PSYCHIC PHASE

PSYCHIC PHASE

Warrior mystics and sorcerers wield the strange power of the warp to aid their allies and destroy their foes. Harnessing this force is not without risk, however, and with the smallest mistake, the effort can spell doom for all nearby.

Some models have the PSYKER keyword. In the Psychic phase, PSYKERS can attempt to manifest psychic powers and deny enemy psychic powers.

Start your Psychic phase by selecting one eligible PSYKER unit from your army that is on the battlefield. PSYKER units that Fell Back this turn (other than TITANIC units) are not eligible. If you have no eligible PSYKER units from your army on the battlefield, and no other rules that need to be resolved in the Psychic phase, the Psychic phase ends.

Once you have selected an eligible PSYKER unit from your army, you can attempt to manifest one or more psychic powers with it. After you have finished manifesting all of this unit’s psychic powers that you want to, you can then select another eligible PSYKER unit from your army to attempt to manifest psychic powers with, and so on, until you have done so with as many of your eligible PSYKER units as you wish.

No unit can be selected to manifest psychic powers more than once in each Psychic phase. Once you have no eligible PSYKER units on the battlefield that you wish to attempt to manifest psychic powers with, your Psychic phase ends and you progress to the Shooting phase.

• Select a PSYKER in your army to manifest its psychic powers.
• Select another PSYKER in your army to manifest its psychic powers.
• Once all your PSYKERS have manifested psychic powers, progress to the Shooting phase.

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PSYCHIC POOL

During your turn, you roll 1d6 and add how much mastery level from each psyker on the board (or embarked in a transport). The result is the amount of dice you generate that you can use to cast psychic powers. This is known as your PSYCHIC POOL. Then, the opposing player then gathers an amount of dice equal to the result of the D6 and their combined psychic mastery that  is currently on the board.

You can spend any amount of dice from your pool to try and manifest a power.

To use a psychic power, roll any amount of dice from your pool. Each 4+ results in a WARP CHARGE point, or rather, a success.

Each power will have a WARP CHARGE number on it, and that’s how many successes you need to roll to successfully manifest a power.

Perils of the Warp

If 2 or more dice show a result of 1 when attempting to manifest a power, the manifesting unit suffers Perils of the Warp. Roll a d6 and compare the result to the table on the following page to see what happens:

Deny the Witch

An opposing player can attempt to Deny with any amount of dice from their Psychic Pool. To Deny a power, you need to cancel out each Warp Charge point that the manifesting player rolled.

To cancel out a point, you need to roll a 6 on a dice from your Psychic Pool that you expended to roll your Deny with.

If you do not cancel out all of the Warp Charge points, the test is considered failed.

If your denying model has a higher psyker mastery level than the manifesting model, you receive a +1 bonus to your deny attempt.  If you gain a deny attempt from a relic, the model is treated as Mastery Level 1 when generating Psychic Pool when it’s not your turn. If you gain two denies from the relic, you can treat the model as Mastery Level 2.

Mastery Levels and Denying the Witch

Mastery Levels determine the range needed to Deny the Witch, and if Line of Sight is required as below:

• ML1: 12" and LOS required
• ML2: 18" and LOS required
• ML3: 24" and LOS not required
• ML4+: Unlimited range and LOS not required.

PSYCHIC POWERS

Each psychic model is able to generate powers from these new disciples depending on what disciplines the model has access to. A Psyker character knows and can cast an equal amount of powers by their mastery level. A mastery level 1 psyker knows 1 psychic power, a mastery level 2 psyker knows 2, etc.

• All PSYKERS can generate powers from any discipline it has access to.
• PSYKERS will know and be able to cast additional psychic powers, as described by their mastery level.

GENERATING PSYCHIC POWERS

A Mastery Level 1 Psyker must roll on a Psychic Discipline chart to determine what powers it knows. Mastery Level 2 and higher Psykers are able to pick and choose what powers that want from any discipline they have access to.

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MANIFESTING PSYCHIC POWERS

When you select a PSYKER unit to manifest psychic powers, you select one psychic power that unit knows and attempt to manifest it. You cannot attempt to manifest the same psychic power more than once in the same battle round, even with different PSYKER units.

To manifest the psychic power, you must first pass a Psychic test. The opposing player can then select one of their PSYKER units that is within 24" of the PSYKER unit attempting to manifest the power and attempt to deny that power before its effects are resolved by passing a Deny the Witch test.

So long as the Psychic test was successful and the psychic power was not denied by a successful Deny the Witch test, the psychic power is successfully manifested and its effects, which will be described in the power itself, are then resolved. If the PSYKER unit can attempt to manifest more than one psychic power in its Psychic phase, you can then attempt to manifest those, one at a time, as described above. The number of psychic powers each PSYKER unit can attempt to manifest in its Psychic phase is listed on its datasheet.

