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So for the purpose of measuring distance, you measure base to base, even at angles and vertical. A terminator could deep strike 10 inches above a model, because it would still need a 10 inch charge, right?
What about jump units? Let's say a jump pack lord did a deep strike move onto ruins, and was 10" vertically away from an enemy model, directly above it. In the charge phase, would the jump pack lord ignore the terrain and vertical distance if it attempted to charge? Or would it still need a 10" charge?

 gwarsh41 wrote:
So for the purpose of measuring distance, you measure base to base, even at angles and vertical. A terminator could deep strike 10 inches above a model, because it would still need a 10 inch charge, right?
What about jump units? Let's say a jump pack lord did a deep strike move onto ruins, and was 10" vertically away from an enemy model, directly above it. In the charge phase, would the jump pack lord ignore the terrain and vertical distance if it attempted to charge? Or would it still need a 10" charge?

The rulebook simply doesn't tell us how to work out vertical movement when there is a horizontal component.

In any case, the FLY keyword doesn't magically allow you to ignore vertical distance, it can just "move across models and terrain as if they were not there." You'll still need a 10 to be able to charge. "Across" is referring to horizontal movement.

On the first part, yes. Measurement is done by measuring base to base.

On the second count, a jump pack only lets you move over terrain and models as if they are not there. He would still require a charge roll as normal.

And the alternate take is that FLY units essentially treat the board as a 2D plane and ignore the vertical component.

That neatly summaries all previous sprawling threads in three posts!

The example for this is Reivers with grappling hooks and grav chutes: they can be placed 9" above a model in a building, then ignore the vertical distance when they charge.

We think.

Reivers ignore vertical distance.

Everything else (unless has a rule like the reivers) pays to go up and down.

 frightnight wrote:
The example for this is Reivers with grappling hooks and grav chutes: they can be placed 9" above a model in a building, then ignore the vertical distance when they charge.

Yep. Reivers can do this, models with 'fly' can't.

Yep, that's how I read it.

Reivers have a special rule indicating they ignore vertical movement. 'Fly' models may ignore "terrain" when moving, but a charge distance would still be measured base-to-base as nothing states otherwise.

Regardless, landing 9"+ in any direction of an enemy unit is fully legal within the rules.

Hmm. Yea, we had a tournament a while back where Farsight attacked a Tau Commander who was on top of a ruin, and also some stealth suits at the bottom of a ruin, and the Farsight player had claimed vertical distance didnt matte, and split his attacks to kill both units. Seemed fishy *hehe* at the time, but Noone found anything in the rules about vertical distances.

I'll be sure to tell them that you are still required to be within 1 inch of bases.

Same scenario is what makes infantry untouchable for bikes, monsters, and vehicles.

The only guidance on vertical distance is from the stepping into a new edition document.

Q: How do vertical distances work for movement and measurements? A: All distances are measured in three dimensions, so if a unit moves over a hill or scales a wall, the horizontal distance and vertical distance combined cannot exceed its Movement characteristic. This means that in order to traverse across an obstacle, you must move up to the top of that obstacle, move across the top of it, then move down it.

Plenty of previous threads, folks, no need to rehash them all.