11th Edition Rules Index

Every rule in 11th edition sits in a numbered block, so rules can cite each other precisely. Some rules — notably Heal — live only in the Warhammer 40,000 app.

The player whose turn it is is the Active Player. If you move, shoot or fight during your opponent's turn you become the Active Player until that resolution finishes.

At any shared timing window the Active Player resolves all mandatory abilities (in an order of their choosing), then their optional abilities; then the Opposing Player does the same. Rules newly triggered wait until all pre-existing rules have resolved. The opposing player therefore usually gets the last say.

Every phase has an explicit Start of Phase step, its own steps, and an End of Phase step. Mission scoring is a sub-step that always resolves after all other end-of-phase effects.

An unmodifiable save used in place of the normal save. Invulnerable saves are no longer optional — the roll is checked against the invulnerable save and the (AP-modified) armour save to see whether damage is inflicted.

Forced by HAZARDOUS weapons, Desperate Escapes and Emergency Disembarkation. Roll one D6: on a 1–2 the unit suffers a mortal wound (3 mortal wounds if it is a Monster or Vehicle).

Units must remain in coherency; Engagement Range is 2" horizontally and 5" vertically, so models reach further than in 10th and can engage over low walls.

Actions are back in the core rules with a standard template: Start, Unit, Use Limit, Completes, Effect. A unit must have OC 1+, be on the battlefield, not be an Aircraft or Fortification, not have Advanced or Fallen Back, and not already have started an Action. Shooting stops a unit starting an Action, and starting an Action stops it Shooting or Charging.

At the start of your Command phase you gain 1 CP. CP is spent on Stratagems.

Any unit at or below Half-strength must take a Battle-shock test: roll 2D6 and equal or beat its Leadership. Units that started the phase Battle-shocked must test again — there is no automatic recovery.

A Battle-shocked unit has its Objective Control set to "-" (an unmodifiable zero), cannot be targeted by Stratagems, and cannot perform Actions — failing any it had started.

Everything in the Command phase that is not Start/End of phase or Battle-shock happens here — after Battle-shock, so models returned to a unit arrive too late to help it pass its test.

A unit that does not move counts as Remaining Stationary and keeps access to abilities that require it.

Move each model up to M". Models cannot move into Engagement Range of enemy units.

Roll a D6 and add it to M" for that move. The unit cannot Shoot (except ASSAULT weapons) or Charge this turn.

Leave Engagement Range with a Normal Move. Models that must move through enemies make Desperate Escape Hazard rolls. The unit cannot Shoot or Charge this turn unless a rule says otherwise.

Arriving from Reserves is now a codified Ingress Move: set the unit up wholly within the permitted zone and more than 8" from enemy models. Units that Ingress cannot make a Shooting-phase move.

Reserves must arrive by the end of battle round 3 or be destroyed, and are limited in how much of your army can be held back.

Models move over terrain up to 4" tall freely; taller terrain must be climbed, spending movement equal to the vertical distance. Super-heavy Walkers may push straight through terrain over 4", risking Battle-shock on a 1.

Disembarking is a type of move with three modes, including a new option in 11th. Emergency Disembarkation forces Hazard rolls and automatically Battle-shocks the unit.

Fire Overwatch happens at the end of your opponent's Movement phase only — there is no Overwatch in the Charge phase. The firing unit must be unengaged, and it Snap Shoots.

Select targets (attacks may be split between eligible targets) → group identical attacks against one target → hit rolls → wound rolls → the defender allocates and saves.

The defender splits the unit into groups of identical defensive profiles (each Character its own group) and sets an allocation order — Characters last, groups containing a wounded model first. Saves are rolled for every successful wound at once, then applied from lowest roll upward down the allocation order.

Mortal wounds are resolved as a batch at the end of each group of identical attacks rather than at the very end of the unit's shooting.

Cover now applies a penalty to the attacker's hit roll rather than improving the target's save. Stealth and Smokescreen both grant Cover.

When Snap Shooting (e.g. Fire Overwatch) attacks hit only on unmodified 6s and hit rolls cannot be re-rolled. TORRENT and SUSTAINED HITS remain the reliable Overwatch tools.

ASSAULT weapons may be fired by a unit that Advanced this turn.

CLOSE-QUARTERS (the replacement keyword for PISTOL) weapons may be fired while the unit is within Engagement Range, targeting a unit it is engaged with.

INDIRECT FIRE weapons may target units that are not visible, with the usual penalties to hit and a benefit of Cover for the target.

Firing down from a raised position onto targets below improves your attack, rewarding the use of tall terrain.

