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So my DeathWatch kill team features several reivers that have been using Grapnel Launchers to get around but it's generated a lot of questions about how they work versus the grav chutes and whether there is an advantage to taking both..etc.. I was hoping the Dakkamind could help me figure some of these out:

Grave-Chute: A model with a grav-chute never suffers falling damage, and never falls on another model. If it would, instead place this model as close as possible to the point it would have landed. This can bring it within 1" of an enemy model

Grapnel Launcher: A model with a grapnel launcher can climb any distance vertically (up or down) when it makes a normal move. Do not measure the distance moved in this way.

1) Grav chutes prevent you from taking fall damage if you jump down from something. If I use a grapnel launcher to travel down the side of the building, do I take fall damage?

2) Grav Chutes mention the possibility of falling on someone, but I can't find the rules for that. Can I Mario-smash an opponent by jumping on them?

3) Can I use a Grapnel Launcher in a charge? Can I use a Grav Chute in a charge?

4) Can a model be pushed? Is there rules for this? After reading Grav Chute, an imperial player really wants to Sparta an Intercessor Gunner.

5) Can I make a jump down move with a grav chute and end up in melee with them without it being a charge (and them getting a reaction)?

 ChargerIIC wrote:
1) If I use a grapnel launcher to travel down the side of the building, do I take fall damage?

No.

2) Grav Chutes mention the possibility of falling on someone, but I can't find the rules for that. Can I Mario-smash an opponent by jumping on them?

No.

3) Can I use a Grapnel Launcher in a charge? Can I use a Grav Chute in a charge?

No and no.

4) Can a model be pushed? Is there rules for this? After reading Grav Chute, an imperial player really wants to Sparta an Intercessor Gunner.

No, but you can fall if you are hit and standing near a ledge.

5) Can I make a jump down move with a grav chute and end up in melee with them without it being a charge (and them getting a reaction)?

No, and this is clarified in the designer's commentary.

Short of it is that Grapnel Launchers can only be used when you make a Normal Move. This is pretty great, as it lets you scale tall buildings in a single movement, getting a lot of bang for your buck.

Grav Chutes are immensely situational and require you to be using a lot of very high terrain with the risk of falling from it. If you don't, then don't pay the points for grav chutes.

Like to add you can use Grav chutes to charge enemy models at lower levels, since unlike the Grapnel it's not limited to normal move.

"Falling" is specifically when a model is involuntarily knocked off of a high level after being hit by an attack. If you are playing with the Falling rules, models must test when they are hit by an attack and are within 1" of the edge of a terrain feature from which it has been agreed that a model can fall from. A model which Falls must roll to see if it takes Falling Damage. This is 1 D6 per 3", and each roll of 5+ results in a mortal wound. If the model would land on top of another, both must roll for the Falling Damage. The falling model is then placed as close as possible to where it would land, which can be within 1" of the other model.

Models with Grav Chutes do not have to roll for Falling Damage, and if Falling would cause them to land on another model, they do not do so, instead landing within 1". As with normal Falling, this can leave them open to an attack in the Fight phase, if they land within 1" of an enemy model (and neither of them die). They cannot attack the enemy themselves, because they did not charge it.

"Jumping Down" is deliberately moving off of high-level terrain from which it is possible to fall. Models roll 1 fewer die than for normal Falling Damage, and can therefore Jump Down up to 5" without penalty. You cannot use this to get within 1" of an enemy, unless you are charging. If you choose to Jump Down as part of a charge, you do not measure the vertical distance you are charging. However, you should measure the full direct distance between models when determining whether you are in range to charge. If you have very high terrain, this could result in you being out of charge range, even though you could roll the charge distance.

Again, Models with Grav Chutes do not have to roll for Falling Damage and can therefore Jump Down without penalty.


Grapnel Launchers allow models to "climb" as part of a normal Move without counting the vertical distance (which implies you must be able to climb in the first place). If you use Grapnel Launchers to climb down, you still must be able to make a valid climb down the terrain in the first place, otherwise you are Jumping Down.


For Reivers, this means that they can charge down from a higher level and only count horizontal distance without any penalty, but cannot charge "up" in the same way.

There is nothing that prevents a model who fell into close combat (by being shot as example) to attack in the fight phase.

Both models would be considered locked in combat and able to fight as if that would be an ongoing combat from previous turn.