Warhammer: 9th Edition Rulebook 2.1 out now!

New year, new update. This update consists of things that have been brought up through gameplay feedback over the last year, and is mainly fine-tuning some things and clarifying a lot of rules. As you can see, I have divided up the patch notes in two sections; one for actual changes to the game, and one for clarifications/bug fixes that simply clears up some ambiguous wording and resolve some unclear situations that might arise in the game. So if you read something in the clarifications section and think "but that seems to be the same thing as the last version?" that just means you have likely been playing it correctly before, and thus need not worry about it. 

This is the only planned update for the main Rulebook I have for this year (apart from any minor hotfixes), so feel free to print it out if you wish. Will likely release a 2.2 version some time in 2023 as needed based on further gameplay feedback. Happy gaming!

Changes:

• Reworked Line of Sight system for all Troop Types and terrain, is no longer directly based around Unit Strength, but uses a similar system. See Troop Types and Terrain chapters for more info about their respective Line of Sight values.
  
• Sequencing: Whilst every effort has been made to make sure that the sequencing of rules is utterly clear, occasionally you'll find that two or more rules are to be resolved at the same time – normally 'at the start of the Movement phase' or similar. When this happens, resolve both rules at the same time whenever possible. If this is not possible for any reason, then the player whose turn it is chooses the order. 
• Charging a Fleeing Enemy: The fleeing unit suffers two Wounds with no saves of any kind allowed for each point of Unit Strength the charging unit has. For example, a unit with Unit Strength 10 will inflict 20 Wounds on the enemy unit. You no longer automatically destroy units if you have Unit Strength 10+.
  
• Pursuing a Fleeing Enemy: The fleeing unit suffers two Wounds with no saves of any kind allowed for each point of Unit Strength the charging unit has, just as when charging a fleeing enemy. You no longer automatically destroy units if you have Unit Strength 10+.
• Moving Fleeing Units: If the unit flees through a non-fleeing enemy unit, it will suffer one automatic Wound for each point of Unit Strength that the enemy unit(s) has, with no saves of any kind allowed.
• Ultimate Power: any 6's rolled on these additional dice do not count towards Ultimate Power.
  
• If a unit that started the phase with Unit Strength 10 or more is destroyed for any reason, all friendly units within 6" must immediately test for panic. 
• If a unit that started the phase with Unit Strength 10 or more breaks from close combat, all friendly units within 6" must immediately test for panic.
• Fight in Extra Ranks now works in turns in which the model charges.
  
• Fly is now Fly (*) with the Fly move being the number in the brackets rather than a 10" move. This means smaller models will be faster, and bigger ones will be slower.
  
• Added back Large Target: Models with this special rule have a Line of Sight value equal to the number in the bracket. This replaces the normal Line of Sight value normally assigned for their Troop Type. 
• If a model or unit has two sets of Magic Resistance, the two combine to a maximum of Magic Resistance (3). 
• Mounted models with Move or Fire weapons may still move and fire, but they may not March if they do so, unless specified.
• A model with the Regeneration special rule gains a Ward Save (indicated by the number in the brackets). Regeneration may not be used against Flaming Attacks, successful Killing Blows (including Heroic Killing Blow) or wounds caused due the unit being Unstable. Regeneration no longer "bleeds" combat resolution for saved wounds.
  
• Any Swarm base that is hit by a template attack suffer D6 hits rather than 1. 
• When moving, the chariot model always uses its own Movement characteristic. However, they may not pivot on the spot like other lone models without Reforming. Chariots no longer suffer -1 to their Movement, but instead have this as part of their Movement characteristic in each army book.
  
• Characters on Monsters no longer fail armour saves on both 1-2. This is no longer needed as a balancing factor with the changes to Regeneration and slowing down Fly on Monsters.
  
• Bucklers only give a 6+ Parry. 
• Barding no longer gives an additional -1 penalty when charging, fleeing and pursuing. 
• Enemies charging a War Machine lose all charge bonuses (including bonus from special rules). They do no longer count as Obstacles.
  
