Some weapons have additional abilities in their profiles. Often these are unique to those weapons and are written out in full, but others are common to many weapons, and may only be referenced by name on a weapon’s profile. Some notable examples of these common abilities are defined here; further weapon abilities may be found in other locations such as Codexes.
Weapons with [ASSAULT] in their profile are known as Assault weapons. If a unit that Advanced this turn contains any models equipped with Assault weapons, it is still eligible to shoot in this turn’s Shooting phase. When such a unit is selected to shoot, you can only resolve attacks using Assault weapons its models are equipped with.
Can be shot even if the bearer’s unit Advanced.
Weapons with [RAPID FIRE X] in their profile are known as Rapid Fire weapons. Each time such a weapon targets a unit within half that weapon’s range, the Attacks characteristic of that weapon is increased by the amount denoted by ‘x’.
[RAPID FIRE X]: Increase the Attacks by ‘x’ when targeting units within half range.
Weapons with [IGNORES COVER] in their profile are known as Ignores Cover weapons. Each time an attack is made with such a weapon, the target cannot have the Benefit of Cover against that attack (See Terrain Features section).
Weapons with [TWIN-LINKED] in their profile are known as Twin-linked weapons. Each time an attack is made with such a weapon, you can re-roll that attack’s Wound roll.
Weapons with [PISTOL] in their profile are known as Pistols. If a unit contains any models equipped with Pistols, that unit is eligible to shoot in its controlling player’s Shooting phase even while it is within Engagement Range of one or more enemy units. When such a unit is selected to shoot, it can only resolve attacks using its Pistols and can only target one of the enemy units it is within Engagement Range of. In such circumstances, a Pistol can target an enemy unit even if other friendly units are within Engagement Range of the same enemy unit.
If a model is equipped with one or more Pistols, unless it is a MONSTER or VEHICLE model, it can either shoot with its Pistols or with all of its other ranged weapons. Declare whether such a model will shoot with its Pistols or its other ranged weapons before selecting targets.
Cannot be shot alongside any other non-Pistol weapon (except by a MONSTER or VEHICLE).
Can be shot even if the bearer’s unit is within Engagement Range of enemy units, but must target one of those enemy units.
Weapons with [TORRENT] in their profile are known as Torrent weapons. Each time an attack is made with such a weapon, that attack automatically hits the target.
Weapons with [LETHAL HITS] in their profile are known as Lethal Hits weapons. Each time an attack is made with such a weapon, a Critical Hit automatically wounds the target.
Weapons with [LANCE] in their profile are known as Lance weapons. Each time an attack is made with such a weapon, if the bearer made a Charge move this turn, add 1 to that attack’s Wound roll.
Weapons with [INDIRECT FIRE] in their profile are known as Indirect Fire weapons, and attacks can be made with them even if the target is not visible to the attacking model. These attacks can destroy enemy models in a target unit even though none may have been visible to the attacking unit when you selected that target.
If no models in a target unit are visible to the attacking unit when you select that target, then each time a model in the attacking unit makes an attack against that target using an Indirect Fire weapon, subtract 1 from that attack’s Hit roll, an unmodified Hit roll of 1-3 always fails, and the target has the Benefit of Cover against that attack.
Can target and make attacks against units that are not visible to the attacking unit.
If no models are visible in a target unit when it is selected, then when making an attack against that target with an Indirect Fire weapon, subtract 1 from that attack’s Hit roll, an unmodified Hit roll of 1-3 always fails, and the target has the Benefit of Cover against that attack.
Weapons with [PRECISION] in their profile are known as Precision weapons. Each time an attack made with such a weapon successfully wounds an Attached unit (see Detachment Abilities section), if a CHARACTER model in that unit is visible to the attacking model, the attacking model’s player can choose to have that attack allocated to that CHARACTER model instead of following the normal attack sequence.
