The Goonhammer Hot Take: New 40k FAQs

If, like us, you were reading last week’s FAQ updates and thinking something was missing, then today Games Workshop filled in a lot of those gaps with a whole new wave of FAQs that address many unresolved issues and covered books left out of the most recent wave, such as Saga of the Beast, Engine War, War of the Spider, and Pariah. As always, we dove into this new wave of documents to create a comprehensive list of everything that changed, with commentary on how it affects the game. If you’re looking for the full details, check out the FAQs here. Otherwise, let’s dive in.

Note that the big thing missing here is the 9th edition rulebook FAQ, which we’re still waiting on, and hopefully will be out in a week or two.

Adeptus Custodes

Updates to the codex and also to War of the Spider. These are welcome changes, putting to bed some tired arguments around Assassins gaining the benefit of Custodes Detachments and fixing an issue with vehicles losing Power of the Machine Spirit.

• Custodes detachments no longer give +1 invulnerable save to models in them, just ADEPTUS CUSTODES INFANTRY and ADEPTUS CUSTODES BIKERS, so no more 3+ invulnerable save Assassins
• Shield of Honour cannot be used on VEHICLE models – so no tanking wounds for Knights
• Ten Thousand Heroes prevents you from gaining an additional Warlord trait with Shoulder the Mantle
• Vengeance of the Machine Spirit now specifies ADEPTUS CUSTODES VEHICLE models excluding DREADNOUGHT models, instead of units with Power of the Machine Spirit which has now been deleted
• Ancient Artifice now reduces damage by 1 instead of halving damage, bringing it in line with Duty Eternal in the Marine books
• Prosecutors updated with Look Out Sir language for 9th
• Clarified that you can use Fortress of Willpower as well as Empyric Severance, as well as Purity of Faith from the Sisters of Battle codex – the stratagems are used subsequently to each other 
• Clarified that the Emperor’s Auspice Stratagem only prevents re-rolls that are part of the ‘Making Attacks’ sequence and e.g. does not prevent re-rolling the number of shots

Adeptus Mechanicus

Updates to Engine War. There’s a lot here, with some important functional changes. A lot of these are little nerfs and tweaks to various units and new abilities.

• Cerberus Raiders were updated so that the Skirmishing Line ability can only allow the unit to be moved once before the start of the battle, and the Eye of Serberys ignores the Look Out, Sir rule.
• The Pteraxii Sterylizor Alpha was updated so that it was equipped with pteraxii talons.
• Skorpius Dunerider and Disintegrators lost the now-redundant Hover Platform ability.
• Archaeopter Stratoraptors and Fusilaves now have the SKITARII Faction keyword.
• The Enhanced Engine Interface ability of Fabrications of the Artisans was changed so that it can only affect Friendly <FORGE WORLD> Vehicles.
• The Machine God’s Chosen ability was changed to half the number of models that flee from failed Combat Attrition tests (rounding fractions down). Note that the model that automatically flees from a failed Morale test doesn’t count.
• The Canticles of the Omnissiah section was updated to state that Forge-World specific canticles can only affect units from the appropriate Forge-World. 
• The Mechanicus Locum Stratagem cannot be used to give characters other than the warlord one of the Holy Order Warlord Traits.
• The Panegyric Procession Canticle does not enable a transuranic arquebus to be fired after moving.
• The Thunderfire Cannon’s Operated Artillery ability is not considered an aura ability for purposes of the Electro-filament Countermeasures Stratagem.
• The Tactica Obliqua Stratagem can be used if the unit in question could not fire overwatch.
• Pteraxii Skystalker and Pteraxii Sterylizor models can embark on a Skorpius Dunerider.
• When using the Arc Grenade Cluster ability for a unit of Pteraxii Skystalkers, one D6 is rolled for each model in that unit.
• The Luminescent Blessing Canticle does not reduce the invulnerable save of models that are better than 4+.

Chaos Daemons

The changes here are all from Engine War. Several changes to the Datasheets, fixing the Keeper of Secrets and the Herald on Hellflayer, and an important clarification on only being able to Exalt a Greater Daemon once that we all knew was coming. 

• The Keeper of Secrets once again got an updated Datasheet. This time the Movement value has been corrected to 14”. All is now right with the world.
• The abilities on Scourging Whip and Living Whip to fire at enemy units within 1” have been removed; these will now be subject to the current rules that allow MONSTER units to shoot at enemy units within Engagement Range.  
• The Shining Aegis now only causes you to ignore lost wounds on a 6, not a 6+.
• The Ravaging Claws on the Herald of Slaanesh on Hellflayer improved to 2 damage, bringing them in line with other Herald Datasheets.
• A Greater Daemon can only receive the benefits of an Exalted Stratagem once. 
• Effluvior and the Whip of Agony lost their text about making attacks if enemies were within 1”. They are now subject to the rules for Monsters making ranged attacks with enemies in Engagement Range.
• The Lash of Torment received updated wording to refer to Engagement Range.                                                                                                                                                                         

Chaos Knights

There’s only one change here from Engine War, but it’s a helpful one.

