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Hi there,

So in a conversation with one of my friends yesterday, we came onto the subject of the Psychic phase, and whether or not you can manifest psychic powers in combat, or shoot psybolt at other people in combat. We're still playing vanilla, so there's no expansion psykers yet in play. In the rules, it doesn't specify when you can or can't use psybolt. It's just assumed that it's always available to use.

The issue occurred when we were discussing when it was possible to use it. I am fine with psybolt being used in combat to a degree, but I don't like the idea of is his sorcerer being able to fire off a psybolt into an existing melee between two other characters. I feel it should fall under the same rules as shooting into a combat, but it's never specified that it is. I don't know how much of an effect this will have in practice, but I fear that there's potential for it to swing games.

Anyway, I was hoping to hear what you folks think. Would you allow it? Am I just being too precious about my Ruststalkers being pinged during combat?

As you said, nothing in the rules says you can't.
Psybolt affects the closest visible enemy model, even if it's within an inch of an enemy model.

It does indeed have a huge impact, especially with the alternate activation in KT. The model closest to your psyker will often be one that charged. Killing it denies it its attacks, and frees your friendly model which will then be able to shoot. That's a very effective protection against charges.

Seems like an outbreak of special-rule-angst.
As an Adeptus Mechanicus Player, you should be familiar with it, hearing your opponents complain about the great special rules, your team has got.
Despite being one of the few teams to use the Psyphase, GK are not better than the rest, just different.
Psybolt is better against some armies than others and it is not worse than that buffed shootist who hits on 2s, wounds on 2s with AP of -3 or -4 (replace with whatever you fear).
Obvious drawback of a Psybolt is the "closest model part". Just charge him with two models and put the less important one closer. Built up a thread that would be at least as tempting. Build a thread by placing models, so that they can shoot the GK if he kills his opponent before the shooting phase.
In one of 6 cases the Psybolt doesn't work and once in a while it miscasts. And in about half the cases the Psybolt will not kill but cause a flesh wound only.
One of the good things about KT is the roster. If you know you're playing against GK, you can select the right tools.
[edit]spelling[/edit]

I talk from the perspective of a TSons player, another use of the psychic phase.

In the "taking bodies" mission you can locate the alone guy, charge with a tzaangor and psybolt it to easily earn the point because of the tzaangor in contact.