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We had an argument we couldn't find any clear answer to.

Let's say a space marine model equipped with a chainsword dies next to a company ancient with his astartes banner and the 4+ roll succeed, would the space marine get an extra attack from the chainsword's special rule or would it still only be allowed to do one single attack?

Astartes banner ruling: <CHAPTER> units within 6"of any friendly <CHAPTER> ANCIENTS add 1 to their Leadership. In addition, roll a D6 each time a <CHAPTER> INFANTRY model is destroyed within 6" of any friendly <CHAPTER> ANCIENTS, before removing the model as a casualty. On a 4+ that model musters one last surge of strength before succuming to its wounds; it can either shoot with one of its weapons as if it were the Shooting phase, or make a single attack as if it were the Fight phase.

Chainsword ruling: Each time the bearer fights, it can make 1 additional attack with this weapon.

Using a secondary Rule to get around a Restriction, without that secondary Rule specifically addressing said Restriction of course, is far from what the Authors intended.
As you are able to choose to make this additional attack or not, the only way to obey the Restriction would be to choose options that leave us resolving only a single attack.

What I find interesting there is you can shoot with a single weapon, say an assault cannon, and get 4 shots out of it but if you go melee you only get a single swing with whatever weapon you choose.

Oh, and my money is on the chain sword effect going off, giving you 2 attacks. If the user picked a weapon that said "roll d3 attacks when attacking with this weapon" they would get the d3 attacks just like of the user picked a powerfist they would have to follow the powerfists special rules, -1 to hit but 2x str. I think that the one attack wording is so that a model with say a powerfist and a chains word couldn't get the powerfists attack plus the chainswords extra attack.

Just my interpretation.

I'd lean heavily toward making one single attack.

If the chainsword ruling is "each time the bearer fights..." then he does not gain an additional attack. He is merely making a single attack as if it was the Fight phase...he is not carrying out an actual full Fight phase.

The chainsword grants you an additional attack, the chainsword itself is not "Melee 2" (since that kind of rule doesn't exist technically).

Agreed Azuza001,
The fact shooting will often generate more then one attack, while melee can only be a single attack... never liked that.

@Elbows the way i see it, "as if it were the Fight phase" consider the attack on all point to be identical to one you'd make in your fight phase, otherwise what would it mean? except that you can only make one attack, however this attack is made with a weapon of your choice and i don't see why that weapon would lose its special abilities kinda like Azuza001 said... i feel that the "single attack" keyword speaks of the attack characteristic of each model and things that modifies it such as auras, while the chainsword reads differently... at least to me thats how it looks... but i do realize that what you say is very rational and thats why we're (my playgroup) having a hard time choosing... i feel like this should be adressed by a FAQ...i've written to GW about it. It does feel like a drop in the ocean though.

You do not have to make an attack with the Chainsword for its ability to function, simply having the Chainsword grants the additional attack.

When making a single attack the bearer fights, so the chainsword rule gives him an additional attack with the chainsword.

p5freak wrote:
When making a single attack the bearer fights, so the chainsword rule gives him an additional attack with the chainsword.

That is how i feel about it as well.

The bearer is not fighting (following steps 2 onwards until the end of the fight phase), but it's instead making an attack, which is a subsection if fighting. Further tge chains wird dies not give an extra attack when the bearer attacks with it, but rather when the bearer fights. As such no extra attack. Special rules allowing you to fight say so specifically.

p5freak wrote:
When making a single attack the bearer fights, so the chainsword rule gives him an additional attack with the chainsword.

When the bearer fights, he makes a number of attacks equal to that characteristic. The rule only allows a single attack, regardless of characteristic.

When one is given a choice, can they choose an option that violates a Rule?
The Rule states the Model makes a single attack, so how many attacks is the Model allowed to make?

The chainsword is an extra attack he only gets a single attack. The fact it's a "bonus" attack doesn't matter. It would be a second attack.

It's not any time the bearer fights he can make an additional hit roll. In which case it would be allowed. It's he can make an additional attack. Which wouldn't be single he would then be making 2 attacks which the special rules for the banner do not allow.
There are melee weapons which do multiple hits for every attack. Those would still get their multiple hits.

What if you're on turn 3 Savage fury with the wolves.

Does your 6 generate another hit? So one attack, 2 hits?

ArmorOfRuss wrote:
What if you're on turn 3 Savage fury with the wolves.

Does your 6 generate another hit? So one attack, 2 hits?

Umm this thread was from 2017. The rules have changed since then.

ArmorOfRuss wrote:
What if you're on turn 3 Savage fury with the wolves.

Does your 6 generate another hit? So one attack, 2 hits?

Yes.