Core Rules Quick Reference (11th ed)
Shared by every army. My own summaries of the 11th-edition core rules, from Wahapedia, read October 2026. Check exact wording in the app or the core rules PDF.
Armies: Adeptus Mechanicus · Necrons · Adeptus Custodes
Contents
Turn structure · Moves · Transports · Shooting · Objectives · Actions · Weapon keywords · Unit abilities · Core stratagems
Turn structure
Each player turn runs: Command → Movement → Shooting → Charge → Fight.
- Command: both players gain 1CP (so ~2CP per battle round total for you). Then battle-shock rolls for your units that are already battle-shocked or at/below half-strength. Then “in your Command phase” abilities (Doctrina, Cawl’s Canticle, Thulia’s Icon, Datasmith protocol, Cybernetica stratagems).
- Movement: every unit picks one move type: remain stationary, normal, advance, or fall back. Reserves arrive here.
- Shooting: each eligible unit shoots once.
- Charge: declare and roll 2D6, move into engagement.
- Fight: chargers / Fights First go first, then alternate.
Moves
- Normal: up to M. Can’t end engaged.
- Advance: M + D6. No charging or actions that turn. Only [ASSAULT] weapons can shoot (Conqueror Doctrina gives all ranged weapons Assault).
- Fall back: up to M, from engagement. No shooting, charging or actions afterwards unless a rule says so (Ironstriders and Overloaded Safeguards bypass this). A battle-shocked unit has to make a Desperate Escape: a hazard roll per model, but it can move through enemies.
- Charge: 2D6, targets within 12”. Must end engaged with the charge targets.
Transports (Dunerider)
Units can get out only if the transport didn’t Advance or Fall Back that phase.
- Transport moved: rapid disembark, within 3”. The unit can shoot but can’t charge.
- Transport stayed still or hasn’t moved yet: tactical disembark, within 3”, then the unit makes a normal or advance move itself.
- Neither works (e.g. blocked in): combat disembark, within 6”, with a hazard roll per model. The unit becomes battle-shocked and can’t charge.
Shooting essentials
- Cover: the attacker gets -1 to hit if every model in the target is either infantry inside a terrain area, or partly blocked from view by terrain. Stealth grants cover; Ignores Cover cancels it.
- Hidden: infantry inside light or dense terrain can’t be seen by enemies beyond 15” unless they shot this turn or last turn. On turn 1 nobody counts as having shot. Lords of the Forge’s Data Screed can keep a Tech-Priest’s unit hidden after shooting (roll 2+).
- Lone Operative: can’t be targeted from more than 12” away unless attached to a unit. Cawl and Thulia get it while within 3” of another AdMech unit.
- Heavy: +1 to hit if the unit moved no more than 3”, isn’t engaged, and wasn’t set up this turn.
- Snap shooting (Overwatch): hits only on unmodified 6s, no re-rolls, max 24”, one target. Torrent weapons still auto-hit.
Objectives and battle-shock
- Control: at the end of each phase and turn, total the OC within range of each objective. Higher total controls it.
- Secured objectives: stay yours with nobody on them until the opponent has more OC there at the end of a phase. Rangers’ Objective Scouted does this.
- Battle-shocked units: OC becomes “–”, you can’t use stratagems on them, and they can’t do actions. Test in your Command phase on 2D6 against Ld.
Actions
A unit doing an action can’t shoot or charge that turn, unless a rule allows it (Battleclade, Holy Avarice). Moving cancels the action. Units can’t start one if they Advanced, Fell Back, are engaged or are battle-shocked.
- Anti-X Y+: wound rolls of Y+ against keyword X are criticals.
- Assault: can shoot after Advancing.
- Blast: +1 attack per 5 models in the target.
- Devastating Wounds: critical wounds become mortal wounds equal to D. No saves.
- Extra Attacks: used in addition to the model’s other melee weapon.
- Hazardous: after attacking, one hazard roll per hazardous weapon used.
- Heavy: see above.
- Ignores Cover: target gets no cover.
- Lethal Hits: critical hits (6s) auto-wound.
- Melta X: +X damage at half range or closer.
- Pistol / Close-Quarters: can shoot while engaged.
- Precision: can allocate to a visible Character in the unit.
- Rapid Fire X: +X attacks at half range or closer.
- Sustained Hits X: critical hits score X extra hits.
- Torrent: auto-hits.
- Twin-linked: re-roll wound rolls.
- Deadly Demise X: when destroyed, on a 6 each unit within 6” takes X mortal wounds.
- Deep Strike: arrive from reserves anywhere more than 8” from enemies.
- Feel No Pain X+: roll for each wound lost; X+ ignores it.
- Firing Deck X: X embarked models can shoot through the transport.
- Infiltrators: deploy anywhere more than 8” from enemy units and the enemy deployment zone.
- Leader / Support: attaches to a bodyguard unit. A unit can take one Leader plus one Support.
- Mobile: move through dense terrain horizontally.
- Scouts X”: pre-game move of up to X”.
- Stealth: always counts as in cover against shooting.
Core stratagems
- Command Re-roll (1CP): re-roll one hit, wound, damage, save, Advance, charge or attack-count roll.
- Fire Overwatch (1CP): at the end of the enemy’s Movement phase, snap-shoot at one enemy within 24”.
- Smokescreen (1CP): at the start of the enemy’s Shooting phase, a SMOKE unit (and anything partly hidden behind it) gets cover.
- Heroic Intervention (1CP; +1CP option): at the end of the enemy’s Charge phase, charge a unit that just charged. The +1CP option lets you hit any enemy within 6”, with the charge roll capped at 6.
- Counteroffensive (2CP): after an enemy unit fights, your unit fights next.
- Rapid Ingress (1CP): a reserve unit arrives at the end of the enemy’s Movement phase. Not usable in battle round 1.
- Insane Bravery (1CP, once per battle): auto-pass a battle-shock roll.
- Explosives / Grenades (1CP): a GRENADES unit rolls 6D6 against an enemy within 8”; each 4+ is a mortal wound. Only Skystalkers have Grenades in this army.
- Crushing Impact / Tank Shock (1CP): after a monster or vehicle charges, roll D6 equal to its Toughness. Each 5+ is a mortal wound to the enemy (max 6); each 1 is a mortal wound to you.
- Epic Challenge (1CP): a Character’s melee attacks get Precision.