Shooting Through Ruins

[SvenONE]

Had a situation tonight where my snipers (who had infiltrated to the second level of some ruins in the midfield) were shooting at a Tyranid Tervigon, they had LOS between 2 ruined buildings.  Nightfighting was on.

 

The tervigon was not positioned in any ruins but with the way terrain was set up, he was partially obscured by the ruins on the right.  When it came time to roll the save he claimed a 2+ save because he was obscured by ruins (4+) and with shrouded (I was at 28").

 

While the snipers had direct visibility (nothing obscuring their shot) I didn't even think he was obscured enough (he's not a vehicle) to claim a cover save.  Even still, a 4+ by ruins that he isn't even in.  We let it go to the dice on whether we play it was a 4+ or 5+ and it went his way.  So he rolled a 2 and made his "cover save".

 

By that logic though I could set ruins up across the middle of the table and claim a 4+ cover for everything that's sitting on my table edge 24" away.  That just didn't sound right.  I checked all the obscuring cover rules but it was only for vehicles.  

[CovertToaster]

The short answer is that your opponent can't use the vehicle rules for an MC. If you look up MC's under unit types in the rulebook you will read that MC's are infantry with some additional rules therefore you would use the rules for infantry to determine whether or not your opponents tervigon receives a cover save. 

 

I think that would mean that any model in your sniper unit that can draw a direct line of sight to the tervigon without any intervening terrain gets to shoot at it and your opponent can't take a cover save from the ruins against those shots.

[Akragth]

MC aren't vehicles, so use infantry cover save rules.

 

''If, when you come to allocate a Wound, the target model's body (as defined on page 8) is at least 25% obscured from the point of view of at least one firer, Wounds allocated to that model receive a cover save.''

 

Rules, p18.

 

Comes down to LOS from each of the snipers and whether the ruins got in the way at all. If more than 25% of the target is obscured, then there's a cover save from that firer. If the target isn't obscured by any more than 25%, then no cover save. 

 

EDIT: Got sniped myself. Lol.

[Adra'Melek]

Although the model would only need to be obscured to one of the firers to count as in cover from all.

 

Determining Cover Saves section, pg 44 of the interactive e-book version.

[Fibonacci]

If the target is obscured by ruins it gets a cover save no matter how far back it is. 

 

By that logic though I could set ruins up across the middle of the table and claim a 4+ cover for everything that's sitting on my table edge 24" away.  That just didn't sound right.

Yes, but your opponent would get the same cover save.

[Raeven]

Yep.  And the type of cover determines the save bonus.

[Butters]

I have this problem all the time.  People try to hit something with a lascannon shooting through like 5 windows and barbed wire and stuff.  I'm going to side with the guy.  Think about how hard it would be to hit a shot across the battle field through a couple buildings and windows.  My group plays that if its a shot through more than 2 windows or buildings it just cannot be taken, unless they are massive openings obviously.