Main Rules
BASIC RULES
The rules on this page contain everything you need to know in order to use your Citadel miniatures collection to wage glorious battle across the war-torn galaxy.
The following rules explain how to play a game of Warhammer 40,000. First, select either the Only War mission or a mission pack. You will find mission packs for open play, matched play and narrative play in the Warhammer 40,000 Core Book. You will then need to muster an army of Citadel miniatures, create a battlefield and prepare for war. The battle is fought in a series of battle rounds, in which each player takes a turn until one player is declared the victor.
CORE RULES DEFINITIONS AND CONCEPTS
This page contains various rules terms that are referred to elsewhere in this rulebook, and gives an overview of some key concepts that form the basis of the rules in general.
MISSIONS
To play a game of Warhammer 40,000, you must first select a mission. The mission will tell you how to muster your armies, create your battlefield and deploy your armies. It will also tell you any special rules that apply to the battle, and (most importantly!) what you need to do to win. You can find out more about missions here.
ARMY
Each player in a game of Warhammer 40,000 commands an army of Citadel miniatures, hereafter referred to as ‘models’. The mission you have selected will guide you as to how big your army should be.
Warhammer 40,000 is designed to be played with armies of a certain size.
- Army: Collection of models under your command.
DATASHEETS
The rules that you will need to use the models in your army in a game are presented on datasheets. Each unit has a datasheet; you will need the datasheets for all the units in your army.
KEYWORDS
All datasheets have a list of keywords, otherwise known as UNIVERSAL SPECIAL RULES, separated into Faction keywords and other keywords. The former can be used as a guide to help decide which models to include in your army, but otherwise both sets of keywords are functionally the same. In either case, keywords appear in KEYWORD BOLD in the rules. Keywords are sometimes linked to (or ‘tagged’ by) a rule. For example, a rule might say that it applies to ‘INFANTRY units’. This means it only applies to units that have the INFANTRY keyword on their datasheet. The pluralisation (or not) of keywords does not affect which units the rule in question applies to.
Some datasheets have keywords that are presented in angular brackets, such as <CHAPTER>, <LEGION> and <MARK OF CHAOS>. This is shorthand for keywords that you can select yourself (with certain restrictions, as described in the publication that contains that datasheet). You must decide what these keywords will be at the moment such a unit is added to your army (whether before the battle or during). If another rule uses keywords in angular brackets, then that keyword matches the keyword that you selected of the unit using that rule.
For example: Nick adds a Space Marine Librarian to his army. This unit has the <CHAPTER> keyword on its datasheet, which Nick selects to be ULTRAMARINES. If the Librarian attempts to manifest a psychic power that also uses the <CHAPTER> keyword, then when reading that rule, Nick would replace that keyword in every instance with ULTRAMARINES.
Some units can include models that have different keywords. While a unit has models with different keywords, it is considered to have all the keywords of all of its models, and so is affected by any rule that applies to units with any of those keywords. If a rule only applies to models with a specific keyword, then it instead only applies to models in such a unit that have the correct keyword.
- Keywords: Appear in rules in KEYWORD BOLD font.
- Keyworded rules apply to units and models with that keyword.
- <KEYWORDS> are chosen by you when a unit is added to your army.
CHARACTERS
Some models have the CHARACTER keyword. These models can make Heroic Interventions in Charge Phase and are not easy targets in the Shooting Phase (see Look out, Sir, rule). If your Warlord has the CHARACTER keyword he may be able to have a Warlord Trait (see Warlord Trait section on model’s faction page).
UNITS
Models move and fight in units. A unit can have one or more models chosen from a single datasheet. All units in the same army are friendly units, and all models in the same army are friendly models. All units in your opponent’s army are enemy units, and all models in your opponent’s army are enemy models. If a rule affects ‘units’ or ‘models’ without specifying that they are friendly or enemy, then it affects either ‘all units’ or ‘all models’, regardless of whose army they are in.
- Unit: A group of models from the same datasheet.
- Friendly models = all models in the same army.
- Enemy models = all models in your opponent’s army.
- Friendly units = all units in the same army.
- Enemy units = all units in opponent’s army.
