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Ok, so I have been looking for this one for a while now. And either I have completely missed it, the question is not relevent, or no one has figured an answer out yet. So here it goes.

How do Target Locks for battle suits and other infantry models function under fifth edition rules ( not vehical target locks, becase those are pretty strait forward in their discription in the codex)?

In the codex it says to nominate all targets for the unit first, then roll a single targeting priority test for the entire unit. If the unit passes the test fire as declaired. If failed the unit must fire as per the target priority rules.

Now here is my problem. Under fifth edition rules what is a targeting priority test? You and I know from playing fourth edition that it is a leadership test ( not a moral check) to shoot at a unit farther away than the closest infantry/tank/large target, or in the case of the target lock, to split fire amongst multiple units. But by the rules, we must play by and with the rules as currently written in the fifth edition rule book with no referance to previous editions of the rules. And in that rule book there is no such thing as a targeting priority test, it does not exist. So I am back to square one. How do target locks work in fifth edition? I have come up with three posible answers.

1) As targeting priority does not exist that part is simply omitted and the target lock automatically works, allowing the unit to split fire.
2) As targeting priority tests do not exist there is no possible way to pass therefor you automatically fail. It is a piece of broken wargear just like the command and control node.
3) Substitute a leadership test for the targeting priority test. Pass and you can split fire, fail and the unit can only fire at one target. This is the option my gaming group likes as they all know that Tau have rather below par leadership values.

Thanks for your help, advice and suggestions in advance. I joined Dakka specificaly to ask this question because I know that this site and the people who run it helped (cough*didallthework*cough) GW write there current FAQ/erratas. But there seems to be some holes in them, so maybe, just maybe, you can help.

As a tau player myself who relies on this piece of wargear for one of my cunning plans to work I hope its not completely nerfed!

Can I suggest you put this question onto Yakface's 5th ed FAQ thread (to be found at the top of the YMDC topics list)?

It may take a while but we're hoping to have answers to all of the stuff in there.

For myself, there are so many things that need altering/clarifying with the Tau codex, I'm putting them on the shelf and playing sisters for a bit. For a much older codex it seems to have far fewer problems...

the thing is, there aren't target priority rules, and there isn't a target priority test to take, As such I would totally ignore any reference to target priority, if someone insisted that you still had to do the test roll the dice and if you fail it say "okay according with target priority rules I can target anyone on the board"

But, here is the issue... its the only way for Tau to split fire in a unit... which is a MAJOR thing for them. SO i have 1 question.

DOES ANYONE HAVE JERVIS'S PHONE NUMBAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IN all seriousness, I do believe the "house rule" Rule applies here. Hopefully John rules on this and GW steals his ruling again.

One thing is that, according to the 5th ed FAQ, BT still have to take target priority,due to 'kill them all'.

I would assume, therefore, that equipment and special rules that meant you took a target priority test in the old rules would make you take a target priorety test in the new rules.

Mekboy wrote:One thing is that, according to the 5th ed FAQ, BT still have to take target priority,due to 'kill them all'.

I would assume, therefore, that equipment and special rules that meant you took a target priority test in the old rules would make you take a target priorety test in the new rules.

Except "target priority" Doesn't exist? And even the BT errata doesn't make 100% since because of that.

I don't know how technical you want to get, but the Black Templars entry actually explains how the target priority test works--it's a leadership test with a -1 modifier not to shoot the closest unit.

The Tau codex makes no mention of how Target Priority tests work. This creates a nice fuzzy area.

They're gone, and replaced with the rule about intervening units granting cover saves. That's the way I'd play it.

I am confused here, Aduro. How would you play it? The target lock's ability to allow a unit to split fire has nothing to do with cover saves.

Anyways this is just one of many problems that GW has created by pushing out fifth edition without even looking at what it does to the current codeices already released. GW's attitude of if it isn't Space Marine it doesn't matter is unacceptable. Yes I know Tau will get a rewrite in four or five years, and this is an acceptable amount of time in GW's mind to wait to have your army fixed, but Tau worked just fine until they released new rules that busted alot of their rules. And I do not think that it is unreasonable to ask them to sit down for five minutes go over the codex and fix them and tell their (semi-)loyal customers the correct way to play with their busted rules.

If GW remains consistent with their FAQs, which isn't always the case, then I would expect them to rule that the unit has to pass a Ld test in order to split their fire with the target lock, much as they ruled with the Black Templar's special rule that affected it's target priority roll.

