Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

So there was this situation where 6 drones, a crisis commander and 2 xv-8 battlesuits all deepstruck next to the enemy (also a tau player) and in his turn, his riptide targeted the unit with its ion accelerator's large blast marker. The scatter die was a direct hit, and it covered all my models.

He rolled for wounds and didnt roll a single 1. So I immediately removed all my guys (the crisis suits didnt have shield gens) save the commander because he has iridium armor (T5) and was thus not insta-killed, but took one wound.


Now I'm suddenly confused. Doesnt the rulebook say, that when a unit is hit by an explosive weapon, it suffers a number of hits equal to the number of models under the marker? As such, wouldnt the correct thing have been to amass a wound pool and then resolve them against my Commander (T4 due to majority rule) one by one, "tanking" the wounds while using the drones to make Lookout, Sir! rolls until he dies and then moving on to the suits?

If the commander was the closest model to the riptide, then yes, you start with him, and use look out sir or take the wounds on the commander until he's dead before moving on to the next closest model in the unit.

Indeed, unless another Special Rule is in effect you are simply using the marker to calculate the number of Successful Hits with the rest resolved normally.

Now don't forget that though the Majority rule makes all targets T4 for the purpose of Wounding the models.

Your Commander is still a T5 model, so even if fail a save he doesn't get Instakilled.

It would depend on the location of the commander in relation to the riptide. Blast weapons allocate wounds normally (starting with the closest model to the firing unit). Barrage weapons allocate from the centre hole.

 Sir Arun wrote:
So there was this situation where 6 drones, a crisis commander and 2 xv-8 battlesuits all deepstruck next to the enemy

Considering this part, the commander *Should* be right in the centre, unless you Jet-packed and got him in front/behind the unit.

But as all have answered: the wounds allocate on a model by model basis, front to back. If he was in front, he would have taken them all (until he dies) with LoS taken if desired.

 BlackTalos wrote:

 Sir Arun wrote:
So there was this situation where 6 drones, a crisis commander and 2 xv-8 battlesuits all deepstruck next to the enemy

Considering this part, the commander *Should* be right in the centre, unless you Jet-packed and got him in front/behind the unit.

But as all have answered: the wounds allocate on a model by model basis, front to back. If he was in front, he would have taken them all (until he dies) with LoS taken if desired.

depends on who was placed first. No requirement that the commander was the model you built the DS formation around.

Additionally dont forget Barrage allocates from the centre of the blast marker.

thanks for the replies, guys. I am the wiser now It was a hungup from previous editions. I think that rules blunder cost me the game.

Anyho, this means 6th edition has drastically reduced the need for Shield generators, hasnt it? As long as you have a "shield" of drones, even if a pie plate is dropped over your head, you're no longer in trouble as long as the drones remain between you and the unit that is shooting at you. It also doesnt help that shield gens increased by 5 points in cost.

It is a tactical choice with the drones as they have only a single niche to fill. Against low Armour Piercing weapons they are a god send, but against high volumes of mid to high Armour Piercing weapons they will just be a point sink. After all they have no weapons, so they are not thinning out the horde which is the primary method for dealing with high amounts of dakka dakka. It is one of the most wonderful parts of this game, having to balance these things out as you just don't know what you will be facing in the future... and if your psychic, well the Emperor's throne wants a word with you.

I remember that game. Indeed your commander was in the middle of the pack, but not all of your Crisis would have died, because of the wound allocation.

Gotta remember that for the next game.

Drones can also help mitigate damage from grav weapons. Please note this is not RAW, as RAW does not cover units with different saves, this is based on how the rules work for wounding against Toughness (or Leadership).