New Warhammer Fantasy FAQs

So, unless you have been living under a rock for the past few days, you should know that there was a major update to almost all of the Warhammer Fantasy FAQs. These new FAQs, which are now valid and official for all upcoming tournaments, change the game in several significant ways. In this post, I identify what I think are some of the biggest FAQs in the new update and discuss how they are likely to impact the tournament scene in the coming months. Don't forget to read them all before your next big tournament.

First, let’s being with the Main Rulebook FAQ. This FAQ, by far, makes the biggest changes to the game. Here are the ones that will most impact the tournament scene:
　
Monstrous Cavalry, p. 83

In the second paragraph, replace "All the cavalry rules…with one exception – monstrous cavalry always use the highest Wounds characteristic…" with "All the cavalry rules…with two exceptions – monstrous cavalry always use the highest Toughness and Wounds characteristics…"

What this change means, in its most basic form, is that monstrous cavalry just got that much better. Now, instead of just using the highest wounds characteristic between the mount and the rider (which is almost always the mount) you use both the highest wounds and toughness characerisic between the mount and rider (which is also usually the mount). Prior to this change, most monstrous cavalry was toughness 3 because the riders were toughness 3 (eagle riders, demigryph knights, bloodletters on juggs, etc.). Now, those very same units are toughness 4 with absolutely no change in points cost!

What does this mean?

• Demigryph knights will now become the staple for empire armies with just this one little change and I wouldn't be surpirsed to see multiple units of the standard empire build for the next several months.
• Elf eagles riders will become more prevalent in High Elf and Wood Elf armies. It's hard to beat a flying hero already, and make it so that the elf has toughness 4. I weep in joy! 
• Monstrous cavalry will become more prevalent in the short term in all armies that can take them as players figure out how good their monstrous cavalry has become. Though after a few games I think they will dwindled out of the armies that aren't Daemons, Elves of some kind, or Empire.

The Battle Standard Bearer, p. 107

Add "If a Battle Standard Bearer is in a unit that Refuses a Challenge and is subsequently moved to the rear of its unit, it loses the Hold Your Ground rule until the end of the turn. Note, however, that if the Battle Standard Bearer has a magic standard its effects continue to apply as normal (it cannot be ‘switched on or off’)".

No more refusing a challenge to keep the BSB alive and still getting the benefit of the BSB’s re-roll. This is a change that makes sense and I agree with it wholeheartedly. One important note though, the new language applies to the model itself! What this means is that any other unit that wants to use the BSB’s Hold Your Ground rule (a unit in another combat for example) will not be able to do so if the BSB refused a challenge. That being said, refuse challenges in the future at your own discretion.

FAQs

Q: If a unit charges into combat and, on the turn it charges, the last of the enemy unit it is fighting are removed as casualties due to Daemonic Instability, the Unstable special rule, Cornered Rats or as a result of a War Machine failing its Break test, does the charging unit get to make an Overrun move? (p58).
A: No.

This is the most significant change in the new FAQ. Now, instead of hitting something with overwhelming force and overruning, if the unit is destroyed due to its own special rules (like Crumble, Daemonic Instability, Cornered Rats, etc.) you do not get to overrun. This is huge! The impact that this one ruling will make on the game is mind shattering. I expect small slave packs at 40 points to block super combat units from getting into combat all game (or small packs of zombies, or furies, or spirit hosts, or fell bats, or . . . ). This one ruling changes the way that certain armies (that didn't really need help to be competitive) will be able to control the flow of the game, and in particular, the movement phase. I have already started designing my next skaven army build that relies on charging with plague monks and I see no better way to guarantee the charge then several small units of slaves at a cheap 40 points a pop.

Although it is not specifically mentioned, I also read this ruling to include anything that dies due to its own rules like Squiqs losing combat and exploding (which is vitrually the same as the corned rats rule) but I suspect GW didn’t mention it because no one writing in to GW with questions about Squigs.

Q: Do units that are deployed as Scouts count toward determining who finished deploying their army first? (p79)
A: No.