Luckily, the Tau codex is written by Andy Hoare who, with the WH FAQ showed that he's not afraid to update it.

I thought he works for Blizzard now? or was that Andy Chambers?

Thats AC.

Target Priority was used when you were shooting at targets other than the closest one. If you're splitting your fire amongst more than one target, it's fairly safe to assume at least one of them is not the closest target, and thus you needed to take a Target Priority test.

In 5th instead taking Target Priority tests to shoot at units other than the closest, you instead have the system that gives your targets a Cover Save if you fire thru another unit.

"One Target Priority test is made for the unit - if passed, all the separate shots are taken; if failed, all shooting must be at the nearest target, as specified by the Target Priority rule."

Even if you did fail a Target Priority test, there's no more Target Priority rule that forces you to shoot at the closest target, so to me the entire sentence should be stricken from the book.

All possible target units are not always screened (after the first, I mean.)

Right. If they're screened, they get cover. If they're not, they don't.

So then you are in the boat of "if there is no test how can you fail"

Bingo. Heck, even if you took the test and failed, the punishment for doing so is having to follow a rule that doesn't exist anymore.

Which is why i'm in the boat that TLs don't work anymore. AND I EVEN HAVE 3K PTS OF TAU! By a pure RAW standpoint... you can't pass a test that doesn't exist. And since the codex says "if successful" you can't succeed at something you can't try.

On a side note. If I declare the squad is firing at unit A but my Shas'vre uses his target lock to fire at unit B am I able to assault unit A with the entire squad in the assault phase or do I have to multiple charge units A and B

.

This is another question which will need to be answered by GW n an FAQ.

In the meantime, people will play it one way or the other.

I think the majority will probably allow the use of target locks, based on the codex explanation.

Another point for a 40K As It Is Played poll.

To play devil's advocate here for a moment.

Codex: Tau Empire - Pg. 28 wrote:
One Target Priority test is made for the unit - if passed, all of the shots are taken; if failed, all shooting must be at the nearest target, as specified by the Target Priority rule.

We can all agree that said test no longer exists right? However how can you pass or fail a test you can't make? As this has NOT been FaQed the target lock is currently a broken peace of war gear in 5th edition. Because as it was worded there was a PENALTY for failure, in a new edition you must toss all knowledge of the previous edition out.

There is currently no RULES justification for allowing target locks to work. There is logic justification, however logic is NOT rules. The sad fact remains that since you cannot PASS OR FAIL a test you cannot make, you cannon use the positive ability of the war gear.

So sadly we currently DO NOT have an ability to bypass this rule.

BRB - Pg. 16 wrote:
A firing unit can choose a single enemy unit that is not locked in combat as its target, and may not split its fire among different targets. In order to select an enemy unit as a target, at least one model in the firing unit must have line of sight to at least one model in the target unit.

It would depend on other players. This is a rule that like Yakface said about the SMS/Cover controversy, will probably get played according to apparent intention by 70% of players. Meaning that most people will let the target lock unit split fire by making a "theoretical" target priority test.

I know and thats how i myself play it. But from a pure rules point is IS kinda cheating.

Who cares? The game is meant to be fun!

A player who denies the Tau one of their signature wargear items on the grounds that 40K5 RAW does not allow it (when RAI does allow it) is just a big old meany and a rules lawyer of the bad sort.

Kilkrazy wrote:Who cares? The game is meant to be fun!

A player who denies the Tau one of their signature wargear items on the grounds that 40K5 RAW does not allow it (when RAI does allow it) is just a big old meany and a rules lawyer of the bad sort.

... and most of them you find playing tournie's trying to max their armies advantages against an opponent.

I'm not going to play in tournaments.

Kilkrazy wrote:I'm not going to play in tournaments.

Well la de dah!

a good portion of people do however.

Well organised tournaments have a FAQ to cover issues like this.

Really well organised tournaments issue the FAQ in advance to allow for player feedback on missed issues before they finalise it.

Tourney organisers do not base their FAQ rulings on the literal RAW, they take into account ambiguity, the "rules as played" and problems with the pre-5th ed codexes.

Look at this issue from that perspective.

Tau have a piece of wargear that gives them an advantage. They pay points for it and it's a significant part of Tau tactics because of the way the Tau army is designed. Why would a reasonable player deny this wargear, simply because the exact wording about leadership tests is not in the 5th edition rules? That is clearly only because the Tau codex is 4th edition. The 5th edition FAQ concerning BT supports the continuation of target priority tests -- simply apply this to Tau.