Soulburst and the FAQ

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**Audustum**

So ever since the FAQ came out this has been bugging me about Soulbursts and assaults. I've read through the other threads and I didn't see anything I thought was a satisfactory answer to this.

With the FAQ errata, Strength from Death now reads, in relevant part (reprinting with some liberality as the vast majority of it is online for free as a FAQ);

Whenever a unit is completely destroyed within 7" of one or more non-vehicle units that consist only of models with this special rule, pick one of those units to make a Soulburst action. You cannot pick a unit that has one or more models in base contact with an enemy model, that is Fallintg Back or that has Gone to Ground. A unit making a Soulburst action can do one of the following, even if it has already done so in this turn:
*snip*
A unit that uses a Soulburst action to make a charge in the Fight-subphase does so at the end of the current initiative step.
-If they join a combat that has already been resolved, resolve the remaining Initiaitve steps for the models in the charging unit (for example, if a unit used a Soulburst action to charge into a resolved combat at the end of Initiative step 6, the charging unit then makes any attacks that are resolved at Initiative step 5 or lower).
-If they join a combat that has yet to be resolved, only resolve the remaining Initiative steps for the models in the charging unit when that combat is resolved (for example, if a unit uses a Soulburst action to charge into an unresolved combat at the end of Initiative step 4, when that combat is resolved, the charging unit can only make attacks that are resolved at Initiative step 3 or lower).
Units that use a Soulburst action to charge in the Fight sub-phase cannot use any abilities that are used at the start of the Fight sub-phase (for example issuing a challenge).
*snip*

So, what this doesn't answer is what happens if you charge into an enemy unit that is not already engaged in a Fight thus starting a new Fight sub-phase in a new combat? We don't have any provision here to continue from the last initiative step of anyone, so wouldn't the entire fight start at I10 and go down? (See: Fight Sub-Phase, Choose A Combat and Fight Closed Combat: Initiative Step).

Had this issue come up recently at the weekly match and everyone was just kind of left scratching their heads and shrugging their shoulders. Initiative steps are, after all, not global and are instead localized to the specific Fight you are resolving ("This means that each combat will have ten Initiative steps, starting at Initiative 10 and working down to Initiative 1").

In sum, if you Soulburst into an unengaged unit, do you restart at I10?

**Yarium**

The FAQ will hopefully be updated with this. There's no clear answer right now. As far as I can tell, yes, you will start a new combat.

**Galef**

That FAQ does answer what happens if a unit Soulbursts into an 'fresh' unit. If you charge a unit that is not yet in a combat, it is a "combat that has yet to be resolved"
It also says "only resolve the remaining Initiative steps for the models in the charging unit"
That means that the enemy unit gets to attack at its regular initiative, but the Ynnari unit that charges can only resolves ITS attacks at the lower Initiative. It does not say the COMBAT resolves at the lower Initiative, only the models in the Ynnari unit

For example, say a WK is in combat with some Marines. At I:5 it kills all remaining Marines in that unit and is no longer in B2B with an enemy model. That WK can choose to Soulburst and charge a unit of enemy Harliequins (that the Marine played allied with).
In the new combat, the Harlies woud get all their I:6 attacks, but after that the WK can only resolve Stomp at I:1 as it has already resolve its I:5 attack in this turn.

The tricky part that needs to be answered is this same scenario above, but imagine the WK charged the Harlequins in terrain. The WK resolves his attacks at I:5 against the Marines, but now that it assaulted through terrain, it gets to do those attacks again at I:1 AND Stomp?

-

**Audustum**

Galef wrote:
That FAQ does answer what happens if a unit Soulbursts into an 'fresh' unit. If you charge a unit that is not yet in a combat, it is a "combat that has yet to be resolved"
It also says "only resolve the remaining Initiative steps for the models in the charging unit"
That means that the enemy unit gets to attack at its regular initiative, but the Ynnari unit that charges can only resolves ITS attacks at the lower Initiative. It does not say the COMBAT resolves at the lower Initiative, only the models in the Ynnari unit

For example, say a WK is in combat with some Marines. At I:5 it kills all remaining Marines in that unit and is no longer in B2B with an enemy model. That WK can choose to Soulburst and charge a unit of enemy Harliequins (that the Marine played allied with).
In the new combat, the Harlies woud get all their I:6 attacks, but after that the WK can only resolve Stomp at I:1 as it has already resolve its I:5 attack in this turn.

The tricky part that needs to be answered is this same scenario above, but imagine the WK charged the Harlequins in terrain. The WK resolves his attacks at I:5 against the Marines, but now that it assaulted through terrain, it gets to do those attacks again at I:1 AND Stomp?

-

I see your point, but I think Yarium has the right of it. There's a pretty clear argument either way. Look at the wording. It doesn't say "create an unresolved combat". It says "join" a combat that has "yet to be resolved". Both of those pretty clearly indicate that the combat that must pre-exist the Soulburst, which it doesn't in your scenario.

The Move Through Cover issue is another good question on this though. I'd say, RAW, it's more clear than the above and you definitely get to attack again. There's nothing saying you can't and even the most restrictive Soulburst rules say to resolve from that initiative on down. Nothing in Soulburst or the main rules limits this based on attacks that I can see.

**doctortom**

I agree with Yarium that GW needs to clarify whether you can start a new combat or can only join in one that at that point has only gone through the charge sub-phase but is going to be resolved.

**Yarium**

Well, I'm not 100% sure myself, but only because we're starting a new combat, not joining an existing combat that has yet to be resolved. If GW treats this new combat as an existing one that has simply yet to be resolved, then you would not make any attacks in the new combat (unless there were models that hadn't yet made their attacks from the previous combat).

On the one hand, it makes sense that they'd want you to fight again, because then it mirrors shooting again. On the other hand, GW has shown a dislike for sweeping into new combats since 4th edition. Either way, there's reasonable RAI to support the case. An FAQ about what to do when charging into a previously unengaged unit should be released.

**doctortom**

An existing combat that has yet to be resolved could be one that's gone more than one turn, but would also apply to combats that have gone through the fight sub-phase but are waiting for their turn in the fight sub-phase to be resolved. Since you do all the charging in the charge sub-phase first, I'd say GW is calling any combat that's already set up to happen in the fight subphase as an "existing" combat. It would be only a case of charging into a unit that hasn't been charged or already locked in combat that turn that would be the question.

I suspect that the wording about existing combats might be, as you say, GW having a dislike for sweeping into new combats (but viewing combats that are going to happen anyway if you didn't charge in as fair game to participate in)

**Galef**

Why can't I and Yarium both be right? You start a new combat that has yet to be resolved and will start at I:10, however the models that assaulted via Soulburst only resolve their attack after the step they were last at?