40k Advanced

Version 2.6

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40k Advanced is intended for veteran players who have a firm understanding of the current 40k rules. Army balance issues may come up, but war isn’t fair. These rules are intended for friendly games only and players should feel free to alter them as they see fit.

THE MOVEMENT PHASE

Going to Ground

A standard infantry unit (pg 264 for descriptions) with can declare they want to go to ground if they have not moved and there are no enemy units within 12 inches. To go to ground the unit must pass a leadership test using highest of the squad, if the test is passed the unit has gone to ground successfully (place a gone to ground marker next to the unit), if the test is failed some of the unit goes to ground whilst others don’t because they have not heard the order over the sound of battle, the unit can do nothing else during the movement phase.

A unit that has gone to ground it gains the stealth special rule. If a unit that has the stealth special rule goes to ground they are able to re-roll failed cover saves. If a unit is in the open when they go to ground they gain a 6+ cover save. As soon as the unit moves it no longer counts as going to ground.

Bulky Units: Some units are so huge and bulky that going to ground gives them no additional benefit, to represent this, units that contain any models that cannot perform sweeping advances cannot go to ground (units like Terminators or Obliterators)

Running

A unit of infantry (see pg 264 for descriptions) can attempt to run that little bit further. This is done in the exact same manner as the fleet universal special rule, except instead of an extra D6 inches, running is an extra D3 inches. Models that are not allowed to perform sweeping advances (i.e. terminators) or are slow and purposeful cannot perform a run, as they are to slow. A model that already has fleet cannot perform a run move on top of their normal fleet move. Units that move any extra distance in the movement phase due to blood rage or something similar cannot perform a run.

Units that wear heavier or bulkier armour may find it hard to run, to represent this units with a 2+ save cannot run at all, in addition units with 3+ saves suffer a minus –1 to the D3 result for running.

THE SHOOTING PHASE

Cover Saves

Cover is treated in the exact same manner as the standard 40k rules except for on minor change; cover saves are taken before armour saves. So for example you have a unit of Space Marines in a forest (5+ cover save), they are shot and hit by six pulse rifle shots. So the Space Marine player would roll six cover saves first, any passes (5 or 6 in this example) represent the terrain stopping the incoming fire, but for every cover save that is failed the Space Marines will have to take armour saves.

In another example a unit of Imperial Guardsmen has gone to ground within a bunker (3+ cover save), they are hit by four bolter shots. The guard player rolls the cover saves, for each one that fails the guard player would take an armour save, but can't because the bolter penetrates the guardsmen’s' saves.

Design Note: This is the more realistic way of playing cover saves and was deliberately avoided by the 40k designers, as they didn’t want units with already high armour values to become almost untouchable in cover. But that just isn’t cricket.

Splitting Fire

Normally in the standard Warhammer 40 000 a unit cannot split is fire, but in advanced 40k you are perfectly able to. A unit (excluding vehicles) can split any shooting between two valid targets. Declare what is shooting at what before rolling any dice. The two targets must be put into a Primary and a Secondary category. The Primary target is fired at as normal, but to shoot at the secondary target a LD test has to be taken (using the highest of the models shooting at the secondary target), if passed they shoot at it as normal, if failed there has been confusion in identifying the target and any models shooting at the secondary target can not fire this turn.

Multi-Trackers: Tau units with a model with a multi-tracker can still split fire following the above rules, but in addition if desired the multi-tracker equipped model may shoot at an additional target using the multi-tracker rules. So in effect a Tau unit with a multi-tracker can be firing at three different enemy units!

Aimed Fire

A unit or model (excluding vehicles) can aim their shots if they have not moved in the movement phase. When aiming they are seeking out weak spots in the enemies cover or armour that they can take advantage of. To represent this an aiming model may re-roll any failed to hits that roll a one, remember a re-roll can not be re-rolled. Heavy weapons cannot be aimed, as they are too cumbersome and large to get aimed shots. Even units that always count as being stationary cannot move and aim.

Adv. Penetrating Fire

In standard 40k weapons have fixed AP value, meaning if you have a 4+ save you don’t have to worry about your armour being ignored by AP 5 weapons. But in things now work a little differently. Roll your armour saves like normal but minus the weapons Armour Penetration modifier. So for example a weapon has a AP of 4 then you reduce 2 from your armour save, for example a Space Marine’s 3+ would become 5+.

AP	Modifier
1	-5
2	-4
3	-3
4	-2
5	-1
6	-1*
None	None

*This minus one only applies if the weapon’s strength value is equal to or greater then 5.