• Select psychic power.
• You cannot select the same psychic power more than once per battle round, unless that power is Smite.
• Attempt to manifest the psychic power by taking a Psychic test.
• The opponent can attempt to deny the psychic power by taking a Deny the Witch test.
• If successfully manifested, resolve the psychic power’s effects.
• Select another psychic power.

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PSYCHIC TESTS

When a PSYKER unit attempts to manifest a psychic power, you must take a Psychic test for that unit by rolling an amount of dice equal to how many dice you spend from your PSYCHIC POOL. For each 4+ result you roll, you successfully generate one WARP CHARGE point. If the total is equal to or greater than that power’s warp charge value, the Psychic test is passed. If you roll two or more results of 1 when taking a Psychic test, that unit immediately suffers Perils of the Warp.

• Psychic test: Passed if WARP CHARGE generated equals or exceeds psychic power’s warp charge.
• Choose an amount of points from your PSYCHIC POOL and roll a dice for each point.
• WARP CHARGES are generated on a result of a 4+.
• If results includes 2+ 1 results, PSYKER suffers Perils of the Warp, irregardless of how many ones are rolled.

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DENY THE WITCH

An opposing player can attempt to Deny with any amount of dice from their Psychic Pool. To Deny a power, you need to cancel out each Warp Charge point that the manifesting player rolled. To cancel out a point, you need to roll a 6 on a dice from your Psychic Pool that you expended to roll your Deny with. If you do not cancel out all of the Warp Charge points, the test is considered failed.

If your denying model has a higher psyker mastery level than the manifesting model, you receive a +1 bonus to your deny attempt.  If you gain a deny attempt from a relic, the model is treated as Mastery Level 1 when generating Psychic Pool when it’s not your turn. If you gain two denies from the relic, you can treat the model as Mastery Level 2.

• Deny the Witch: Passed if points to cancel exceeds result of the opposing PSYKER’s Psychic test.
• Only one attempt can be made to deny each psychic power.

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PERILS OF THE WARP

When a PSYKER unit suffers Perils of the Warp, it suffers adverse effects listed below. Roll a d6 and consult the table below and resolve the effects. If a PSYKER unit is destroyed by Perils of the Warp while attempting to manifest a psychic power, that power automatically fails to manifest.

• Perils of the Warp: The PSYKER unit manifesting the power suffers D3 mortal wounds.
• If PSYKER unit is destroyed, the psychic power fails to manifest.

Perils of the Warp Table

D6 Result Effects

1. Dragged into the Warp	The Psyker must take a Leadership test. If the test is passed, the Psyker suffers 1 Wound/glancing hit with no saves of any kind allowed. If the test is failed, the Psyker is removed as a casualty and his unit suffers D6 Strength 6 AP2 hits. For Wound allocation purposes, assume the attack is coming from the Psyker that suffered Perils of the Warp.
2. Mental Purge	The Psyker suffers 1 Wound/glancing hit with no saves of any kind allowed. In addition, randomly select one psychic power known to the Psyker. That power is immediately lost, and cannot be used by the Psyker for the rest of the battle.
3. Power Drain	The Psyker suffers 1 Wound/glancing hit with no saves of any kind allowed. In addition, if it is currently the Psychic phase, roll a D3; both players lose a number of Warp Charge points equal to the result.
4. Psychic Backlash	The Psyker suffers 1 Wound/glancing hit with no saves of any kind allowed.
5. Empyric Feedback	The Psyker must take a Leadership test. If the test is failed, the Psyker suffers 1 Wound/glancing hit with no saves of any kind allowed. If the test is passed, the Psyker suffers no ill effects… this time.
6. Warp Surge	The Psyker must take a Leadership test. If the test is failed, the Psyker suffers 1 Wound/glancing hit with no saves of any kind allowed. If the test is passed, the Psyker gains a 3+ Invulnerable save until the start of the next psychic phase.

Types of Psychic Powers

The many varieties of psychic powers are organised into distinct categories. These determine any targeting requirements and other restrictions that apply along with its type, if it has one.

Powers Without a Type

If a psychic power does not have a type, the rules for using it will be clearly expressed within its entry.

Blessing

Blessings grant extra abilities to the Psyker’s allies, such as characteristic boosts or additional special rules. Blessings target one or more friendly units and, unless otherwise stated, last until the start of the Psyker’s next Psychic phase.

Blessings can affect units that are locked in close combat and can affect the Psyker himself. The benefit of any one particular blessing can only be gained once per unit per turn, but benefits from different blessings are cumulative. Unless otherwise stated, blessings cannot modify characteristics above 10 or below 1 (or below 2, in the case of Leadership).

