Transport

Some vehicles can carry infantry across the battlefield, providing speed and protection. Of course, if the transport is destroyed, the passengers risk being burnt alive in the explosion.

Transports have several additional characteristics: Transport Capacity, Fire Points and Access Points.

Transport Capacity

Each Transport vehicle has a maximum passenger capacity that can never be exceeded. A Transport can carry a single Infantry unit and/or any number of Independent Characters (as long as they are also Infantry), up to a total number of models equal to the vehicle’s Transport Capacity. The entire unit must be embarked on the Transport if any part of it is – a unit cannot be partially embarked or be spread across multiple Transports.

Only Infantry models can embark upon Transports (this does not include Jump or Jet Pack Infantry), unless specifically stated otherwise. Some larger Infantry models count as more than one model for the purposes of Transport Capacity, and this will be specified in the model’s rules. Sometimes, there will be constraints on which types of models can embark upon a particular vehicle, and this will be specified in the unit’s entry. Space Marine Terminators, for example, cannot embark upon a Rhino or Razorback, although they can be transported by a Land Raider.

Unshakable Nerve

Units embarked upon Transports have the Fearless special rule while they are embarked.

Dedicated Transports

Sometimes a unit entry will include a transport option, allowing a vehicle to be selected together with the unit. These Dedicated Transports do not use up a slot on the force organisation chart, but count as having the same role as the unit they were bought for all other rules purposes.

For example, a Rhino bought for a Space Marine Tactical Squad (troops) counts as a unit of troops, but one bought for a unit of Space Marine Sternguard Veteran Squad (elites) counts as elites.

Other vehicles may also have a Transport Capacity, but they are chosen separately as normal, have a role and occupy a force organisation chart slot of their own.

The only limitation of a Dedicated Transport is that when it is deployed, it can only carry the unit it was selected with (plus any Independent Characters that have joined it). After the game begins, it can then transport any friendly Infantry unit, subject to Transport Capacity and other special exclusions, as explained in the vehicle’s entry.

Fire Points

Many Transports have a number of Fire Points defined in their army entry. A Fire Point is a hatch or gun slit from which one or more passengers inside the vehicle can fire shooting weapons (or use witchfire psychic powers). Unless specified differently in the vehicle’s entry, a single passenger can fire out of each Fire Point and the other transported models cannot fire. Ranges and line of sight are measured from the Fire Point itself. If an embarked model fires a Template weapon or a beam psychic power from a Fire Point, discount the hit scored against the vehicle – we assume the weapon has been fired in a sufficient arc to clear the Transport’s hull. Note that the passengers can shoot at a different target to the vehicle itself.

Models firing out of a vehicle that moved at Combat Speed count as having moved that turn. Models firing out of a vehicle that moved at Cruising Speed can only fire Snap Shots that turn. They cannot fire if the vehicle moves Flat Out or uses smoke launchers that turn, nor can a vehicle move Flat Out or use smoke launchers if a unit embarked inside it shoots out.

Access Points

Each vehicle capable of carrying passengers will have a number of Access Points defined in its entry. These are the doors, ramps and hatches that passengers use to get in and out of the vehicle (see below for more details). Transports on flying bases also count the base as an Access Point.

Independent Characters & Transports

If an Independent Character (or even more than one) and a unit are both embarked upon the same vehicle, they are automatically joined, just as if the Independent Character was within 2" of the unit. If either an Independent Character or a unit is already in a vehicle, the other may join them by embarking too (assuming, of course, that there is enough space). The unit and the Independent Character(s) can, in a later Movement phase, disembark together as a single unit. Alternatively, they can separate by either the unit or the Independent Character(s) disembarking while the others remain on board. They can even separate by disembarking at the same time.

Transports and Assaults

If a Transport vehicle is assaulted, an embarked unit can fire Overwatch at the attackers out of its Fire Points – note that a unit can still only fire Overwatch once a turn, even if embarked on a Transport. If a Transport vehicle is Wrecked, Explodes! or Crashes and Burns, any Wounds caused to its passengers do not count towards assault results, and any surviving passengers are not locked in combat with the units assaulting their vehicle.

Psychic Powers and Transports

Psykers embarked on a Transport can only target enemy units with witchfire psychic powers, and only then if the vehicle has a Fire Point that can ‘see’ the target unit. Psykers embarked on a Transport cannot attempt to manifest any other kind of psychic power.

Psychic powers cannot target units that are embarked on a Transport.

Effects of Damage on Passengers

When a Transport sustains damage, it can also have an effect on its passengers – even if they disembark – as described below:

Crew Shaken, Crew Stunned, Weapon Destroyed and Immobilised. At the end of a phase in which a vehicle sustains one or more of these damage results, the passengers must take a Leadership test. If the test is passed, the unit is unaffected. If the test is failed, the unit can only make Snap Shots in their next Shooting phase, but are otherwise unaffected.
Wrecked (other than Zooming Flyers). The passengers must immediately disembark in the usual manner, save that they must end their move wholly within 3" of the vehicle, rather than 6". If, even by performing an emergency disembarkation, some models are unable to disembark, then any models that cannot disembark are removed as casualties. This does not prevent the rest of the unit from disembarking. The unit must then take a Pinning test. After this, the vehicle becomes a wreck.
Explodes! The unit suffers a number of Strength 4 AP- hits equal to the number of models embarked. These Wounds are Randomly Allocated. Surviving passengers are placed where the vehicle used to be and in unit coherency. Any models that cannot be placed are removed as casualties. The unit then takes a Pinning test.
Wrecked (Zooming Flyers) and Crash and Burn! The unit suffers a number of Strength 10 AP2 hits equal to the number of models embarked. These Wounds are Randomly Allocated. Surviving passengers are placed where the Flyer used to be and in unit coherency. Any models that cannot be placed are removed as casualties. The unit then takes a Pinning test.