40k FAQ Hot Take: Codex Orks

Games Workshop dropped a pair of important FAQs today for Codex Orks and Imperial Armour Compendium (addressing Ork units), ostensibly on time for the “proper” book release. We identified a number of key things that needed to be addressed in the new book in our Ruleshammer article on Codex Orks last month, but did GW address those issues? Let’s dive in to find out.

 

Codex: Orks

The Codex Orks FAQ is only one page, but it’s a very dense page.

I’m Da Boss now limits you to one Warboss or Speedboss per Detachment

A relatively small change with big implications – the I’m Da Boss rule now incorporates all Speedbosses, not just the Defkilla Wartrike. This previously had ignored the Warboss on Warbike option from the Imperial Armour Compendium. Kind of a silly mistake to make, given how putting SPEEDBOSS in there future-proofs the army in a way that just listing one unit does not, but it’s sorted now.

Mad Dok Grotsnik is now a Named Character with a Set Warlord Trait

This errata adds Mad Dok Grotsnik to the list of named characters and specifies that he must have the ‘Ard as Nails Warlord Trait. Honestly this highlights the fact that there should probably be a NAMED CHARACTER keyword, as how these points blocks are laid out is pretty inconsistent between codexes, and there’s not a super clear way of distinguishing between a Named Character and a unit you happen to only be able to take one of (like the Avatar of Khaine).

The Pyromaniacs Specialist Mob now includes Kustom Boosta-Blastas

It was kind of a weird for these to be omitted in the first place given that their Burna Exhaust weapon was mentioned by name in the rules for Pyromaniacs, and now that has been fixed.

The Boom Boyz Specialist Mob no longer includes Blitza-Bommers

Another weird one, since Blitza-Bommers don’t have any weapons with the Blast ability to be affected by the Boom Boyz rule, and now that particular issue has been fixed. You can continue not fielding Blitza-Bommers.

Extra-Kustom Weapons now limited to Meks, Big Meks, and Spanners

This tidies up an issue from the way these abilities were presented – while Extra-Custom Weapons was in the “Mek” section, nothing in the wording technically prevented you taking it on various vehicles, letting you apply it to way more KMBs than appears to have been intended (and in a way that was wildly over the top for the price). Now you can’t.

Grot Shields no longer lets you pick CHARACTER Gretchin units, i.e. Makari

Something that was pointed out pretty early on with the new book as an issue, you can no longer use Character Gretchin as your Grot Shield. Specifically, this means you can’t use Makari, with his 2+ invulnerable save and 4 wounds, as a Grot Shield, and can’t set up a sitation where the Grot isn’t shootable because of Look Out Sir while protecting another unit.

Monster Hunterz now ends at the end of the phase

Another no-brainer change that’s really fixing a glaring error in the rules writing the first time around, wherein the “until the end of the phase” clause was left off.

Dok’s Toolz is explicitly an aura

This was already true, but they’ve added the [Aura] tag to Dok’s Toolz on Painboyz and Mad Dok Grotsnik. It’d be cool if they could do this more comprehensively on older abilities just for completeness’ sake, but we suspect those older auras will go un-edited.

The Snagged Ability on Kill Rigs and Hunta Rigs was fixed

The Snagged ability – which can prevent an enemy unit wounded by the model’s Stikka kannon from making any moves that finish more than 12″ away from the Kill Rig until your next turn – has been fixed to exclude AIRCRAFT units and the effect now ends if the Kill Rig is destroyed or moves for any reason. This makes what was an insanely stupid rule much more reasonable, and makes it much less likely you’ll be able to lock a unit in place entirely by moving away from it. This does end up as a bit of a nerf, because you now can’t make use of this ability at all if you’re planning on charging with your rig later in the turn.

Trukks can now transport SPECIALIST MOB INFANTRY units

Trukk boyz can now finally ride in Trukks! In fact, so can all SPECIALIST MOB INFANTRY, which is good news for Boom Boyz Tankbustas and Pyromaniac Burna Boyz too.

Units with more than one model can’t be given a Kustom Job with the Mekboy Workshop

Same as it ever was.

The interaction between Goffs’ No Mukkin’ About and the Brutal But Kunnin’ Warlord Trait were clarified

Brutal But Kunnin’ lets you make an extra attack for each attack you made in the prior round of attacks that didn’t make it to the Inflict Damage step. No Mukkin’ About gives you additional hits on unmodified 6s to hit. The FAQ clarifies that additional hits generated during the model’s initial attacks with No Mukkin’ About that don’t make it to the Inflict Damage step do cause additional attacks with Brutal But Kunnin’, but those additional attacks from Brutal But Kunnin’ don’t cause additional hits to trigger from No Mukkin’ About when you roll unmodified 6s to hit. So these still interact in a useful way, but you don’t get double exploding 6s. It’s still not super clear how the rule interacts with squigs, but that’s something we’ll address in a future Ruleshammer.

