Warhammer 40K: New Terrain Rules Provide ‘Benefit of Cover’
Games Workshop is showcasing how the Terrain Rules will work in Warhammer 40,000: 10th Edition and the new Benefit of Cover rule.
The mantra of Warhammer 40,000: 10th Edition continues to be “Simplified, not Simple” and the latest reveal about the Terrain rules and cover follow that trend. Cover, the benefits, and the terrain that provides it is changing. Get ready to explore the terrain like never before (okay, well maybe not that hyperbolic…but still a big change from 9th).
“Battles in the 41st Millennium aren’t fought on open fields and desolate parking lots – they’re scattered with all kinds of foliage, ruins, craters and remnants of wrecked war machines. Terrain provides vital cover for advancing armies, and in the new edition of Warhammer 40,000, the rules are just as lean and mean as the armies that fight among them.”
Terrain With Benefits
One of the biggest changes is how simple the Benefit of Cover rule is now. If your models has cover, then you get a +1 to your save. However you can’t get better than a 3+ save while in cover. On the plus side cover will still work on higher AP shots if you DO have a 3+ armor save. Additionally, you can’t get multiple bonuses to your save from multiple instances of cover.
No Benefits of Cover For You! (vs AP 0 weapons at least — you ain’t scared)
Now from a in universe perspective I can see how this doesn’t really make sense when you start poking at it conceptually. For example a Space Marine behind a plascrete barrier should still have more protection than a Space Marine standing in front of the barrier if you’re getting shot at by small arms fire. More “stuff” between the target and the attack is better for the target, right? Then again, maybe Power Armor is just that badass they don’t need additional plascrete to be protected by small arms fire (which, lorewise…yeah that checks out). You can kind of go either way here…
But mechanically, I think this is actually a fairly elegant solution to the problem of stacking cover saves. In anycase the Benefit of Cover rule is new and we’re all going to have to get used to it.
Additionally, the categories of cover have been simplified as well:
“Now, deciding whether or not a unit has the Benefit of Cover is as simple as knowing which category their cover falls into – craters, barricades, debris, hills, woods, or ruins. “
Craters and Rubble
This category is for what we would call “area terrain” from the previous edition — patches of rubble or craters just as the name implies. This benefit only applies to Infantry models wholly on top of this feature.
Barricades
Barricades, Fuel Pipes, and other defence lines are all a part of this category. It provides cover for Infantry getting shot at from the other side as long as they are wholly within 3″ of the terrain and some part of the model is visibly blocked. There’s also some additional rules about engagement ranges that apply to this category.
Battlefield Debris
“This terrain includes any bits and pieces that a unit can’t end their move on, such as barrels, statues, and piles of discarded Mek Workshop parts.”
This is sort of a catch-all for the non-natural stuff on the battlefield. If the attacker’s Line of Sight is blocked even a little then the target gets the Benefit of Cover.
Hill and Sealed Structures
Hills or Hill-like buildings all fall into this category. If you can’t go inside then it counts. These provide cover if the target is not fully visible. Pretty simple and straightforward. Also models can’t hang off the edge of the these structures either. You’re either fully on or not.
Woods
If you’re shooting at a unit in woods or shooting through woods then the target has cover. The exceptions are for Aircraft and Towering targets. Additionally, the unit shooting OUT of the woods doesn’t give the target the Benefit of Cover (see the last line in the Visibility section).
Sidenote: I also think this might be the first instances of Aircraft and Towering in any rules previews. Gee…I wonder what those keywords could mean…(looking at you Aircraft and Imperial Knights).
Ruins
Ruins probably got the biggest change overall. The key thing here is that Ruins now block line of sight if you’re shooting through them regardless of windows…However there are some exceptions: “models outside can shoot in, and models inside can shoot out.” Additionally, Aircraft and Towering models don’t have their visibility blocked to or from them.
Plunging Fire is another new rule. It improves the ranged attack’s AP by 1 if the attacker is more than 6″ above ground level and shooting at a target on the ground. Hmm…I wonder if that also applies to Aircraft or Towering units (probably not).
There’s a lot to chew on with these new Terrain changes but they shouldn’t take too long to digest! Simplified, not simple.
