage Type: Magical.
      • For example, Breath of Corruption's initial POW 12 corrosion damage roll is Damage Type: Magical in addition to Damage Type: Corrosion. But the hazard that is put into play from Breath of Corruption is not Damage Type: Magical, just Damage Type: Corrosion.
     
    • By default, when you put a template into play it doesn't do damage to models they overlap. The exceptions are templates that are created by an AOE weapon, and templates that explicitly say they do damage when they're placed.
    • A model which is "placed" also counts as "entering" an area, so the template will damage any one who teleports/spawns into it, too.
    • If two templates are overlapping, a model that enters them will take two points of damage.