THE MOST IMPORTANT RULE
In a game as detailed and wide-ranging as Warhammer 40,000, there may be times when you are not sure exactly how to resolve a situation that has come up during play. When this happens, have a quick chat with your opponent and apply the solution that makes the most sense to both of you (or seems the most fun!). If no single solution presents itself, you and your opponent should roll off, and whoever rolls highest gets to choose what happens. Then you can get on with the fighting!
UNIT COHERENCY
A unit that has more than one model must be set up and finish any sort of move as a single group, with all models within 2" horizontally and 5" vertically of at least one other model from their unit. While a unit has six or more models, all models must instead be within 2" horizontally and 5" vertically of at least two other models from their unit. This is called unit coherency. If a unit cannot end any kind of move in unit coherency, that move cannot be made. Units are primarily moved in the Movement phase, but they can also be moved in the Charge phase and the Fight phase.
Some rules allow you to add models to a unit during the battle; such models must always be set up in unit coherency with the unit they are being added to. Sometimes there will be insufficient room to set up all the models from a unit, or it will not be possible to set up all the models so that they are in unit coherency. When this is the case, any models that cannot be set up are considered to have been destroyed.
- Unit coherency: 2" horizontally + 5" vertically.
- Each model must be in unit coherency with one other model from own unit.
- While unit has 6+ models, each model must be in unit coherency with 2 other models from own unit.
ENGAGEMENT RANGE
Engagement Range represents the zone of threat that models present to their enemies. While a model is within 1" horizontally and 5" vertically of an enemy model, those models are within Engagement Range of each other. While two enemy models are within Engagement Range of each other, those models’ units are also within Engagement Range of each other. Models cannot be set up within Engagement Range of enemy models.
- Engagement Range: 1" horizontally + 5" vertically.
- Models cannot be set up within Engagement Range of enemy models.
BATTLEFIELD
All battles of Warhammer 40,000 are fought upon rectangular battlefields. This can be any surface upon which the models can stand – a dining table, for example, or the floor. Your mission will guide you as to the size of battlefield required, but it will be commensurate with the size of the armies you are using. Battlefields will be populated with terrain features.
BATTLEFIELD QUARTERS
If a rule asks you to divide the battlefield into four even quarters, it should be divided up using one horizontal and one vertical line which both pass through the centre of the battlefield, as shown below:
TERRAIN FEATURES
The scenery on a battlefield can be represented by models from the Warhammer 40,000 range. These models are called terrain features to differentiate them from the models that make up an army. Terrain features are set up on the battlefield before the battle begins.
Unless the mission you are playing instructs you otherwise, you should feel free to create an exciting battlefield using any terrain features from your collection that you wish. In general, we recommend having one feature on the battlefield for every 12" by 12" area (rounding up). Don’t worry if your battlefield doesn’t match these requirements, but keep in mind that playing on a battlefield that is either a barren wasteland or filled to overflowing with terrain features may give an advantage to one side or the other.
MEASURING DISTANCES
Distances are measured in inches (") between the closest points of the bases of the models you’re measuring to and from. If a model does not have a base, such as is the case with many vehicles, measure to the closest point of any part of that model; this is called measuring to the model’s hull. You can measure distances whenever you wish.
If a rule refers to the closest unit or model, and two or more are equidistant, then the player who is controlling the unit that is using the rule in question selects which unit is the closest for the purposes of resolving that rule.
- Distances measured in inches (").
- Always measure closest distance between bases (or hulls).
- Hull = Any part of a model that does not have a base.
- Can measure distances whenever you want.
- If several units tied for closest, player resolving the rule selects which is closest.
WITHIN AND WHOLLY WITHIN
If a rule says it applies ‘within’ a certain distance, it applies at any distance that is not more than the specified distance. For example, within 1" means any distance that is not more than 1" away.
If a rule says it affects models that are ‘within’, then it applies so long as any part of the model’s base (or hull) is within the specified distance. If a rule says it affects models that are ‘wholly within’ then it only applies if every part of the model’s base (or hull) is within the specified distance.
If a rule says it affects units that are ‘within’, then it applies so long as any part of any model’s base (or hull) in that unit is within the specified distance. If a rule says it affects units if ‘every model in that unit is within’ then that rule applies so long as any part of every model’s base (or hull) is within the specified distance. If a rule says it affects units that are ‘wholly within’ then it only applies if every part of every model’s base (or hull) in that unit is within the specified distance.
