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When attacking a unit with a character added to it, can i attack the character directly if i have models in base to base contact with him
or are those attacks going to be inflicted on the bodygaurd unit.

because : If the attacking unit has a character in it it can use the statagem Epic Challens that gives precision to that character

Because of the stratagem it seems to me that the only way to fight a character in a bodygaurd unit is to use the stratagem.

You can’t normally choose to attack a particular model in a unit. That’s the point of Bodyguard units.

PRECISION lets you cut through that and target the Character.

Attacker allocates attacks to the unit if your model is in position to attack two units

Successful wounds must be allocated by the defender to a model in the unit previously damaged or previously allocated to that phase.

If neither condition is met the defender must allocate to a new model.

Precision overrides this whether native to the datasheet or via the stratagem and forces allocation to the character of attackers choice

However once an attack has been allocated the previous sequence applies so non precision attacks will be allocated to the character before any models that have not been allocated to that phase

U02dah4 wrote:

However once an attack has been allocated the previous sequence applies so non precision attacks will be allocated to the character before any models that have not been allocated to that phase

I don't think that's right.

Each time an attack sucessfully wounds an Attached
unit, that attack cannot be allocated to a Character
model in that unit, even if that Character model
has lost one or more wounds or has already had
attacks allocated to it this phase.

Page 39 of the core rules under the entry for "Leader"

Just like with shooting, in close combat the only way to attack a character that is in a bodyguard unit is to have [precision]. This can either be gained via the Epic Challenge stratagem or some units have it naturally on their melee attacks (Callidus assassin, for example).

Without precision it is not allowed to allocate any wounds to an attached character in a bodyguard unit wether the controlling player wants it or not.

May I add a question?

In my game from yesterday we had the following situation:

Azrael was leading a unit of Hellblasters with only 1 remaining bodyguard. Charged a unit of 16 Hormagaunts. If the Gaunts would all attack the Azrael-unit, would you make all attacks against the poor lone hellblaster? If so, would excess wounds be allocated to Azrael? Or would the first few hits kill the bodyguard and all other hits be lost?

Actually the situation didnt quite come up, as some moustached primarch killed the Gaunts just a second before they could attack. But the question remains....

 Mickmann wrote:
May I add a question?

In my game from yesterday we had the following situation:

Azrael was leading a unit of Hellblasters with only 1 remaining bodyguard. Charged a unit of 16 Hormagaunts. If the Gaunts would all attack the Azrael-unit, would you make all attacks against the poor lone hellblaster? If so, would excess wounds be allocated to Azrael? Or would the first few hits kill the bodyguard and all other hits be lost?

Actually the situation didnt quite come up, as some moustached primarch killed the Gaunts just a second before they could attack. But the question remains....

You make attacks one at a time.

So you make 1 attack and if you are successful in the wound roll, you assign that wound to the lone hellblaster, if he fails his save you reduce his wounds by one and make the next attack.

Do this until the lone hellblaster dies, then you keep making attacks one at a time until against the rest of the unit, until you are out of attacks.

From Leader Ability wrote:While a Bodyguard unit contains a Leader, it is known as an Attached unit and, with the exception of rules that are triggered when units are destroyed (pg 12), it is treated as a single unit for all rules purposes. Each time an attack targets an Attached unit, until the attacking unit has resolved all of its attacks, you must use the Toughness characteristic of the Bodyguard models in that unit, even if a Leader in that unit has a different Toughness characteristic. Each time an attack sucessfully wounds an Attached unit, that attack cannot be allocated to a Character model in that unit, even if that Character model has lost one or more wounds or has already had attacks allocated to it this phase. As soon as the last Bodyguard model in an Attached unit has been destroyed, any attacks made against that unit that have yet to be allocated can then be allocated to Character models in that unit.

Got it. Thanks!