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Something thats bothered me since I bought my Eldar codex, but never thought much about until now, is why anyone would use hit and run. As I understand, you charge in, then leave combat moving 2-3d6, leaving you open to being charged yourself and shot. I can see on a last turn doing it to gain extra momentum to hop onto an objective, but thats about it.

So what is it good for?

Charge in your turn - likely win combat. If terrain is nearby, or the opponent has a countercharge unit nearby, jump back to avoid the countercharge.

OR, if they don't have a countercharge ready or they have too many guns in the area, stay locked in combat. On their turn fight again [hopefully you still win, or at least don't run away] and THEN jump back. On your turn, re-charge the unit you were fighting for more damage or zip away to jump down the throat of something else, and finish off the surviving enemies with shooting or something.

Oh. i thought you had to do it the turn you charged. I can see doing it to charge again. That could be pretty nasty.

Nope, on any turn in which neither you nor the opponent run away, you can disengage and back off.

The best thing is that you can do it to lock up stuff for a turn, then break off at the end of the opponent's assaut phase. Then rapid-fire the crud out of the unit with the other forces. It works well for Sister's Seraphim. Warp Spiders or Shining Spears should work even better.

Very useful IF you can survive one round of combat in your opponent's turn...

You can back off during his assault phase and then in your following turn, shoot and charge in again or fly off and take on a different target.

You have an autarch with a mandiblaster, laser lance on a bike and 5 shining spears... exarch with hit and run and starlance.

He has 16 berzerkers in a unit....

You fire at them 6 6 strength shots... and manage to kill 1 berzerkers... You charge in and go first...

12 S6 power weapon attacks and 3 S8 power weapon attacks... You kill 9. The seven swing at you and after hits, wounds and saves you lose 1. He lost by 8 and being fearless makes 8 saves and loses 3 more. You decide to stay in combat so the rest of his army can't shoot you to pieces...

Next round of combat he kills 2 and you kill 1 but you don't run so you decide to use hit and run and back off..

So... now the autarch, exarch and the 1 spear fire 3 shots... hit but dont kill and charge in again.

6 S6 power weapon attacks and 3 S8 power weapon attacks... You easily slaughter the 3 remaining berzerkers...

And then in 5th edition you are stuck out in the cold...

Correct?

No, unless you choose to be.

The rule changes very little from 4e to 5e.

Main thing that changed in 5ed is you have to make an I test to break away. Means you have to roll under your I to actually break away, with a 6 being a fail no matter what.

It's good for Harlequins, Warp Spiders, Shining Spears, and other units with I5+.

I tried to cut costs on my Shining Spears and not take this skill, its not worth the saving. Yes it is expensive, ys there arew times when you can do without it. Namely if you want to tie up a unit, or more commonly you waste it on a single charge.

However without it Shining Spears are slightly reusable Rough Riders, at triple price. you have nasty high strength power weapons on the charge - plus a decent shooting attack - a long stick in a drawn out melee. Really you must get in a charge each of your turns of combat.

This means running in your own or your opponents turn, which is up to you and is situational depending on terrain, what you are in combat with and what units are around, friendly or enemy. Personally I opt to flee immediately behind cover of terrain or better yet a guardian squad, it is not usually worthwhile trying tro keep the spears in combat for the oppponents turn, unless what they have really cannot hurt you much even on good rolls.

Nurglitch wrote:It's good for Harlequins, Warp Spiders, Shining Spears, and other units with I5+.

Yeah I guess for the most part units with hit and run have high initiative anyway, but the possiblity to fail is still there.

Thanks for clearing it up guys.

Er no. initiaive doesnt have too much to do with it in the case where in my mind it is best used. To me its far more about the charge bonuses. All hit and run does is prvoide multiple charges or get you out of drawn out combats, whether or not you strike first or last in each combat is not really relevant. I wouls still hit and run my Shining Spears if my opponents were all I10 or I1.

And that I test really messes with the Ork Deffkoptas Hit-an-Run...

Banesword wrote:And that I test really messes with the Ork Deffkoptas Hit-an-Run...

Yeah I was gutted when I realized the I test would mean all my kunnin deffkopta planz were wrecked.

How could the pilots not just fly away? Guess the I test reflects their orky tendency to get "stuck in" to a good fight (literally)

One very important aspect of hit and run is the fact that it puts you in control. the fight begins and ends when you decide.

another often ignored aspect of hit and run, your hit and run movement ignores the engaged foe(s). Therefore, if someone throws their preventative charge units at you (say, kroot/gun drones facing a Tau army) hoping to tie you up/annoy the crap out of you, you hit and run through them. Next up? Your turn. And look, you're 2" away from those tasty fire warriors. Shoot them with whatever you like, then bash their faces in.


Oh, another example of hit and run serving me well. an Ork opponent of mine intentionally offered up his 30 boy mob as a tasty treat, hoping to get me stuck in and then the following turn smash into me with the PK nobz just around the bend. I, however, ate as many of his boyz as I could, and went right back behind cover, quick as you please.

Kapitan Montag wrote:

Banesword wrote:And that I test really messes with the Ork Deffkoptas Hit-an-Run...

Yeah I was gutted when I realized the I test would mean all my kunnin deffkopta planz were wrecked.

How could the pilots not just fly away? Guess the I test reflects their orky tendency to get "stuck in" to a good fight (literally)

why dio youi want to assault with deffkoptas unless it is to tie up something weak and shooty, which really defeats the object of hit and run. orks are not short of assault units but a relocatable rokkit that has a decent chance of hitting, that is a real bonus.