Welcome to a new segment here on Spikey Bits, where I go over some rules clarifications and “gotchas” for 5th Edition.
I realize that there may only be less than a year left for this rules set, but there is still tons of time for gaming!
Not to mention a few big tournaments left to attend as well. So let’s get to it shall we?
Today im going to chat a little about cover- not the normal “cut and dry” cover that we deal with in every day, this cover is more sneaky.
You remember that “stealth” universal special rule (USR)? It gives models with this ability +1 to their cover save, which is great for like fortifying ruins with Techmarines and casting shrouding on stuff in there to get a 3+ cover right?
But what it’s not good for is being in the open. For instance you can’t get +1 to you cover save if you are in the open (because you’re not getting a cover save to start with so there is nothing to give +1 to).
Which means that casting shrouding on a Stormraven in the open that hasn’t gone flat out does not give you a 6+ cover save, lol. Don’t get me wrong its great for casting on a ‘raven that’s gone fast so it gets a 3+ cover save, but eventually its payload has to get out. Which means it will be going slower and getting no save.
The new craze of Necrons, Scarabs, do not benefit from stealth either in the open- which has been shocking the heck out of local players when I tell them that. Sorry they are still squishy guys.
After all that- the trick was showing everyone where this rule was, cause lets face it sometimes rules are hard to find,lol. “But I know I read that” turns into, “Oh I guess that was last edition” sometimes.
The stealth rule clarification was actually shown to me, as it was hiding deep in the 40k Rulebook FAQ from this summer.
So keep this in mind when playing your games for the next few months, Stealth doesnt work in the open, RAW.
Anyone have any other good Stealth USR examples, drop a comment! -MBG
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
Bio: Virginia restless, miniature painter & cat dad. He blames LEGOs for all this, as there was something about those little-colored blocks that started it all. Spikey Bits sprung from Rob staying motivated to hobby on his backlog of projects, while sharing his knowledge with others during the early blogging era.
LEGO maniac and scale model hobbyist in the 80s turned miniature wargamer and trading card player ever since. He’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition), but Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and minatures made of pewter and resin.