The more scouts you have in your army compared with other, normal drops, the better chance you have to go first. Simple enough.

Q: If a character is deployed as part of a unit with the Vanguard special rule, can that unit still make its Vanguard move? (p79)
A: If the character in question has the Vanguard special rule as well, then yes, they may. Otherwise, no, the character’s presence prevents the unit from using Vanguard.

This ruling really on effects Wood Elves as their mount gives them the Fast Cavalry rule (which includes Vanguard). It is effectively stating that yes, Wood Elf characters can vanguard, but no one else can unless they also have Vanguard. I like this rule!　

Q: Do lone characters get a Look Out, Sir roll against Impact Hits if there is a friendly unit consisting of five or more models of the character’s troop type within 3"? (p96)
A: Yes.

What? What in the world is this kind of ruling? Really GW? I find this rule preposterous in terms of both Warhammer fluff and game play. Do we really think that some dude in a close formation unit (which is not the subject of a big chariot of doom) is going to throw himself in front of the chariot and take an impact hit (but not all of them) because the character was dumb enough to leave the unit? Not at all. But, whatever. The rule is simple, worried that your lone character could die to chariot impact hits, don’t be, on a 4+ some dude jumps out and under the wheels of the charging chariot.

Q: If a unit with missile weapons has the Razor Standard, do their shooting attacks have the Armour Piercing special rule? (Reference)
A: No.

Thank you for this ruling! It was needed just to stop all the internet bickering.
　
Next up, the Vampire FAQ:

Q: Can the Ghostly Howl of a Tomb Banshee or the Death Shriek of a Terrorgheist be used against an enemy unit locked in a close combat that the Tomb Banshee or Terrorgheist is not themselves involved in? (p31/48)
A: Yes.

Hateful. This is a hateful ruling. I recognize that it makes sense in turns of both fluff and gameplay. I just hate it as a rule because it changes they way in which the army can be built. Watch now as Vampire players build more and more scream lists around never-ending zombies and maximum screams (combined with death magic of course). I expect to see 2 terrorgheists and a lot of banshees in every tournament competetive Vampies army for at least the next three months until magical warmachines come back in vogue

Q: Do Hexwraiths that move through an enemy unit in the Magic phase due to Vanhel’s Danse Macabre cause hits with theirSpectral Hunters rule like they would in the Movement phase? (p47)
A: Yes.

Okay, I get it now. GW has decided it wasn't selling enough Vampire models and they decided to make this book amazing to increase sales. If there was any question in your mind that Vampires were not a top tier army, think again. These are only a few of the changes that are addressed and they seriously impact the way that certain army builds will be able to kill enemy units. Watch out for all the sneaky tactics that will be appearing soon.

Finally, I take a look at something near and dear to my heart, the Wood Elf FAQ:

Q: If a model has Eternal Kindred, how does Eternal GuardFighting Style affect other weapons or magic weapons the model isequipped with? What about armour or magic armour? (p18)
A: No matter what weapons or armour the model has, the Eternal Guard Fighting Style takes precedence and causes it to fight as if armed with two hand weapons in close combat (meaning bonuses such as the +2 Strength for a great weapon are lost) and to have a 5+ armour save (rendering additional armour permissible but pointless). The exception to the above is that if a model has a magic weapon or magic armour, they lose the Eternal Guard Fighting Style special rule.

Well, this ruling officially ends all the argument on the Asrai.org forums. No longer can the Wood Elves have a 2+ armor save character. Every other army can get 1+ or better armor saves on its combat characters if they so choose and Wood Elves can't even make a 2+. No longer will you see that particular Wood Elf Noble build (Noble on eagle, light armor, shield, Eternal Kindred - with 50 points of additional magic equipment). I expect to see lots more eagles with magical shields or the stubborn crown, or even useful magical weapons.

All of the FAQs are now up and available at GW's main site. I know that I will be re-reading through all the FAQs this weekend and saving the PDFs to my Nook before next weekend for easy access.