• At the start of the Close Combat phase, before any blows are struck, the player whose unit(s) are attacking the war machine must choose models worth up to Unit Strength 6 who will fight in the combat. This is regardless of the number of units that are fighting the war machine. Note that you may always allocate a minimum of one model to fight, regardless of their actual Unit Size. 
• Added a Victory Points chart for calculating Victory Points in percentages rather than the limited "100 pts difference" of 8th ed.
  
• Watch Tower: The watchtower is controlled by calculating the amount of Unit Strength of all units within 6" of it that are not fleeing on each side. Any unit garrisoning Watchtower counts as double their Unit Strength (to a maximum of +20) for this purpose. The side with the highest Unit Strength is the winner. In the unlikely event that neither player can claim to control the watchtower, use victory points to determine the winner of the battle. 
• Power Scroll: During that casting attempt, any roll of a double (except 1's) counts as a 6 for the purpose of resolving Ultimate Power.
• Banner of Duty: A unit with this magic standard gains +1 to their Leadership when taking Rally tests.

 

Clarifications/bug fixes:

• Deployment clarification: All Characters must be placed at the same time after all your other units have been deployed, but may be set up in separate locations or units in their deployment zone.
• Multiple Charges on a unit: The controlling player chooses in which order to redirect their charging units, after having rolled their charge distance.  
• Cover addition: This works the other way around as well, so a model with a Line of Sight value of 3 will ignore the cover otherwise gained by a model with a Line of Sight value of 2 behind a model with a Line of Sight value of 1.
• Clarified First Round of Close Combat: There are multiple rules in the game that refer to something having an effect "in the first round of close combat". The first round of close combat refers to the first round of close combat that a single unit is involved in without disengaging to due fleeing, pursuing or other effects. This means that if a unit is engaged in combat with one unit and is later engaged by another unit, this only counts as the first round of close combat for the new unit, not any units that were already engaged in the combat. 
• Clarification on To Hit and To Wound for close combat: A roll of a 1 on a D6 always fails and a roll of 6 always succeeds, regardless of any dice modifiers.
  
• Each side's basic combat result is equal to the wounds caused in the close combat phase, regardless of source (except wounds that are caused by friendly models). 
• A combat reform is essentially a standard reform save for the fact save for the fact that the centre point of the reformed unit does not have to stay in the same place. 
  
• To resolve the flee move, turn the unit around about its centre so that it is facing directly away from the enemy unit (rather than the enemy unit's centre).  
• Turn the pursuing unit about its centre so that it is facing directly towards the centre of the unit they are pursuing.
• Combat reform: The unit must keep its front arc in base contact with an enemy unit.
• Multiple Combats and Pursuit: If there is more than one pursuing unit, the controlling player can choose the order in which they move, after rolling their pursuit distance.
• Clarified that Dodge, Parry and Regeneration are cumulative from multiple sources.  
• Fear-causing models or models with Immunity (Fear) treat Terror-causing monsters as causing Fear, rather than Terror – this is an exception to the rule that makes Fear-causing creatures immune to Fear.  
• Flying units consisting of more than one model with an individual Unit Strength of 2 or less have the Skirmishers special rule. 
• Ice, Lightning, Poisoned Attacks: Any spells cast by the model are unaffected, as are any special attacks or attacks made with magic weapons they might be wielding, whether they be shooting or close combat attacks. 
  
• Clarified Immunity (Psychology): They may never choose Flee! as a charge reaction (except when using Feigned Flight or Fire & Flee, unless they also have Frenzy).
• If a model knows spells from multiple Lores, then Loremaster only applies to one Lore of your choice.
  
• Models with Random Movement cannot declare charges, and must always move in the Compulsory Moves sub-phase. 
• Sniper cannot be used when firing weapons that use a template. 
• Skirmishers cannot be Steadfast regardless of their Unit Strength (unless they also have the Stubborn special rule).
• Before starting deployment, a unit with the Scouts special rule can choose to not deploy at the start of the battle. Note that a character may only join a unit deploying with the Scouts special rule if they also have the same rule.
  
