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This stratagem has to be played when an enemy psyker attempts to manifest a psychic power within 18"......



Now lets look at the psychic phase rules.

MANIFESTING PSYCHIC POWERS
When you select a Psyker unit to manifest psychic powers, you
select one psychic power that unit knows and attempt to manifest
it. With the exception of Smite, you cannot attempt to manifest the
same psychic power more than once in the same battle round, even
with different Psyker units.
To manifest the psychic power, you must first pass a Psychic test. The
opposing player can then select one of their Psyker units that is within
24" of the Psyker unit attempting to manifest the power and attempt
to deny that power before its effects are resolved by passing a Deny the
Witch test.
So long as the Psychic test was successful and the psychic power was
not denied by a successful Deny the Witch test, the psychic power
is successfully manifested and its effects, which will be described in
the power itself, are then resolved.

So, the way i see it, you have to use the stratagem before the psychic test roll, because thats the attempt to manifest it. At that point you dont know whether the power will be successful, or not. When the roll is made the power is manifested (if the roll is high enough), and the attempt has passed.

Now lets look at the IH version :

Use this Stratagem in your opponent’s Psychic phase, when an enemy PSYKER model manifests a psychic power within 24" of an IRON HANDS unit from your army (after any Deny the Witch attempt). Roll one D6; on a 4+ that psychic power is resisted.

It says when an enemy psyker model manifests a psychic power. Which is after the psychic test roll.

What is your querstion exactly?

Because you made a few true statements, and it does not seem like you asked a question.

Question is, do you have to play the stratagem before the psychic test, not knowing whether it will be manifested, or not ?

 p5freak wrote:
Question is, do you have to play the stratagem before the psychic test, not knowing whether it will be manifested, or not ?

Considering the stratagem literally says "Use this stratagem in your opponent's Psychic phase, when an enemy Psyker attempts to manifest a psychic power..."

Yes, you need to use it "in your opponent's Psychic phase, when an enemy Psyker attempts to manifest a psychic power"

Why would you think otherwise?

Because its a little stupid to play it before knowing whether the psychic power will be successful, or not. And, how can it be denied on a 4+, when it isnt manifested, yet ?

 p5freak wrote:
Because its a little stupid to play it before knowing whether the psychic power will be successful, or not. And, how can it be denied on a 4+, when it isnt manifested, yet ?

Your not denying the power per se, you are suppressing the ability for it to be cast in the first place, as a 'dampening' is meant to be.

 Dr. Mills wrote:

 p5freak wrote:
Because its a little stupid to play it before knowing whether the psychic power will be successful, or not. And, how can it be denied on a 4+, when it isnt manifested, yet ?

Your not denying the power per se, you are suppressing the ability for it to be cast in the first place, as a 'dampening' is meant to be.

Thats not what the stratagem says. It says the psychic power is denied. Not the psyker cannot attempt to manifest the psychic power.

Follow up question:

If the test is never made, can another psyker attempt the same power?

I would say no, as they still 'attempted' it, but thought it worth asking.

 Stux wrote:
Follow up question:
If the test is never made, can another psyker attempt the same power?
I would say no, as they still 'attempted' it, but thought it worth asking.

Correct, as per this line - "you cannot attempt to manifest the same psychic power more than once in the same battle round, even with different Psyker units."
I'm also agreed that you need to choose whether to use the Stratagem before the psychic roll is made. Just because it's not the same as the version another army has, doesn't make it "stupid", it makes it different. Unless you really want to play IronHandsHammer 40K...? Also bear in mind that this Stratagem only costs 1CP, and Souls of Iron was FAQ'ed to cost 2CP instead.

I've spotted something else, though. The dampening Stratagem clearly "denies" the power, and we have a rules definition for that per "Deny The Witch". But under the Iron Hands version, what exactly does "resisting" the power mean? I'm inclined to think exactly the same, because it doesn't say anything about the Iron Hands unit having to be the target of, or affected by the power.

 p5freak wrote:
Because its a little stupid to play it before knowing whether the psychic power will be successful, or not. And, how can it be denied on a 4+, when it isnt manifested, yet ?

Stupid or not, that is what the rules say.

You use empyric damping when an enemy Psyker attempts to manifest a psychic power (within a certain range).

A Psyker attempts to manifest a psychic power when you select the Psyker and select a power.

"When you select a Psyker unit to manifest psychic powers, you select one psychic power that unit knows and attempt to manifest it" P 14, Manifesting Psychic Powers section of the PDF Rulebook

So when that happens, you can use empyric damping, and the attempt fails if you make the roll. you play this before the Psyker rolls his dice. No one else can attempt to manifest that power as per the usual restrictions (Noted exceptions apply as normal).