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I got into a discussion with a Grey Knight friend of mine about astral aim and multiple cover saves. I know in the game its possible to have multiple saves, ie. Chapter Master with iron halo and storm shield. So he has a +3 inv and a +4 inv. He has to use the better so the +3 is used. Astral Aim gives the unit he is firing at +4 cover save, and that cover save can't be improved in any way and the model doesn't get to use night fighting rules if in effect. What is the unit is already in cover and recieving a +4 cover save, lets say from ruins. He now has two +4 cover saves, one from astral and one from the ruins. Can the unit go to ground and recieve +1 to its cover save for the ruins cover save, thus giving him a +3 cover save from ruins+going to ground and +4 cover from astral (because you can't improve the astral cover save.) Then using the +3 cover save ofcourse? I agree that the way the rules are written no mater what, night fighting rules can't be used, but what about things like camo cloak and going to ground, if you are in cover already, might they still be used?

Far as I can tell you might be eligible for multiple cover saves. Say you're in ruins and there's also an enemy unit giving you cover from the one firing - that right there is two possible cover saves of which you use the better if you have to.

Does the GK ability actually force you to use the cover save it provides or does it just grant you one (that can't be improved)?

And how does astral aim work against zooming flyers?

You can have multiple saves at any time, and you take the most advantageous one, the best.

it's worded mildly ambiguously.

It reads as follows: "...can shoot at any enemy unit within range, even if they do not have line of sight to it. If the Night Fighting rules are in effect at the time their targets do not benefit from the Stealth or Shrouded special rules... ...target automatically has a 4+ cover save (which cannot be modified by any means) against this attack..." (from the Grey Knight 6th ed book + FAQ)

So it ignores LOS and Nightfighting restrictions on shooting.

Strangely enough it doesn't give you permission to 'assign wounds' to models that aren't in LOS, but that doesn't appear to be within the scope of your question.

The 4+ cover save is unmodifiable, and automatically applies. That said "...If a model can benefit from different types of cover... ...the model uses the best cover save available..."

By my reading of the above: you may either take the 4+ unmodifiable save if it is better or (as in the example you gave) the 3+ cover save from the ruins + going to ground. I'd interpret the 'astral aim' 4+ cover save as not benefiting from 'going to ground', 'stealth', 'shrouded', or anything else that would otherwise modify it; but not being the only cover save you can take.

 Neorealist wrote:
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Strangely enough it doesn't give you permission to 'assign wounds' to models that aren't in LOS, but that doesn't appear to be within the scope of your question.

Not to highjack the OP but how is that resolved then?

All Astral Aim does is give you an unmodifiable 4+ cover save. If for some reason you actually have a better save then you must use it. So a unit with stealth in ruins would have a 3+ cover save naturally, they benifit nothing from the Astral Aim's 4+ save.

Dooley wrote:Not to highjack the OP but how is that resolved then?

According to a strictly RAW interpretation? wounds would be unable to be assigned to anything out of LOS and therefore lost i believe; as per the Shooting Phases' 'Out of Sight' rule on page 16 of the 6th ed rule book.

Given the above makes the ability pretty useless in 6th edition, i sincerely hope that they further update it to allow it to be used to wound things that are out of LOS again.

Which brings us to THIS
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/463917.page