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.

You play the stratagem within the shooting phase instead of the warlord's shooting attack, but does it count as a shooting attack with regards to any to-hit modifiers or rerolls that the model playing it may be subect to? My instinct is no, as it's not actually the unit that's doing the bombardment, just calling it in, but it caused some consternation when my opponent insisted he should get his reroll to hit for being Salamanders.

It is not a shooting attack; it's just something that happens. It takes the place of a shooting attack, just like Smoke Launchers. GW has stated that this works even if the model "cannot" shoot;

Q: Can abilities that are used ‘instead of shooting’, such as Smoke Launchers, be used if the model using them has Fallen Back, Advanced or has enemy models within 1" of it?
A: Yes. A model can use such an ability so long as it does not shoot – it does not matter whether this is because the model cannot shoot or it chooses not to.

Well, the orbital bombardment doesn't make to-hit rolls, so I'm not sure what kind of modifiers you refer to.

It simply rolls to see if a unit is hit by the bombardment, that is different than using one's ballistic skill. And mortal wounds aren't a 'to-wound' roll, and also can't be rerolled except for the stratagem.

Yarium wrote:It is not a shooting attack; it's just something that happens. It takes the place of a shooting attack, just like Smoke Launchers. GW has stated that this works even if the model "cannot" shoot;

Q: Can abilities that are used ‘instead of shooting’, such as Smoke Launchers, be used if the model using them has Fallen Back, Advanced or has enemy models within 1" of it?
A: Yes. A model can use such an ability so long as it does not shoot – it does not matter whether this is because the model cannot shoot or it chooses not to.

Kap'n Krump wrote:Well, the orbital bombardment doesn't make to-hit rolls, so I'm not sure what kind of modifiers you refer to.

It simply rolls to see if a unit is hit by the bombardment, that is different than using one's ballistic skill. And mortal wounds aren't a 'to-wound' roll, and also can't be rerolled except for the stratagem.

I agree, and I don't think there's any doubt about what RAI is. I was looking for an explicitly stated distinction between a to-hit roll and a roll made to see if something hits, or between a shooting attack made by a unit and an ability that involves shooting that is initiated by a unit during the shooting phase. Yarium's one sorts that out for me.

Ok. Well, if you're looking RAW distinction, I'd go with this:

Salamders can reroll a single failed hit or wound roll each phase.

Orbital bombardment makes neither a to hit or to wound roll.

It simply says that on a 4+, a unit suffers D3 mortal wounds.

So, there is no to-hit roll, chiefly, because it does not utilize either weapon or ballistic skill.

Similarly, mortal wounds are not a 'to-wound' roll. They just happen. They too cannot be rerolled via salamanders because no to-wound roll is made.

Agreed, and I am a Salamander player myself. You don't get to use our tactic with the stratagem. It sucks if you miss with bombardment but it happens.

I concur with the above,
It is just a roll to see if X occurs and not a "Hit Roll" as defined by 4. Resolve Attack, 1. Hit Roll.