Remoras, seeker missiles, and FAQ

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**maceria**

So, given the crappy ruling in the new FAQ that Tau seeker missiles strike flyers on a 6+, also given that Remoras are flyers and have skyfire, and given that units/models/weapons with skyfire shoot at fliers at full BS, I have two scenarios to present:

1) The Remora paints an enemy flier with it's networked markerlight, and then uses that to fire it's own seeker missile. What does the seeker missile strike the enemy flier on, 6+ or it's normal BS of 5?

2) A ground unit rolls a six to hit a flier with a markerlight, and that ML token is expended for the Remora to fire it's seeker missile at the enemy flier, what does it hit on?

Note that in both cases, the seeker missile is fired from a flier with skyfire (the Remora).

Text of applicable FAQ:
" Q: If Seeker Missiles are fired at a Zooming Flyer or Swooping Flying
Monstrous Creature, what To Hit roll do they require? (p31)
A: 6+"

**spears**

Sadly it seems that Raw they need a 6+ in both cases.

**maceria**

That's the conclusion I've come to as well, I think it may have been an oversight, especially since the only Tau fliers are FW. Hopefully it will be cleared up in our next codex.

**Spyral**

Seems idiotic, surely if you've managed to hit with the markerlight then the missile should hit on a flat 2+ like normal.

**maceria**

Well, the most recent FAQ disagrees. Given not only what I know about SAMs, but also the order of rules precedence (specific > general, codex > BRB) it was already pretty clear before the FAQ that seeker missiles "always fire with BS5". This particular ruling in the FAQ is kind of heavy handed and clunky.

But I'm no here to whine about rules, I'm more concerned with clearing up the contradictions pointed out in the OP.

**overlordweasel**

why wouldn't the seeker missile from the remora fire at full balistic? The seeker FAQ is for general use of the weapon, which does not come with Skyfire. However, the rules for Flyers alow them to Give Skyfire to their weapons, so then it would change the Seeker Missiles in question to include Skyfire to their profile and thus hit on a 2+.

**TheAvengingKnee**

overlordweasel wrote:
why wouldn't the seeker missile from the remora fire at full balistic? The seeker FAQ is for general use of the weapon, which does not come with Skyfire. However, the rules for Flyers alow them to Give Skyfire to their weapons, so then it would change the Seeker Missiles in question to include Skyfire to their profile and thus hit on a 2+.

It's because in most cases the FAQ does not take into account FW models and their rules, maybe FW will release an FAQ that clarifies or update the 6th edition update FAQ in relation to the question.

**spears**

overlordweasel wrote:
why wouldn't the seeker missile from the remora fire at full balistic? The seeker FAQ is for general use of the weapon, which does not come with Skyfire. However, the rules for Flyers alow them to Give Skyfire to their weapons, so then it would change the Seeker Missiles in question to include Skyfire to their profile and thus hit on a 2+.

Because the Faq being a specific rule overrides Skyfire being a general rule. Pretty certain its an oversight but thems the breaks.

**maceria**

overlordweasel wrote:
why wouldn't the seeker missile from the remora fire at full balistic? The seeker FAQ is for general use of the weapon, which does not come with Skyfire. However, the rules for Flyers alow them to Give Skyfire to their weapons, so then it would change the Seeker Missiles in question to include Skyfire to their profile and thus hit on a 2+.

Because the FAQ doesn't say anything about snapfiring or skyfire, it says "hits zooming fliers on 6+", which is the problem.

So, looks like we are waiting for FW faq, or GW re-faq.

**Jefffar**

The Shrine of Knowledge

What Are Amendments, Errata and FAQs?

It's helpful to people's understanding of these documents that we provide a clear distinction between Errata and FAQs.

Errata provide corrections to the errors that sometimes creep into our books. It is important to note that Errata carry the same 'authority' as the main rules and permanently modify published material; where one of our books says one thing and the errata changes this to something else, the errata takes precedence as the 'correct' version of that material.

Amendments are changes made to our rules in order to make them work within a new context; the most common example would be when a new core rulebook is released which then has a knock-on effect of invalidating existing material. They are not designed to fix newly created weaknesses or shortfalls, but simply to ensure that no rule, unit, item of equipment or whatever else is left incompatible with the current edition of the game.

FAQs, or Frequently Asked Questions are grey areas, points of confusion or places where rules can and have been interpreted in conflicting ways. For each FAQ we provide the answer as determined by the Games Development team; while these are not hard and fast rules text in the same way as Errata, they should be considered the 'official' interpretation.

The indication that a Seeker Missile hits Zooming Flyers on a 6+ is in the FAQ section, not an Errata or Amendment. This means it is not a 'hard and fast rule' so there is still room for situational factors to arise and modify the answer.

**rigeld2**

A you're trying to say FAQs can't change rules?

You'd be 100% unarguably incorrect.

**Jefffar**

FAQs don't change rules or make them officially. They just interpret them. That is the official position on the FAQs from GWs own website I quoted there.

Ammendments and Errata change and make rules, not the FAQs.

**Paitryn**

Well the FAQ officially interprets that seeker missiles need to roll 2 consecutive 6s (if fired via ground markerlight) in order to hit a zooming flyer. one normal bs and one 6 if fired from the remora.

which is idiotic that a laser guided missile has a harder time hitting something than a dumbfire missile (any other missile launched in the game)

I don't think they actually looked at the rules for seeker missiles when answering the question at all. But I guess they believe we bought all those skyray boxes for the missiles and not because we could make hammerheads and devilfish with one kit instead of buying 3 different ones.

**DeathReaper**

Jefffar wrote:
FAQs don't change rules or make them officially. They just interpret them. That is the official position on the FAQs from GWs own website I quoted there.

Ammendments and Errata change and make rules, not the FAQs.

The new FaQ about wound allocation proves your statement incorrect.

That was 100% a change of the rules.

As does the FaQ about force weapons being activated by MSS.

**rigeld2**

And SitW, and many others.

**Formosa**

And the cost of hellbrutes

Op, why would the remora Need a 6 to hit, it has skyfire?

**rigeld2**

Formosa wrote:
And the cost of hellbrutes

Op, why would the remora Need a 6 to hit, it has skyfire?

Because the FAQ doesn't say that it needs to snapshot, it says it needs to roll a 6+ to hit.

**Mannahnin**

Jefffar wrote:
FAQs don't change rules or make them officially. They just interpret them. That is the official position on the FAQs from GWs own website I quoted there.

Ammendments and Errata change and make rules, not the FAQs.

That caveat is there, yes, but in practice...

A) Despite that text you’ve quoted there, GW frequently puts actual rule changes in the FAQ parts of the FAQ documents, not just the errata and amendment sections.
B) Even for answers which really are explantory, basically everyone treats the rest of the FAQs as hard and fast rules too. Because it gives us a consistent central authority for answers to a lot of questions.

So unless your local group wants to house rule it to ignore that Seeker FAQ (in which case there are a few others which should also be ignored, like the stupid Eldar one about not casting in vehicles anymore), you’re pretty much stuck with this ruling. It’s like a bad call in professional sports. It seems like an obvious mistake, but it’s the official ruling nonetheless. I’ve already emailed, and I encourage everyone else to email GW at gamefaqs@gwplc.com to request that they fix this answer. It’s not unheard of for GW to fix a FAQ really quickly (I’ve seen as fast as a week) if there’s a substantial error in there and they get a lot of emails.