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This question came up today in a game, and I was wondering what everyone elses view was on the matter.

Is there a difference between the PLAYERS movement phase and his LIBRARIANS' movement phase.

Particularly, I'm wondering when Summoning goes off.


Let's assume you want to summon a unit of Grey Knights to your librarian who happens to be mounted in a Land Raider....attached to that unit of Grey Knights is another Librarian.

Keep in mind...wording of the power "Summoning" states that the power is used at the beginning of the LIBRARIANS movement phase. Not at the start of the GREY KNIGHTS movement phase. (like psychic communion states along with other "before movement phase" powers).

Your Land Raider wishes to move so it moves 12". Your Librarian casts his power...must he cast it before the Land Raider Moves? Or does he cast it when (if) he decides to disembark the land raider. (essentially the beginning of his movement phase)

If he must cast the power before the landraider actually moves....what of the librarian attached to the squad of Grey Knights that is teleported? When can HE cast the same power if it's purchased?

The wording of this power seems a little confusing. I'm not certain if actual models have their OWN movement phases or not...this is why I ask. If they do not, why was the power worded the way it is rather than simply "at the beginning of the players/Grey Knight's movement phase?

My opinion, yes, there is a difference.
The beginning of the PLAYER's movement phase is before a single model has moved.
The beginning of a particular unit's movement phase is before that unit has moved.

Deadshane1 wrote:Is there a difference between the PLAYERS movement phase and his LIBRARIANS' movement phase.

No. The Librarian's movement phase is the movement phase in which the Librarian moves. Individual models do not have their own phases within the phase. There is just the one movement phase for each player.

Agree with Insaniak. Players/armies have phases. Individual models do not. Saying "The Librarian's movement phase" is just a shorthand way of saying "The movement phase of the player who is fielding the Librarian."

insaniak and Mannahnin are correct. Models do not have movement phases. So, you're stuck with two options:

1) The Librarian never has a movement phase, and therefor can never use Summoning.

2) Matt Ward really meant to write "At the start of the movement phase of the Grey Knight player" and then you're stuck using it at the start of the GK Movement phase before anything else has moved.


Disclaimer: Grakmar and DakkaDakka cannot be held responsible for any consequences; including but not limited to bloody noses, broken bones, smashed or stolen models, and permanent banning from a FLGS; resulting from someone actually using argument 1. It is a TFG argument of the worst kind and can be expected to entice extreme nerd rage. Use at your own risk.

Syanpse is written to occur in "their" movement phase and I had always read that to mean that it applies when you choose to move (or not move) a unit.

The FAQ states that it applies as soon as the movement phase begins.

So I read that as applying to every case that is not explicitly stated otherwise, and I cannot think of any off-hand.

Which is to say, I agree with insaniak and Mannahnin, but have regularly argued as don_mondo did.

Instinctive behavior happens at the beginning of the movement phase, but bear in mind that Fallback moves don't happen at the beginning of the movement phase in 5th edition. They happen in place of that unit's movement. This can be a big help to Tyranid players because they can move a Synapse creature to be within 12" of a unit which is falling back, before the unit falls back, so that it auto-rallies instead.

Mannahnin wrote:Instinctive behavior happens at the beginning of the movement phase, but bear in mind that Fallback moves don't happen at the beginning of the movement phase in 5th edition. They happen in place of that unit's movement. This can be a big help to Tyranid players because they can move a Synapse creature to be within 12" of a unit which is falling back, before the unit falls back, so that it auto-rallies instead.

The downside to even this is that the now regrouping nids only get to move 3"(but are unaffected by difficult terrain); and do this 3" move as soon as the Synapse critter ends it's move within range.

Just thought that was worth pointing out.