- Model within = any part of model’s base (or hull).
- Model wholly within = every part of model’s base (or hull).
- Unit within = any model within.
- Unit wholly within = every model wholly within.
DICE
In order to fight a battle, you will require some six-sided dice (often abbreviated to D6). Some rules refer to 2D6, 3D6 and so on – in such cases, roll that many D6s and add the dice results together. If a rule requires you to roll a D3, roll a D6 and halve the value shown on the dice to get the dice result (rounding fractions up). If a rule requires a D6 roll of, for example, 3 or more, this is often abbreviated to 3+.
All modifiers (if any) to a dice roll are cumulative; you must apply all division modifiers before applying all multiplication modifiers, and before applying all addition and then all subtraction modifiers. Round any fractions up after applying all modifiers. A dice roll can be modified above its maximum possible value (for example, a D6 roll can be modified above 6) but it can never be modified below 1. If, after all modifiers have been applied, a dice roll would be less than 1, count that result as a 1.
- D6 = A six-sided dice.
- D3 = D6 divided by 2 (rounding up).
- All modifiers cumulative.
- Apply modifiers in the following order: division, multiplication, addition, then subtraction.
- Round fractions up after all modifiers have been applied.
- Dice roll cannot be modified to less than 1.
D33
Some of the rules will ask you to roll a D33. To do so, roll two D3s one after the other: the first dice result determines your ‘tens’ and the second your ‘units’. For example, if you rolled two D3s and the first result was a 2 and the second was a 1, then the D33 result is a 21.
RE-ROLLS
Some rules allow you to re-roll a dice roll, which means you get to roll some or all of the dice again. If a rule allows you to re-roll a dice roll that was made by adding several dice together (2D6, 3D6 etc.) then, unless otherwise stated, you must re-roll all of those dice again. If a rule allows you to re-roll specific dice results, only those dice can be re-rolled. If a rule allows you to re-roll a specific dice result, but the result is obtained by halving a D6 (such as when rolling a D3), you use the value of the halved roll to determine if it can be re-rolled, not the value of the original D6. For example, if a rule states to re-roll results of 1, and you roll a D3, you would re-roll if the D6 rolled a 1 or a 2 (which is then halved to get a D3 value of a 1).
You can never re-roll a dice more than once, and re-rolls happen before modifiers (if any) are applied. Rules that refer to the value of an ‘unmodified’ dice roll are referring to the dice result after any re-rolls, but before any modifiers are applied.
- Re-roll: Roll dice again.
- Re-rolls are applied before modifiers (if any).
- A dice can never be re-rolled more than once.
- Unmodified dice: Result of roll after re-rolls, but before modifiers (if any).
ROLL-OFFS
Some rules instruct players to roll off. To do so, both players roll one D6, and whoever scores highest wins the roll-off. If there is a tie for the highest roll, make the roll-off again. Neither player is allowed to re-roll or modify any of the D6 when making a roll-off.
- Roll-off: Both players roll a D6 – highest wins.
- Roll again if a tie.
SEQUENCING
While playing Warhammer 40,000, you’ll occasionally find that two or more rules are to be resolved at the same time – e.g. ‘at the start of the battle round’ or ‘at the end of the Fight phase’. When this happens during the battle, the player whose turn it is chooses the order. If these things occur before or after the battle, or at the start or end of a battle round, the players roll off and the winner decides in what order the rules are resolved.
- If several rules must be resolved at the same time, the player whose turn it is chooses the order to resolve them.
STARTING STRENGTH, HALF-STRENGTH AND DESTROYED UNITS
The number of models a unit has when it is added to your army is known as its Starting Strength. Throughout a battle, models will suffer damage and be destroyed. When a model is destroyed, it is removed from play. While the number of models in a unit is less than half its Starting Strength, that unit is said to be below Half-strength. When every model in a unit has been destroyed, the unit is said to have been destroyed.
If a rule is used to split a unit into multiple units during the battle, the Starting Strength of each individual unit is changed to be equal to the number of models in that unit. If several units merge together to form a single combined unit during the battle, add the Starting Strengths of all the individual units together to determine the new Starting Strength of the combined unit, and use this value to determine if the combined unit is below Half-strength.
