Interceptor

[Katharon]

Ok, I don't have my rulebook on me so I need to ask the forums: a friend said that if a unit with Interceptor fires using their rule that they can still fire as normal in their next shooting phase. Is that true or is he trying to blow smoke?

[Charon]

Depends on what he exactly said.
You can use a weapon with interceptor and switch to another weapon next shooting phase.

For example a Dark Reaper Exarch could use a quad gun to intercept a Flyer in the enemy movement phase and then use his Missile Launcher in his own shooting phase. The "interceptor" rule is weapon bound, not model bound.


At the end of the enemy Movement phase, a weapon with the Interceptor special rule can be fired at any one unit that has arrived from Reserve within its range and line of sight. If this rule is used, the weapon cannot be fired in the next turn, but the firing model can shoot a different weapon if it has one.

[Katharon]

Thanks for the clarification. He made it seem as if the weapon used to fire under the Interceptor USR could be used in the next shooting phase, even after firing in the enemy's turn.

[SnakeChisler]

That is not the case there are a number of units with more than 1 weapon though so firing 1 in your movement phase then a different weapon in the shooting phase at a different target is allowed.

Cheap example a space marine sgt has interceptor and can fire his bolter in your movement phase and his bolt pistol in his shooting phase

[John Bower]

That is not the case there are a number of units with more than 1 weapon though so firing 1 in your movement phase then a different weapon in the shooting phase at a different target is allowed.

Cheap example a space marine sgt has interceptor and can fire his bolter in your movement phase and his bolt pistol in his shooting phase

How would he get Interceptor? It usually goes with a particular weapon (Quad guns, Icarus Lascannon etc.) so the sgt wouldn't have it unless there was some rule that allowed him to. And as far as I'm aware not even any of the 'mysterious objectives' grant that rule.

[DWest]

I think it was just an example for illustration's sake, rather than something currently in-game. Although with the "give a special rule off this list to a Tac Squad" special ability that Cato Sicarus has, I could see Interceptor being slipped in as a grantable ability at some point.

[CoffeeGrunt]

Better example would be a Riptide firing its main weapon at a Drop Pod, then firing the secondary weapon at the occupants the next Shooting Phase it gets.

[SnakeChisler]

On the subject of Riptides if it overheats I take it it carries through to the next round so it wouldn't be able to fire

Also the Nova Reactor if it didn't go off you couldn't take another nova roll till the next Tau round

And a Riptide is an MC so can't it shoot 2 weapons?

[Katharon]

Three weapons, if the rules for MC and it's suit tech count together. Every suit comes standard with the multi-tracker that allows 2 weapons to be fired. But that's not a big worry.

Whatever Nova Reactor action that the controlling player took in his turn would still be in effect in his opponents turn, so that's no different from the continuation of other types of effects (ie. psykic powers).

[Charistoph]

Three weapons, if the rules for MC and it's suit tech count together. Every suit comes standard with the multi-tracker that allows 2 weapons to be fired. But that's not a big worry.

Yes, they count together, I believe, the MT allows an additional weapon to be fired, not two. It may not sound like much, and it isn't for anyone but the Riptides.

[Katharon]

Yes, they count together, I believe, the MT allows an additional weapon to be fired, not two. It may not sound like much, and it isn't for anyone but the Riptides.

I'm still waiting for the day when I can equip a Riptide with two of the same weapon. Say hello to the XV104 "Heavy Arms" Riptide. :P

[CoffeeGrunt]

The Forgeworld variants seem to like that train of thought. :P

[phreakachu]

heres another interceptor related question...
Does the rule allow you to fire on units comeing out of a transport that arrived from reserves? in these two cases, marines diembarking from a drop pod, and marines forced to disembark from a rhino after it was wrecked

[Houghten]

I'm still waiting for the day when I can equip a Riptide with two of the same weapon. Say hello to the XV104 "Heavy Arms" Riptide. :P

I've done that with mine anyway, to represent its Earth Caste Pilot Array; re-rolling 1s to hit, when you're benefiting from enough Markerlights to make you BS5, is functionally equal to Twin-Linked. At least, as long as you're not using the Ion Accelerator in Blast mode.

(and come to that I used pretty much the same justification for the second suncannon on my Wraithknight; it gets to be twin-linked 98.8% of the time thanks to the Scatter Laser so it's only not WYSIWYG 1.2% of the time)

[John Bower]

heres another interceptor related question...
Does the rule allow you to fire on units comeing out of a transport that arrived from reserves? in these two cases, marines diembarking from a drop pod, and marines forced to disembark from a rhino after it was wrecked

There's a good argument here that can be ammo for both schools of thought; take the 'narrative' IRL style perspective of what 'interceptor' actually is/means; it is 'supposed' to fire on the unit as it arrives, so technically in the case of a drop pod it 'should' shoot the pod only. Now this brings into question the fact that if it does as it should do the pod for the sake of example is 'destroyed' on the way down; do you really want your marines to just 'die' along with it as in reality that is the likely outcome; I don't think 6000 degrees heat cares much about your power armour; so you are looking at if you want to insist it fires on the pod a sensible thing would be to say you lose the entire unit. Better for fun and all concerned then surely to allow the opponent to pick 'pod' or 'dudes' instead. My narrative argument for the latter is that it's waited until the doors blow out or... More likely it's put a few bullets inside the hull on the way down causing some damage to the troops but no more than superficial damage to the pod itself.

[CoffeeGrunt]

Especially given that it chooses to fire at the end of the Movement phase, so the Marines are already out of the Pod and on the ground, but haven't quite readied their Bolters yet. It depends on how suddenly you imagine the Pods hitting the ground. I imagine them like the ODST Drop Pods from Halo personally, but with the deceleration applied much closer to the ground.

[Katharon]

The Forgeworld variants seem to like that train of thought. :P


If the R'Varna had the options to take two ion accelerators, or two heavy burst cannons, or mix it up between two different weapons among the three primary guns, then that would have been epic and I'd already own two or three.

[SnakeChisler]

Yes, they count together, I believe, the MT allows an additional weapon to be fired, not two. It may not sound like much, and it isn't for anyone but the Riptides.

You can't use the multi-tracker in any phase but the shooting phase so as well as Overwatch that would include Interceptor.

Once a unit disembarks from the drop pod you now have 2 units on the ground and in the case of an immediate combat squad that's 3, at the end of your movement phase the enemy unit with interceptor is free to choose any target as long as they can see them and they arrived that turn.

[CoffeeGrunt]

If the R'Varna had the options to take two ion accelerators, or two heavy burst cannons, or mix it up between two different weapons among the three primary guns, then that would have been epic and I'd already own two or three.

Its weapons are arguably better IMO, but each to their own. It's not as strong as the Riptide, and the Y'vahra's loadout is a little schizophrenic.

[Charistoph]

You can't use the multi-tracker in any phase but the shooting phase so as well as Overwatch that would include Interceptor.

Same thing applies for Monstrous Creature shooting now, too.