Night Fighting question about ranges

[presto15]

So this came up last night.

When does a unit get shrouded and stealth USR's due to night fight:

A unit gets no addition to its cover save if it is 0-12 inches away but gets +1 to cover save when it is 12-24 inches away. But lets say that 2 members of a tactical space marine squad is 8 inches away, but the missile launcher in the squad is 16 inches away as the unit is spread out. Does the enemy get a cover save from the missile launcher as the missile launcher is 16 inches away, even though some members of the squad are within 8 inches?

Could you please post the page that you can back up your argument?

[DrLove42]

Can't post pages at the minute, but i'd argue that you get +1 from the missile. The range of the missile to hit is measured from the guy with the missile, so only makes sense that the saves are measured from it aswell

[Wildeybeast]

"Units between 24" and 36" inches away are treated as having the shrouded special rule."

Put simply, as long as one model from the enemy unit falls within that distance (or any of the other distances for night fighting) of at least one model from your unit, then apply that rule. It doesn't specify individual models but the whole unit. If you had to do it on a model by model basis you would have to check the ranges of everyone of your models and every one of the enemy models which would be unnecessarily complicated. The rules clearly state the unit as a whole so if one model is in, they all are. The night vision special rule would back this up which states that as long as one model in your unit has night vision, they all benefit form it You could assume that the person who can see tells the rest of the unit where to fire.

Also note that this is will not work on the cover saves mechanic as it is not giving saves to each model but a USR to the unit. (Again I emphasise the night fighting wording on p124 of unit, rather than models) Cover saves can be different across the unit, but this a situation granting a USR and as such is different. They either all get the USR or they don't. I am unaware of situations where some rank and file models in a unit get a USR and some do not.

Or that's my interpretation anyway, doubtless there will be someone who disagrees.

[Wildeybeast]

On reflection, my last post might be bit long winded as this is quite a simple rule. Let me simplify.

The night fighting rules say 'unit' - that means every model (including IC's). As such, if every model in the target unit is between 24 and 36 inches away from every model in the firing unit, they gain shrouded. If some models are say 23" apart for whatever reason, they have failed to meet the criteria to gain shrouded and fall into the "units between 12" and 24" away are instead treated as having the Stealth special rule". A single model less than 12" away means the unit fails this test and gains no special rule, whilst every model would have to be more 36" away to avoid being targeted.

Problem sorted.

[Daemonette666]

Sounds like a nasty tactic which would be easier for larger units to accomplish.