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What, if anything, in 6th edition prevents the manifestation of psychic communion by a unit held in reserves?

Would that effect all reserve rolls or just reserve rolls for units from codex grey knights?

The fact that it's not in play? Psychic Communion is a psychic power that you must pass a psychic test to use. You can only roll to use a psychic power when the unit casting it is on the tabletop, the same as you can't move, shoot, assault or do anything else with a unit that's held in Reserve as it hasn't yet joined the battle and isn't active, unless the unit has a rule that explicitly allows it.

Allies don't get benefits from psychic powers cast by units of another codex as far as I was aware. I wait to be stood corrected.

Enceladus wrote:

Allies don't get benefits from psychic powers cast by units of another codex as far as I was aware. I wait to be stood corrected.

This is correct for AoC and Desperate Allies (BB can cast on allies), but the GK codex makes it clear.

GK p23:
"If the Psychic test is successful, you can modify any reserve rolls made this phase." So yes, it does effect your entire army.

But on the rest of it, you're right. Can't take a Psychic test if you're not on the table!

Per the BRB FAQ:

Q: Do modifiers that apply to such things as Reserve rolls,
apply to units from an allied detachment? (p124)
A: No.

Is this inconsistency solved via Specific>General?

So, the GK power wording trumps the BRB rule?

Enceladus wrote:
The fact that it's not in play? Psychic Communion is a psychic power that you must pass a psychic test to use. You can only roll to use a psychic power when the unit casting it is on the tabletop, the same as you can't move, shoot, assault or do anything else with a unit that's held in Reserve as it hasn't yet joined the battle and isn't active, unless the unit has a rule that explicitly allows it.

Allies don't get benefits from psychic powers cast by units of another codex as far as I was aware. I wait to be stood corrected.

A Grey Knight Brother-Captain has the special rule "Psyker (Mastery Level 1)" and a model with that special rule generates a warp charge at the start of each player turn. When a psychic power can be manifested is dictated by the power, but there is no stipulation that a model be on the table or in play or on the table. Since the rules apply to all models in the game (pg 8) they also apply to units in reserve.

In 5th edition this was not allowed because reserve rolls are made at the start of the turn and psychic communion must be manifested at the start of the movement phase. The FAQ back then told us that because the turn starts before the movement phase starts reserve rolls must be made before you could manifest a power. But in 6th the start of the turn and the start of the movement phase are the same thing and when things happen at the same time the players who's turn it is gets to decide the order they happen in.

Q: Blessings are manifested ‘at the start of the Psyker’s Movement
phase’ – does this mean they happen simultaneously with Reserves
rolls, Outflanking rolls etc and if so which is resolved first? (p68)
A: They do occursimultaneously – as such, the player whose
turn it is decides in what orderthese things occur as per
page 9 of the Warhammer 40,000 rulebook.

That FAQ response in the BRB FAQ very clearly allows a model to manifest a psychic power at the start of the movement phase before they player rolls for reserves.

So I ask again, what prevents a model in reserves from generating a psychic token and being allowed to spend it to manifest psychic communion before reserve rolls are made?

 DJGietzen wrote:
So I ask again, what prevents a model in reserves from generating a psychic token and being allowed to spend it to manifest psychic communion before reserve rolls are made?

Because the whole book is written to affect models that have been deployed.

Units in reserve have not been deployed.

Indeed. There's nothing written down to prevent it because nothing has to be written down to prevent it. You would need something written down to grant you to do it.

If it's not on the tabletop then it's not in the battle and if it's not in the battle then it can't use it's abilities.

I'm all for a bit of friendly rules lawyering, but trying to use the abilities of models that aren't even deployed onto the tabletop is a new low, even for YMDC lol.

Pgs 7, 41, and 66-69 contain the relevant rules that allow this to happen.

Pgs 66-69 contain the basic rules for manifesting psychic powers. In the case of Psychic communion there are no steps that require any sort of interaction with the table, nor is there a specific requirement the model be on the table, and the only requirement is the model be a Psyker.

Pg 41 Tells us a Psker is a model with this special rule. Again no restriction other then it have that special rule.

Pg 7 Tells us the rules I mentioned above apply to all the models "in the game". Again no relationship to the tabletop is mentioned.

You can't move or shoot or do 99% of the stuff you can normally do on the table in reserves, not because its prohibited, but because its impossible. You can't measure the distance to a model in reserves so anything the specifies range, even unlimited, cannot be performed. You can't move, you can't shoot, you can't assault, and you can't do 95% of the psychic powers. Psychic communication is a rare exception with no interaction to the battlefield in its resolution.

Again, I sight that in previous editions the reason this specific act was prohibited was because you could not manifest a psychic power at the start of the movement phase before reserve rolls were met, a position GW has reversed itself 100% on. No requirement then the model be on the table, why assume one now?

What of a vector strike from a Helldrake? During the movement phase it can move over an enemy model, then be placed in reserves. At the end of the movement phase you can choose to have it perform a vector strike, but its not on the table any more. Did the hell drake for-fit its vector strike when it was removed from the table?

So I was told Eldrad could still use his Runes of Warding in reserve. He only has to be alive, so some abilities can affect from reserve others no?

Mythra wrote:
So I was told Eldrad could still use his Runes of Warding in reserve. He only has to be alive, so some abilities can affect from reserve others no?

It depends on the wording for the special rule and wargear. For example, As long as Deathleaper is alive, one enemy character is at -D3 leadership. While in Reserves, Deathleaper is very much alive.

Elric Greywolf wrote:
Is this inconsistency solved via Specific>General?

So, the GK power wording trumps the BRB rule?

yes the codex wording trumps the BRB if they contradict.

page 7 bottom right corner

Needs an FAQ I guess. I'll submit one shortly. It just seems odd to allow a unit in Reserve to use a power that alters the fact he's in Reserve.

EDIT: FAQ submitted.

For the record, I am against it. Just as I am against allowing a helldrake to to make a vector strike if it went into reserves or allowing a helldrake that wrecked in the movement phase to make a vector strike.