Out of nowhere we get a new FAQ for Legions Imperialis. The game really needed it so let’s see what they address.
I do want to complain a bit before we get going. GW has changed their FAQ format from uploading one per book, to putting them all in one PDF, and they don’t even make it clear which are new (it’s all the ones after the rulebook). GW’s lack of clarity in their FAQ documents is infuriating, these are documents for fixing their mistakes, so stop making more in them.
I’m going to summarize changes, then go through the PDF in order, so that you can follow along if you want.
Summary
The FAQ overall takes a pretty light hand. We see a number of typos fixed, a few rules tightened up, and a few balance changes. Honestly it’s kind of a weird mix and for this to be the first update to a book that came out almost a year ago (Liber Strategia) is frustrating. I’m glad GW released this but the number of FAQ answers that need another FAQ is not acceptable, and GW’s balance changes seem incredibly random. I do want to give credit on them fixing the Ultima Pattern Iconic Formation. It’s a bad Formation, but now it costs a lot less to put on the table.
To pull out the most important changes and clarifications:
- Tarantulas can’t shoot anything anymore - they can only target things matching their keywords
- The Shadowsword, Stormsword, and Stormblade all got an extra lascannon shot
- Plasma-armed Thanatars gain Barrage
- Deep strike views objective markers the same as units
- The Legion Aerial Assault formation loses access to its Vanguard slot
- Iron Warriors Macro-Assault Wing Formation gets a big point drop on the expanded units
- Solar Auxilia Ultima Pattern Formation no longer requires 6 Solar Auxilia Support boxes to field, it’s still not worth it
The future of this game is certainly unclear right now but I would love if this FAQ spoke of more updates and releases to come.
Core Rule Updates
Shock Pulse
The FAQ is updated to show this impacts the entire unit’s weapons, but it is one weapon per model. They still have not closed the point defense loophole. If a detachment has been Shock-Pulsed, and you can fire Point Defense weapons in the Movement Phase Shock Pulse will fall off.
Deep Strike
Text added to prevent scattering onto an friendly models and objective marker, it’s treated like enemy models.
Alpha Legion
Discussed below.
Firestorm
Clarifies that Firestorm weapons auto-hit everything in a structure, even if you can’t cover the entire structure. This is a good change as you generally couldn’t fully cover buildings due to their size. This is how I’ve been playing it but is a buff to Flamestorm for anyone who wasn’t.
Core Rule New FAQs
Line of Sight
Here we get a rules clarification (any part of a model can be a source of line of sight) but we then get a designer’s note saying “no, actually some parts don’t count.” A confusing way to do your FAQ. The things that maybe don’t count for line of sight include “protruding weapons” and “bases” and I just hate how vague this FAQ answer is.
Detachments in restrictive formations
This clarifies that units which don’t meet a formation’s requirements can’t be included in the formation, even if otherwise allowed. Their example is Javelins in a Vanguard slot of an Aerial Assault Formation. I’m not sure if any other formations are affected by this as this FAQ seems to rely on how Aerial Assault is worded, and Heavy Assault Spearhead doesn’t have the same wording, so it won’t run into similar issues.
Fight roll timing
These are simultaneous, which is how everyone I know plays it.
Model facing when fleeing
Your models do not have to face the direction they were moving, so don’t show your ass to the enemy, even when you’re running away.
Models joining detachments with - morale
If something joins a - morale unit it also becomes morale - passing all checks. This is most helpful for mechanicum and putting HQs into Tech-Thralls. It’s also a pretty niche case for putting an HQ in a Tarantula unit, I’d rather they just had said models with a real morale number can’t join - detachments.
Battlesmith
First they clarify some unclear language, AP 0 or -1 is ‘worse’ than AP -2. Next it confirms Battlesmiths are looking at modified AP (e.g. things like Light AT). They don’t state this, but I believe this also means that a vehicle hit in the back by a -2 AP weapon (going to -3 AP) could not use Battlesmith.
