Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Do Tau SMS systems ignore the cover save from smoke?

Since its not actually in area terrain, its seems like it should.

Warning! You have touched one of the many third rails here. This will not end well.

There are two camps on this. The first camp takes the SMS rules in the Tau codex to override the cover rules in the BRB. This camp says one should play by what was clearly the intent of the SMS rules when they were written in 4th edition when cover was a physical thing. This camp will rule against allow smoke cover saves from SMS.

The second camp takes the new cover rules into account. In 5th edition, cover is no longer just a physical thing. It is now also obscuration. Smoke grants obscuration (unless you're using an older codex with different rules for smoke launchers). Since obscured units now counts as being in cover, those units would get cover saves against SMS.

Yay for GW.

RaW is that both answers are correct and it divides by 0.

/sigh

INAT or any thread like this cover (get it?) the subject.

4+ it.
Prob. the quickest way to resolve it to get the game going.

Gwar! wrote:RaW is that both answers are correct and it divides by 0.

..............................40k...................................

An exception error 09 has occured at 0028:C11B3ADC in SMS ModTSD(03). This was called from 0028:C11B3029 in BRBCSS(05). It is impossible to continue normally.
You may:

* roll dice and attempt to continue
* close your rulebook, stop playing Tau, wait 5 minutes and start a new game. You will lose any tactical advantage you had gained.

Sort of like having a tie on the re-roll for determining who goes first.

You know what i think they should ignore the cover save ... not because there is a rule ether way ... but simply because have to roll to hit the dam tank twice ... once at BS 3 and once at BS 5. Odds are 5/12 or 42% then you have to pen it and damage it ...

Tri wrote:You know what i think they should ignore the cover save ... not because there is a rule ether way ... but simply because have to roll to hit the dam tank twice ... once at BS 3 and once at BS 5. Odds are 5/12 or 42% then you have to pen it and damage it ...

And then we get a cover save!

Tri wrote:You know what i think they should ignore the cover save ... not because there is a rule ether way ... but simply because have to roll to hit the dam tank twice ... once at BS 3 and once at BS 5. Odds are 5/12 or 42% then you have to pen it and damage it ...

Wrong system. The SMS is the smart missile system. I believe you are thinking about Seeker Missiles that are fired from a marker light.

rogueeyes wrote:

Tri wrote:You know what i think they should ignore the cover save ... not because there is a rule ether way ... but simply because have to roll to hit the dam tank twice ... once at BS 3 and once at BS 5. Odds are 5/12 or 42% then you have to pen it and damage it ...

Wrong system. The SMS is the smart missile system. I believe you are thinking about Seeker Missiles that are fired from a marker light.

Insert face palm ... you're right confusing the 2 systems... well str 5 so its only just able to pen AV10 .... yep I think that those shots should ignore cover

The terrible wording of the SMS "The Smart Missile System can Engage any target in range regardless of whether there is a line of sight to it or not. The target can count the benefit of cover that they are in, or touching if it lies between them and the firer" (Tau Empires Codex, Pg 27) makes me think that smoke launchers would still give the cover save on the reasoning that SMS does not ignore cover, it just ignores cover that is granted by intervening terrain, it doesn't remove a cover-save it just doesn't grant one based on certain rules that would normally grant a cover save. regardless however, a vehicle that has popped smoke would still be 'obscured' and still get its 4+ cover save.

at least, thats my reading of the rules.

The first BS for the seeker doesn't have to be BS3 anyway. I can think of numerous markerlight sources that are BS4.

I give my opponents cover saves that are specified in the entry or aren't worked out using the usual TLOS.