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As we all know, Valkyries have a hard time getting any cover saves when they're mounted on that huge flight base. Does anyone know if it's permissible to remove them from the base during gameplay to take advantage of cover? It seems to make sense to me, I'm sure the pilots would prefer to fly a bit lower if it meant getting behind some trees so they could continue living. Vehicles with bases are always a little wierd since the base isn't technically part of the vehicle. I just hate to get penalized by true LoS for having valks on dynamic flying bases when every other skimmer in the game gets to use bases that don't add appreciable height to the model.

Pretty sure nothing in the rules lets you do that just to take cover better. It's still great value for points so I wouldn't push my luck.

Maybe check out the section on immobilized skimmers. I think that might say something about removing flight stands if they're not glued. But then all models should be glued : P

they stay on the bases they come with from GW. GW factored how easy they are to kill with there cheap points costs. I once had a GW redshirt tell me that he took his stormraven off the stand to get more cover, i told him he would need to double the points cost then.

Models need to be fielded on the bases that they are supplied with.

Pg. 71 The only cases in which you are permitted to remove the skimmer from its base is if it is immobilised or wrecked.

My flight stands are magnetized Taking them off wouldn't be just for the cover save. At the end of movment it would be either high or low so if it was low the valk would have LoS issues of it's own. I remmember skimmers used to be able to do similar things in earlier editions. The valkyrie base is just so problematic. They even had to publish special rules in the faq just to allow models to leagaly embark on a valk.

Edit: Yowza, had 3 more responses just while typing an answer to the first response. Sadly my rulebook is loaned out atm or I could have checked. Thanks for the answers!

You could just fly it close to cover and hope it gets immobilized

The first thing I learned when I started playing with an Airmobile Regiment was to stop worrying about cover for my birds.
Obsessing about it only leads to high blood pressure and awkward tactical maneuvers. Take what the enemy throws at you and try to maintain mobility.
The one thing a Valkyrie/Vendetta commander CAN do however is to try and minimize chances for shots against their rear armor. 12/12/10 with integral Extra Armor can withstand quite a bit.

Cannibal wrote: I remmember skimmers used to be able to do similar things in earlier editions.

Personally I'm glad they did away with things like Pop-up attacks and overwatch...the number of headaches that came from playing the waiting game just weren't worth it.

I will second A-P here, and also point out that if you get into a tight spot you can generate some nice cover saves by moving flat out (4+ or 3+ IIRC). Our local IG player is pretty good about flying them out of danger and then zipping back in to snag troops as needed.

I agree with A-P ... Vendettas and other IG gunship variants dominate the battlefield in terms of space, and if you try to move flat-out you're going to get a decent cover save but not be able to bring to bear your awesomely powerful 3 twin-linked lascannons. They're huge and in a board packed with terrain all of that moving can be dangerous. Especially against anti-armor infantry populating the board. That being said, if keeping your birds alive is more important than firing, such as in a Kill Point game you're already winning at, then go ahead and move them flat-out if you're sure you're going to be mostly safe.

Honestly, if you're trying to get a 50% obscured cover save on a gunship, you may want to thin out your board's terrain... because that is a big model to hide. And from what I seem to gather, I would say that one must consistently measure LOS, base-to-base, hull-to-base, ect. This would mean that you fire from and get fired at the same places through the entire game in both players' turns. In accordance to the rules. Modifying your model in-game has never been legal anywhere I have seen, unless it is replaced with another model such as in some Independent Characters' special rules. If I were a TO I would chuckle and veto if I saw someone try to do that.

It's the equivalent of moving ports where weapons fire from on a land raider, and the only reason it even seems to make sense in the case of a gunship is that it's fluff implies that as a gunship it can move vertically. But as it is a skimmer, not a "Aircraft" unit type, a vertical move is illegal unless you are moving up floors of a ruin. You see, a common mistake is to interpret the rules based off of what we see as possible in our imaginations and not just look at the letter of the law. A Vendetta is a fast skimmer. It moves exactly like a Wave Serpent or any other.

Replacing and removing a base is blatantly stepping into the ground of assuming exclusions of conditions to be fair game. Just because the BRB doesn't say you can't do X doesn't mean it is legal to do.

You want the height for LoS, so just take it like a man. Pack 3 of them if you're worried about them being shot ... and if they're killing your valks/vendettas then they aren't shooting at your HS slots!

in the rule book on page 71 starting on line 15 including titles it states that all skimmers which a storm raven is (not sure on a valkerie) "note that a skimmer must be set down on the table and left in place at the end of it's move - it CANNOT be left in mid-air

actuall wording if anyone wishes to contest my claim feel free but i have the rulebook next to me :p

Some people try and claim that since skimmers can fly over terrain they can end their move up in their air. They cannot.

That is not a permission to remove the base - it is an instruction to set the model (including the base which you aren't allowed to remove) on the table at the end of the movement phase.

I'll Bite:

BRB page 3, Bases:

Citadel miniatures are normally supplied with a base. If so, they must be glued onto their bases before they can be used in the game.

BRB Page 71, Shooting at skimmers:

If a skimmer is immobilized or wrecked, its base is removed, if possible. If this is not possible(The Base might have been glued in place, for example) don't worry about it.

-Bunch of Fluff about why the skimmer is still "floating", and rules stating it may not turn in place-

Shooting at skimmers continued, last sentence:

Note that it is not permitted to remove the flying stand other than in the 2 cases above, as normally skimmers cannot land in battle conditions.

Next.

scotta29 wrote:in the rule book on page 71 starting on line 15 including titles it states that all skimmers which a storm raven is (not sure on a valkerie) "note that a skimmer must be set down on the table and left in place at the end of it's move - it CANNOT be left in mid-air

actual wording if anyone wishes to contest my claim feel free but i have the rulebook next to me :p

if you read the sentence before and i quote "Skimmers can move over friendly and enemy models, but they cannot end their move on top of either". expressly stating that you can not have your skimmer placed on top of the models hence in mid air. It must be set up on the table. Being on there base does not qualify them as being in mid air in literal since. Only in game since.

Your honor I rest my case!

you read the sentence before and i quote "Skimmers can move over friendly and enemy models, but they cannot end their move on top of either". expressly stating that you can not have your skimmer placed on top of the models hence in mid air. It must be set up on the table. Being on there base does not qualify them as being in mid air in literal since. Only in game since.

fair comment
but the question was asking whether or not a vehicle could be removed from its base in order to gain cover which if the model ended its movement behind cover say a building it would get a cover save

so your objection is sastained to the jury if you will

SilverMK2 wrote:Models need to be fielded on the bases that they are supplied with.

Warhammer 40,000 rulebook, 5th edition, page 3 wrote:
Some players like to mount their models on impressive scenic bases. As mounting your models on different-sized bases might affect the way they interact with the rules, make sure before the game that your opponent does not mind this

So it's fine so long as you get an opponent's permission. Of course, it's unlikely that they'll give you permission for something like that.

Also:

INATFAQ, version 4.3.1, page 4 wrote:
RB.03B.02 – Q: If a model is mounted on a scenic
base and an opponent objects to it, what happens?
A: If an opponent objects to a scenic base, the model may
still be used in the game. However during the game, to the
best of both players‟ abilities, the model must be treated as if
it were based on a standard-sized, non-scenic Games
Workshop base [clarification].

Once again, you're allowed to use a different base for appearance purposes, but you must treat it as if it were on its normal base for gameplay purposes.

It's a risk you;re gonna have to take when you field something like a valkyrie/vendetta or a stormraven. Just take it like a man or re-evaluate how your troops will enter the battlefield.