Automated Sentry
This is one of the bigger changes, you can no longer shoot at things that don’t match your “targets” this means lascannons can’t go into infantry and missiles can only go into aircraft. I don’t think this kills Tarantulas but it’s a pretty significant nerf. I do want to note that this FAQ answer is particularly poorly worded, automated sentry units don’t have “listed Detachment Types” but I think the intent is pretty clear.
Sharing transports cross-formation
They confirm that units from formation A can hop in formation B’s non-transport transport, as long as they share an army list. This means if you’ve taken a vehicle with transport capacity in an Air Support or Super Heavy slot, units from another detachment (and the same army) can ride in it. This was the Rules as Written reading, but good to confirm. Note this does work cross-legion, Blood Angels can get in a White Scars Thunderhawk, if you really want to min-max. Note they don’t clarify how deployment works for this which was one of my questions about it.
Infiltrate and HQs
If a detachment doesn’t have infiltrate and joins a detachment that does, that detachment loses infiltrate. This doesn’t impact Pioneer Company or Raven Guard but is a small nerf to Alpha Legion.
Skyfire and point defense
This is another case of it being clear RaW, but you can shoot target A with your main guns, flyer B with your skyfire, and target C with your point defense weapons.
Split arc fire
This is a fun one, if your unit has front and rear arc weapons, and the same unit is in both arcs (a Marauder that has stopped next to an enemy unit) both guns can fire into the unit. I think this made sense before but good to clarify.
Iconic Formation Legate Commanders
You can’t take a formation with a Legate Commander if you have fewer than 1500 points.
Obstructing terrain
Can you see over it if something is tall? No, no you can’t. It is treated as infinitely high. Note - this raises some flyer questions. Flyers have line of sight to all models “unless instructed otherwise” what does that mean here? Who knows.
Inspire
Drawn from the model with the rule, not its unit.
Fleeing and Coherency
Remaining in coherency trumps moving the shortest distance possible, this makes sense and is good.
Liber Strategia
Kratos Battlecannon
Fixing a typo, battlecannon is AP -4 at 10”.
Typhon Morale Fix
This had 2+ morale, clearly a typo, now fixed to 3+.
Rhinos
Arcs removed from the weapons that had them, seems totally fine.
Alpha Legion
Thanks to /u/jkmushy for clarifying what’s going on here, the prior wording could be read as you can only use this rule when your entire army is Alpha Legion, it’s now clarified that only an entire formation needs to be Alpha Legion to use Mutable Tactics.
Shadowsword, Stormsword, Stormblade
They got an extra lascannon shot which is not at all a bad buff.
Taghma Sub-Covenant
Just cleaning up removing walkers from transport options now that Triaros can’t hold them.
Thanatar Plasma Barrage
I appreciate this change, Thanatars need love, and this buff isn’t nothing, as slow units they’re easy to hide from. However the problems with Thanatars are high cost, low range, slow speed and this doesn’t fix those.
Dark Mechanicum Special Rules
I think this is mostly a fix, it clarifies that attaching characters and taking tech-priests work the same in Dark Mechanicum as in Mechanicum.
Knight Grav Guns have Grav
This is a formatting fix but Mechanicum knights have Graviton Pulse on their Graviton gun.
Iron Warriors Iconic Formation Points Drop
The Macro-Assault Wing keeps the base 340 point cost, but adding the expanded detachment gets a huge drop from 410 to 355 points. This is honestly pretty crazy for 530 points of units that have a good bonus rule. I think I’ll be painting up one of these formations.
Ultima Pattern Rapiers
This is a good change, this Iconic Formation moves from having 24 laser destroyer Rapiers to having 8 of each weapon, making it much easier to build, and better too.
Multi-melta typo
The hull-mounted multi-melta was listed as a 4+ to hit and while I’d love that, the typo has been corrected to 5+.
Ruin of the Salamanders
Saturnine Teleporter
Confirming that units coming down after the first still scatter, but select the commander as their entry point for that scatter.