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.

Specifically on random shot plasma weapons, such at Plas Cannons. Basically, can I decide which mode I'm firing in before or after I see how many shots it's going to fire? If I've only got the one, I might want to overcharge it, but if I'm firing 3 probably not. Is there a rule that says when I must declare it?

Given you have to pick the profile first, to know how many shots, it would be before you roll.

Gwarok wrote:
Specifically on random shot plasma weapons, such at Plas Cannons. Basically, can I decide which mode I'm firing in before or after I see how many shots it's going to fire? If I've only got the one, I might want to overcharge it, but if I'm firing 3 probably not. Is there a rule that says when I must declare it?

You have to declare what profile you are using before rolling to hit. This is true for any weapon with different profiles (Missile Launchers, Fire Prisms etc).

So, for a Plasma Cannon, you must declare whether you are using the Standard or Overcharged profile before rolling to see how many shots you take.

Step 3.3 of the Core Rules details how to select a weapon to fire. When you select the Plasma Cannon, its special rule kicks in, "When attacking with this weapon, choose one of the profiles below." You must then choose a profile, then shoot it, at which point you determine the number of To Hit rolls you must make.

Overcharge must be declared when you choose which weapon to shoot with before you resolve your attacks. Resolving attacks involve rolling x number of dice as per weapon's stats.

You have to declare it as part of that unit's attack, since you are picking the profile. This creates the caveat that you can't supercharge the whole unit and then decide to stop supercharging after something is dead or low on wounds

What you can do is roll your toHit rolls for each model indvidually, so that a pair of double 1s only kills the same model and not the next one in line (unless that poor bastard rolls a 1).

Also, since I'm on a roll and its often the very next question, the death from failed supercharges occurs after the attacks resolve, so if your Inceptor rolls a 1, all of their attacks still resolve even though the model itself is doomed