Conjuration

Conjuration powers can summon units across great distances, call new allies to the fray, or even create them from the raw stuff of the Warp. Each conjuration power specifies the type and number of models to be conjured. Unless stated otherwise, the new unit cannot take any additional options or upgrades. If you do not have enough models to place the entire unit on the board, place as many as you can – the excess are destroyed.

When the power is resolved, the new unit then arrives via Deep Strike, within the power’s maximum range; the new unit is under your control and is treated as having arrived from Reserves for all rules purposes. If the new unit suffers a Deep Strike mishap and ends up in Ongoing Reserves, it can Deep Strike anywhere on the board when it enters play.

If the new unit is a Psyker, generate its psychic power(s) as soon as the conjuration is manifested; the new unit cannot attempt to manifest conjuration powers on the same turn it was itself conjured. If the new unit has any random powers/abilities that would normally need to be generated before the start of the game, generate them at the same time. Unless otherwise noted, conjured units are scoring units.

Conjuring Daemons

If a conjuration power creates a unit from Codex: Chaos Daemons and that unit’s Army List Entry includes the option to take an Icon of Chaos, an Instrument of Chaos and/or the option to upgrade one model to a character, you may take any of these options for free provided you have the appropriate model available. Unless stated otherwise, the unit cannot take any further upgrades or options.

Malediction

Maledictions weaken the Psyker’s enemies by reducing their characteristics or inflicting special rules that penalise their abilities. Maledictions target one or more enemy units and, unless otherwise stated, last until the start of the Psyker’s next Psychic phase. Maledictions can affect units that are locked in close combat. Note that bonuses and penalties from different maledictions are always cumulative, but cannot, unless otherwise stated, take characteristics above 10 or below 1 (or below 2, in the case of Leadership).

Witchfire

Witchfire powers are shooting attacks. Indeed, they are often referred to as psychic shooting attacks, and many have profiles similar to ranged weapons. Just like when shooting a weapon, a Psyker must be able to see the target unit (or target point) and cannot be locked in combat if he wishes to manifest a witchfire power. Similarly, a witchfire power must roll To Hit, unless it is has the Blast special rule, in which case it scatters as described in the Blast special rule, or it is a Template weapon, which hit automatically. Psykers can make Snap Shots in the Psychic phase with witchfire powers in the same way as with other shooting weapons. Saves can be taken against Wounds from witchfire in the same way as for any other shooting attack, and hits are allocated to the closest target models to the Psyker.

Unlike firing a shooting weapon though, a Psyker can manifest several different witchfire powers during the same phase (assuming he has enough Warp Charge) and each can target a different unit if you so choose. Manifesting witchfire powers does not prevent the Psyker (or his unit) from firing weapons in the following Shooting phase, nor does it prevent the Psyker’s unit from Running, Turbo-boosting or moving Flat Out. A Psyker who manifests a witchfire power can target a different unit with his other ranged weapons in the Shooting phase. Witchfire powers cannot be used to make Overwatch attacks.

There are several different sub-types of witchfire, each applying slightly different targeting restrictions. If the witchfire does not list a sub-type, or simply describes itself as a psychic shooting attack, use the rules given above to resolve it. If it has one of the following subtypes, use the rules for that sub-type.

Beam

To use a witchfire power with the beam sub-type, target a point within the power’s range and trace a line (about 1mm thick) between the chosen point and the centre of the Psyker’s base – this line cannot be drawn over any unit that is locked in combat. All units under the line (friend and foe) are hit, with the exception of Zooming Flyers, Swooping Flying Monstrous Creatures and the Psyker himself. Each unit hit by the attack takes a number of hits equal to the number of models from that unit that are under the line. Only one unit that has a model under the line can attempt to Deny the Witch.

For example, if three units are under the line, (Units A, B and C) then all three are hit. Unit A has 3 models under the line, and so takes 3 hits. Unit B has 1 model under the line and so takes 1 hit. Unit C has 4 models under the line, and so takes 4 hits.

Focussed Witchfire

Some witchfire powers can pick out models in an enemy unit – these are called focussed witchfire powers. They follow all the normal rules for witchfire, but you can choose the specific model in the target unit that you want the power to affect. When the Psychic test is taken for focussed witchfire, pay close attention to the number of Warp Charge points harnessed. If the total number of Warp Charge points harnessed exceeds the Warp Charge cost required to manifest the psychic power, the power is resolved against the model you chose. If the cost to manifest the power is met, but not exceeded, resolve the power against the closest model in the target unit instead.

Nova

A nova power automatically targets and hits all enemy units (including Flyers and Flying Monstrous Creatures) within the psychic power’s maximum range, regardless of line of sight, being locked in combat, intervening models/terrain and so on. Otherwise, a nova is treated like a shooting attack, and indeed will have a profile like a ranged weapon. Only one unit that is within the power’s maximum range can attempt to Deny the Witch.