Psychic Weapon/Abilities

[SvenONE]

This is less a rules clarification and more an observation about the Psychic ability (note: not keyword). The bracketed ability that is a part of various datasheets of psykers. See the Keeper of Secrets below via the 40K app.

 

 

Various abilities within the game (nearly all that we could think of) confer bonuses, (e.g. [Anti X] wounds on the value prescribed, [Lethal Hits] automatically wounds on crit, [Heavy] +1 to BS when standing still, [Extra Attcks] are... extra attacks etc.) But Psychic appears to be one of the only abilities that confers no bonus. Page 38 of the rules has a siderail which describes the ability:

 

Quote

"...If a Psychic weapon or ability causes any unit to suffer one or more wounds, each of those wounds is considered to have been inflicted by a Psychic Attack."

 

By all accounts, a Psychic Attack is effectively a wound inflicted like any other weapon and solely exists to be countered by a Psychic Hood ability (perhaps some stratagems out there as well?)

 

The scenario was that he, as BA with Mephiston leading his Assault Intercessors, was able to activate his Psychic Hood ability to prevent wounds with his FNP. There wasn't an argument of any kind of course, the rules are clear. We did come away thinking it odd the way this rule manifests as we couldn't think of any other ability that exists like this on a weapon profile that actually confers no actual bonus.

 

Are we missing something? Is there really no benefit to Psychic Attacks? Did the writers originally anticipate Psychic Attacks to cause Mortal Wounds but then scrapped it before printing?

 

 

[Dr_Ruminahui]

You aren't missing anything - it confers no rules on its own, and as such operates more as a keyword than an actual rule.  So, the only effect it has is where it interacts with other rules - which at this moment (to my knowledge) only operate negatively against weapons with the psychic rule.  While its always open for GW to create units that are particularly vulnerable to psychic powers (and therefore have the rule work positively) that isn't yet the case and I'm not sure even in what circumstances GW might do so.

 

Certainly its an artifact of elimination of the psychic phase - its almost certainly a method to mark those attacks that were once psychic powers.  Whether it was always intended to be a trigger for some units to be protected against such attacks, or whether other rules (such as them inflicting mortal wounds) were at some point intended is pure speculation.  Certainly I haven't seen anything that speaks of GW's development on this point (not that I've been looking).

Edited January 25 by Dr_Ruminahui

[SvenONE]

Terrific response, thanks for adding some clarity to it.