Question regarding Tau and blast templates

[Schertenleib]

Had this come up in a game last week......

 

Tau player makes his assault phase jet pack move for his IC and is placed within 2" of a unit of Fire Warriors. In the Space Marines Shooting Phase a heavy weapons unit fires Frag missiles at the Fire Warriors. Two missiles hit and both the IC and the Fire Warriors are under the blast templates.

 

The issue that came up was this:

 

Is the IC joined with the unit of Fire Warriors or is it still a separate unit? My thought was that it moved within 2" of a unit and therefore joins it. The Tau player pointed out that you can only join a unit during the Movement Phase and as he had moved during the Assault Phase he could not possibly be joined to the Fire Warriors unit.

 

If he has joined then I need 3+ to wound but the wounds are allocated to his models as he wants.

If he has not joined then I roll for possible wounds to the separate units (3+ for the Warriors and 4+ for the IC) and the wounds get allocated to just those units.

 

I could use some help on this one. How does this shake out?

[bystrom]

An independent character may not join or leave a unit during the Shooting and Assault phases - once shots are fired or assaults are launched it is too late to join in or duck out!

The IC and squad's two different units.

[Uncooked]

You are only allowed to join characters during your movement phase. The Tau jetpack second move is at the end of the assault phase - therefore unable to join his fire warrior unit.

 

He must also declare if he has joined that specific unit at the end of his movement phase, else you can alway single him out.

 

I hate people who bend the rule! this has made me rage for the rest of the day! RAWR

[stinkenheim]

If they are within 2" of a friendly unit at the end of the movement ohase they automatically join it whether you want them to or not so you do not have to declare.

The only time a declaration is needed is if they are within 2" of more than one unit then you must say which they are part of.

It is impossible now for an IC to be within 2" of a friendly squad and not be part of it (xcept fo the rare occasions when there is a special rule, Space wolves with a TWM for instance).

 

In the example given, the IC could not be considered part of the unit because he did not move to within 2" until the assault phase by which point it was far to late to join them.

[Koremu]

The IC should not have been moved to within 2" of the Fire Warriors during the Assault Phase. He can't join a squad except in the movement phase, and must remain beyond 2" until he joins, which can only be done in the movement phase.

[Ravinella]

The IC should not have been moved to within 2" of the Fire Warriors during the Assault Phase. He can't join a squad except in the movement phase, and must remain beyond 2" until he joins, which can only be done in the movement phase.

 

I'd like to see some rules quotes and page numbers to back that interpretation up if you don't mind.

 

I might want to apply this to a Necron Destroyer Lord, although to be fair I should say I think you are wrong in your interpretation

[Koremu]

AFAICR, in the Characters section under ICs joining squads it says they have to remain more than 2" away if they are not joining

[SeattleDV8]

Full quote please, BRB pg 48 "...must remain more than 2" away from it at the end of the movement phase."

The Tau move was okay and the IC did not join the Fire Warriors.

[Ravinella]

You are indeed correct, my apologies, P48 says "If a character does not intend to (or cannot) join a unit, it must remain more that 2" away from it at the end of the Movement phase"

 

Following that up with "An independent character may not join or leave a unit during the Shooting and Assault phases - once shots are fired or assaults are launched it is too late to join in or duck out!" leaves things a little odd though.

 

If he's >2" away at the end of the Movement phase then he satisfies that part of the rules and in theory can move within 2" during the Assault phase and would then not be counted as joining the unit. Nowhere I can find does it say that he cannot move within 2" during the Assault phase.

 

Odd combination of rules and movement that probably nobody at GW thought of when writing/testing the rules.

 

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P.S. Did that change or have I been doing it wrong for years ?

 

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