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2 questions:

Can Stunned or Shaken vehicle still use a searchlight?

Can a unit that uses a searchlight still use smoke? It's not a shooting attack, but it takes place in the shooting phase.

You have to successfully target a unit to searchlight them.
The only way to do that is shoot.
If you can't shoot, you can't searchlight.

jb50c wrote:Can Stunned or Shaken vehicle still use a searchlight?

Only if they are allowed to acquire a target (With PoTMS or some other rule that allows shooting whilst Stunned or Shaken).

jb50c wrote:Can a unit that uses a searchlight still use smoke? It's not a shooting attack, but it takes place in the shooting phase.

As Rig said the searchlight is used when you shoot, it can not be used without firing a weapon.

"You have to successfully target a unit to searchlight them.
The only way to do that is shoot.
If you can't shoot, you can't searchlight."

I was under the same impression for 8 years. This is wrong...and at the BAO it cost me any chance in the first game (like I would have had any chance against Christian anyways....)
From the SM Codex (the IG Dex says the same thing BTW):
Searchlights are used where the night fighting rule is in effect. If a vehicle has a searchlight it must still use the night fighting rules to pick a target but, having acquired a target, will illuminate it with the searchlight.

In short, there is NOTHING about shooting (except that the action happens in the shooting phase) in regards to using a searchlight. You move up (and you can even move flat out since this is NOT a shooting attack), roll for night fight range. If you 'see' the target based on the dice-vs-range roll then he is automatically searchlighted.
Whether you shoot anything or not (or are even capable of shooting anything based on movement or weapons being destroyed already) is completely irrelevent.

(EDIT) As for using Smoke...the BRB only says you can't fire any weapons when you use smoke (including any embarked units with fire points (Chimeras, Rhinos, etc). The searchlight is NOT a weapon, so should still allowed to acquire a target. The action being your vehicle is now targetable without having to roll for night-fight, but you still get the 4+ cover.

dkellyj wrote:From the SM Codex (the IG Dex says the same thing BTW):
Searchlights are used where the night fighting rule is in effect. If a vehicle has a searchlight it must still use the night fighting rules to pick a target but, having acquired a target, will illuminate it with the searchlight.

In short, there is NOTHING about shooting (except that the action happens in the shooting phase) in regards to using a searchlight.

Incorrect, as the only time you are allowed to target a unit is when you are shooting weapons at them.
(Or Rules that specifically say to target a unit)

The searchlight does not allow you to target anything without using the night fighting rules to pick a target.

So you can not use a searchlight unless you are shooting.

"If a vehicle has a searchlight it must still use the night fighting rules to pick a target"
So we check Night fighting and it says: "After selecting a target, but before a unit fires..."

So you indeed need to select a target, and you can not select a target if you are not capable of shooting.

"Incorrect, as the only time you are allowed to target a unit is when you are shooting weapons at them."
Really? When a Psyker Battle Squad TARGETS a unit for Weaken Resolve it goes off automatically upon passing a test.
And WR can only be used in the Shooting Phase.
It targets a specific unit within range but is not a shooting attack.

In short...Searchlights are NOT weapons. They are their own item of wargear with their own unique rules that just happen to be used in the Shooting Phase.

dkellyj wrote:"Incorrect, as the only time you are allowed to target a unit is when you are shooting weapons at them."
Really? When a Psyker Battle Squad TARGETS a unit for Weaken Resolve it goes off automatically upon passing a test.
And WR can only be used in the Shooting Phase.
It targets a specific unit within range but is not a shooting attack.

In short...Searchlights are NOT weapons. They are their own item of wargear with their own unique rules that just happen to be used in the Shooting Phase.

And during the shooting phase the only way to aquire a target is to - wait for it - declare the unit is shooting. Because that's when you roll for sight distance.

Sounds like you might have had a bad call at the BAO. That sucks. :(

[quote=dkellyjReally? When a Psyker Battle Squad TARGETS a unit for Weaken Resolve it goes off automatically upon passing a test.
And WR can only be used in the Shooting Phase.

As noted, the only time you're allowed to roll for nightfighting is when you're picking a target. And the only time a vehicle is allowed to pick a target is when it's shooting.

You had a bad call at the BAO. It happens.

Yeah, but when that bad call causes you to lose your heavy units and a Vendetta on turn 1 without them ever firing a shot it pretty much decides the entire game then and there.

That sucks.