Eligible units (unengaged, within 12" of an enemy, did not Advance or Fall Back) roll 2D6 for a maximum charge distance, THEN pick any charge targets within that distance. There is no need to declare targets first.

Move every model up to the maximum distance rolled. You must end engaged with every charge target, each model must end closer to a target, and models must end within 1" of a target where possible. You may not end engaged with a unit you did not select.

Units arriving from Deep Strike or Strategic Reserves set up more than 8" away, so still need a 9" charge.

Defensive fire happens in the Movement phase; the Charge phase is uninterrupted by shooting.

Resolved at the end of the Charge phase. For 1CP counter-charge any number of enemy units that charged, with no distance cap on the roll; for 2CP cap the roll at 6" but charge anything within 6".

Units that Charged, and units with FIGHTS FIRST, fight first. The Active Player then alternates unit activations with the opposing player.

Before attacking, each model may move up to 3" and must end closer to the nearest enemy unit it will attack.

A unit that destroys everything it is engaged with may push on rather than being stranded in the open.

After attacking, models may move up to 3" to engage another enemy unit, move onto an objective, or return to coherency.

2CP Stratagem: interrupt the alternating activation and fight with one of your units out of order.

Terrain is defined by categories and by Terrain Areas — the footprint you measure against for cover, objectives and visibility.

A unit fully behind terrain can be Hidden and cannot be seen or targeted beyond its detection range. Going to Ground (every model obscured) gives a further -3" to that range.

Obscuring terrain blocks line of sight through it, protecting units on the far side.

The default in 11th is that designated Terrain Areas are the objectives; a model is in range if it is within the Terrain Area.

At the end of each phase and at the end of each turn, total the OC of all models within range of an objective. The player with the higher Level of Control holds it.

Certain rules let a unit control an objective regardless of the opponent's Level of Control.

Spend the listed CP. A Stratagem may be used only once per phase, and — new in 11th — you cannot use more than one Stratagem on the same unit in a phase. Some Stratagems have multiple modes at different CP costs.

Re-roll one dice. Charge rolls re-roll both dice.

Once per battle, a unit automatically passes a Battle-shock test. Cannot be used on a unit that is already Battle-shocked.

At the end of your opponent's Movement phase, an unengaged unit Snap Shoots at a visible enemy unit within 24".

At the end of your opponent's Movement phase, one unit in Reserves makes an Ingress Move. Cannot target Aircraft.

Counter-charge at the end of your opponent's Charge phase. See 5.5 for the two modes.

Interrupt the fight sequence: one of your eligible units fights next.

A Character fighting an enemy Character makes its melee attacks with PRECISION.

Formerly Grenades. An eligible unit hurls explosives at an enemy unit within 8" for mortal wounds.

The target unit gains Cover, and also provides Cover to friendly units behind it.

The new Tank Shock. A Monster or Vehicle that charged slams into the foe for mortal wounds; on a 1 it takes a mortal wound itself.

Wound rolls of N+ against the listed keyword are Critical Wounds.

May be fired by a unit that Advanced.

Gains X extra shots for every model in the target unit.

May be fired while engaged, at a unit you are engaged with.

Critical Wounds inflict mortal wounds instead of normal damage, resolved as a batch at the end of the attack group.

Critical Hits automatically wound. Now optional, so you can decline it to fish for Devastating Wounds.

Each Critical Hit scores X additional hits.

Re-roll wound rolls.

Attacks hit automatically.

Within half range, increase the Damage characteristic by X. It no longer bypasses halving or set-to-zero effects.

After the weapon is used, the unit makes a Hazard roll (see 1.6).

X extra shots against targets within half range.

May be used for Indirect Shooting against unseen targets.

The target does not benefit from Cover — which in 11th means the hit-roll penalty does not apply.

Successful attacks may be allocated to an attached Character.

May be placed in Reserves and Ingress anywhere on the battlefield more than 8" from enemy models.

Deploy anywhere more than 8" from the enemy deployment zone and enemy models.

Make a pre-battle Normal Move of up to X", ending more than 9" from enemy models.

The unit has Cover.

Cannot be targeted by ranged attacks from further than X" (12" by default) unless it is attached to a unit.

Each time damage is allocated, roll X+ to ignore it.

When destroyed, roll a D6; on a 6 nearby units suffer X mortal wounds. For Transports this happens after embarked units disembark.

X embarked models may fire their ranged weapons through the Transport.

Used in addition to other melee weapons. The Attacks characteristic can now be modified.

Fights in the first fight step, before units without the ability.

May move through terrain features taller than 4", risking Battle-shock on a roll of 1.

May be fired only once per battle.

+1 to Wound if the bearer's unit made a Charge move this turn.