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I understand that only one model in an attacking unit needs the Preferred Enemy rule to confer it to the entire squad.

But what about the target? After all, you roll to hit 'the unit', not a specific model in it. What happens to mixed faction or unit type units?

Example: A fifty man Astra Militarum Infantry Platoon using Combined Squads has been joined by Supreme Grand Master Azrael, who is the army Warlord. He's stood at the back, so only precision shots will affect him.

How would you resolve:

a) Longstrike - who has Preferred Enemy against guardsmen but not space marines.
b) Abbadon - who has Preferred Enemy against Azrael but not the rest of the unit
c) A Vindicere Assassin from an Execution Force formation detachment - who has Preferred Enemy (Warlords)

Same question would I guess also apply to Monster Hunter against a Hive Tyrant and Tyrant Guard, Dark Artisan formation detachment, or Riptide Battlesuit and Drones.

The short answer is yes/no/maybe/banana. Essentially they never tell us how to deal with mixed units and Preferred Enemy it is largely down the GW not understanding its own terminology for units, unit types and models. The Psychic Phase is largely a mess for the same reason. See also Grav Weapons vs mixed saves...

My interpretation is that so long as the unit contains at least one of the things that you have prefered enemy against (eg so long as there is at least one guardsman with Azrael, prefered enemy is still used).

Despite being made up of models from different codices, the unit in question is an Astra Militarum unit.

So you'd play it as....what?

Longstrike gets rerolls to hit and wound

Abbadon gets nothing

Vindicere doesn't get to reroll to hit, but gets to reroll to wound (as it's specifically against Azrael)


Hmmm.... okay, I can get that as an idea - an independent character attaching to a squad becomes a 'member of that squad' so I could buy that they sort of lose thier own 'faction flag' against stuff that can't pick them out.

But what about things which aren't faction-related, like the aforementioned battlesuite and drones versus Monster Hunter.

Neither is the 'original unit' being joined, but they have different unit types, one of which triggers a reroll to wound (which is nevertheless resolved at unit, not model level)

You don't roll to wound against models you roll to wound against units. So effectively the Vindicare only ever gets to use his PE if the Warlord is not in a unit in that interpretation, which seems pretty dumb. The whole thing is a mess, whilst the Warlord is part of the unit for all rules purposes he is still the Warlord. We are simply not given instructions how how such mixed units work. Particularly if the unit is just made of IC say it is Azreal, Yarrick and Corbulo in a unit is it a BA, DA or AM unit?

I agree it would seem dumb for an Execution Force Vindicere to essentially never receive his formation's command benefit.

On the other hand, another formation is Deathleaper's Assassin Brood - which packs Preferred Enemy (Characters).

Fine for Deathleaper in Challenges. But for everyone else? Gaining a reroll just because the target unit has a Character in it seems equally harsh - after all, a good 90% of units have a character in these days....

Yeah all I'm saying is the whole thing is ill thought out and a bit of a mess.