I’ve Got a Plan Ladz happens at the end of Deploy Armies

This one’s a little surprising and we wouldn’t be surprised to see it get another look in the future. As worded in the book, I’ve Got a Plan Ladz referred to the “Deploy Forces” step, which doesn’t exist, and has been errataed to happen “At the end of the Deploy Armies step”, which is a valid wording and the minimum sensible FAQ to apply here. All well and good – but it leaves this ability functioning differently and significantly less effectively than other pre-game redeploys such as Poisoned Tongue’s Insidious Misdirection (which happens at the start of the first Battle Round) and Foretelling of Locus (which happens “After both players have deployed their armies”). You might think that latter one is the same, but thanks to a previous Rare Rule (“AT THE START OF, DURING AND AFTER DEPLOYMENT“) it isn’t – abilities worded like that explicitly happen in step 13 of the pre-game (crucially after the first turn roll-off, which is step 12), but IGaPL is now pinned to the end of step 11, which makes it way worse.

This certainly leaves a functional rule, but it’s pretty unusual for GW to make one army’s version of an effect worse than the others for no reason, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see this a.) viciously argued over b.) ruled in both directions at events and c.) given another pass in a future FAQ.

 

Jon Aylett’s Ork Mega Dread. Photo Credit: Corrode

Imperial Armour Compendium

The new Codex: Orks has a large number of very strong interactions with the faction’s Forge World units, and these needed to be addressed in a separate update to the Compendium. In addition to these changes to Orks, some adjustments were also made to the Grey Knights’ Land Raider Banisher, bringing it in-line with other land raiders and giving it the ASSAULT LAUNCHERS and SMOKESCREEN keywords.

The Warboss on Warbike got some major changes

The biggest change here is the loss of the WARBOSS keyword – they’re now only a SPEEDBOSS, meaning they no longer have access to WAAAGH! and SPEEDWAAAGH!. Additionally, their rules were cleaned up – they’ve lost Mob Rule and Dakka! Dakka! Dakka!, neither of which still had any meaning, and gained Big Red Button and Dead Tough from the Wartrike datasheet. So while they’ve lost their ability to flex on WAAAGH! (a serious blow), they have gained a 5+ invulnerable save and the ability to auto-advance 6″. Not the best tradeoff, but it’s not nothing, either.

Mek Boss Guzznob also got some big changes

Another set of changes designed to bring this early 9th edition datasheet in-line with the new codex. Buzzgob loses his Grot Oilers profile – his attendants no longer have a model presence on the table as targetable entities or the ability to fight – and instead has a twice-per-game ability to heal an additional 1 lost wound on a GOFF VEHICLE when doing repairs with his Mekaniak Boss ability. He’s also lost the Grot Oilers Keyword, and his special rules have been updated to no longer include the now-defunct Dakka! Dakka! Dakka!.

Grot Tanks, Grot Mega-Tanks, Mega Dreads, and Meka-dreads gained ‘Ere We Go

Potentially the other big change in this FAQ. While it doesn’t do all that much for the grot tanks, giving your mega and meka-dreads the ability to re-roll charges at no additional cost is a huge boost, and helps make up for these units being a little worse at shooting.

The Squiggoth gained Ramshackle

Lol, sure. It’s probably worth a real look now! To be clear, this only applies to the regular flavour of Squiggoth, not the Gargantuan version.

The Kannonwagon gained Ramshackle and ‘Ere We Go

…and this one is definitely worth consideration, as its main gun is very good for the price, it has excellent synergy with Freebooterz (it gets built in +1 to hit, so it’s good for teeing up the Kultur) and showed up in a top four list at a Supermajor this weekend without Ramshackle.

Kill Tanks lost Ramshackle but gained ‘Ere We Go

The Kill Tank was probably a bit too big to reasonably have Ramshackle (though this also should apply to the squiggoth, who is a living creature and not a ramshackle construction, but I digress), and so loses that ability but gains ‘Ere We Go, making its reinforced Ram and 8 Attacks a bit more serious a threat. Losing Ramshackle always hurts but as a T8 vehicle it’s not the end of the world. Realistically, triple Kill Tanks with Ramshackle were probably edging towards brokenly good, so this is healthy.

Kustom Stompas got cleaned up

No major changes here, just some rules cleaning to bring them in-line with stompas, giving them the Big an’ Stompy rule and removing Dakka! Dakka! Dakka! and Bigger ‘n’ Stompier.

 

On the whole these were some much-needed changes that clear up a lot of issues we had with the book, though there are still a few missing issues worth clarifying, and we’re kind of baffled they couldn’t do the simple work of affirming that, yes, “z” pluralizations do count in the book as though they were the letter “s.”  On the whole, these changes adjust some strategies with the book – most of the changes don’t have major effects on the units showing up in competitive lists and the Kill Rig is still a bit of a white whale until its model releases.

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