Ghostkeel stealth drone vs grenade stratagem

[TheArtilleryman]

How do the Ghostkeel stealth drones work against the grenade stratagem? I was playing a game tonight in which I used it several times against Ghostkeels but we couldn’t figure out how it is supposed to work. Some possible interpretations we debated:

 

1.  The grenade stratagem is one attack that has a potential to score six mortals, and so a stealth drone can stop all damage

2. The grenade stratagem is six separate attacks so a stealth drone can stop one mortal wound going through

3. The grenade stratagem is not a normal attack and so the stealth drones do nothing.

In the end we decided to meet in the middle and say one drone expended could halve the number of mortals rolled, so as to keep the game moving.

 

Is there an official interpretation for this scenario? I have hunted for one online and can’t find anything.

Edited August 4 by TheArtilleryman

[DemonGSides]

I honestly think it's 3 but I think your solution was really nice compromise.

 

The grenade strat never mentions the word attack, and the Ghostkeel specifically mentions allocating an attack which is a specific step of the attack sequence.  Grenade strat operates outside of the attack sequence as far as I can tell as all it takes is for it to be the shooting phase.

 

 

[TheArtilleryman]

6 hours ago, DemonGSides said:

I honestly think it's 3 but I think your solution was really nice compromise.

 

The grenade strat never mentions the word attack, and the Ghostkeel specifically mentions allocating an attack which is a specific step of the attack sequence.  Grenade strat operates outside of the attack sequence as far as I can tell as all it takes is for it to be the shooting phase.

 

 

Thanks for the reply! This was my thinking as well (of course it was, I was the one throwing the grenade!) but it really needs some kind of official clarification imo. 
 

Any other thoughts welcome please - I feel like this will be coming up a lot in my games because both I and my most regular opponent have both T’au and marines.

[TheArtilleryman]

Anyone got a definitive answer to this? Thanks in advance :)

[TrawlingCleaner]

So I think the Ghostkeel's Stealth Drone wouldn't do anything against Grenades:

 

 

Grenades is neither an attack or Damage as they're just Mortal Wounds

[Dr_Ruminahui]

I agree with Trawling Crawler - there isn't anything in the rules (that I can see) that describes these type of wounds as "an attack".  I had thought there might be a definition of "attack" in the rules clarification that muddied the waters, but there isn't.

 

The only place I can see where an "attack" is described is in relation to shooting and melee attacks, which leads me to the same conclusion as above that this type of conditionally inflicted mortal wounds aren't an "attack" unless their rules specifically describe them as such.

 

One exception appears to be wounds inflicted by an ability with the psychic key word, which the clarification (at p 26) states are wounds inflicted by a psychic attack.

 

Unfortunately, you are kind of asking us to prove a negative, which may be a reason why we can't point to a definitive answer on this.  To me, its for the side advancing that these wounds are an attack who needs to show such is supported by the rules, and asides from the psychic wounds exception above, I can't see where it is.

Edited August 7 by Dr_Ruminahui

[Metzombie]

I do not think it is important for this if Grenades are an attack. The important bit here is, imo, the fact the stealth drone modifies the damage characteristic. And grenades do not have a damage characteristic, they just inflict a mortal wound.

[DemonGSides]

Yeah there's just nothing in the stealth drone rule that interacts with wounds, just attacks.

[Tawnis]

I would interpret it this way as well.

When you make an attack it's specifically with the attack profile the weapon. A weapon makes X attacks. Since grenades simply deal mortals, it's not technically an "attack" so a Ghostkeel's drone can't stop it. 

 

Fun fact, because it's not an attack if there was a way to extend the Grenade's range beyond 12" it would bypass the Ghostkeel's Lone Operative as well. 

 

 

[Xenith]

Straight dealing mortals isn't an attack, so wont trigger the keel. It was like this in 8th I think also with psychic powers - the things that just inflicted mortals were not 'attacks' per se.

[TheArtilleryman]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. I think you’ve settled the matter!