• The Endless Torment Dread Household Bond allows you to re-roll a single dice for each weapon that makes a random number of attacks the model is equipped with. This is a welcome clarification – Double Thermal Knights can now definitively re-roll both guns’ shot counts.

Dark Angels

Updated text in Ritual of the Damned.

• Impeccable Mobility was changed again – it no longer affects Heavy weapons at all and just makes Assault weapons advance and fire without penalty.

Death Guard

The changes here are all from War of the Spider. Possessed lose the ability to gain Disgustingly Resilient via the Contaminated Monstrosity Stratagem, Plague Companies get fixed, and Rotskull Bombs get Blast.

• Possessed can’t use the Contaminated Monstrosity Stratagem to gain Disgustingly Resilient.
• If a Death Guard CHARACTER is in a Plague Company, they can take the Company Warlord Trait instead of a Codex one when they gain a Warlord Trait. 
• You can get Plague Company Relics if Mortarion is your Warlord.
• The Rotskull Bomb gained the Blast rule. This makes it significantly better and a potential nightmare against larger units.
• The Warp Toll Stratagem now gives a unit +1 to its Morale tests and if failed, causes 2 models to flee per failed Combat Attrition test. With the other buffs you can stack, this can make for some very nasty Morale losses.

Deathwatch

Update to the Index article in White Dwarf that released earlier this year.

• Combat Doctrines were updated to the same standard as other Chapters, limiting Devastator to turn 1, Tactical to turn 2 and optionally 3, and forcing Assault on either turn 3 or 4.
• Duty Eternal was changed to be in line with other updates, reducing incoming damage by 1 instead of halving it.
• Adaptive Strategy was deleted.
• GW confirmed that Combat Doctrines does not enable the Armour Penetration characteristic of Kraken or Vengeance ammunition to exceed the limits listed in their abilities.

Drukhari

Updates to the Codex. 

• Deleted the 6 detachment rule from Raiding Force – no-one on earth has ever used this anyway but now it’s explicitly impossible under 9th edition rules.
• Fixed Fire and Fade to refer to DRUKHARI rather than ASURYANI, so now it works again

Genestealer Cults

Codex errata.

• The Kellermorph Gunslinger ability received a wording change – now ignores Look Out, Sir for the purposes of choosing targets for shooting.

Harlequins

Errata for both the codex and White Dwarf articles.

• Harvester of Torment Pivotal Role now only affects the shuriken cannon profile and not the Shrieker round 
• Twilit Encore – slight tweak to wording to make the functioning clearer, no material change
• Cegorach’s Lament is definitely not a shrieker cannon for Shrieking Doom
• Jest Inescapable only ignores cover on a wound roll of a 6
• Warrior Acrobats and Chromatic Rush cannot be combined
• Deadly Hunter updated to ignore Look Out, Sir
• Blitz is now a Normal Move, hurrah

Imperial Agents

Errata from War of the Spider and Psychic Awakening: Pariah.

• Vindicare Assassins were updated to ignore the Look Out, Sir rule.
• GW confirmed that even though the Vindicare Assassin’s Spysuit ability has a -2 modifier to hit rolls the cap of -1 still applies. 
• Inquisitor Greyfax’s Psyocculum ability was changed to ignore Look Out, Sir if the target is a Psyker Character or Daemon Character unit.
• The Psychic Pursuit ability was updated to reference the Look Out, Sir rule.
• GW verified that the rules in Pariah replace those in the White Dwarf article.
• A unit can be affected by more than one source of Inconceivable Customisation, but duplicated results have no effect.

Orks

Errata for Saga of the Beast. The big one here is that Ghaz can now Advance and Charge in the same turn thanks to updated wording on his Aura ability. This gives him much more movement, plus he and Makari no longer break Subkulturs. Also, the Big Mek with a Kustom Forge Field went up another 15 points in cost and the way the KFF invulnerable save works changed considerably.

