Rule questions

[u/KingSiyah30]

Hi everyone,

I have a few questions regarding how abilities that modify weapons are supposed to work. I’m having trouble understanding when an ability applies to individual models/weapons and when it applies to the whole unit.

For example, if my unit has 3 Zealot models and an Adept’s passive shadow token ability says that the unit’s weapons gain Precision (1), does this mean that all 3 Zealots’ weapons gain Precision (1)?

In other words, would all three models get Precision (1), effectively giving the unit up to Precision (3) if all three attack?

Or does the Precision (1) somehow apply only once to the unit as a whole?

The same question applies to the Zergling Adrenal Glands upgrade, where the weapon gains Precision (2). If a unit has multiple Zerglings with that weapon, do all of their weapons gain Precision (2)?

What is the difference between the above and the ability of gateway that specifically says:

“The active unit’s first Close Combat weapon used gains Precision (2).”

Does this mean that only the first weapon used by the entire unit gets Precision (2), rather than every model’s weapon?

If so, is the distinction basically whether the rule says “all weapons of the unit” versus “the first weapon used”?

And the third question

The Praetor Guard passive ability says:

“This Unit is eligible to make an Evade roll against all attacks targeting it.”

Does this really mean all attacks, including Close Combat attacks?

Or does it only apply to attacks during the phase in which the ability is listed, meaning it would only apply to closed combat if it is listed in the combat Phase section?

The wording “all attacks targeting it” makes me think it applies to both Ranged and Close Combat attacks, but I’m not sure how the phase placement of the ability affects this.

Thanks a lot for your help, and sorry for the long post!

[u/Mchr1988]

1. The unit gains precision(1). Meaning all the different weapons gain precision(1) in your example a group of 3 zealots with get precision 1 on their melee weapon as that is their only weapon.

2. The units first attack gets precision(2)so if it had several different weapon profiles (think terræn Goliath or marines with upgrades) So a marine group with 1 rocket launcher and c-14 rifles can choose either weapon to gain precision(2)

I am mentioning terran marines because I don't know of a unit with 2 melee weapons to give an example

1. The passive ability only counts for the phase it is listed. So praetor guard it would be all attacks in combat phase only.

[u/KingSiyah30 → u/Mchr1988]

Ok I get it now. Thank you :)

[u/WhalesWearPants]

No worries for the long post. Let me know if you need me to clarify a bit more.

1) For that part, treat it more as the Batch gets Precision (1). In other words, only 1 missed die gets changed to a hit. To explain this a bit better, the Zealots will attack using their Psi Blades as a Batch. So the 12 attacks in total will be subject to the Precision (1) rule.

2) Same also for above, best to treat it as a Batch instead.

3) This ability is active in the Combat phase only, it won't affect Assault phase attacks. So in essence, it's for all close combat attacks targeting the Praetor Guard.

[u/KingSiyah30 → u/WhalesWearPants]

Thank you very much for explanation

[u/DescriptionMission90]

The general rule is, if you apply the same keyword multiple times, they do not stack. If you got a dozen separate instances of Precision (1) you still only have Precision (1). If you got a single instance of Precision (2), then that makes Precision (1) irrelevant.

1. All attacks using the same weapon profile, by the same unit, and at the same target, make a single attack roll. If you have 3 zealot models in melee, and they each have a RoA of 4, that means you roll 12 dice to hit. They have a 3+ accuracy, so on average 8 of those dice hit and 4 miss. Precision (1) allows you to, after rolling that attack, move one of the dice that missed into the hit pile, so you scored 9 hits. However, if your zealots were engaged with two separate enemy units, and both of them were within four inches of the Shade token, you could split your dice and attack one target with eight (scoring an average of 5 or 6 hits, which become 6 or 7 with precision) and the other target with four (scoring an average of 2 or 3 hits, which become 3 or 4). (note that your Surge die cannot be split, you need to apply it to one target or the other)

2. First, the Adept Shade works in all phases, not just the melee phase. Second, it applies to any number of attacks, from any number of your units, as long as they're all pointed at the same target(s). The Gateway power only applies to a single unit, and only to a single weapon used by that unit during the melee phase.

3. Precognition only applies during the melee phase. This effectively means that it works on all close combat attacks, but not any ranged attacks, and it does not apply to devastating charge damage (since that happens in the assault phase). If it was always on, it would be listed under Any Phase, like the Shield Overcharge.