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I have asked this question in another thread and at a few different stores to several different people. I get as many different interpretations as people I ask.

According to the Mad Dok's Scalpel Rule, and I don't have a codex to quote, but the doks "rage":

~"..is conferred to his unit. this means that once he has joined it, he may not leave it unless he is the last remaining model."

basically meaning that whatever unit you put him in he stays there unless he is killed and removed or unless the unit is wiped and he is alive.

Now, lets suppose you put a 2nd IC such as warboss or Ghazz in this same unit. Is there anything from preventing the 2nd IC from leaving the unit such as the warboss sees a tasty landraider nearby, but the Dok's unit has to move towards a unit of termies that are closer.

Is the rulte "to not leave the unit" also conferred? Or, since the RAW states that " he may not leave the unit", the "He" only implies that the Dok may not leave?

Rules don't transfer like that, especially since the rule only references the Dok.

Yeah, there is nothing preventing other IC's from joining or leaving the unit as normal.

This does make a headache though if he starts in a 2 man unit of 2 independent characters. Would they then be allowed to join another unit together, or would they be stuck in a 2 man unit for the duration of the game. I'm getting a headache just thinking about it.

What are your thoughts on the Doc forming a unit with 1 other independent character?

I'm not so sure that the 2nd IC can just run off to attack that tasty Land Raider.
The way I read it is this:

Mad Dok confers to the unit he is with (so to the 2nd IC as well) his "must move as fast as possible towards the nearest enemy" ability.

IC's join or leave units by moving in or out of coherency with it.

Now ruleswise there may be nothing keeping the 2nd IC from leaving Mad Dok's unit, but I think it may be physically impossible to both move as fast as possible towards the same enemy the rest of the unit is moving as fast as possible towards and get out of coherency with it.

In the end, it comes down to how you read the 'characters leaving units' rule:
If you say characters are separate again the moment they break coherency: your IC is stuck in Mad Dok's unit.
If you say characters are separate again the moment you declare intent to break coherency: your IC is free to chase that tasty Land Raider.

Ruphi wrote:What are your thoughts on the Doc forming a unit with 1 other independent character?

Well, they both certainly would be allowed to join other units together. As to breaking up, like I said above:
If you say characters are separate again the moment they break coherency: your IC is stuck with Mad Dok.
If you say characters are separate again the moment you declare intent to break coherency: Mad Dok can't leave the other IC, but the other IC can leave Mad Dok.

It also bears on how your FLGS does rage.

If they do option A: move all models as close as possible.

or B: moving a single model as close as possible Satisfying the requirements of moving your unit towards theirs.

I personally believe in option A but if you do a search on RAGE you will find many pages of debate.

THE_GODLYNESS wrote:It also bears on how your FLGS does rage.

If they do option A: move all models as close as possible.

or B: moving a single model as close as possible Satisfying the requirements of moving your unit towards theirs.

I personally believe in option A but if you do a search on RAGE you will find many pages of debate.

RAW is obviously B. There's no question about it.
RAI is completely another can of worms, I believe it is A with caveats (ie. unit can maintain coherency separation instead of clumping up etc).

All of One Scalpel short is transferred to every model in any unit joined by Mad doc Grotsnik, this includes other ICs.

All models must move as fast as possible as far as possible as stipulated by OSS.

These are all clearly spelled out in the OSS rule(second to last sentence)

Yeah I think after reading these posts, the most accurate description is that:

1. The rule is conferred to the other IC, since he is in the unit and he obviously must behave like everyone else in the unit.
2. The physical mechanics of the movement rule would prevent the other IC from effectively ever being able to leave the unit.
3. Although it only states that that "he may not leave it unless he is the last remaining model." (which I am interpreting to be He= Dok). The effective result of the rule is that the other IC can not leave the unit mechanically since he will always be toting around in unit coherency.

On number 3...

The very last part of the OSS rule is not a separate portion to the rule(such as the movement requirements and the fearlessness are separate rules combined into the overall OSS); it is instead a clarification as to a specific circumstance that will be encountered when applying the OSS rule.

Because all members of the unit are required to move with all due alacrity into 1 funneled direction(nearest enemy); then obviously no IC(Grotsnik nor Bloodlust conferred alternate IC) can leave the unit because they cannot end their move more than 2" away from the unit.

We know that this is a clarification and not another specific rule from the opening of the line: "This means...".

There is an area where that clarification does change rules: when you have the ability to get another, different unit within 2" of any IC in the Grotsnik unit. At this point you have the clarified restriction that no IC with the bloodlust conferred may leave the unit even though you are capable of leaving the unit without breaking the movement requirements.

But again the entirety of the OSS rule and the conferring of the Bloodlust portion of the rule does not make any sense unless you read it to have "Grotsnik/Doc Grotsnik" and "He": as an interchangeable place-holder term for any and every model in the unit he joins(what is the point in conferring a rule to specify Grotsnik to the rest of the unit forcing only grotsnik to do the same thing from every member of the unit as a source).