Some rules will only trigger if an enemy unit was destroyed by you, or by a model or unit from your army – this means that the last model in the enemy unit was destroyed by an attack made by a model in your army, or it was destroyed because it fled the battlefield, or it was destroyed by a mortal wound inflicted by a rule that a model in your army is using, or it was destroyed as the result of any other rule that a model in your army is using that explicitly states that the enemy model is outright destroyed. Enemy units that are destroyed by any other means are not destroyed by you, or by a unit or model from your army.
- Starting Strength: Number of models in unit when it is added to your army.
- When a model is destroyed, remove it from the battlefield.
- Below Half-strength: Number of models in unit is less than half its Starting Strength.
- When the last model in a unit is destroyed, the unit is said to be destroyed.
DATASHEETS
Each unit has a datasheet that lists the characteristics, wargear and abilities of its models – here we explain what some of it means, while the rules found elsewhere in this section explain how it’s all used in the game. A condensed version of a model’s datasheet can be found in its construction guide – this contains less information than the full version, but will still let you get your unit on the field straight away.
1. UNIT NAME
Here you’ll find the name of the unit.
2. BATTLEFIELD ROLE
This is primarily used when making a Battle-forged army.
3. PROFILES
These contain the following characteristics that tell you how mighty the models in the unit are.
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4. COMPOSITION AND WARGEAR
If a unit’s profile does not, then this part of a datasheet will tell you what models are in the unit, and how many of them you should have. It also tells you the default weapons and wargear the models are equipped with.
UNDERSTRENGTH UNITS
If you do not have enough models to field a minimum-sized unit you can still include one unit of that type in your army with as many models as you have available. This is known as an Understrength unit.
5. ABILITIES
Many units have one or more special abilities; these will be described here.
AURA ABILITIES
Some abilities affect models or units in a given range – these are aura abilities. A model with an aura ability is always within range of its effect. The effects of multiple, identically named aura abilities are not cumulative (i.e. if a unit is within range of two models with the same aura ability, that aura ability only applies to the unit once).
6. WEAPONS
In the condensed datasheets, weapons are given a number that corresponds to annotated pictures of the miniature, rather than being named. Weapons are described with the following characteristics:
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7. WARGEAR OPTIONS
Some datasheets have a bullet-pointed list of wargear options. When you include such a unit in your army, you can use these options to change the weapons and other wargear of models in the unit. The order you use these options in does not matter, but each can only be used once.
8. KEYWORDS
Datasheets have a list of keywords, separated into Faction keywords and other keywords. The former can be used to help guide which models to include in an army, but otherwise both sets of keywords are functionally the same.
MODIFYING CHARACTERISTICS
Many rules modify the characteristics of models and weapons. All modifiers to a characteristic are cumulative; you must apply division modifiers before applying multiplication modifiers, and before applying addition and then subtraction modifiers. Round any fractions up after applying all modifiers. If a rule instructs you to replace one characteristic with a specified value, change the relevant characteristic to the new value before applying any modifiers that apply from other rules (if any) to the new value. Regardless of the source, the Strength, Toughness, Attacks and Leadership characteristics of a model can never be modified below 1.
You may encounter a characteristic that is a random value instead of a number. For example, a Move characteristic might be 2D6", or an Attacks value might be D6. When a unit with a random Move characteristic is selected to move, determine the entire unit’s move distance by rolling the indicated number of dice. For all other characteristics, roll to determine the value on an individual – per‑model or per-weapon – basis each time that characteristic is required.
Characteristics of ‘-’ can never be modified. If a model has a Strength or Leadership characteristic of ‘-’ and that characteristic is required to resolve a rule, then substitute the model’s Toughness characteristic for that characteristic for the purposes of resolving that rule (note that the substituted characteristic still cannot be modified).
- All characteristic modifiers are cumulative.
- Apply modifiers in the following order: division, multiplication, addition, then subtraction.
- Round fractions up after applying all modifiers.
- S, T, A, I and Ld can never be modified below 1.
- Random Move characteristics determined for whole unit each time it moves.
- Other random characteristics determined individually when characteristic required.
- Characteristic of ‘-’ can never be modified.
PREPARING FOR BATTLE
When playing a battle of Warhammer 40,000, after setting up the map with terrain and selecting a mission from the Eternum Mission Pack, each player rolls a dice. The player who rolls the highest gets to pick who the ATTACKER and who the DEFENDER is.
