Perhaps obvious question, or already covered...

[Hendrik Booraem VI]

The Ghostkeel has the stealth drones which double the benefits of stealth and shrouded USRs, so it gets a 2+ cover save in the open as long as one stealth drone is still alive. However, it only gets this benefit against enemies more than 12" away. So a barrage template, even if it does NOT have the Ignores Cover USR, would obviate that rule and reduce the Ghostkeel to using either a 4+ cover save, or its innate 3+ armor save, right?

I ask because I got my 3rd son a Ghostkeel for his birthday and we're putting it together while talking about the weapons and rules and how best he can fit it into his army. He knows he needs to keep it at maximum range from the enemy, ANY enemy, and jump-jet away after shooting. But you can't jump jet away from barrage weapons!

[Captain Bubonicus]

The way I read the rule, the cover save bonus is doubled against "attacks made at a range of greater than 12"." As long as the model firing the barrage is over 12" away from the Ghostkeel, you'd get the bonus effects of the stealth drones.

[SnakeChisler]

With indirect fire cover is calculated from the hole in the template

P160 BRB "to determine whether a unit is allowed a cover save always assume the shot is coming from the centre of the blast marker"

So yes you are correct it doesn't get double if it lands on its head

From a tactics point of view I'd go for the drones with barrage to clip it down & make it easier to kill with ranged fire, also any sort of presicion fire I'd allocate to them as they don't get double.

[Ben_S]

With indirect fire cover is calculated from the hole in the template

P160 BRB "to determine whether a unit is allowed a cover save always assume the shot is coming from the centre of the blast marker"

So yes you are correct it doesn't get double if it lands on its head

I don't see how the last sentence follows from the one that precedes it. The bit you quoted says that the shot is assumed to come from the centre of the blast marker when determining WHETHER the unit gets a cover save. In this case, that makes no difference: the unit still gets a cover save. Now the question is what cover save it gets (whether it gets the bonus). Here, I don't know exactly what the Ghostkeel rules say, but from what the OP says it sounds to me like you'd get the bonus so long as the firing unit is more than 12" away.

[SnakeChisler]

I don't see how the last sentence follows from the one that precedes it. The bit you quoted says that the shot is assumed to come from the centre of the blast marker when determining WHETHER the unit gets a cover save. In this case, that makes no difference: the unit still gets a cover save. Now the question is what cover save it gets (whether it gets the bonus). Here, I don't know exactly what the Ghostkeel rules say, but from what the OP says it sounds to me like you'd get the bonus so long as the firing unit is more than 12" away.

Is the The Ghost Keel taking a cover save from a Barrage weapon
If Yes
Calculate the cover save allowed from the blast drop point as per page 160 in the BRB

Ghost keel Rule says
The Cover save from Stealth & Shrouded is doubled for this model against attacks made at range of greater than 12" (max 2+).

It Doesn't invalidate Barrage in any way as the attack comes from the center of the blast which is why you take saves/casualties from that point.

For completeness the exact wording is
"To determine whether a unit wounded by a Barrage weapon is allowed a cover save, and when determining Wound allocation, always assume the shot is coming from the centre of the blast marker, instead of from the firing model"

[Ben_S]

Again, the sentence you quote does not say that you measure range from the centre of the blast marker. You're taking one part of the sentence ("assume the shot is coming from the centre of the blast marker") out of context. It only says that you do this to determine WHETHER the target gets a cover save (and for wound allocation, though that's not relevant here). The point of that is that the target being on the other side of a wall from the firing unit doesn't matter, if they're hit by a shell that explodes behind them. That's not the case here.