• Ghazkull’s aura now lets infantry *and monsters* Advance and charge (i.e. himself)
• Ghaz and Makari now no longer break Subkulturs in detachments they belong to.
• Big Mek with KFF is now 75 points, up 15 (!) from CA2020 points cost
• Big Mek with KFF’s invuln aura now works when he is inside a transport, however only said transport gains the invuln (so like it used to work). In addition, the invuln works on all ORK units, not all units with the same klan tag.
• You now need to take a Mek Workshop in order to use the Kustom Jobs stratagem, so no bypassing taking the worthless terrain! Editor’s Note: Apparently this is an error and will be corrected.
• Da Boomer and Zagzap custom jobs now work with the Gunwagon’s Periscope ability.

Errata to Imperium Nihilus: Vigilus Defiant

• The wording for Da Souped Up Shokka was updated to ‘each time the unit is chosen to shoot with, roll once to determine the Strength characteristic of the weapon’.

Sisters of Battle

Codex Errata.

• Added Ephreal Stern to the list of named characters that cannot be affected by the Heroine in the Making and Divine Intervention Strategems.

Space Wolves

Errata for Saga of the Beast is here and it’s a doozy, affecting a number of units in major ways. Ulrik the Slayer gets a whole new datasheet and is now able to chant litanies, while Phobos Rune Priests can now know powers from the Tempestas discipline and a number of stratagems were brought in-line with Space Marines or received updated wording for 9th. Also, almost every Space Wolves unit now has Objective Secured. Yes, really.

• Combat Doctrines were updated with the same limitations as other Chapters, forcing the player to move from Devastator to Tactical and finally the Assault Doctrine.
• Sniper weapons (instigator bolt carbine, bolt sniper rifle) were updated to ignore the Look Out, Sir rule.
• Camo Cloaks on Wolf Lord in Phobos Armour, Rule Priest in Phobos Armour, and Eliminator Squads were updated to improve armour saving throws made while receiving the benefits of cover.
• The wording of the Psyker ability for the Rune Priest in Phobos Armour was updated so that the unit can know two powers from either the Obscuration or Tempestas disciplines.
• Repulsor Executioners lost Power of the Machine Spirit, and the default loadout was changed to 2 fragstorm grenade launchers, heavy onslaught gatling cannon, macro plasma incinerator, 2 storm bolters, twin heavy bolters, twin Icarus ironhail heavy stubber, and auto launchers. Previously it had a fragstorm grenade launcher and two krakstorm grenade launchers.
• Defenders of Humanity and Hunters Unleashed was updated to exclude Servitors and Beasts, but everything else still seems to get it. This has the unintentional side effect of giving everything that *isn’t* a servitor or beast objective secured, which is inconsistent with every other Space Marine faction.
• Duty Eternal was changed to be in line with other examples, only subtracting 1 damage instead of halving it.
• Hero of the Chapter cannot be applied to Murderfang or Lukas the Trickster.
• The Big Guns Never Tire Stratagem was deleted.
• Target Sighted was updated to ignore the Look Out, Sir rule.
• Points values were updated for the heavy laser destroyer (40), incendium cannon (15), instigator bolt carbines (5), las-fusil (15), Land Speeders (45), Skyclaws (16), and Swiftclaws (25, Swiftclaw Attack Bike is 35).
• GW clarified that a unit under the effect of Gene-wrought Might, Touch of the Wild, and Savage Fury does not generate three additional auto-wounding hits for every 6 rolled. Additional hits that are scored as a result of a particular hit roll are not considered to have been made with a particular hit roll, the extra hit from Savage Fury will wound automatically per the wording of the Gene-wrought Might Stratagem, and the additional hit from Touch of the Wild does not wound automatically.
• Models that gain a Warlord Trait from Hero of the Chapter also gain the associated Deed of Legend.
• Saga of Majesty extends the range of the Litany of Hate, Litany of Faith, and Canticle of Hate but no other Litanies.

T’au Empire

Change to The Greater Good Supplement:

• Changes to the how to the field The Eight section in the Greater Good. Still requires the unit to be in a Super Heavy Auxiliary detachment but the changes to it’s CP have been removed. This does mean that The Eight don’t gain access to the Farsight Enclaves sept Tenet or Aggressive Footing abilities, as these are conferred for being in Farsight Enclave detachments and Super Heavy Auxiliary Detachments don’t gain such abilities.

Tyranids

Errata for the Codex

• The Bio Tank ability was removed from Tyrannofexes. MONSTERS no longer get a penalty for moving and firing heavy weapons so this ability was redundant.

What’s Next: 9th Edition Rulebook?

That wraps up today’s look at the FAQs. We’ll be making slight updates to our Faction Focus articles to reflect these changes where they matter and then we’ll likely be back doing this in a week or two as the first 9th edition FAQs drop. Until then, if you have any questions or feedback, drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com. Or if you’re a patron, hop into our Discord to chat about it.