The DEFENDER gets to select what board side they get to deploy their units.
The ATTACKER deploys their first unit first.
After the ATTACKER deploys their first unit or detachment, the players then alternate placing units or detachments onto the table or into reserves. After all units have been set up on the board or within reserves, all players roll a dice to determine who will begin the first battle turn, then begins the game. Whomever rolls the highest gets to pick if they want to take their turn first or if the opponent gets to take their turn first. After a player has finished progressing through their turn, the next player starts their turn.
The player who finishes deploying first receives a +1 bonus to the roll off to determine turn order.
RESERVES
When placing a unit or detachment onto the table, you can instead elect to place them into Reserves instead of onto the table. Set those units aside, those models are now in Reserves and are treated as absent from the table. Some units may have special rules that interact with Reserves such as Deep Strike and Outflank.
You can only place up to 25% of your total army's points values into Reserves. For a 2000 point game, this would be 500 points maximum of units that can go into reserves.
At the start of your second turn, at the end of your Movement Phase, you can roll a D6 for each unit in your army that is being held in Reserve – these are known as Reserve Rolls. If the roll is a 3 or more, that unit arrives this turn. If the roll is less than 3 it remains in Reserve and is rolled for again next turn.
Reserve units that arrive can be set up wholly within 6" of any battlefield edge other than the enemy’s battlefield edge, but no model can be set up within the enemy’s deployment zone. Starting from the third battle round, Strategic Reserve units that arrive can be set up wholly within 6" of any battlefield edge other than the enemy's battlefield edge.
At the start of your third turn, roll for any units remaining in Reserve. If the roll is a 3 or more, that unit arrives this turn. If the roll is less than 3, it remains in Reserve and automatically arrives at the start of your fourth turn.
Some special rules can modify the roll required for a unit to arrive from Reserve, or eliminate it entirely (such as Deep Strike and Outflank). Regardless of the modifier(s), a natural roll of a 1 always means that the unit in question remains in Reserve.
When Reserves arrive, pick one of your arriving units and deploy it, moving it onto the table as described below. Then pick another arriving unit and deploy it, and so on until all arriving units are on the table. The player can then proceed to move his other units as normal. Note that you must first roll for all Reserves, and then move any arriving Reserves, before any other units can move.
If a model is so large that it cannot physically be set up wholly within 6" of a battlefield edge (i.e. the smallest dimension of that model is greater than 6"), it must be set up so that it is touching your battlefield edge. During the turn in which such a model is set up on the battlefield, that model’s unit cannot do any of the following: make a Normal Move, Advance, Fall Back, Remain Stationary; attempt to manifest or deny psychic powers; make any attacks with ranged weapons; declare a charge; perform a Heroic Intervention; perform any actions or psychic actions.
THE BATTLE ROUND
Minute by bloody minute the battle grinds on, from the opening volleys of shots through furious offensives and desperate counter-attacks, into the last dying moments when victory hangs by a thread.
Warhammer 40,000 is played in a series of battle rounds. In each battle round, both players have a turn. The same player always takes the first turn in each battle round – the mission you are playing will tell you which player this is. Each turn consists of a series of phases, which must be resolved in the following order:
1. COMMAND PHASE
Both players muster strategic resources and use tactical abilities.
2. MOVEMENT PHASE
Your units manoeuvre across the battlefield.
3. PSYCHIC PHASE
Your psykers use powerful mental abilities.
4. SHOOTING PHASE
Your units shoot enemy units.
5. CHARGE PHASE
Your units may move into close combat with enemy units.
6. FIGHT PHASE
Both players’ units pile in and attack with melee weapons.
Once a player’s turn has ended, their opponent then starts their turn. Once both players have completed a turn, the battle round has been completed and the next one begins, and so on, until the battle is concluded.
OUT OF PHASE RULES
Some rules allow a model or unit to move, shoot, charge, fight or attempt to manifest a psychic power outside of the normal turn sequence. If such a rule explicitly mentions to do so as if it were a different phase than the current one (e.g. ‘that unit can shoot as if it were the Shooting phase), then any rules that are normally used in that phase (in the example, this would be the Shooting phase) apply when that unit shoots.
- When resolving an out of phase rule, all rules that normally apply in that phase continue to apply