When targeting an Attached unit, the attacking model’s player can have the attack allocated to a CHARACTER model in that unit visible to the bearer.
Weapons with [BLAST] in their profile are known as Blast weapons, and they make a random number of attacks. Each time you determine how many attacks are made with a Blast weapon, add 1 to the result for every five models that were in the target unit when you selected it as the target (rounding down). Blast weapons can never be used to make attacks against a unit that is within Engagement Range of one or more units from the attacking model’s army (including its own unit).
Can never be used against a target that is within Engagement Range of any units from the attacking model’s army (including its own).
Add 1 to the Attacks characteristic for every five models in the target unit (rounding down).
Weapons with [MELTA X] in their profile are known as Melta weapons. Each time an attack made with such a weapon targets a unit within half that weapon’s range, that attack’s Damage characteristic is increased by the amount denoted by ‘x’
[MELTA X]: Increase the Damage by ‘x’ when targeting units within half range.
Weapons with [HEAVY] in their profile are known as Heavy weapons. Each time an attack is made with such a weapon, if the attacking model’s unit Remained Stationary this turn, add 1 to that attack’s Hit roll.
Add 1 to Hit rolls if the bearer’s unit Remained Stationary this turn.
Weapons with [HAZARDOUS] in their profile are known as Hazardous weapons. Each time a unit is selected to shoot or fight, after that unit has resolved all of its attacks, for each Hazardous weapon that targets were selected for when resolving those attacks, that unit must take one Hazardous test. To do so, roll one D6: on a 1, that test is failed. For each failed test you must resolve the following sequence (resolve each failed test one at a time):
■ If possible, select one model in that unit that has lost one or more wounds and is equipped with one or more Hazardous weapons. ■ Otherwise, if possible, select one model in that unit (excluding CHARACTER models) equipped with one or more Hazardous weapons. ■ Otherwise, select one CHARACTER model in that unit equipped with one or more Hazardous weapons. If a model was selected, that unit suffers 3 mortal wounds and when allocating those mortal wounds, they must be allocated to the selected model.
If a unit from a player’s army is selected as the target of the Fire Overwatch Stratagem in their opponent’s Charge phase, any mortal wounds inflicted by Hazardous tests are allocated after the charging unit has ended its Charge move.
Weapons with [DEVASTATING WOUNDS] in their profile are known as Devastating Wounds weapons. Each time an attack is made with such a weapon, if that attack scores a Critical Wound, no saving throw of any kind can be made against that attack (including invulnerable saving throws). Such attacks are only allocated to models after all other attacks made by the attacking unit have been allocated and resolved. After that attack is allocated and after any modifiers are applied, it inflicts a number of mortal wounds on the target equal to the Damage characteristic of that attack, instead of inflicting damage normally.
Weapons with [SUSTAINED HITS X] in their profile are known as Sustained Hits weapons. Each time an attack is made with such a weapon, if a Critical Hit is rolled, that attack scores a number of additional hits on the target as denoted by ‘x’.
[SUSTAINED HITS X]: Each Critical Hit scores ‘x’ additional hits on the target.
Weapons with [EXTRA ATTACKS] in their profile are known as Extra Attacks weapons. Each time the bearer of one or more Extra Attacks weapons fights, it makes attacks with each of the Extra Attacks melee weapons it is equipped with and it makes attacks with one of the melee weapons it is equipped with that does not have the [EXTRA ATTACKS] ability (if any). The number of attacks made with an Extra Attacks weapon cannot be modified by other rules, unless that weapon’s name is explicitly specified in that rule.
Weapons with [ANTI-KEYWORD X+] in their profile are known as Anti weapons. Each time an attack is made with such a weapon against a target with the keyword after the word ‘Anti-’, an unmodified Wound roll of ‘x+’ scores a Critical Wound.
[ANTI-KEYWORD X+]: An unmodified Wound roll of ‘x+’ against a target with the matching keyword scores a Critical Wound.