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I was playing a game earlier today, and a situation regarding Tank Shocking/Ramming and Skimmers came up. I thought that Skimmers could ignore terrain/enemies/allies/models in combat, anything in the way, if I wanted it to, in order to go and tank shock or ram unit 24" away (I'm using Eldar.) My opponent on the other hand believed that tank shocking would mean that I hit every single model in line between the original position of my skimmer, and it's eventual target. In the given case, a squad of Khorne Berserkers in between my Falcon, and his Rhino.

Basically I thought so because Skimmers can fly across basically everything, and I thought that Tank Shocking/Ramming was just like regular movement, except I can only move in 1 direction with X (the chosen) distance. As such, I assumed that I could ignore terrain etc.

My opponent, and the blackshirt however, thought that because of how the words were phrased, it would mean that even if I was a skimmer, I would have to fly "on the ground" and hence, would hit everything in between. As it was 2v1, I let this one go and just played with this interpretation.

However, I'm now here to ask you guys for a confirmation (and potential argument I could present next time this comes up) as to why or why not skimmers can ignore terrain/enemy units/ally units/units in combat etc. when Tank Shocking and/or Ramming.

Additionally I want to ask the following three questions:

1.) If a skimmer is tank shocking/ramming and moving through terrain, not ending on, but just through terrain, does it need to take a terrain test?
2.) If there is a unit on top of a building for example, and my Skimmer is on the ground-level, am I allowed to fly it through the terrain, over the building, and tank shock the models on top of the building? Basically, with a skimmer, is it legal to tank shock anything over ground-level?
3.) If there are multiple units in between my tank and the final target, am I allowed to do the following: Assuming 3 in between, and a final target Ignore the first, tank shock the second, ignore the third, and ram the final target?

Thank you in advance!

Kouzuki wrote:1.) If a skimmer is tank shocking/ramming and moving through terrain, not ending on, but just through terrain, does it need to take a terrain test?

Skimmers can move over all terrain, ignoring all penalties for difficult terrain and tests for dangerous terrain. So no, it won't make a test unless it begins or ends in terrain.

2.) If there is a unit on top of a building for example, and my Skimmer is on the ground-level, am I allowed to fly it through the terrain, over the building, and tank shock the models on top of the building? Basically, with a skimmer, is it legal to tank shock anything over ground-level?

Sure, why not. as long as it stays moving in a Straight Line.

Basically the argument that the opponent and the blackshirt made was that the vehicle is moving as fast as possible using it's mass as a weapon, as such, it's on the ground, flying in a straight line. The words in the BRB are phrased such that it says that "move the vehicle forward until it comes into contact with an enemy unit or it reaches the distance declared." It's also phrased such that a tank shock/ram is an "attack" and not really a "movement" so...

As such, I can only move straight and not "evade" the units in between.

Is there any sort of argument I can bring up next time this happens to support my PoV?

Have a look at one of the other threads, back closer to the release of 5th edition. There's actually a fair controversy.
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/214552.page#330687

Hopefully that'll help you get your argument together.

through the rules it states that any units in the way are "tank shocked as normal", so it's debatable if your forced to shock all i nthe way. From the wording of the rules it seems refectly fine to ignore any terrain as it's a skimmer movement phase and shock anything on the way to your target.