• Clarification: A unit is considered Stubborn if the majority of the models in a unit have this special rule. A Stubborn unit is always Steadfast, whether or not they have a higher Unit Strength than their enemy or are disrupted. 
  
• Unstable characters may not join Unbreakable units. 
• Volley Fire clarification: Weapons with this rule allow the unit to fire with all ranks within range in the Shooting Phase as long as at least one model in the unit can draw Line of Sight to the target.  
• Added Stubborn to list of special rules that is shared between rider and mount in Split Profile.
  
• Included rules for Shrines as a character mount in the Troop Types chapter. 
• When moving, the shrine model uses its own Movement characteristic.
  
• Characters on Shrines cannot refuse challenges.
• If a model is armed with another close combat weapon besides their hand weapon, they must use this at all times (unless specified). 
• If a unit contains multiple characters, only one of them may charge out of the unit per turn. 
• If your General has a Line of Sight value of 5 or more, then the range of their Inspiring Presence ability is increased by 6".  
• When measuring to and from the war machine, measure to or from the body of the machine, by which we mean the central part of the chassis or the weapon itself. 
• Unless specified, any special rules a War Machine might have apply to both the War Machine and the crew.
• War Machines have a Unit Strength equal to their current number of crew.  
• Unlike other lone models, pivoting the war machine during the Movement phase counts as moving for war machines, and thus they cannot fire in turns they do so. Before you fire the war machine, pivot it to face your chosen target in the Shooting phase so the war machine faces it directly in a straight line – note that the target must be within the war machine's forward arc as normal.
• When shooting at a war machine (including spells and template attacks), resolve the attack as normal, using the Toughness value of the war machine. 
• War Machines in Close Combat: All surviving crew model fight as normal using their Weapon Skill, Strength, Initiative and Attacks.
• War machines can be deployed in buildings, but only if there is space to deploy the model on the top floor.
• Clarified Stone Throwers: To fire a stone thrower, first pivot to face the target following the normal rules for war machines. Then, nominate a model or building within the stone thrower's line of sight (ignoring other models within the same unit), outside of its minimum range and within its maximum range. Then, take the small round (3") template and place it with the centre directly over the target.
• Added new diagram for firing stone throwers.  
• Buildings and shooting: Note that War Machines must still pivot on the spot as normal.
• Clarification Attacking buildings: At the start of the Close Combat phase, before any blows are struck, both players choose models up to Unit Strength 10 (with a minimum of 1 model regardless of Unit Strength) from their unit to form the courageous assault party that will fight in the assault.
• Clarification on assault buildings, attacker loses: The close combat ends, and the attacker must launch a new assault next turn (which they may regardless of whose turn it is) if they wish another attempt at driving the garrison out. Note that a unit that attacks or defends a building in two or more consecutive turns does not count as fighting a new first round of combat. 
• Limited Choices: Some units are incredibly rare to the point where there is a set limit on the number of them you can include in your army. Where this is the case, they will be listed as something like 0-1 or 0-2 etc. This means you may at most have a number of these units in your army equal to the number given in the army list, unless specified.
• Clarified Scenarios: The player that finished deploying their army first adds +1 to their roll as per the normal rules.
• If the alliance contains one or more desperate allies, the power and dispel dice generated by the Winds of Magic must be split as equally as possible between the various allied armies as long as both of them contains at least one Wizard. 
• Clarified Fulminating Flame Cage: In addition, if the target unit moves during the Movement phase, flees or pursues, every model in the unit suffers an immediate Strength 4 hit and the spell ends.
• Clarified Net of Amyntok: The target unit must pass a Strength test every time it moves in the Movement phase. 
• Smoke and Mirrors and Shadow Steed uses the Fly (10) special rule.   
• Spirit Leech is no longer limited to unmodified Ld. 
• Note that magic weapons that count as normal hand weapons may be taken by any model that can choose magic weapons.
• The Gem of Taranto can be used whenever you successfully dispel an enemy spell (except Bound Spells).   
• Standard of Discipline: If the General joins this unit, other units using their Inspiring Presence does not benefit from the +1 Leadership.