Design Note: Why use AP instead of Strength for modifiers?
"Although some weapons have a high impact power some may have a low penetrating power, impact power is fantastic for something with no protection but something with armour requires a weapon with a penetrating power. For example take an Ork shoota compared to a boltgun; same hitting power (Str 4) but the boltgun has a much better penetrating power compared to the shoota (AP 5 compared to AP6). It would be unfair to make an ork shoota as deadly as a marine bolter. This also applies to many other weapons, such as an Auto cannon; very high impact power (Str 7) but not the greatest penetrating power (AP 4). Also using this method keeps weapons more balanced points wise.

Large Blast / Ordnance Blast Templates

All the rules for placing the blast template works like normal, except place down the smallest (3 inch) blast template first. Any models fully or partially under this template suffer a strength hit equal to that of the weapon. Once these rolls to wound have been worked out place the large blast template directly over the smaller one, roll to hit partials like normal. Any models hit by this blast template (do not include the ones already hit by the smaller one) suffer strength hits equal to that of half the weapons strength (rounding up). For armour save purposes, models hit by the large template halve the AP modifier rounding up, if the modifier is one to begin with then it is reduced to none.

Over-watch

In a game a single unit per army can go one over-watch at one time (another unit can go one over-watch at the same time per 500 points the game is over 1000, so in a 2000 point game three units can be on over-watch at one time). You declare a unit going on over-watch at the start of your turn, this unit must pass a LD test to go on over-watch, if they fail the order has not been received and can not go over-watch this turn and count as having moved (so can not move any further this turn), you cannot then nominate another unit. If the unit goes on over-watch they cannot move or attempt to go to ground, although they may shoot in the shooting phase like normal but if they do this they are taken off over-watch.

A unit on over-watch can declare to interrupt your opponent’s movement or assault phase. If they move a unit that can be targeted the over-watching unit may shoot at it like normal (your opponent is allowed to move each model 1 inch before the shooting takes place). Work out the shooting as you normally would, your opponent taking pinning or morale tests like normal. Once this shooting has been resolved the opponent continues his turn. Once the over-watching unit has performed its shots it is taken off over-watch. This unit acts normally in its next turn and can even attempt to go on over-watch again.

That shoots whilst on over-watch can not split fire unless the have their own unique special rule or piece of equipment (i.e. Space Wolf Long Fangs)

Invulnerable Saves

Invulnerable Saves are the same as normal except for the following changes. Invulnerable saves are always taken before armour saves; only then if you fail to pass the invulnerable save roll you make your armour save. So for example a Space Marine Chaplain is hit and wounded by a bolter, he would then take his 4+ invulnerable save, if he fails that he then makes his armour save (with any modifiers that may apply). An invulnerable save can never be modified (unless a special type of weapon ignores them). In addition Invulnerable saves are made after any cover saves.

Invulnerable Save Point Increase

Because invulnerable saves have become so much more potent their points value has to be increased to reflect this. Any piece of wargear or unit with an invulnerable save adds the below points cost (depending on the level of the save). So for example an Iron Halo would cost an extra 20 points whilst a Terminators or Terminator armour would cost an extra 10 points.

Inv. Save	Pts Increase
6+	+5
5+	+10
4+	+20
3+	+30
2+*	+40

*The Dark Eldar wargear item Shadow Field suffers only a 5-point increase, even though it is a 2+ invulnerable save, it can only fail once.

CLOSE COMBAT

Pistols in Combat

The pistol weapon type is designed for close range shooting, where the enemy is right on top of you. In close combat a model armed with a pistol is able to fire a single shot at their initiative value in the assault phase using their WS instead of BS, the shot has the same characteristics as the pistol type (so a model hit by a plasma pistol is treated as being shot by a plasma pistol). But shooting in hand-to-hand can be a dangerous action, as a friendly model may get in the way or the shooter may fire upon their self. To represent this any 1 rolled to hit with a pistol hits a friendly model within 2 inches (selected by your opponent) OR if there are no friendly models the model has shot it self, roll to wound and save etc. A model does not get cover saves when fired at by a pistol in close combat. A pistol that suffers the get hot rules will over heat on a 1 but will hit the shooter or friendly model on a roll of a 2.

If a model shoots with its pistol then it does not gain +1 for having an additional close combat weapon. So for example an Assault Marine has chainsword and bolt pistol, he can perform 2 basic attacks or 1 close combat attack and one bolt pistol shot.

Armour Saves in Combat

In combat armour save modifiers are worked out by the weapons strength rather then AP value (unless of course you are shooting a pistol). Stronger the wielder of the weapon the more it will reduce armour. Some weapons may have strength bonuses and or additional armour save modifiers (see power weapons for one example).

