Transports Over Water... (Poll!)

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**Ardensfax**

Quite an interesting issue, this. (Unless it IS actually covered in the rulebook, in which case I'm stupid, and/or unobservant...!)

Say a transport such as a chimera (which is amphibious) is destroyed while it's in water, or a skimmer with a transport capacity is destroyed while hovering over water.
What then happens to the passengers?

Note: This is just about water, obviously everyone would die if it were a pool of, say, lava or acid.

I've heard various suggestions:

1: They take damage as normal for being involved in a vehicle crash, then are placed on the nearest bank, after a dangerous terrain test.
(I don't like this one, what if the bank is 24" away?)

2: All transported troops are killed. This is probably the most in-keeping solution with the rules, as water counts as impassable terrain and troops can't disembark in said terrain.
(Also not keen on this one, however, as it seems a bit improbable, also, what if an amphibious Gorgon (containing 50 troops) goes glug in an apocalypse game. Unrealism alarm going off here!)

3: (My personal favourite) All transported troops take disembarkation damage as if their vehicle had exploded (representing extra dangers of sudden decompression, crash landing in water, etc), they are then treated as being in difficult terrain and cannot fire heavy or rapid fire weapons until they reach the bank, at which point they act normally.

Even this, though, has flaws... Do the troops get a cover save for being partially submerged? Does the water also count as dangerous terrain, representing currents, etc?
It's all a bit wide open to be honest...

What do you think?

**purplefood**

I'd go by the third choice.

**insaniak**

There are no specific rules for it... So it would come down to how you classify the terrain, and how you decide to resolve it.

Water features can be classified in a number of ways. Shallow streams or pools could be clear or difficult terrain. Deeper or faster moving water could be dangerous or impassable to certain unit types.

If the terrain feature is classed as impassable to infantry, then they would be unable to leave the vehicle and so (IMO) would be destroyed.

If it is classed as dangerous, they would exit the vehicle as normal, taking a Dangerous Terrain test.

If it is classed as difficult or clear terrain, they don't have a problem, and would just exit the vehicle as normal.

**Samus_aran115**

Normal damage. Most infantry can swim, so this wouldn't be a terrible problem. It should still count as difficult terrain though.

**Ardensfax**

I agree about swimming, I was thinking though, swimming is one thing, swimming in battle conditions, whilst weighed down by equipment, fighting a current, plus stray flying rounds, might make it a bit harder, hence I was thinking possible dangerous terrain...

**time wizard**

Insaniak has the right answer. There is no way to choose any of the options without knowing exactly how the water feature has been classified.

**Ardensfax**

Yeah, I suppose there's quite some difference between a pond and a fast-flowing river!

**DarthSpader**

i would agree with insaniak.....but maybe add a house rule, that in certiain water conditions, it in fact imposes a negitive to your save, since mentioned above its alot harder to fight and keep yourself activly safe in chest deep water then normal ground. to represent this, either reroll passed saves, or impose a -1 on armor saves while inside the water. this is done in dawn of war, "negitive cover". just an idea.

**zing165**

Well at my hobby shop we say infantry in water cant shoot in any way. But we do allow them to move accrost with out a transport. Its just a house rule. We also sometimes decide that the water is poison or something along those lines so any one that is in it dies. You and the other player would have to decide

**Ardensfax**

Of course, making stuff like fast flowing rivers dangerous could be a bit odd. After all, and imperal guardsman would probably get sunk by all his kit's weight, swept away, and drowned, whereas a terminator or space marine, heck, they'd probably just walk across the riverbed, breathing happily!

**Kommissar Kel**

As insaniak said depends on how the Water is classified; Impassible would equal destroyed; as all your infantry drown(OP for your gorgon reference look to WW2 landing craft; those that were destroyed in deep water often had all the soldiers killed by drowning)

**Nakis**

Perhaps dangerous terrain test, they can choose to swim to either shore. Roll to see distance. Every turn until they reach bank. Similar to retreating.

**Disarray**

Samus_aran115 wrote:Normal damage. Most infantry can swim, so this wouldn't be a terrible problem. It should still count as difficult terrain though.

I would love to see a space marine in power armor swim.

**Bookwrack**

He'd probably just walk.

**Lordhat**

I voted Other. This question depends 100% on how the terrain feature is classified for the game.

**Scott-S6**

If you have very large stretches of water in your terrain (24") then dangerous for non-vehicles and impassable for vehicles that aren't skimmers, amphibious or submersible seems a good idea.

**Cheex**

Bookwrack wrote:He'd probably just walk.

According to the Space Wolf codex, that sounds about right...

**Ardensfax**

On an unrelated note, I'm always amazed Land Raiders aren't amphibious... There's even a mini-story in the apocalypse book about several landraiders ambushing an enemy by driving out of a lake! Strange one, that...

**HoverBoy**

insaniak wrote:There are no specific rules for it... So it would come down to how you classify the terrain, and how you decide to resolve it.

Water features can be classified in a number of ways. Shallow streams or pools could be clear or difficult terrain. Deeper or faster moving water could be dangerous or impassable to certain unit types.

If the terrain feature is classed as impassable to infantry, then they would be unable to leave the vehicle and so (IMO) would be destroyed.

If it is classed as dangerous, they would exit the vehicle as normal, taking a Dangerous Terrain test.

If it is classed as difficult or clear terrain, they don't have a problem, and would just exit the vehicle as normal.

This

**Bookwrack**

Ardensfax wrote:On an unrelated note, I'm always amazed Land Raiders aren't amphibious... There's even a mini-story in the apocalypse book about several landraiders ambushing an enemy by driving out of a lake! Strange one, that...

Amphibious means they'd float. When land raiders have been involved with water in the past, they'd just batten the hatches and then drive across the bottom.

**Samus_aran115**

Bookwrack wrote:
Ardensfax wrote:On an unrelated note, I'm always amazed Land Raiders aren't amphibious... There's even a mini-story in the apocalypse book about several landraiders ambushing an enemy by driving out of a lake! Strange one, that...

Amphibious means they'd float. When land raiders have been involved with water in the past, they'd just batten the hatches and then drive across the bottom.

Yeah, I believe land raiders and rhinos can actually drive on the bottom of the ocean. Maybe even in space (or a low-gravity situation, like our moon)!

If your passengers don't need oxygen, then it makes matters much simpler. Since water features don't technically have rules in 40k, there's no rule for this kind of thing.

**Lordhat**

Bookwrack wrote:
Amphibious means they'd float.

Actually, it doesn't.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/amphibious

am·phib·i·ous [am-fib-ee-uhs] Show IPA
–adjective
1.
living or able to live both on land and in water; belonging to both land and water.
2.
Also, amphibian. capable of operating on both land and water: amphibious vehicles.
3.
of or pertaining to military operations by both land and naval forces against the same object, esp. to a military attack by troops landed by naval ships.
4.
trained or organized to fight, or fighting, on both land and sea: amphibious troops.
5.
combining two qualities, kinds, traits, etc.; of or having a mixed or twofold nature.

Simply being able to operate on land and water (whether on top or under it) qualifies something as being amphibious.