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do lords and heroes act like 40k independent characters for the purposes of joining units? if not, how do you keep them alive?

Depending on your army they can join most units. But keeping them a live is a bit harder, put them in cover, throw them in combat. flee when charged by a stronger opponent.
Only people I have a problem with are mages. Protect them by putting them in a unit, but suffer a bad miscast and you can say goodbye to that nice unit you had.

Characters are given permisison to join and leave units, much like ICs, however they have additional restrictions - those on monstrous mounts can never join units, for example.

Lone heros or lords on foot tend to become Cannon fodder, unless you can hide them behind LOS blocking terrain. Even then its not ideal.

Certain monstrously mounted characters can join units.

Generally you want to have characters join units with the same unit type, infantry with infantry, cavalry with cavalry and etc. for the sake of Look Out Sir! checks.

blak43 wrote:Certain monstrously mounted characters can join units.

Who? (note i don't know every SC in existance and am just curious)

blak43 wrote:Generally you want to have characters join units with the same unit type, infantry with infantry, cavalry with cavalry and etc. for the sake of Look Out Sir! checks.

Or be near such units to get a 4+ LoS, also it isn't a save it's a special rule, not much difference in what it does, except that this distinction allows it to work against purple sun and pit of shades and other template things who disallow all kinds of saves aka armor, ward, and regeneration.

Monsters, and ridden ones, cannot join units.

So no stegs in units. Change from 7th ed.

Well I was thinking of the skaven warlord, can be mounted on a rat ogre bonebreaker and still join units, though he loses Look Out Sir! Though when mounted that way he counts as monstrous cavalry which is different from mounted on a ridable monster?

Yes.

Monstrous cavalry == big cavalry
Ridden Monster == Riding on a monster. Those things that are bigger than Monstrous Cavalry and get Thunderstomp