STRENGTH	ARMOUR SAVE
1	-
2	-
3	-
4	-
5	-1
6	-2
7	-2
8	-3
9	-4
10	-

Bikes, Jet Bikes, Beasts and Cavalry

These types of units are fast hard hitting units that drive into combat hit the enemy and continue on their way. To represent this these types of units gain the Hit and Run universal special rule on the turn they charge and only if they win that combat. This hit and run cannot be made against vehicles without a WS.

Parry

A player can opt to parry at the start of close combat (except the first round if they charged) with all models that can normally attack and be attacked, if they do so these models becomes initiative 0 and suffer –2 from their number of attacks. A unit that is attempting to parry declares what initiative value they will parry on, this can be any value, as so long as it does not exceed their own majority initiative value plus +2. All enemy attacks made on that initiative value are parried. When parried against all successful rolls to hit are re-rolled (the attack can use the benefit re-rolls in the case of special rules like Master Crafted Weapons)

Parries can’t be made if the majority of the enemy models being parried against have a strength value (after modifiers) of plus +2 higher then the majority of the defending models.

The firewarriors in the below picture could choose to parry against the attacking marines. Firstly they would declare what initiative value they will parry on (any number between 0 and 4), they declare 4 because that’s the value the marines are attacking on. The marines do not have a high enough strength value to ignore the parries from the Firewarriors, so all of their successful rolls to hit have to be re-rolled.

In another example using the same diagram, if the marines had the furious charge USR then the Firewarriors would not be able to parry their attacks. For one reason the marines’ initiative values have increased to 5 (the Firewarriors can only parry up to initiative level 4), and for a second reason the space marines’ strength values have become +2 to higher then that of the Firewarriors.

In another example using the same diagram, if the space marine unit contained a powerfist the firewarriors could choose to parry on that space marines initiative level which in this case would be 1. So all attacks by the powerfist are attempted to be parried, but sadly for the firewarriors the powerfist is over +2 their strength values.

VEHICLES

Vehicles and Splitting Fire

A vehicle can choose to split their fire with a single weapon. In other words one other weapon can shoot at another viable target, but this one weapon suffers a minus –1 from its BS value.

Vehicle Cover

A vehicle benefits cover in the same way as infantry, except there is a slight difference. A vehicle has to be at least 50 percent in cover to benefit from it. The cover save though is taken after determining if the shot is penetrating or glancing hit. If the shot is a penetrating hit roll the cover save like normal, if passed the shot is downgraded to a glancing hit. If the shot was already a glancing hit roll your cover save, if the save is successful then the shot suffers a minus –1 from glancing hit damage table roll. If the vehicle is open topped then the +1 and –1 negate one another out.

The type of cover too a vehicle is the same as usual, so if the vehicle was in ruins they gain a 4+ cover save for example.

Vehicle Wrecks

After a vehicle is destroyed it is normally left on the table (unless a 6 on the ordnance table is rolled), fires will remain to burn of these wrecked vehicles, fires that can sometimes ignite ammo or un-burnt fuels. At the start of each players turn roll a D6 for each wrecked vehicle, on a result of 6 an incident has occurred. Roll on the incidents table below.

1: Small Explosion: A small explosion occurs, any models within 6 inches of the wreck must take a pinning test.

2: Moderate Explosion: A moderate explosion occurs, any models within 6 inches takes a wound on a roll of 5+ and must take a pinning test.

4: Large Explosion: A large explosion occurs, any models within 6 inches takes a wound on a roll of 4+ and must take a pinning test.

5: Powerful Explosion: As above but in addition wrecked vehicle is flipped into the air 2D6 inches in a random direction. Any models that come underneath the wreck move directly towards the closest board edge, enough inches to get them out of harms way.

6: Very Powerful Explosion: As result 4, but within 6+D6inches. After wounds have been resolved remove the wrecked vehicle, as it has been blow to fragments.

SPECIAL WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT RULES

Shuriken Catapults: Have the profile as below…

Strength: 4 AP: 5 Range: 18’’/12’’, Assault 1/2

If a model armed with a catapult moves their range is reduced down to 12’’ but the weapon becomes Assault 2.

Power Weapons and Fists

Power Weapons have a further –2 armour modifier, instead of ignoring armour saves. Powerfists doubles the users strength and –4 from their initiative to a minimum of 1, additionally they have a further –2 armour modifier, instead of ignoring armour saves. Necron “we’ll be back

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