While firepower may be enough to drive an enemy back from open ground or lightly held positions, shifting a determined foe from a fortified bunker or ruined settlement will need sterner measures. In an assault troops storm forward, screaming their battlecries, eager to strike at their foe with knives, claws, gun butts or anything else in a desperate close combat.
Assault can be summarised in 5 steps:
- Move Into Assault. Move any of your units, within 6" of the enemy, into contact.
- Fight Close Combat. Troops in base contact with the enemy, or within 2", fight in close combat. Models in cover strike first, then both sides fight in order of their Initiative characteristics. Roll to hit with each of their attacks and roll to wound with any attacks which hit.
- Determine Assault Results. Total up wounds inflicted. The side which inflicted the most wounds is the winner.
- Loser Checks Morale. The loser has to pass a Leadership test or fall back 2D6". If the loser passes the test both sides move more models into combat and fight again in the next assault phase.
- Winners Advance Or Consolidate. If the loser falls back the winner can advance 2D6" or consolidate by moving his models 3" in any direction.
- 1. Moving Into An Assault
In the assault phase a unit within 6" of an enemy can charge forward into base-to-base contact, becoming engaged in close combat.
- Terrain Effects
Models assaulting into, out of, or through difficult terrain roll two D6 and take the highest for their move distance, as in the movement phase.
- Who Can Fight
The assaulting player must move as many models into contact as possible, and every model within 2" of an enemy — not just those touching — takes part in the fighting.
- 2. Fighting A Close Combat
Close combat is resolved by working down through Initiative scores, with models in cover striking first and matching Initiative values fighting simultaneously.
- Who Strikes First
Models defending in or behind cover strike first in an assault regardless of Initiative; the remaining combatants then fight in descending Initiative order.
- Attacks
Each model strikes with its Attacks characteristic, plus bonuses for wielding two close combat weapons or for having charged that turn.
- Rolling To Hit
To score a hit in close combat, roll a D6 per Attack, needing the minimum score set by cross-referencing the attacker's Weapon Skill against the target's.
- Allocating Attacks
When a model is in contact with enemies of differing Weapon Skill or Toughness, its attacks must be allocated among the possible targets before rolling to hit.
- Rolling To Wound
After scoring a hit in close combat, roll to wound by cross-referencing the attacker's Strength against the target's Toughness on the Damage Chart.
- Armour Saves
Models wounded in close combat may attempt an armour save as normal, though cover gives no bonus there and some attacks bypass saves entirely.
- Special Close Combat Attacks
Specialised close combat weaponry — power fists, power weapons, frag grenades and more — can give troops a significant edge in an assault.
- Power Fist or Claw
A power fist or claw doubles the wielder's Strength (to a maximum of 10) and ignores armour saves, but always strikes last regardless of Initiative or cover.
- Power Weapons
A power weapon, sheathed in a disruptive energy field, ignores armour saves when it strikes home.
- Close Combat Weapons
Ordinary close combat weapons like chainswords, axes and pistols give no bonus to Strength, but pairing one in each hand still earns an extra Attack.
- Frag Grenades
Troops armed with frag grenades force defenders in cover to fight simultaneously instead of striking first.
- Monstrous Creatures
A monstrous creature's close combat attacks are so powerful that they ignore armour saves entirely.
- Removing Casualties
Close combat casualties are removed first from models in base contact, then from those fighting within 2", and a model whose foe falls before he attacks may strike a fresh opponent instead.
- 3. Determine Assault Results
Total the wounds each side inflicted in the assault; whoever caused the most wins the combat and forces the loser to check morale.
- Enemy Destroyed!
A side that wipes out its enemy in an assault wins automatically, even if it took more casualties, and may advance or consolidate as normal.
- Tiebreaker (Moral High Ground)
If both sides inflict equal wounds, each rolls a dice to see who gains the upper hand; equal rolls mean the combat is drawn.
- 4. Loser Checks Morale
The losing side of an assault must pass a Leadership test or fall back 2D6"; otherwise the combat is treated as a draw and fighting continues next turn.
- 5. Winners Advancing & Consolidating
When their enemy falls back, the winners of an assault choose to either advance in pursuit or consolidate their position, deciding only after seeing how far the enemy fled.
- Advance
The victors move 2D6" after a fleeing enemy, destroying them if they close the distance, though difficult terrain halves the advance.
- Sweeping Advance
An advancing unit that outpaces its fleeing enemy must move its full roll and, if this brings it into contact with fresh enemy, is treated as launching a new assault the following turn.
- Partial Contact
When a sweeping advance engages only some of an enemy unit's models, the unengaged models may move freely but can rejoin the fight next assault phase.
- Consolidate
Victors who do not advance may instead move up to 3" in any direction, ignoring difficult terrain, to improve their position — the only option after winning on a tiebreaker.
- Drawn Combats
In a drawn combat, unengaged models on both sides must move up to 6" into base contact with the enemy, with priority given to models not already engaged.
- Multiple Combats
When several units fight in the same combat, total wounds inflicted by each side to find the winner; a winning unit can only advance or consolidate if every opposing unit falls back.
- Shooting In Close Combat
Models locked in close combat cannot shoot, except that a unit making a Sweeping Advance may still be fired upon before the next assault phase.