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Hey Dakkaites!

Got a chance this weekend to use my new bad boy, Magnus the OP Lord of Cheese but Also Pretty Fluffy and Still Very Expensive. Had an interesting thing come up.

My intention was to use Siphon Magic on Magnus so as other folks got their spells off, I'd effectively start getting a bit of a "refund" on those. However, the way Siphon Magic was worded made me think that it might apply to his own spells as well. Siphon Magic is written that the caster gains a Warp Charge whenever a friendly psyker within 18 inches successfully casts a power. Well, isn't Magnus himself a friendly psyker within 18 inches? In that way, can he Siphon off his own magic from the spells he successfully casts?

Considering he already harnesses on a 2+, if this reading of Siphon Magic holds true, it means that even when casting a full range of powers, it'll be a much more minor affect on the ability of other psykers in the army to cast their powers. Magnus was insane as all hell, and the psyker powers of this army are insane, but the offensive psychic ability of the rest of the army was a lot less impressive.

EDIT: For the game, we played where it doesn't trigger off his own spells.

Any thoughts from anyone? Does this work or no?

The psyker qualifies as a friendly model within 18". So I would say yes.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
This is a Bit Good for Magnus. Probably not the intent

Yea I would say the caster itself counts too. The rules for blessing state they affect friendly units and that they can affect the psyker itself. They don't even say unless stated otherwise on the psyker part.

I would say it would have to be worded as "another friendly" to stop it from triggering on your own casts. As is, you have an 18 inch radius centered on the caster in which any cast of a friendly psyker adds a dice. Regardless of which psyker in that area cast the siphon.

While I agree it probably does include the psyker (because it doesn't say not to), the wording of Siphon is very close to Shrouding and Telekine Dome and those specifically call out the Psyker as part of the effect:

Shrouding is a blessing that targets the Psyker. Whilst this power is in effect, the Psyker, and all friendly models within 6" of the Psyker, have the Shrouded special rule.

Siphon Magic is a blessing that targets the Psyker. For the rest of the phase, each time a friendly model successfully manifests a psychic power within 18" of them, place a dice next to this model. Any dice accrued in this manner can be used by the Psyker as bonus Warp Charge points

That would be the only reason I would argue against it. Anyone know if the FAQ email alias is still up or is it all through Facebook?

They mention the psyker specifically to prevent you from casting them onto different units. By default, blessings target one or more friendly units unless specified otherwise. So in this case, targeting only the psyker would be specified otherwise.
For siphon, the effect is an area on the board. Any friendly psyker in that area would give you extra dice. Specifically mentioning the psyker for targeting just means that you can't target a point on the board or a different unit to create that area there.

The effect itself doesn't care where the area is, only what psykers are casting within the area. It just happens to be centered on the psyker that cast it. That's how I see it anyway.

 Roknar wrote:
They mention the psyker specifically to prevent you from casting them onto different units. By default, blessings target one or more friendly units unless specified otherwise. So in this case, targeting only the psyker would be specified otherwise.
For siphon, the effect is an area on the board. Any friendly psyker in that area would give you extra dice. Specifically mentioning the psyker for targeting just means that you can't target a point on the board or a different unit to create that area there.

The effect itself doesn't care where the area is, only what psykers are casting within the area. It just happens to be centered on the psyker that cast it.

I'm not referring to the targetting portion of Shrouding/Telekine dome but the actual application of the effect text:

Whilst this power is in effect, the Psyker, and all friendly models within 6" of the Psyker

Shrouding, a spell that targets the Psyker, applies it's effect specifically to the Psyker and to all friendly models within 6". Siphon's effect only specifically includes friendly models (and not the Psyker) for the purposes of generating Warp Charges.

Now I agree the Psyker is himself a friendly model within 18", I'm merely pointing out that in the past GW have specifically included the Psyker in the effect of Blessings that interact with friendly models within a certain range.

In my opinion that's no different to them specifically mentioning formations for things like the crimson slaughter. They keep using both terms, when just using detachment would be enough (and more consistent). So saying the psyker and the friendly units within X is redundant imho.
Not saying you don't have a point, I just don't think GW thought that far.

I think myself it works on the psyker himself nothing is saying otherwise.

Ps : just imagine if you had 3 sorcers in range who cast this spell after for each 1 warp charge spell they cast you win 3 warp charges lol would be crazy.

It really comes down to "when is a spell considered succesfully cast?"

If a spell is considered succesfully cast after any deny the witch attempts have failed, the power's effect has not gone active and you wouldn't get a dice.
If a power is only succesful after all effects have been activated, then yes I'd argue you do get your dice from it.

If someone says that you can't use Boon of Mutation on yourself (friendly character within 2"), then you can't use Siphon on yourself to get dice..

How many people have you met telling a CSM player he can't target himself with Boon, though?

Siphon it up, I say.